THE POLAR HERO.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1423, 25 April 1912, Page 4

THE POLAR HERO.

TELLS HIS OWN STORY,

AMUNDSE'N IN WELLINGTON.

DELIGHTED AUDIENCE.

Captain Amundsen is in Wellington, and the public here, as in other Australasian cities, have shown their admiration for the winuer of the race to the South Pole. The explorer arrived in the afternoon by the exprefs train froin Auckland, and was met at the station by some twenty or thirty of hit fellowcountrymen. A civic welcome had wen mooted, and the Acting-Mayor (Mr. John Smith) would have, been delighted to be tho spokesman ot the city on such an occasion, but when Captain Amundsen was consulted, he intimated that he would prefer to come and (jo without any sort of ceremony. The Primo Minister (Hon. T. Mackenzie), who is out of town, telegraphed his regret that he was unable to meet the explorer and be present at his lecture. The Lecture. Tn the evening Captain Amundsen told the story ol his expedition to a crowded audience in the Town Hull. Enthusiastia applause greeted him upon his mounting to the platform. Ho had no chairman, and plunged at once into tho midst of his subject by Mating that there wero two stages in the present expedition of the Frain, the first being the journey to the South Pole and the second the drift across the North Polar seas. The first stage had been completed, and ho hoped to start soon on the second. After a brief sketch of previous achievements iu tin; Antarctic, the captain had the lightr switched off, and Iwgan to show a series of excellent lantern views, illustrating his journey to the South Pole. Nearly all the" slides .were received with applause from all parts of (lie liou'c. Among the most popular being the groups of tho ship's party in different circumstances, the Fram inside and out, the faithful dogs (1)7 on leaving Norway, and 116 on reaching the Barrier), seal-hunting, penguins at home, and the weird Antarctic scenery. There was, ia contrast, quite a solemn liush while a series of views of the cruel drift-ic? were being shown. The Other Expeditions. In one of many realistic pictures of the Harriet , ,'l he lecturer- pointed to a few small dark spots on the huge white sleep. "These," ho said, "are some of the members, of the Japanese expedition climbing tho Barrier. The applause which followed evidently pleased him. There was a. louder outburst when h« showed tho Fram meeting Captain Scott's Terra Nova in the Bay of Whales. The Japanese ship Kainan Mnru wns nlsn flhown in Polar waters. The Depots,' Tho starting out of the first depot-lay, ing trip along tho route to be followed towards tho Polo was graphically' described. Four men, 18 dogs, and three sledges set out on this occasion. "How well 1 remember that morning," said the explorer, "when for the first time we made headway towards the'south. Ahead of us tho vast endless snow plain; • bohincl us tho Hay of Whales, with its tunny prominent capes and at the further end of it our dear old ship. The flag was hoisted for a last farewell from our comrades on tho vessel. None of us know when wo should see them again, )■»• tho Fram would probably be gone when we returned. Another look behind, another farewell, and then to tho southward!" Tho lecturer made it clear that tine business of laying depots of food was ot immenso importance to tho success of the expedition. The depots contained 75001b. of food. It had been thought unpractical to lay out depots on a, vast featureless enow-covered plain, because of the imminent probability of losing them, but he realised that without depots along the route it would scarcely be possible to reach tho Pole. Ho and his men talked it over, a good, deal,' and at last decided to mark each depot by two flags, equidistant from it on either side, etch «ag bearing an indication of'the direction and distance of tho depot. This plan worked well. \fter- tho depot-laying came the build-

ins of the hub for winter quarters. I lie audience was keenly interested in wains how the snug and curious little dwellingplace, amid tho snow and ice, was built and fitted, and some conception of tno terrors of Hie Antarctic winter was gained fro i tho pictures of the substantial hut nenrlv buried in the snowdrifts, with a well-I'ike passage dus out to the doorway. The Pole at Last! Next, came a series of pictures of scenes and incidents on the final march to tho Pole. Some of these showed specimens of the cairns that were built around tho provisions left in small depots at int»rvals atongMhe route. The cairns were built of' blocks of frozen snow up to rather more than the height of a man. A small flag was stuck in the top of each one By means of these pictures and others revealing some of the dazzling mountain and snow scenery along tiie route, aided by the explorer s descriptive narrative, the audience was able to reali«c very clearly what the dash for the Polo was like, in everything but its hard-■iUins-and those were but lightly touched upon, as is Captain Amundsen s wont. When taking his hearers through the mountain region, he remarked, by tno way. "We got so used to crevasses that ive'did not mind them at all." In terms similar to those or the narratives already published, Captain Amunoson described the final walk over the vast white plain in the calm air and brilliant sunshine. Then came Hie day ot tno achievement. "I have- a feeling that wo slept, lc-.s and breakfasted at a greater sneed and started curlier than at any former stage. The day was a? fine as usual with brilliant sunshine aud a veiy irentle breeze. We made Rood headway, and .lid not talk very much Everybody seemed to be occupied with Ins on thoughls, or perhaps nil ;jvitV the »,« thought which caused us nil to look to to south over tho endless plf""' , - »«>« we the first or were we not i At 3 o clock on December 11 the distance wns covered, and tho seal was veached. Calm ami white and .siill. stretched tlvo T?rrat. hlorn oforc us. with no sip of life c unt v on he South Pole, and we nanieri the party standing in front ot it.

The Record-Breaking Ship. The lecturer then gave a vapid narrative of the return journey, n™"*"*"}"' reminiscent pleasure upon Hie occasion vhc measured rations were no longer tw wXr of (lie ilov. and every man could ot'-asmu'Las'hoHked. But what d,lichtod him mo«t, li appearen, w <Hit. ouco morn Ins beloved Irani, tho wconl.hrea.kinß Aip. which with Y-Mwn Vchioved tho furthest. North; and under her nre'ont. captain Urn furthest South. niiiotly that his stor> was «ni«hed and retired so fmicklj lunr Km> -no opportunity tor formal is K-W« VTollin,iiii» for Buenos Ayr<\'. , When Uud hair ho would *pend to-dar in Wellington, CapUiu A.round!?n replied "Quietly." ___-_-««i