Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-17

The supporting party will go Inland
for 200 miles. laying depots for the
geological party, which will get away
a few DAYS later and follow their
trail to the halfway mark to the
mountains.
Trail South Is Difficult.
The trsil south from Little America
to the fourth depot, the southern limit
of the supporting partys journey, Is
the most difficult part of the long sledge
trip over the ice barrier to the Queen
Maud Mountains. 1t was the part on
which Amundsen had his only Difficult
ties while on the barrier and before
reaching the terrific chasms of the
glaciers leading to the polar plateau.
Over this part Of the route the sup
porting party will break trail and mark
way for the following geological party,
in addition to laying depots for their
use.
This trail was marked last Fall to
a point A miles south of Little America
and three caches OF food made there
which will be consolidated into two,
the furthest of which will be Depot
No. /. This is at latitude 70 degrees
81 minutes south and on a meridian
which will be followed as closely as
possible all the way. longitude 1853 de-
grees 80 minutes west.
The other three depots will be placed
by the supporting party at latitude 30
degrees 10 minutes south, 81 degrees
south and 81 degrees As minutes south.
They are roughly about so miles apart.
VIII Go First to Framheim.
The supporting party will go south to
Framheim, Amundsen's old headquar-
tiers, either over the bay ice or If that
is too much broken up by pressure, for
1t towers high in the air now and there
are bad assures and crevasSes, over the
barrier itself to Framheim. Even the
latter route is crevasSed this Spring be-
cause of pressure.
From Framheim the way lies up
slope at the foot of which is a crevasse
about IL feet wide, which was crossed
easily last year on a somewhat narrower
place now marked with flags. Once UP
this slope. which will be stiff pull and
where the dogs Of the geological party
may help, there is a level stretch over
a terrace of ice to the foot Of another
steep slope.
Once up that and the top of the
barrier is reached with no more hills
until the mountains are reached, al
though the surface rises in gradual I'M
dulations from height of 256 feet
above sea level as noted by AmundSen,
passed, to a height of 928 feet at lati-
tude 70 degrees, IL minutes. This Is
the highest point on the entire route
to the mountains. as at the last depot
at IS degrees, not far from Mount
Nansen, the altitude Is only ATS feet.
And for 40 miles before reaching that
point, the altitude Of the barrier is less
than 100 feet above sea level.
So 1t can be seen that the elevation
-
is significant as indicating the presence
of land at that point.
The existence of land there Is further
shown by the heavily crevaSSed area
Just south of this elevated point. where
the barrier drops from 900 feet down to
364 feet above sea level in a few miles.
And just beyond the crevasse is the
cache which will serve this year as the
first depot.
To Avoid Crevassed Region.
This crevassed region will be avoided
as 1t was last year by going somewhat
to the east of the course and then turn
ing back again. Amundsen got into this
place of innumerable crevasses, which
he called the trap. on his depot journey
and later on the polar journey, but got
out Of it by turning east.
There was no need to look for
CT6NdSSGc. ilC cclQ III Alio OOOhOs tAlO1O
was literally nothing else to be SEEN"
This place lies in sort of hollow
After going around the trap, the first
depot will be established by adding dog
food to the stores already there and COW
ering them with snow to form q big
mound surmounted by nag. The en-
tire route will be marked by these yell
| low flags fastened to strips of bamboo
and stuck in the snow at half-mile in
tervals. and at every MONDAY halt a
snow beacon with a flag on 1t will be
erected.
The depots will be more deliberately
| marked. however, so that in storms or
days of bad visibility on the return
| journey 1t will be easier to find them.
In addition to the snow mound and
the large flag on it. flags will be placed
at quarter mile intervals for distance
| of five miles on each side of the depots.
There will be 20 of these flags on each
side, and each one will be marked with
| the letter e. or W." denoting east or
west, and a number, showing the dis