POLAR FLIGHT

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 June 1925, Page 5

POLAR FLIGHT

DIETRICHSEN’S DIARY. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Asrociation. LONDON, June 25. A copyright wireless message from the Heimdal, Spitzbergen, states: Extracts from the diary of Dietrichsen, pilot of the second plane, complete Amundsen’s story of the Polar dash. They relate. “We were astonished at the extent and size of the pack ice, when we began to' descend, as every tiling had seemed ' better from abdve. Immediately we saw that it would be difficult to return as the ice was continually moving. We saw wliere the N. 25 had landed, so we waited to see if it rose again, as we dared, hot leave our own plane .which’ wak leakihg seriously. Omdal was repairing a ’ jammed exhaust pipe throughout the night. Ellsworth and t were kept pumping, but nt noon on M-tly 23, we Saw the flag flying two miles . away, which raised our spirits. In the. evening we communicated by means of flags, and learnt that the N. 25 was frozen in twenty metres from the ice lane. Me then tried to. raise N .24 oh to an icq floe, in order to avoid the tiring task of pumping, as the leakage was increasing. We Succeeded in raising the plane'on May 25, when Ellsworth and I tried to reach N-25, but we turned back after seven hours’ march, realising it was impossible. We very Exhausted. Finally, we reached the N. 25 on May 26. During the crossing Oriidal and I were saved from drowning by a prompt rescue by Ellsworth. He is a sport. lhe N. 25 is now moored m a small bay at Spitzbergen, and is quite capable of future flights. .. ....