 section zero zero of the South Pole this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Beecher Graham the South Pole by Ruald Amundsen translation by A. G. Carter section zero zero dedication the first account introduction by Fridjof Nansen dedication to my comrades the brave little band that promised in Funchal roads to stand by me in the struggle for the South Pole I dedicate this book Ruald Amundsen Uranianborg August 15th 1912 the first account on February 10th 1911 we started for the South to establish depots and continued our journey until April 11 we formed three depots and stored in them three tons of provisions including 2200 weight of seal meat as there were no landmarks we had to indicate the position of our depots by flags which were posted at a distance of about four miles to the east and west the first barrier afforded the best going and was specially adapted for dog sledging thus on February 15th we did 62 miles with sledges each sludge weighed 660 pounds and we had six dogs for each the upper barrier barrier surface was smooth and even there were a few crevasses here and there but we only found them dangerous at one or two points the barrier went in long regular undulations the weather was very favorable with calms or light winds the lowest temperature at the station was minus 49 degrees Fahrenheit which was taken on March 4th when we returned to winter quarters on February 5th from our first trip we found that the Fram had already left us with joy and pride we heard from those who had stayed behind that our gallant captain had succeeded in sailing her farther south than any former ship so the good old Fram has shown the flag of Norway both farthest north and farthest south the most southerly latitude reached by the Fram was 78 degrees 41 minutes before the winter set in we had 60 tons of seal meat in our winter quarters this was enough for ourselves and our 110 dogs we had built eight kennels and a number of connecting tents and snow huts when we had provided for the dogs we thought of ourselves our little hut was almost entirely covered with snow not to the middle of April did we decide to adopt artificial light in the hut this we did with the help of a luxe lamp of 200 candle power which gave an excellent light and kept the indoor temperature at about 68 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the winter the ventilation was very satisfactory and we got sufficient fresh air the hut was directly connected with a house in which we had our workshop larder store room and cellar besides a single bathroom and observatory thus we had everything within doors and easily got at in case the weather should be so cold and stormy that we could not venture out the Sun left us on April 22 and we did not see it again for four months we spent the winter in altering our whole equipment which our depot journeys had shown to be too heavy and clumsy for the smooth barrier surface at the same time we carried out all the scientific work for which there was opportunity we made a number of surprising meteorological observations there was very little snow in spite of there being open water in the neighborhood we had expected to observe higher temperatures in the course of the winter but the thermometer remained very low during five months temperatures were observed varying between minus 58 degrees and minus 74 degrees Fahrenheit we had the lowest minus 74 degrees Fahrenheit on August 13th the weather was calm on August 1 we had minus 72 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind of 13 miles an hour the mean temperature for the year was minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit we expected blizzard after blizzard but had only two moderate storms we made many excellent observations of the Aurora Australis in all parts of the heavens our bill of health was the best possible throughout the whole winter when the Sun returned on August 24 it shone upon men who were healthy in mind and body and ready to begin the task that lay before them we had brought the sledges the day before to the starting point of the southern journey at the beginning of September the temperature rose and it was decided to commence the journey on September 8 a party of eight men set out with seven sledges and 90 dogs provisioned for 90 days the surface was excellent and the temperature not so bad as it might have been but on the following day we saw that we had started too early the temperature then fell and remained for some days between minus 58 degrees and minus 75 degrees Fahrenheit personally we did not suffer at all as we had good fur clothing but with the dogs it was another matter they grew lanker and lanker every day and we soon saw that they would not be able to stand it in the long run at our depot in latitude 80 degrees we agreed to turn back and await the arrival of spring after having stored our provisions we returned to the hut accepting the loss of a few dogs and one or two frostbitten heels all was well it was not till the middle of October that the spring began in earnest seals and birds were sighted the temperature remained steady between minus five degrees and minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit meanwhile we had abandoned the original plan by which all were to go to the south five men were to do this while three others made a trip to the east to visit King Edward the seventh land this trip did not form part of our program but as the English did not reach this land last summer as had been their intention we agreed that it would be best to undertake this journey in addition on October 20 the southern party left it consisted of five men with four sludges and 52 dogs and had provisions for four months everything was an excellent order and we had made up our minds to take it easy during the first part of the journey so that we and the dogs might not be too fatigued and we therefore decided to make a little halt on the 22nd at the depot that lay in latitude 80 degrees however we missed the mark owing to thick fog but after two or three miles March we found the place again when we had rested here and given the dogs as much seal meat as they were able to eat we started again on the 26th the temperature remained steady between minus five degrees and minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit at first we had made up our minds not to drive more than 12 to 18 miles a day but this proved to be too little thanks to our strong and willing animals at latitude 80 degrees we began to erect snow beacons about the height of a man to show us the way home on the 31st we reached the depot at latitude 81 degrees we halted for a day and fed the dogs on Pemekin on November 5 we reached the depot in 82 degrees we're for the last time the dogs got as much to eat as they could manage on the 8th we started southward again and now made a daily march of about 30 miles in order to relieve the heavily laden sledges we formed a depot at every parallel we reached the journey from latitude 82 degrees to 83 degrees was a pure pleasure trip on account of the surface