AMUNDSEN'S VOYAGE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1383, 8 March 1912, Page 5

AMUNDSEN'S VOYAGE.

HIS SUDDEN CHANGE OF PLANS. Captain Amundsen, the "man to realise great ideals," as Nansen called him, had intended to take this explorer's ship, the "Fram," to the North Pole. Ho left .Christiania, in August, 1910, announcing that his objective was the North Pole. Later he changed his mind, because when next heard from he was in and he then admitted that the South Polo was the one he uould attack. What caused the change of mind was the lack of funds. Amundsen's intention had been to lock the Fram in the ice. allowing the drift to carry him from Bt-hring's Strait to Greenland. This required an immense expenditure on stores. Tho news of Amundsen's changed intention caused a great deal of surprise in scientific circles, and the. question of ethics was raised. It was clearly understood by the British party after their encounter with Captain Amundsen that his sole object was to reach the South Pole by way of the Beardmoro Glacier, but he hoped after having done so. to carry out Ujo programme of Arctic exploration originally drawn up by him. His equipment included lib' Greenland dogs and a sufficient number ot sledges and ski. The dogs worked lit in a team. There were two teams to each sledge, and these work on alternate days. Tho load was divided in the proportion of 1001b. for each working dog, the men travelling on ski at the sides of the sledges. The men ivore sealskin clothing, with no special protection against the wind. Dried iish was the food on which the dogs were to live. Captain Amundsen, before going to the south, dispatched the following letter to Dr. Nansen, from Madeira, under date of August \l>, 1910:— -it is not with n light heart I send you these lines, but there is no alterna-j tive, and I may therefore as well go straight, to the point. When the news of Cook's and later un of Peary's journeys to the North Pole arrived last aiituinn, 1 understood at once that this spell, ruin to niv undertaking (i.e., the North Polar expedition). I concluded that, after this, I could no more expect to receive the economical support I still needed. That I was right in this was proved.by the refusil of the Storting (i.e., the Norwegian Parliament) of my application for an additional grant of 25,000 kroner (-KI3BH). "To give up my undertaking never entered into my head. The question then nvo-e how In imisk the funds. l : nlo-s something very much out of Uncommon' Hero aicoiiiplislii'd, it was not to be thought of. Something thai could roil-.' tin- iiil.-r.-l ot tlii' great public was aljMiliiti'li inTO"orv. (July one problem is lell within the Polar regions, (],„ .solution of which might excito general in-

teresl, and that is to reach the South Pole. If able lo .achieve this 1 felt sure that the funds for the North Polar expedition planned Ijv me would In- seturnl. "It is hard tu confess bin the fact is that ever since September, llllli), il bus been my intention to take part in (be solution of this problem. I have many a time been on the point ol telling vou everything, but: I always shrank from it, fearing that you might induce me to alter my plan. J oflen wished that Scott had known of my decision, so that it might nut nppsar 'as if 1 wished to steal my way down yonder without his knowledge, in order to get the start of him; bill 1 have not ventured to risk to make it public in any form, fearing that I might then be prevented. 1 will, however, do all I can to meet him in the South Polar regions and tell him my plan. "It was thus as far back as September last voir that this resolution was taken, and T think t may say that we arc well equipped. But at the'same lime J must tell you that if 1 had succeeded in obtaining the funds still nccessarv for niv North Polar expedition—about 150,000 kroner (X 8250) —1 would gladly have given up this additional trip; but the raising of tins sum was quite out of the question. "From Madeira we shape our course towards tho south. ... I cannot decide where we shall go ashore, but it is my intention .not to land near the English expedition. They of course have the first right; we shall have to be content with what they leave us. "11l February-March, 1912. the Fram will return to fetch us. We shall first call .at Lyttelton, Now Zealand, in order to telegraph, and then proceed to San Francisco to continue the work thus interrupted, and, as 1 hope, with an equipment adequate for an expedition of the kind. . . ."