AFTER 18 YEARS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17145, 30 December 1929, Page 7

AFTER 18 YEARS

RELIC OF AMUNDSEN DISCOVERY BY GOULD CACHE IN THE MOUNTAINS. (Copyright 1929 by the New York Times Co., uud the St. Louis Post-Disputch. Ail rights for publication reserved throughout the world.) (By Wireless to the Now York Times.) (By Kussull Owen.) BAY OF WHALES, Dec. 27. Amundsen's cache on Mount Betty, at the foot of the Axel-Heiberg glacier, has been found by. Dr. Gould, leader of the geological party in the Queen Maud mountains. A note written by the famousi Norwegian explorer Mid discoverer of the (South Pole was found in a can buried under a rock cairn, where it had been placed 18 years ago on his return journey. The mountains to the east of AxelHeiberg wero found to be much different from those in the west. Dr. Gould reported) to Commander Byrd that the mountains of Marie. Byrd hand east of the 150th meridian are so low that they do not form a massive rock rampart holding the interior of the polar plateau, and the ice floods down from above and forces the barrier up into great pressure ridges 50 miles out from tho range. Bis discoveries suggest that possibly the barrier covers a vast area east of hitherto unknown limits. He also found copper minerals in tho eastern mountains. The finding of Amundsen's message is described in the following message to tho commander : "We camped near Mount Betty, and before leaving for Strom camp decided, as a last hope, to look at a curious pile of rock far down on a low ridge from the main mountain. It was agreed that Mike Thorne and I would ski over and take a look, and thus save bringing the teams, but this time we were not disappointed, so we signalled with our Hags for the rest to come, and it did not take them long to get there. Even the dogs felt the excitement in the air, and hurried, for we had found Amundsen's cache. We stood about the cairn uncovered for a moment of silence in respect for the mefflory of the remarkable man whose hands had built it, before we even touched a stone, and then, asi though it were a sacred relic, we removed it. It contained a five-gallon tin of gasoline in excellent condition, besides two packages of matches. Then there was a tin can, containing Amundsen's note and another bit of paper, with tile names and addresses of Hansen and Wisting. IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES. "1 put a new note in the can, telling briefly about the Byrd expedition and .the geological party. Vv'e also took the liberty ot tearing open one package ot matches, tiieu carefully rep.aced each rock and lelt the cairn as wo Had found it, and just as Amundsen lea it ItJ years ago.- His message, in Norwegian, translated, is as follows: '• "January b, ltflZ—W'« arrived and encircled the South Pole on December 14 and 16, 1911. Wo have confirmed Victoria Land, so it is most likely that King Edward Vll Land has no connection at ti 6 degrees south latitude with Victoria Laud. It also shows that this laud continues in a colossal mountain range toward the south-east. Wo could see this enormous mountain range to ba degrees south latitude, and most likely lrom appearances tney continue jjru'tuen in toe- same dueUHou over Uie Antarctic continent. We passed tins cache on our return trout the oonui Polo with provisions' for "60 days, two sleds and 11 dogs. All well.—Eaold Amundsen.' " Die importance of Dr. Gould's discoveries to the eastward was emphasised by Commander Byrd. "I believe," ho said, "that the geographers have thought of the area east ol Amundsen's trail south to Queen Maud mountains as being a land forming part of tho great continent from an altitude of oUWit. On days ol good visibility wo scanned the eastern onrrier, but .saw no land between Little America and 85 degrees south. Our photograph taken et the so-called Carmen Land. indicated that tho mountains ran very little north of 86 degrees, 'there wero some huge pressure ridges that gave the appearance of land and fooled us at first. In other words, there was no evidence that the great Ice Barrier does not run hundreds ol miles to the eastward. Now Dr. Gould verifies tliisi indication by travelling on foot well beyond the mountain range as indicated on the map, and saw no range running north of 85 degrees 26 minutes. This means that ICO miles of Carmen Laud mountains will have to be taken off the map. The Barrier curves around the Charbes Bob mountains south-east beyond 147 degrees west longitude. I wish to state emphatically that this is no reflection on Amundsen's findings, as a foot traveller would naturally mistake the enormous pressure ridges for snowcapped mountains." COMPARISON WITH BOOK. Amundsen's message greatly thrilled us ill camp, especially one Norwegian in our expedition, Martin Ronne, who was with Amundsen on the South Polo expedition, and who made tho wind-proof clothes and other articles, and who also made the north-east passago of the Arctic Ocean with Amundsen. He came running into the library with his autographed copy of Amundsen's hook of the South Pole journey, which the explorer had given him. "See," ho said, "it tells here," and he began to read in Norwegian. The book relates how tiiey reached tho Barrier cache 85 degrees 5 minutes south latitude after the trip down the Axel-Heiberg and making preparations for the last stage of their homeward journey. It continues: "When we had accomplished all this re-packing and had everything ready, 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 can of 17 litres of paraffin and two packets of matches containing 20 boxes and an account of our expedition. Possibly some one may find use for these things in tho future." There is a slight discrepancy in the book on the amount of food taken with them, for ho says that when they left their depot they had provisions for 35 days, instead of 60 days, although he adds: "Besides this, of course, we had a depot at every degree of latitude up to 80," which may explain the difference in the estimates of food. Tho two mon whose names were found on pieces of paper are Helmar Hansen and Oscar Wisting, who were with Amundsen on tho north-east passage, and Wisting stood at one of the controls of the Norgo on the flight Amundsen and Ellsworth made from Spitzbevgen to Alaska. Of those five who wont to the South Polo and built the cairn found by Dr. Gould, only Wisting, Hansen and Bjaaland are alive. Hassel died in Amundsen's homo in Norway, and tho great explorer himself perished in an attempt to fly to the rescue of tho crew of tho ill-fated Italia of tho later Nobile expedition.