ARCTIC EXPLOIT

Northern Advocate, 20 June 1925, Page 5

ARCTIC EXPLOIT

AMUNDSEN'S GREAT ADVENTURE ONE AEROPLANE RELEASED RETURN PARTLY BY FLIGHT NORWEGIAN SEALER BOARDED — ! , I (Received 10.5 a.m.) I (Copyright.) j LONDON, June 18. [ Captain Roaltl Amumlsen, aboard ft. Hoimdal at Spitsbergen says: "The planes loft King's Bay on May 21 witli a load approximating three tons on the way to Amsterdam Island. Tests ™rq carried out o» both p.lanes, whiel. concluded satisfactorily, and hence according to plans the flight proC6Gd6(li "We encountered fog at Sydyat, so rose to 3100 feet in order to navigate l>y the aid of the solar compasses. "Pot the nest two horns we flew continuously over fog, which we did „ot leave behind until 8 o'clock in the evening. For the remainder of tl.e journey the visibility was excellent. ' "An observation at 10 o'clock showed that Ave were too far Avest, probably due to a north-east wind above the fog, but we could not possibly observe the deviation. "Our course was then lai-d further east until 1 o'clock of the morning of May 22, when half our petrol was consumed. .DESCENT EFFECTED. "We therefore decided to attempt to descend in order to secure definite -bearings Avith a view to continuing the flight. "We were then abov-e a large lane in the ice, Avhieh. -was the first of 4his size to be encountered. We flew lower, observing surrounding ice and the •danger of a sudden block in the ice lane. "Not once during the trip had we seen a suitable place to land. Neither there one here, so we descended on the water in the ice lane. j IFROZEN IN. I j '' Our fears regarding the descent Avere not groundless, as Plane N 25 iimmediately after landing became locked between masses of ice. "While trying to get the iplane clear of the ice lane we found that it Jiad frozen tight and gripped the other plane, N 24. THOUSAND KILOMETRES. '' Observations during the night disclosed the position as latitude 87.44, longitude 10.20 west. "The distance therefore ;covered in the eight, hours' flight was exactly 1000 kilometres (625 milest, at an average speed of 150 kilometres. But for a head wind we should have got 200 kilometres further. "We took two soundings which a dejrth of 3750 metres. "In the folloAving days we studied drift conditions and 'Observed the imagnetic variation and the meteorological situation. POLAR LANDING IMPOSSIBLE. "Whilst we Avere flying northwards we observed an area of about 100,000 square kilometres reaching to about 88.30 degrees north, without any indications of land in view;, also by the depth disclosed by our soundings j ■we think it most improbable that land will be found further north on this :-side of the NorAvegian Arctic Ocean. "We came to the conclusion that there were no grounds for assuming 'that the conditions Avould be such as to permit a landing further north, j .■and that to land at the Pole Avith an opportunity to take observations or | soundings Avould be impossible. ' j "We considered that only to fly over the Pole Avitliout taking aceur- | :ate observations of what is possibly merely ice had no real significance and ] it-Avas not worth taking great risks. | "We agreed, therefore, instead of continuing further north, to lay our J 7return course further east in order to cross hitherto undiscovered tracta ACUTE DIFFICULTIES. "With the planes ice-blocked and the difficulty of raising them into the jairithe situation Avas acute. j "With a A-ieAv to lasting as long as possible the daily rations were dras- j tically curtailed. | "We concentrated all our energies in getting N2o clear. j "During the following 24 hours we experienced all kinds of difficulties, j owing to the vagaries of the fickle Arctic Ocea». ; N25 SET FREE. "Eventually N25 A\ T as freed", after the greatest exertion. The plane showed signs of strain, but was lugged practically undamaged from the pack ice to a starting place we had levelled some distance away. "On June 14 cracks opened in the ice, which threatened to remove a third of our work on the ice. "On the morning of June 15, Avithout attempting to lengthen the levelled spot, trials Avere made Avith a greatly reduced load, nearly the Avhole of the equipment being discarded. We kept only a few stores and a minimum quantity of petrol to enable us to proceed southwards. "We succeeded in getting away and a course Avas set for the spot indicated, at 10.40 a.m. VAST UNEXPLORED REGION. l "After an exciting flight, partly through fog, Ave reached North Cape, North-Eastland, the flight occupying '8 hours 35 minutes. "We fibcen landed and awaited favourable winds for a continuation of the flight with the remaining 120 litres of petrol to a spot within range of j the Hobby's patrol area. "We estimate the area obserA r ed on the return trip as 60,000 square kilometres. "The expeditionthas, qbserA-ed a toital of 100,000 kilometres of hitherto unexplored area.' 1 / ' VESSEL IN .SIGHT. ' j 'u i " Immediately after landing the Norwegian sealer Sjoeliv, from Barras j Fjord, passed westward. We at once went on board and Avera gladly j received. Our plane wag-'taken in tow. j "ToAvards night t'hg Avind freshened to a gale, so Ave wOi'6 compelled to make for shelter under the land on the west side of Lady Franklin Bay, remaining there during the night. "There Avas no improvement on June IG, so the plane Avas secured on the land at Ice Bay and the aiembers of the expedition left Avith the Sjoeliv. DEPENDABLE APPOINTMENTS. "During the navigation the plane's Goerz solar compasses Avere of essential importance, operating entirely satisfactorily. No other plane except the Dornicr type could haA'e Avithstood the strain. "The Rolls-Royce engines in the first feAv hours secured our confidence. Not once on the latter flight, during which there Avas no possibility of landing, did we feel any anxiety. During our stay in the north the engines always started instantaneously and they saved the plane when Ave Avere ■compelled to move it away from threatening, pack-ice."—A. and N.Z.

