AMUNDSEN’S CACHE FOUND

Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1929, Page 11

AMUNDSEN’S CACHE FOUND

DISCOVERY IN ANTARCTICA

NOTES, MATCHES AND GASOLENE

STORY OF EARLIER POLAR TRAMP

BURIED IN CAIRN FOR 18 YEARS.

(By Russell Owen —Special to Press Association).

Rec. 5.5 p.m. Bay of Whales, Dec. .27. Captain 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 famous Norwegian explorer and discoverer of the South Pole was found in a can buried under a rock cairn, where it had been placed 18 years ago. The mountains to the east of the Axel Heiberg Glacier were found to be much different from those to the west, Dr. Gould reported to Rear-Admiral Byrd. The mountains of Marie Byrd Land, east of the 115th meridian, are so low that the ice floods down from above and forces the Barrier up into great pressure ridges 50 miles out from the range. The discoveries suggest that possibly the Barrier covers a vast area east of the hitherto known limits. Dr. Gould also found copper and other minerals in the eastern mountains.

The finding of Amundsen’s messages is described in the following message to the commander: “We camped near Mount Betty and before leaving for Strom’s camp we 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 Thome and I would ski over and take a look and thus save taking the teams, but this time we were not disappointed, so we signalled with our flags 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.

MEMORY OF REMARKABLE MAN.

“We stood about the cairn uncovered for a moment in silence in respect for the memory of the remarkable man whose hands had built it. Then as 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 the names and addresses of Hansen and Wisting. I put a new note in the can telling briefly about the Byrd expedition and the geological party. We also took the liberty of tearing open one package of matches; then carefully replaced each rock and left the cairn as we found it vnd just as Amundsen left it 18 years ago. “Amundsen’s message, in Norwegian, translated, is as follows: —

“‘January 6, 1912—Arrived and encircled the'South Pole on December 14 and 16, 1911. I have confirmed Victoria Land, so it is most likely that King Edward the Seventh Land has no connection at 86 degrees south latitude with Victoria Land. It' also shows that this land continues in a colossal mountain range toward the south-east. I could see this enormous mountain range to 88 degrees south latitude, and most likely, from appearances, it continues further in the same direction over the Antarctic Continent. We passed this cache on our return from the South Pole with provisions for 60 days, two sleds and 11 dogs. All well. Roald Amundsen.’”

The importance of Dr. Gould’s discoveries to the eastward was emphasised by Rear-Admiral Byrd. “I believe,” he said, “that geographers have thought of the area east of Amundsen’s trail and south to the Queen Maud mountains as being land forming part of a great continent. From an altitude of 3000 feet on days of good visibility we scanned the eastern barrier but saw no land between Little America and 85 degrees south. Our photographs taken of socalled Carmen Land indicated that the mountains ran very little north of 85 degrees. There were some huge pressure ridges that gave the appearance of land and fooled v.s at first. In other words, there was no evidence that the great ice barrier docs not run hundreds of miles to the eastward.

MUST BE TAKEN OFF MAP.

"Now Dr. Gould verifies this indication by travelling on foot well beyond the mountain range as indicated ou the map. He saw no range running north of 85 degrees 25 minutes. This meant? that 100 miles of Carmen Land mountains will have to be taken off the maps. The Barrier curves around the Charles Rob mountains south of east beyond 1-17 degrees and west longitude, but it is impossible to say how far. 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. "Amundsen's message greatly thrilled us in camp, especially one Norwegian in our expedition, Martin Ronne, who was with Amundsen on the South Pole expedition, who made their wind-proof clothes and other articles, and who also made the North-east? Passage of the Arctic Ocean with Amundsen. He came running into the library with his autographed copy of Amundsen s book of the South Pole journey which the explorer had given him. 'See, it tells here,’ he said, ami began to read in Norwegian. The book relates the reaching of °the Barrier cache at 85 degrees 5 minutes south latitude after the trip down the Axel Heiberg Glacier and the makum of preparations for the last stage of their journey homewards. "The book continues: ‘When he 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. We built* a great cairn and left there, a can of 17 litres of paraffin, two packs of matches containing 20 boxes, and an account of our expedition. Possibly some one may find use for these things in the future? "There is a slight discrepancy in the book on the amount of food taken with them, for Amundsen says that when they left their depot they had provisions for 35 days instead of 60, 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 men whose names were found on the pieces of paper are Ilelmar Hansen and Oskar Wisting, who were with Amundsen on tho North-east Passage, and Wisting stood at one of the

controls of the airship Norge on the flight Amundsen and Ellsworth made from Spitzbergen to Alaska. Of those five who went to the South Pole and built the cairn found by Dr. Gould, only Wisting, Hansen and Bjaaland are alive. Hassel died in Amundsen’s home in Norway and the great explorer himself perished in an attempt to fly to the rescue of the crew of the ill-fated , Italia of the Nobile expedition” ! -.j'.-.-n: ch •• :» •* •'