and the temperature which was favorable as one could wish everything went swimmingly until the ninth when we sided south victoria land and the continuation of the mountain chain which shackleton gives on his map running southeast from beard more glacier on the same day we reached latitude 83 degrees and established here depot number four on the 11th we made the interesting discovery that the Ross barrier ended in an elevation on the southeast formed between a chain of mountains running southeastward from south victoria land and another chain on the opposite side which runs southwest word in continuation of king Edward the 7th land on the 13th we reached latitude 84 degrees where we established a depot on the 16th we got to 85 degrees we're again we formed a depot from our winter quarters at Framhan we had marched due south the whole time on November 17 in latitude 85 degrees we came to a spot where the land barrier intersected our route though for the time being this did not cause us any difficulty the barrier here rises in the form of a wave to a height of about 300 feet and its limit is shown by a few large fissures here we established our main depot we took supplies for 60 days on the sledges and left behind enough provisions for 30 days the land under which we now lay and which we were to attack looked perfectly impossible with peaks along the barrier which rose to heights of from 2000 to 10,000 feet farther south we saw more peaks of 15,000 feet or higher next day we began to climb the first part of the work was easy as the ground rose gradually with smooth snow slopes below the mountainside our dogs working well it did not take us long to get over these slopes at the next point we met with some small very steep glaciers in here we had to harness 20 dogs to each sledge and take the four sledges in two journeys some places were so steep that it was difficult to use our ski several times we were compelled by deep crevasses to turn back on the first day we climbed 2000 feet the next day we crossed small glaciers and camped at a height of 4,635 feet on the third day we were obliged to descend the great axle-highberg glacier which separates the mountains of the coast from those farther south on the following day the longest part of our climbing began many detours had to be made to avoid broad fissures and open crevasses most of them are filled up as in all probability the glacier had long ago ceased to move but we had to be very careful nevertheless as we could never know the depth of snow that covered them our camp that night was in very picturesque surroundings at a height of about 5,000 feet the glacier was here imprisoned between two mountains of 15,000 feet which we named after fidget Nansen and Don Pedro Christopherson at the bottom of the glacier we saw all angle stats great snow cone rising in the air to 19,000 feet the glacier was much broken up in this narrow defile enormous crevasses seemed as if they would stop our going farther but fortunately it was not so bad as it looked our dogs which during the last few days had covered a distance of nearly 440 miles put in a very good piece of work that day as they did 22 miles on ground rising to 5,770 feet it was an almost incredible record it only took us four days from the barrier to reach the immense inland plateau we camped at a height of 7,600 feet here we had to kill 24 of our brave dogs keeping 18 six for each of our three sludges we halted here for four days on account of bad weather on November 25 we were tired of waiting and started again on the 26th we were overtaken by a raging blizzard in the thick driving snow we could see absolutely nothing but we felt that contrary to what we had expected namely a further ascent we were going rapidly downhill the hypsometer that day showed a descent of 600 feet we continued our march next day in a strong wind and thick driving snow our faces were badly frozen there was no danger but we simply could see nothing next day according to our reckoning we reached latitude 86 degrees the hypsometer showed a fall of 800 feet the following day passed in the same way the weather cleared up about noon and there appeared to our astonished eyes a mighty mountain range to the east of us and not far away but the vision only lasted a moment and then disappeared again in the driving snow on the 29th the weather became calmer and the sun shone a pleasant surprise our course lay over a great glacier which ran in a southerly direction on its eastern side was a chain of mountains running to the southeast we had no view of its western part as this was lost in a thick fog at the foot of the devil's glacier we established a depot in latitude 86 degrees 21 minutes calculated for six days the hypsometer showed 8,000 feet above sea level on November 30 we began to ascend the glacier the lower part was much broken up in dangerous and the thin bridges of snow over the crevasses often broke under us from our camp that evening we had a splendid view of the mountains to the east Mount Helmer Hansen was the most remarkable of them all it was 12,000 feet high and covered by a glacier so rugged that in all probability it would have been possible to find foothold on it here we're also mounts Oscar whisting sphere hassle and Olaf Bajaland grandly lighted up by the rays of the sun in the distance and only visible from time to time through the driving mists we saw Mount Thorvald nilson with peaks rising to 15,000 feet we could only see those parts of them that lay nearest to us it took us three days to get over the devil's glacier as the weather was unusually misty on December 1 we left the glacier in high spirits it was cut up by innumerable crevasses and holes we were now at a height of 9,370 feet in the midst and driving snow it looked as if we had a frozen lake before us but it proved to be a sloping plateau of ice full of small blocks of ice our walk across this frozen lake was not pleasant the ground under our feet was evidently hollow and it sounded as if we were walking on empty barrels first a man fell through then a couple of dogs but they got up again all right we could not of course use our ski on the smooth polished ice but we got on fairly well with the sledges we called this place the devil's ballroom this part of our march was the most unpleasant of the whole trip on December 2 we reached our greatest elevation according to the hypsometer and our aneroid barometer we were at a height of 11,075 feet this was in latitude 87 degrees 51 minutes on December 8 the bad weather came to an end the sun shone on us once more and we were able to take our observations again it proved that the observations and our reckoning of the distance covered gave exactly the same result namely 88 degrees 16 minutes south latitude before us lay an absolutely flat plateau only broken by small crevices in the afternoon we passed 88 degrees 23 minutes shackleton's farthest south we pitched our camp in 88 degrees 25 minutes and established our last depot number 10 from 88 degrees 25 minutes the plateau began to descend evenly and very slowly we