"IT'S AMUNDSEN!" DRAMATIC RECEPTION. IN FAINT MIDNIGHT SUN GLEAM (Received 10.45 a.m.) LONDON, June 17. A message from Spitzbergen states: "There Avas a dramatic scene wheli Amundsen returned to King's Bay. j CroAvds gathered on the quay at about 10 p.m. to witness the arrival. When, through th'-e misty haze, the Norwegian sealer Sjaeliv slowly entered the harbour, under the faint gleam of the midnight sun, many men Avere seen on deck. i "Slowly, from the tired and Avorn- | Hobby shouted: 'It's Amundsen!' j "Deafening cheers greeted the exf plorers, and then Ave burst into song, I singing the National Anthem. j "Slowly, from the tired ad Avornout explorers, we Avere able to obtain : their story, but oven before they began we could see lioav they had suffered." —A', and N.Z. INTREPID RESCUE. I PERFORMED BY ELLSWORTH. TWO COMRADES SAVED. (Received 10 a.m.) ! • LONDON, June IS. j Captain Amundsen states that the | occupants of the two planes Avere separated for a long period, during Avhich EllsAvortli saved Dietrichson and Omdal from drowning. Whilst Amundsen and Riiser-Larsen were on the other side of the ice lane they heard cries for help. They were unable to assist, oAving to drift ice j making it impossible to effect a cross- j ing in a canvas boat. —A. and N.Z. ! LONDON JUBILANT. J THE OUTSTANDING TOPIC. j (ReceiA'ed I0;50 a.m.) j LONDON, June 19. j The news of Amundsen's safety Avas I Avelcomed most heartily in London. The fact overshadows even the Security Pact in most of the neAvspapers.—A. and N.Z. FAR FROM DISMAYED. STILL ANOTHER ATTEMPT. j ( (Received 10.50 a.m.) OSLO, June 19. J Amundsen's return was not an- j nounced until 10 p.m., when croAvds j paraded the streets, cheering and | singing. j Amundsen states that he is deter- , mined to renew his attempt to reach j the North Pole. —A. and N.Z. > j "RATS IN A TRAP." j INCOMPARABLE HARDSHIPS. CASE OF LIFE AND DEATH. j (Received 12.40 p.m.) I LONDON, June 19. j Amundsen says there was nothing in I his South Polar expedition comparable 1 Avith the hardships of the flying party, | caught like rats in a trap. When j they started for home they realised that it was a case of life and death. Prestrud, who accompanied Amundsen to the South Pole, is of opinion that the best means of reaching the North Pole is an airship, which could be anchored to avoid the risk of "being j frozen in.—A. and N.Z. I . - j NEARLY GAVE UP. i | EXTREME EXPERIENCES. I UGLY SITUATION. (Received 2 p.m.) LONDON, June 19. A message froiji the Heimdal at Spitzbergen, dated today, states: — ■ "Of the six men who participated ! in the Polar, flight Amundsen shows the most traces of the hardships the party underwent, but the others say this is because Amundsen worked the j hardest of all. ' "Amundsen says that, on jus expedition to the South Pole he njejb nothing which could be compared witlf what he just underwent. He would hot have | believed that such experiences as en- ' countered in the last three weeks could ever have befallen him an<3 he hopes that nobody else will ever have them, j adding: ' Many times the situation' was so ugly that we were tempted to throw I up the sponge. When finally we start- j ed for home everyone realise it was i touch and go.' j "When it was mentioned to Amund- j sen that the whole world thought he | Avas bound for Cape Columbia he said: j ! ' With conditions as they are this | would have meant certain death.' { i "Ellsworth is the least changed. j , Riiser-Larsen, Dietrichson, Omdal and i Feucht have all lost many pounds in | weight, but are otherwise quite well." j j —A. and N.Z. — — i