SOUTH POLAR REGIONS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19814, 30 December 1929, Page 9

SOUTH POLAR REGIONS.

AMUNDSEN'S CACHE FOUND

DR. GOULD'S DISCOVERIES

New York Times Comp»n> »mi b* Louis "P,v.t-Disi«tch. J

(UN'TSD MESH ASSOCIATION-** KI.SCTS.IC TiLiomm-fonBW"' 1

(Received December

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B\Y OF wUALKS, December 27. vmundsen'i -ache on Mount Betty, at the foot of the Axel Heiberg Ulteierha« been found by Dr. Could, the leader of the geological party in Om-ea Maud mountains. A note written .? the famous Norwegian explorer and .1 iv eoverer of the South Dole was found in a can buried under a rock cairn where it had been placed eighteen years ago on his return journey from the 1 yl.. The mountains to the east ol Axel Hfi berg were found to be much different from those iti the west. Dr. Gould re ported to Commander Byrd that, tlf mountains of Marie Byrd Land, east of the 150 th meridian, were so low tout thev do not form a massive rock ram part holding the interior polar plaloau. and that the ice floods down from above and forces the Barrier up into great pressure ridges fifty miles out from the range. His discoveries suggest the possibility Hiat the Barrier covers a vast area east of the hitherto known limits. He also found copper and min erals in the eastern mountains.

The finding of Amundsen 'e iiics.age was described in the following message to the commander: We camped nor Mount Betty, and before leaving f oi Storm Camp, decided as a last hope to look at, a curious pile of rock far down on the low ridge from the main mountain. It was agreed that Mike Thome and 1 would ski over and take a look, thus saving bringing the teams but this time we were not disappointed, so we signalled with our flags for the rest to come, and it did not take- them long to get there. Even the dogs felt excitement in the air and hurried, for we had found Amundsens cache. We stood about the cairn and uncovered for a moment of silence in respect for the memory of the remarkable man whose hands had built it, before we even touched the stone, and then, as though it were a saerod relic, we removed it. It contained a five-gallon tin of gasoline iu excellent condition, besides two packages of matches. Then there was a tin can containing Amundsen's note and another bit of paper with the names and Addresses of Hansen and Wisting. I put a new note in the can telling briefly about the Byrd expedition and the geological party. We also took the liberty of tearing open one packages of matches, then carefully replaced each rock, and left the cairn as we found "it, and just as Amundsen left it eighteen years ago. His menage in Norwegian translated, is as follows: —'January 6th, 1912. Arrived and encircled the South Pole December 14th and 36th, 1911. Have confirmed Victoria Land, so it is most likely that King Edward the Seventh Land has no connexion at 86 degrees south latitude with Victoria Land. It also shows that this land continues in a colossal mountain range towards the south-east. I could see this enormous mountain range to 88 degrees south latitude, and most likely from the appearance, they continue further in the same direction over the Antarctic continent. We passed this eaehe on our return from the South Pole with provisions for sixty days, two sleds, and eleven dogs. All well. Roald Amundsen.'

The importance of Dr. Gould's discoveries to the eastward was emphasised by Commander Byrd. "I believe," he said, "that the geographers have thought of the area east of Amundsen's trail south to the Queen Maud Mountains as being land forming part of a great continent. Prom tha altitude of three thousand feet, on days of good visibility, we scanned the eastern Barrier, but saw no land between Little America and 85 degrees south. Our photographs taken of the so-called Carmen Land indicated that the mountains ran very little north of 85 degrees. There were some huge pressure ridges that gave the appearance of land,*and fooled us at first. In j other words, there was no evidence that the Great Ice Barrier does not run hundreds of miles to the eastward. Now Dr. Gould verifies this indication by travelling on foot, well beyond the mountain range as indicated on the map, and saw no range running north of 85 degrees 25 minutes. This means that one hundred miles of Carmen Land mountains will have to be taken off the maps. The Barrier curves, around Charles Bob Mountains, south of east beyond 147 degrees west longitude, but it is impossible to say how far. I wish to state emphatically that this is no reflection on Amundsen's finding*, as a foot traveller would naturally mistake enormous presiuro ridges for snow-capped mountains." Amundsen's message greatly thrilled us in camp, especially the Norwegian in our expedition, Martin Ronne, who was with Amundsen on his South Pole e«pedition, and who made their windproof clothes and other articles, and who also made the north-east passage of the Arctic Ocean with Amundsen. He came running into the library with his autographed copy of Amundien's book of his South Pole journey which the explorer had given hiin. "See it tells here," he said, and began to read in Norwegian. The book relates reaching the Barrier eaehe 85 degrees 5 minutes south latitude, after the trip down Axel Heiberg glacier, and making preparations for the last staga -of their journey homeward. It then continues: "When we had accomplished all this repacking, and had everything readv, two of us went over to Mount Betty and collected as many different specimens of rock as we could lay our hands on. At the same time we built a great cairn and left there a (an of seventeen litres of paraffin, two packets of matches containing twenty boxes, and an account of our expedition. Possibly someone may find a use for these things." There is a slight discrepancy in the book on the amount of the food taken with them, for he says that when they left their dep/it thev had provisions for 3;" davs instead of 60, although hs adds: "Besides this, of course, we had a depot at every degree of latitude up to 80,"' whii-h may explain the difference in estimates of food. The two men whose names were found on the pieces of paper are Helmar Hansen and Oskar Wisting, who were with Amundsen on the north-east passage. and Wisting stood at one of tin- control* of the Nnrge on the flight which Amundsen and Mr Ellsworth made from Spitsbergen to Alaska. Of those five who went to the South Pole and built the cairn found bv Dr. Gould, only Wist ing, Hansen, and Bjaaland arc ahv. Hassel died in Amundsen's home in Norwav. and the great explorer himself perished in an attempt to fly to the rescue of the crew of the Itaha of the later Nnbile expedition.

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