reached 88 degrees 29 minutes on December 9 on December 10 88 degrees 56 minutes December 11 89 degrees 15 minutes December 12 89 degrees 30 minutes December 13 89 degrees 45 minutes up to this moment the observations and our reckoning had shown a surprising agreement we reckoned that we should be at the pole on December 14 on the afternoon of that day we had brilliant weather a light wind from the southeast with a temperature of minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit the sludges were going very well the day passed without any occurrence worth mentioning and at 3 o'clock in the afternoon we halted as according to our reckoning we had reached our goal we all assembled about the Norwegian flag a handsome silken flag which we took and planted all together and gave the immense plateau on which the pole is situated the name of king hackon 7's plateau it was a vast plane of the same character in every direction mile after mile during the afternoon we traversed the neighborhood of the camp and on the following day as the weather was fine we were occupied from 6 in the morning till 7 in the evening and taking observations which gave us 89 degrees 55 minutes as the result in order to take observations as near the pole as possible we went on as near true south as we could for the remaining nine kilometers on December 16 we pitched our camp in brilliant sunshine with the best conditions for taking observations four of us took observations every hour of the day 24 in all the results of these will be submitted to the examination of experts we have thus taken observations as near to the pole as was humanly possible with the instruments at our disposal we had a sextant and artificial horizon calculated for a radius of eight kilometers on December 17 we were ready to go we raised on the spot a little circular tent and planted above it the Norwegian flag and the Fram's pennant the Norwegian camp at the South Pole was given the name of Paul Heim the distance from our winter quarters to the pole was about 870 English miles so we had covered on an average 15 and a half miles a day we began the return journey on December 17 the weather was unusually favorable and this made a return considerably easier than the March to the pole we arrived at Fram Heim our winter quarters in January 1912 with two sledges and 11 dogs all well on the homeward journey we covered an average of 22 and a half miles a day the lowest temperature we observed on this trip was minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit and the highest plus 23 degrees Fahrenheit the principal result besides the attainment of the pole is the determination of the extent and character of the Ross barrier next to this the discovery of a connection between South Victoria land and probably King Edward the seventh land through their continuation in huge mountain ranges which run to the southeast and we're seen as far south as latitude 88 degrees 8 minutes but which in all probability are continued right across the Antarctic continent we gave the name of Queen mods mountains to the whole range of these newly discovered mountains about 530 miles in length the expedition to King Edward the seventh land under Lieutenant Prestred has achieved excellent results Scott's discovery was confirmed in the examination of the Bay of Wales and the ice barrier which the party carried out is of great interest good geological collections have been obtained from King Edward the seventh land in South Victoria land the Fram arrived at the Bay of Wales on January 9 having been delayed in the roaring 40s by easterly winds on January 16 the Japanese expedition arrived at the Bay of Wales and landed on the barrier near our winter quarters we left the Bay of Wales on January 30 we had a long voyage on account of contrary wind we are all in the best of health Ronald Amundsen Hobart March 8 1912 introduction to Amundsen's book the South Pole an account of the Norwegian and Arctic expedition in the Fram 1910 to 1912 when the explorer comes home victorious everyone goes out to cheer him we are all proud of his achievement proud on behalf of the nation of humanity we think it is a new feather in our cap and one we have come by cheaply how many of those who join in the cheering were there when the expedition was fitting out when it was short of bare necessities when support and assistance were most urgently wanted was there then any race to be first at such a time the leader has usually found himself almost alone too often he has had to confess that his greatest difficulties were those he had to overcome at home before he could set sail so it was with Columbus and so it has been with many since his time so it was to with Ronald Amundsen not only the first time when he sailed in the Joa with the double object of discovering the magnetic North Pole and of making the Northwest passage but this time again when in 1910 he left the fjord on his great expedition in the Fram to drift right across the North Polar Sea what anxieties that man has gone through which might have been spared him if there had been more appreciation on the part of those who had it in their power to make things easier and Amundsen had then shown what stuff he was made of both the great objects of the Joa's expedition were achieved he has always reached the goal he has aimed at this man who sailed his little yacht over the whole Arctic Ocean round the north of America on the course that had been sought in vain for 400 years if he staked his life and abilities would it not have been natural if we had been proud of having such a man to support but was it so for a long time he struggled to complete his equipment money was still lacking in little interest was shown in him in his work outside the few who have always helped so far as was in their power he himself gave everything he possessed in the world but this time at last he nevertheless had to put to sea loaded with anxieties and deaths and as before he sailed out quietly on a summer night autumn was drawing on one day there came a letter from him in order to raise the money he could not get at home for his North Polar expedition he was going to the South Pole first people stood still did not know what to say this was an unheard of thing to make for the North Pole by way of the South Pole to make such an immense an entirely new addition to his plans without asking leave some thought it grand more thought it doubtful but there were many who cried out that it was inadmissible disloyal nay there were some who wanted to have him stopped but nothing of this reached him he had steered his course as he himself had said it without looking back then by degrees it was forgotten and everyone went on with his own affairs the myths were upon us day after day week after week the myths that are kind to little men and swallow up all that is great and towers above them suddenly a bright spring day cuts through the bank of fog there is a new message people stop again and look up high above them shines a deed a man a wave of joy runs through the souls of men their eyes are