THE SOUTH POLE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10582, 13 March 1912, Page 5

THE SOUTH POLE

AMUNDSEN'S EXPEDITION

FURTHER DETAILS.

(Received March 12, 9.15 a.m.) LOiNDON, November 11. Tho Daily Chronicle publishes additional details of Captain Amundsen's journey to the South Pole. • Captain Amundsen says:— "I saw nothing of Captain Scott. If lie did not get there sooner than myself, it is exceedingly likely that lie reached the Pole later."

"The altitude was the greatest difficulty we experienced. It was sometames 16,5901]t (?), and at the Polo 10,500 feet, and we found a difficulty in breathing.

"Twenty-four dogs were killed at Soidegree-s. They were fat and good eating, 'for'the dogs had always had full meals. Three of the best dogs were lost through desertion; on the return journey it was found they had plundered one depot. "There was a remarkable absence of life. IVo skua gulis were seen at S4Jdeg. . "Christmas Day was spent at a high altitude. Extra biscuits and porridge were served out." A mutidsen attributes f l'is success to the use of skis, and the magnificent condition of the /dogs, which were quite fat at the end of the journey. No real hardship was experienced by the party. v The King Edward Land expedition saw a bird of a new species. 'The party was unable to erect- a cairn at the Pole, owing to the absence of stones. Amundsen considers calm, still weather is the prevalent condition round the Pole. (A previous message stated that the greatest altitude reached, by Amundsen's party was 10,750 feet, in 87.40 deg.

HANSEN'S OPINION.

(Received March 12, 8.5 a.m.) OHiRISTIANIA, March 11. Professor Fridjof Natisen, the wellknown Arctic explorer, and now Professor of Oceonography at the Christiania University, states that the fact that the amount of precipitous country that Amundsen traversed was small may explain why the land was notburied in an ice-cap tsimilar to that in Greenland. - (Professor Nansen thinks it unlikely that -Captain Scott was ahead of Captain Amundsen at the Pole, which was only on,e of the -many tasks Scotit had set himself. It would be impossible for Captain Scott's ponies to travel so early in spring as Captain Amundsen's dogs.

CAPTAIN AMUNDSEN.

SUBSCRIPTIONS IN NORWAY. TO PAY COST OF EXPEDITION. (Received Last i.Nght, 10.15 o'clock.) CHRISTIANA. March 12. . A committoe has'Tbeen formed to secure subscription to pay,.... Captain Amundsen's debts in conec.tionn with the South Polar expedition; and am-ounting't-o £3910. 4 .Afterwards a national subscription for Captain Amundsen himself will be taken up.