AMUNDSEN’S QUEST.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1030, 15 August 1911, Page 4

AMUNDSEN’S QUEST.

THE MOST SOUTHERLY HUMAN HABITATION. Captain Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, who is the leader of one of the rival expeditions, now engaged on a quest for the South Pole, has sent a despatch to The Times, which is printed by that journal. The message was sent from the Fram, the explorer’s vessel, on February 9th, when the expedition was situated: Long, rbqdeg. W. ; lat. 7Sdeg. qornin S. Describing the voyage south, Captain Amundsen says: —“We had no wind to speak of until we got down to the * roaring forties ’ ; possibly that is a good name, but there must be a good deal of wind before the Fram finds its ‘roaring.’ I am quite sure that* her equal is not to be found on the seas. , . , On the first day of January the first ice was sighted. That fitted well. Next day a few detached ice-floes began to appear. In the evening of the second we crossed the Antarctic Circle, and at 10 p.m. there lay the Antarctic drift ice before us. It did not look particularly imposing—a few strips of spring frozen, newlybroken ice. Nothing of that kind could hinder us, and we stood straight in, in longitude I76deg. W. (about) and latitude 66deg. 30m. S. “It took us four days and nights to get through the belt of pack ice, and on the evening of the 6th we emerged into open sea —Ross Sea —in latitude yodeg. S., and longitude iSodeg. W. It was more like the North Sea on a fine summer day than anything else. With the exception of two small bergs, we did not see a sign of ice from the time we entered it until we sighted the barrier in about 78deg. South latitude. THE MIGHTY BARRIER. “ We sighted the Mighty barrier at 2.30 p.m. on January nth. One would be less than human if one could behold such a sight unmoved. As far as the eye can see, from western to eastern horizon, the wall of ice rises perpendicularly to a height of rooft. And yet it is only a very small part of it that one sees. What must the man have thought who first came upon this wall, and for whom all further advance seemed an impossibility ? “The great bay running southwest into the Barrier, which I have chosen as the base of an expedition towards the South Pole, has been observed not only by Ross and Borcbgrevinck, but also by Scott and Shackleton, and thus appears to be a constant formation, something that can be counted upon. Shackleton also thought he saw a ridge of bills at the head of this bay, which would indicate land.

“After reading the various accounts and thinking the matter over, I came to the conclusion that this bay, which has been proved to have had the same situation for a period of 60 years, could not be a chance formation in the Barrier caused by the breaking-off of icebergs, but must have been produced by underlying land or rising ground. If not, the Barrier would have continued its course unchecked, and no bay would have been formed.

SAKE LANDING PLACE. “My belief as to the origin of the bay was strengthened as we got further south ; the formations stood out more clearly and sharply, and at the southern end we could distinctly make out hills and valleys. It was certain that underlying lands or shoals here arrested the course of the mighty glacier, and forced it out to either side. There would be no perilous wintering on a floating barrier. The ground was safe enough. “On the following day (January 14) we found a landing place well suited for our enterprise. The long 16,000 miles’ voyage was safely accomplished, and we were only one day out in our calculation. We had arrived a day too early. “It is three weeks since we began the building of our station, and now everything is ready. The desolate, icy landscape has undergone a great change. The silence is broken. Where formerly only a solitary penguin or the track of a seal crossed the height there now lies a whole little village. Our solidly-built little house stands safe and secure, sunk 4ft down in snow as hard as rock, and supported by backstays on all sides. We have given it the name of Framheim. Its longitude is about 164 deg. W., its latitude 78 deg. 4omin. S., so that it is probably the most southerly human habitation. Round it are set up 15 tents, large enough to accommodate 16 men each, for the use of the dogs, and as storehouses for our provisions, coal, wood, clothing, etc. “It is my intention to lay down a main depot in 80 deg. latitude, and a smaller one as far south as possible ; and I hope that with the excellent means at our disposal, we shall get to 83 deg. with the smaller depot as early as the autumn, before the dark season sets in.”