bright as the flags that wave about them why on account of the great geographical discoveries the important scientific results oh no that will come later for the few specialists this is something all can understand a victory of human mind and human strength over the dominion and powers of nature a deed that lifts us above the gray monotony of daily life a view over shining planes with lofty mountains against the cold blue sky and lands covered by ice sheets of inconceivable extent a vision of long vanished glacial times the triumph of the living over the stiffened realm of death there was a ring of steeled purposeful human will through icy frosts snowstorms and death for their victory is not due to the great inventions of the present day and the many new appliances of every kind the means used are of immense antiquity the same as were known to the nomad thousands of years ago when he pushed forward across the snow covered plains of Siberia and northern Europe but everything great and small was thoroughly thought out and the plan was splendidly executed it is the man that matters here as everywhere like everything great it all looks so plain and simple of course that is just as it had to be we think apart from the discoveries and experiences of early explorers which of course were a necessary condition of success both the plan and its execution are the ripe fruit of Norwegian life and experience in ancient and modern times the Norwegians daily winter life in snow and frost our peasants constant use of ski and ski sledge in forest and mountain our sailors yearly wailing and ceiling life in the polar sea our explorers journeys in the Arctic regions it was all this with a dog as a draw animal borrowed from the primitive races that formed the foundation of the plan and rendered its execution possible when the man appeared therefore when the man is there it carries him through all difficulties as if they did not exist every one of them has been foreseen and encountered in advance let no one come and pray about luck and chance Amundsen's luck is that of the strong man who looks ahead how like him and the whole expedition is his telegram home as simple and straightforward as if it concerned a holiday tour in the mountains it speaks of what is achieved not of their hardships every word a manly one that is the mark of the right man quiet and strong it is still too early to measure the extent of the new discoveries but the cablegram has already dispersed the myths so far that the outlines are beginning to shape themselves that fairy land of ice so different from all other lands is gradually rising out of the clouds in this wonderful world of ice Amundsen has found his own way from first to last he and his companions have traversed entirely unknown regions on their ski and there are not many expeditions in history that have brought under the foot of man so long a range of country hitherto unseen by human eye people thought it a matter of course that he would make for beard more glacier which shackleton had discovered and by that route come out onto the high snow plateau near the pole since there he would be sure of getting forward we who knew Amundsen thought it would be more like him to avoid a place for the very reason that it had been trodden by others happily we were right not at any point does his route touch that of the Englishman except by the pole itself this is a great gain to research when any years time we have captain Scott back safe and sound with all his discoveries and observations on the other route Amundsen's results will greatly increase in value since the conditions will then be illuminated from two sides the simultaneous advance towards the pole from two separate points was precisely the most fortunate thing that could happen for science the region investigated becomes so much greater the discovery so many more and the importance of the observations is more than doubled often multiplied many times take for instance the meteorological conditions a single series of observations from one spot no doubt has its value but if we get a simultaneous series from another spot in the same region the value of both becomes very much greater because we then have an opportunity of understanding the movements of the atmosphere and so with other investigations Scott's expedition will certainly bring back rich and important results in many departments but the value of his observations will also be enhanced when placed side by side with Amundsen's an important addition to Amundsen's expedition to the pole is the sledge journey of Lieutenant Prestred and his two companions eastward to the unknown King Edward the 7th land which Scott discovered in 1902 it looks rather as if this land was connected with the masses of land and immense mountain chains that Amundsen found near the pole we see new problems looming up but it was not only these journeys over ice sheets and mountain ranges that were carried out in masterly fashion our gratitude is also due to Captain Nielsen and his men they brought the Fram backwards and forwards twice each way through those ice-filled southern waters that many experts even held to be so dangerous that the Fram would not be able to come through them and on both trips this was done with a speed and punctuality of a ship on her regular route the Fram's builder the excellent Colin Archer has reason to be proud of the way in which his child has performed her latest task this vessel that has been farthest north and far the south on our globe but Captain Nielsen and the crew of the Fram have done more than this they have carried out a work of research which in scientific value may be compared with what their comrades have accomplished in the unknown world of ice although most people will not be able to recognize this while Amundsen and his companions were passing the winter in the south Captain Nielsen in the Fram investigated the ocean between South America and Africa at no fewer than 60 stations they took a number of temperatures samples of water and specimens of the plankton in this little known region to a depth of 2,000 fathoms and more they thus made the first two sections that have ever been taken of the South Atlantic and added new regions of unknown ocean depth to human knowledge the Fram's sections are the longest and most complete that are known in any part of the ocean would it be unreasonable if those who have endured and achieved so much had now come home to rest but Amundsen points onward so much for that now for the real object next year his course will be through bearing straight into the ice and frost and darkness of the north to drift right across the North Polar Sea five years at least it seems almost superhuman but he is the man for that too Fram as his ship forward is his motto and he will come through he will carry out his main expedition the one that is now before him as surely and steadily as that he has just come from but while we are waiting let us rejoice over what has already been achieved let us follow the narrow sledge tracks that the little black dots of