RECORD OF THE DASH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVII, Issue XLVII, 11 March 1912, Page 5

RECORD OF THE DASH.

LONDON, March 9. The "Chronicle" lias again surpassed its rivals in the matter of Polar exploration. It secured a great scoop with. Nansen's story of his Polar expedition of 1896, and it publishes to-day the exelusive record of Captain .Amundsen s voyage, telegraphed from Hobart.

THE DASH FOR- THE POLE. The narrative states that the explorers started on their dash for the Pole on the Bth of September, but it was then too early, the temperature falling to between minus 50 and 60 degrees and the party returned, the dogs suffering. Captain Amundsen and four others re-started on the 20th, encountering blizzards. Between the 82nd and 83rd degrees. They passed Sir Ernest Shackleton's furthest south on the Bth December, and .their destination was reached on the 14th. All hands were well. The Asg was planted, and they named the spot the King Haakon VII Plateau. Minute hourly observations were taken. The party then returned homewards on the 17th. They averaged 25 kilometres daily going and 26 coming back. They determined the extent and character of the Ross Barrier, and also discovered a connection in the South Victoria Land, probably King Edward VII Land, with the continuation in mighty mountains to the south-west, stretching in all probability across the continent.

WINTER QUARTERS.

Between February 10th and April 11th the expedition established depots at the 80fch, 81st and 82nd degrees. The surface of the Barrier was smooth 'and fine, and adapted to dog driving. There were tio sastrugi, but only local crevasses, none of them dangerous except two. The weather was excellent, the breezes being light and calm. After fixing the depots tli e -party returned to the base, finding that the Fram had departed .after sailing farthest south, namely 78.41 degrees. Befor e the arrival of winter they had stored 60,000 kilos of seal meat, and built winter quarters in which Xi.ux lamps furnished light and maintained the temperature at 68 degrees Fahrenheit. They spent four ■months in the winter quarters changing the outfit, which was found too clumsy on the depot They obtained astonishing- meteorological observations. There was little snow, the temperature ranging from 50 to 60 degrees Celsius. Many excellent aurora were seen. There were only two moderate storms, and the water remained open f.hroughouf the winter.

JOURNEY SOUTH. On September Bth the, journey south was commenced, the party being forced to return owing to the continuous fall of the temperature affecting the dogs, several of the latter dying. Spring came in earnest in the middle of October, and a party of five, with four sledges and 52 dogs, provided with four months' provisions, started south. A jparty of three went eastward to explore King Edward VII Land, and the southerners erected cairns at intervals to serve as guides on the return. They reached the 82nd degree on November sth, where the dogs got their last full meal. They rested for three days, and everything went- like a dance. -«-hey covered 50 kilometres daily, establishing depots at every degree. They reached the 83rd on the 9th, and investigated the Ross barrier. The explorers arrived at the 85th degree on the 17th, and on leaving they Inarched due south, reaching a place where the land and thg Barrier connected, a few big crevasses, indicating the limits of the. Barrier.

CLIMBING THE BARRIER

Here they -established- the heacL depot with sixty days' provisions. They commenced the ascent of the Barrier, which was most imposing, the 'summits ranging from 2000 to 15,000 feet above the ground. However, they rose by easy slopes which the dogs negotiated without difficulty. They encountered, a few steep glaciers where the going was hard, and were forced to malce detours owing to big crevasses. The first day they climbed 2000 feet. They camped on the second day at a height of 4500' feet, and descended on the. o third day by a glacier dividing thecoast mountains _ from the mountains further south. Then the longest ascent commenced, tlie glacier being broken and narrowed between two 15,000 feet- mountains. On the fourth, day from the Barrier they reached a vast plateau and camped at an altitude of 10,600 feet. There they were compelled to kill 24 dogs, retaining 18 for the das-h south Bad weather delayed the departure for four days, and the party re-started oa November 1 25(ch andi --a. furious blizzard and dens© snow drifts, their faces being badly frozen. Gradually descending they passed the 86th degree, and momentarily saw a mighty mountain through the snow drift. The weather moderated on the 29th and the sun shone. They established a depot at the foot of the Devil's Glacier. There were many towering peaks beautifully illuminated by the bright sun.

THE GREATEST ALTITUDE

The Devil's Glacier was negotiated in three days, being quitted on December 3rd. From then onward the ice plateau resembled a frozen sea. It sounded hollow to the tread, and one man and two dogs fell through. -The party reached the greatest altitude, 10,730 on Decernber 6th in 87.40.

ARRIVAL AT THE POLE

From 88.25 the pUtleau gradually sloped downwards, and after five days easy travelling tlio goal was sighted on tlio afternoon of the 14th. 1 hero was a beautiful light south-east breeze, and -the temperature was minus 23 /degrees •Celsius. The ground was perfect. At three o'clock all gathered round tho silken flag planted on a vast plain, alike in all directions, mile after mile. X)ui~ ins the night they circled the camp in

DISCOVERY MADE ON DECEMBER 14.

NORWEGIAN FUG AND HUM PENNANT HOISTED

(Press Association. —Copyright.)

a Tadius of 18 kilometres, and. for three I days they took a .series of careful observations, fixing the position of the Pole as close -as was humanly possible with the sextant and an artificial horizon. They erected a little tent on the precise spot, and surmounted it- with the Norwegian liag and the Fram's pennant-. They named the place Pollieim. The distance from the Pole to the winter camp was 1400 kilometres. THE RETURN. The .return was accomplished under favourable conditions, tlie party reaching the base on January 25th with two sledges and eleven dogs. The entire length of the , newly d'is, covered mountains, 850 kilometres, was named the Queen Maud Ranges. The expedition to King Edward VII Land confirmed Captain Scott's discoveries there. SIR E. SHACKLETON'S OPINION. SCOTT PROBABLY SUCCESSFUL. LONDON, March 8. Sir Ernest Shackleton, 'speaking , at the Mansion House, said it was very Jikely that Captain Scott also reached the Pole. AMERICAN COMMENTS. NEW YORK, March 8. Professor Osborne, head of the Museum of Natural History, expresses . the belief that Captain Amundsen would not claim to have reached the Pole unless he ■had actually reached there. Dr. Cook declares that it is extremely probable both men reached the Pole at almost the same time. CAPTAIN AMUNDSEN STILL SILENT. HOBART, March 10. Captain Amundsen is not yet prepared to confirm or deny the statement reported by cable.