dogs and men have drawn across the endless white surface down there in the south like a railroad of exploration into the heart of the unknown the wind in its everlasting flight sweeps over these tracks in the desert of snow soon all will be blotted out but the rails of science are laid our knowledge is richer than before in the light of the achievement shines for all time fridge Dov Nansen Lysaker May 3 1912 end of section 00 recording by Beecher Graham volume one chapter one part one of the South Pole this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org the South Pole by Rold Amundsen translation by A. G. Carter chapter one the history of the South Pole part one life is a ball in the hands of chance Brisbane Queensland April 13 1912 here I am sitting in the shade of palms surrounded by the most wonderful vegetation enjoying the most magnificent fruits and writing the history of the South Pole what an infinite distance seemed to separate that region from these surroundings and yet it is only four months since my gallant comrades and I reached the coveted spot I write the history of the South Pole if anyone had hinted a word of anything of the sort four or five years ago I should have looked upon him as incurably mad and yet the madman would have been right one circumstance has followed on the heels of another and everything has turned out so entirely different from what I had imagined on December 14 1911 five men stood at the southern end of our earth's axis planted the Norwegian flag there and named the region after the man for whom they would all gladly have offered their lives King Haken the seventh thus the veil was torn aside for all time and one of the greatest of our earth's secrets has ceased to exist since I was one of the five who on that December afternoon took part in this unveiling it has fallen to my lot to write the history of the South Pole Antarctic exploration is very ancient even before our conception of the earth's form had taken definite shape voyages to the south began it is true that not many of the explorers of those distant times reach what we now understand by the Antarctic regions but still the intention and the possibility were there and justify the name of Antarctic exploration the motive force of these undertakings was as has so often been the case the hope of gain rulers greedy of power saw in their mind's eye an increase of their possessions men thirsting for gold dreamed of an unsuspected wealth of the alluring metal enthusiastic missionaries rejoiced at the thought of a multitude of lost sheep the scientifically trained world waited modestly in the background but they have all had their share politics trade religion and science the history of Antarctic discovery may be divided at the outset into two categories in the first of these I would include the numerous voyagers who without any definite idea of the form or conditions of the southern hemisphere set their course toward the south to make what landfall they could these need only be mentioned briefly before passing to the second group that of Antarctic travelers in the proper sense of the term who with the knowledge of the form of the earth set out across the ocean aiming to strike the Antarctic monster in the heart if fortune favored them we must always remember with gratitude and admiration the first sailors who steered their vessels through storms and mists and increased our knowledge of the lands of ice in the south people of the present day who are so well supplied with information about the most distant parts of the earth and have all our modern means of communication at their command find it difficult to understand the intrepid courage that is implied by the voyages of these men they shape their course toward the dark unknown constantly exposed to being engulfed and destroyed by the vague mysterious dangers that lay in wait for them somewhere in that dim vastness the beginnings were small but by degrees much was one one stretch of country after another was discovered and subjected to the power of man knowledge of the appearance of our glow became ever greater and took more definite shape our gratitude to these first discoverers should be profound and yet even today we hear people ask in surprise what is the use of these voyages of exploration what good do they do us little brains i always answer to myself have only room for thoughts of bread and butter the first name on the role of discovery is that of prince henry of portugal surnamed the navigator who is ever to be remembered as the earliest promoter of geographical research to his efforts was due the first crossing of the equator about 1470 with bartholomew dias another great step in advance was made sailing from lisbon in 1487 he reached al goa bay and without doubt passed the 40th parallel on his southward voyage vasco de gama's voyage of 1497 is too well known to need description after him came men like cabral and vespucci who increased our knowledge and de gonville who added to the romance of exploration we then meet with the greatest of the older explorers ferdinand majelin a portuguese by birth though sailing in the service of spain setting out in 1519 he discovered the connection between the atlantic and pacific oceans in the strait that bears his name no one before him had penetrated so far south to about latitude 52 degrees south one of his ships the victoria accomplished the first circumnavigation of the world and thus established in the popular mind the fact that the earth was really round from that time the idea of the Antarctic regions assumed definite shape there must be something in the south whether land or water the future was to determine in 1578 we come to the renowned english semen sur france's drake though he was accounted a buccaneer we owe him honor for the geographical discoveries he made he rounded Cape Horn and proved that tiara de fuego was a great group of islands and not part of an Antarctic continent as many had thought the dutchman dirk gerritz who took part in a plundering expedition to india in 1599 by way of the straits of majelin is said to have been blown out of his course after passing the straits and to have found himself in latitude 64 degrees south under high land covered with snow this has been assumed to be the south shetland islands but the account of the voyage is open to doubt in the 17th century we have the discoveries of tasman and towards his close english adventurers reported having reached high latitudes in the south atlantic the english astronomer royal hally undertook a scientific voyage the south in 1699 for the purpose of making magnetic observations and met with ice in 52 degrees south from which latitude he returned to the north the frenchman bouvet 1738 was the first to follow the southern ice pack for any considerable distance and to bring reports of the immense flat topped Antarctic icebergs in 1756 the spanish trading ship leon came home and reported high snow covered land and latitude 55 degrees south to the east of Cape Horn the probability is that this was what we now know by the name of south georgia the frenchman marion de frezny discovered in 1772 the marion and crosé islands in the same year joseph de kerkely tremerac another frenchman reach kyrgylyn land this concludes the series of expeditions that i have thought it proper to class in the first group Antarctica the sixth continent itself still lay unseen and untrodden but human courage and intelligence were now actively stirred to lift the veil and reveal the many secrets that were concealed within the Antarctic circle captain james cook one of the boldest and most capable seamen the world has known opens the series of Antarctic expeditions properly so-called the british admiralty sent him out with orders to discover the great southern continent or proof that it did not exist the expedition consisting of two ships the resolution and the adventure left Plymouth on july 13th 1772 after a short stay at medira it reached Cape town on october 30th here cook received news of the discovery of kergylyn and of the marion and crosé islands in the course of his voyage to the south cook passed 300 miles to the south of the land reported by bouvet and thereby established the fact that the land in question if it existed was not continuous with the great southern continent on january 1717 73 the Antarctic circle was crossed for the first time a memorable day in the annals of Antarctic exploration shortly afterwards a solid pack was encountered and cook was forced to return to the north a course was laid for the newly discovered islands kergylyn marion and the crosé's and it was proved that they had nothing to do with the great southern land in the course of his further voyages in Antarctic waters cook completed the most subtly circumnavigation of the globe and showed that there was no connection between any of the lands or islands that had been discovered and the great mysterious Antarctica his highest latitude january 30th 1774 was 71 degrees 10 minutes south cook's voyages had important commercial results as his reports of the enormous number of seals around south georgia brought many sealers both english and american to those waters and these sealers in turn increase the field of geographical discovery in 1819 the discovery of the south shetlands by the englishman captain william smith is to be recorded and this discovery led to that of the palmar archipelago to the south of them the next scientific expedition to the Antarctic regions was that dispatched by the emperor alexander the first of russia under the command of captain thaddeus von bellingshausen it was composed of two ships and sailed from cronstad on july 15th 1819 to this expedition belongs the honor of having discovered the first land to the south of the Antarctic circle peter the first island and alexander the first land the next star in the Antarctic firmament is the british seaman james weddle he made two voyages in a sealer of 160 tons the jane of leith in 1819 and 1822 being accompanied on the second occasion by the cutter of bowfoy in february 1823 weddell had the satisfaction of beating cook's record by reaching a latitude of 74 degrees 15 minutes south in the sea now known as weddell sea which in that year was clear of ice the english firm of ship owners enderby brothers place a not unimportant part in Antarctic exploration the enderbees had carried on sealing in southern waters since 1785 they were greatly interested not only in the commercial but also in the scientific results of these voyages and chose their captains accordingly in 1830 the firm sent out john briscoe on a sealing voyage in the Antarctic ocean with the brig tula and the cutter lively the result of this voyage was the sighting of enderby land in latitude 66 degrees 25 minutes south longitude 49 degrees 18 minutes east in the following year adelaide biscoe and pit islands on the west coast of gramland were charted and gramland itself was seen for the first time camp another of enderbees skippers reported land in latitude 66 degrees south and about longitude 60 degrees east in 1839 yet another skipper of the same firm john baloney in the schooner eliza scott discovered the baloney islands we then come to the celebrated french sailor admiral joules sebastien du mont d'erville he left too long in september 1837 with a scientifically equipped expedition in the ships astrolabe and zele the intention was to follow in wedel's track and endeavor to carry the french flag still nearer to the pole early in 1838 louis philippe land and joinville land were discovered and named two years later we again find derville's vessels in antarctic waters with the object of investigating the magnetic conditions in the vicinity of the south magnetic pole land was discovered in latitude 66 degrees 30 minutes south and longitude 138 degrees 21 minutes east with the exception of a few bear islets the whole of this land was completely covered with snow it was given the name of adelaide land and a part of the ice barrier lying to the west of it was called cot clary on the supposition that it must envelop a line of coast the american naval officer lieutenant charles wilts sailed in august 1838 with a fleet of six vessels the expedition was sent out by congress and carry 12 scientific observers in february 1839 the whole of this imposing antarctic fleet was collected in orange harbor in the south of tiara del fuego where the work was divided among the various vessels as to the results of this exposition it is difficult to express an opinion certain it is that wilkes land has subsequently been sailed over in many places by several expeditions of what may have been the cause of this inaccurate cartography it is impossible to form any opinion it appears however from the account of the whole voyage that the undertaking was seriously conducted then the bright star appears the man whose name will ever be remembered as one of the most intrepid polar explorers and one of the most capable semen the world has produced admiral sir james clark ross the results of his expedition are well known ross himself commanded the arabus and commander francis cruzier the terror the former vessel of 370 tons had been originally built for throwing bombs her construction was therefore extraordinarily solid the terror 340 tons had been previously employed in arctic waters and on this account had been already strengthened in provisioning the ships every possible precaution was taken against scurvy with the dangers of which ross was familiar from his experience in arctic waters the vessel sailed from england in september 1839 calling it many of the atlantic islands and arrived in christmas harbour curgulan land in the following may here they stayed two months making magnetic observations and then proceeded to hobart sir john franklin the eminent polar explorer was at that time governor of tasmania and ross could not have wished for a better one interested as franklin naturally was in the expedition he afforded all the help he possibly could during his stay in tasmania ross received information of what had been accomplished by wilkes and demont der veer in the very region which the admiral t had sent him to explore the effect of this news was that ross changed his plans and decided to proceed along the 170th meridian east and if possible to reach the magnetic pole from the eastward here was another for two in his circumstance in the long chain of events if ross had not received this intelligence it is quite possible that the epic making geographical discoveries associated with his name would have been delayed for many years on november 12 1840 sir john franklin went on board the arabus to accompany his friend ross out of port strange are the ways of life there stood franklin on the deck of the ship which a few years later was to be his deathbed little did he suspect as he sailed out of hobart through storm bay the bay that is now wreathed by the flourishing orchards of tasmania that he would meet his death in a high northern latitude on board the same vessel in storms and frost but so it was after calling at the Auckland islands and at Campbell Island ross again steered for the south and the Antarctic circle was crossed on new year's day 1841 the ships were now faced by the ice pack but to ross this was not the dangerous enemy it had appeared to earlier explorers with their more weakly constructed vessels ross plunged boldly into the pack with his fortified ships and taking advantage of the narrow leads he came out four days later after many severe buffets into the open sea to the south ross had reached the sea now named after him and the boldest voyage known in Antarctic exploration was accomplished few people of the present day are capable of rightly appreciating this heroic deed this brilliant proof of human courage and energy with two ponderous craft regular tubs according to our ideas these men sailed right into the heart of the pack which all previous polar explorers had regarded as certain death it is not merely difficult to grasp this it is simply impossible to us who with a motion of the hand can set the screw going and wriggle out of the first difficulty we encounter these men were heroes heroes in the highest sense of the word it was in latitude 69 degrees 15 minutes south and longitude 176 degrees 15 minutes east that ross found the open sea on the following day the horizon was perfectly clear of ice what joy that man must have felt when he saw that he had a clear way to the south the course was set for the magnetic pole and the hope of soon reaching it burned in the hearts of all then just as they had accustomed themselves to the idea of open sea perhaps to the magnetic pole itself the crow's nest reported high land right ahead this was the mountainous coast of south victoria land what a fairyland this must have seemed to the first voyagers who approached it mighty mountain ranges with summits from seven thousand to ten thousand feet high some covered with snow and some quite bare lofty and rugged precipitous and wild it became apparent that the magnetic pole was some 500 miles distant far inland behind the snow covered ridges on the morning of january 12 they came close under a little island and ross with a few companions rode ashore and took possession of the country they could not reach the mainland itself on account of the thick belt of ice that lay along the coast the expedition continued to work its way southward making fresh discoveries on january 28 the two lofty summits nat arabus and mount terror were cited for the first time the former was seen to be an active volcano from which smoke and flames shot up into the sky it must have been a wonderfully fine site this flaming fire in the midst of the white frozen landscape captain scott has since given the island on which the mountains lie the name of ross island after the intrepid navigator naturally there were great expectations on board if they had penetrated so far south there might be no limit to their further progress but as had happened so many times before their hopes were disappointed from ross island as far to the eastward as the eye could see there extended a lofty impenetrable wall of ice to sail through it was as impossible as sailing through the cliffs of dover ross says in his description all they could do was to try to get rounded and then began the first examination of that part of the great Antarctic barrier which has since been named the ross the wall of ice was followed to the eastward for a distance of 250 miles its upper surface was seen to be perfectly flat the most easterly point reached was longitude 167 degrees west and the highest latitude 78 degrees four minutes south no opening having been found the ships returned to the west in order to try once more whether there was any possibility of reaching the magnetic pole but this attempt soon had to be abandoned on account of the lateness of the season and in april 1841 ross returned to hobart his second voyage was full of dangers and thrilling incidents but added little to the tale of his discoveries on february 22nd 1842 the ships came inside of the barrier and following it to the east found that it turned northeastward here ross recorded an appearance of land in the very region in which captain scott 60 years later discovered king edward the seventh land on december 17th 1842 ross set out on his third and last Antarctic voyage his object this time was to reach a high latitude along the coast of louis philippe land if possible or alternatively by following Waddell's track both attempts were frustrated by the ice conditions on sighting joinville land the officers of the terror thought they could see smoke from active volcanoes but ross and his men did not confirm this about 50 years later active volcanoes were actually discovered by the norwegian captain c a larson in the jason a few minor geographical discoveries were made but none of any great importance this concluded ross's attempts to reach the south pole a magnificent work had been achieved and the honor of having opened up the way by which at last the pole was reached must be ascribed to ross end of part one of chapter one of volume one of the south pole volume one chapter one part two of the south pole this is a libravox recording all libravox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox.org the south pole by roald eminson translation by a g carter chapter one history of the south pole part two the pagoda commanded by lieutenant moore was the next vessel to make for the south her chief object was to make magnetic observations in high latitudes south of the indian ocean the first ice was met with in latitude 53 degrees 30 minutes south on january 25th 1845 on february 5th the Antarctic circle was crossed in longer to 30 degrees 45 minutes east the most subtly latitude attained on this voyage was 67 degrees 50 minutes in longitude 39 degrees 41 minutes east this was the last expedition to visit the Antarctic regions in a ship propelled by sails alone the next great event in the history of the southern seas is the challenger expedition this was an entirely scientific expedition splendidly equipped and conducted the achievements of this expedition are however so well known over the whole civilized world that i do not think it necessary to dwell upon them less known but no less efficient in their work were the whalers round the south shetlands and in the regions to the south of them the days of sailing ships were now passed and vessels with auxiliary steam appear on the scene before passing on to these i must briefly mention a man who throughout his life insisted on the necessity and utility of Antarctic expeditions professor yorg von numeyer never has Antarctic research had a warmer nobler and more high-minded champion so long as Antarctica endures the name of numeyer will always be connected with it the steam whaler groanland left hamburg on july 22 1872 in command of captain edward dolman bound for the south shetlands many interesting geographical discoveries were made on this voyage amongst other whalers may be mentioned the belina the diana the active and the polar star of dundee in 1892 the whole of this fleet stood to the south to hunt for whales in the vicinity of the south shetlands they each brought home with them some fresh piece of information on board the belina was dr. william s bruce this is the first time we meet him on his way to the south but it was not to be the last simultaneously with the scottish whaling fleet the norwegian whaling captain c.a larson appears in the regions to the south of the south shetlands it is not too much to say of captain larson that of all those who have visited the Antarctic regions in search of whales he has unquestionably brought home the best and most abundant scientific results to him we owe the discovery of large stretches of the east coast of gremland king oster the second land foins land etc he brought us news of two active volcanoes and many groups of islands but perhaps the greatest interest attaches to the fossils he brought home from seamore island the first to be obtained from the Antarctic regions in november 1894 captain evansson in the hertha succeeded in approaching nearer to alexander the first land then either beling's hausen or bisco but the search for whales claimed his attention and he considered it his duty to devote himself to that before anything else a grand opportunity was lost there can be no doubt that if captain evansson had been free he would have here had had a chance of achieving even better work than he did bold capable and enterprising as he is the next whaling expedition to make its mark in the south polar regions is out of the Antarctic under captain leonard christensen christensen was an extraordinarily capable man and achieved the remarkable record of being the first to set foot on the sixth continent the great southern land Antarctica this was at cape adair victoria land in january 1895 an epic making phase of Antarctic research is now ushered in by the belgian expedition in the belgica under the leadership of commander adrian de gurlach hardly anyone has had a harder fight to set his enterprise on foot than gurlach he was successful however and on august 16 1897 the belica left antwerp the scientific staff have been chosen with great care and gurlach had been able to secure the services of exceedingly able men his second in command lieutenant g le quant a belgian possessed every qualification for his difficult position it must be remembered that the belgica's company was as cosmopolitan as it could be belgians frenchmen americans norwegians swedes romanians poles etc and it was the business of the second in command to keep all these men together and get the best possible work out of them and le quant acquitted himself admirably amiable and firm he secured the respect of all as a navigator and astronomer he was unsurpassable and when he afterwards took over the magnetic work he rendered great services in this department also le quant will always be remembered as one of the main supports of this expedition lieutenant amiel danko another belgian was the physicist of the expedition unfortunately this gifted young man died at an early stage of the voyage a sad loss to the expedition the magnetic observations were then taken over by le quant the biologist was the romanian amiel rakavica the immense mass of material rakavica brought home speaks better than i can for his ability besides a keen interest in his work he possessed qualities which made him the most agreeable and interesting of companions henrik arktavsky and antoin dobrovsky were both poles their share of the work was the sky and the sea they carried out ocean a graphical and meteorological observations henrik arktavsky was also the geologist of the expedition an all-around man it was a strenuous task he had that of constantly watching wind and weather conscientious as he was he never let slip an opportunity of adding to the scientific results of the voyage fredrick a cook of brooklyn was surgeon to the expedition beloved and respected by all as a medical man his calm and convincing presence had an excellent effect as things turned out the greatest responsibility fell upon cook but he mastered the situation in a wonderful way through his practical qualities he finally became indispensable it cannot be denied that the belgian Antarctic expedition owes a great debt to cook the object of the expedition was to penetrate to the south magnetic pole but this had to be abandoned at an early stage for want of time a somewhat long stay in the interesting channels of tiara del fuego delayed their departure till january 13th 1898 on that date the belica left satan island and stood to the south an interesting series of soundings was made between caporn and the south shetlands as these waters had not been previously investigated these soundings were of course of great importance the principal work of the expedition from a geographical point of view was carried out on the north coast of gram land a large channel running to the southwest was discovered dividing a part of palmer land from the mainland dankos land the straight was afterwards named by the belgian authorities gerlach straight three weeks were spent in charting it and making scientific observations an excellent collection of material was made this work was completed by february 12th and the belica left gerlach straight southward along the coast of gram land at a date when all previous expeditions had been in a hurry to turn their faces homeward on the 15th the Antarctic circle was crossed on a southwesternly course next day they sighted alexander land but could not approach nearer to it than 20 miles on account of impenetrable pack ice on february 28th they had reached latitude 70 degrees 20 minutes south and longitude 85 degrees west then a breeze from the north sprang up and open large channels in the ice leading southward they turned to the south and plunged at haphazard into the Antarctic flows on march 3rd they reached latitude 70 degrees 30 minutes south where all further progress was hopeless an attempt to get out again was in vain they were caught in the trap they then had to make the best of it many have been disposed to blame gerlach for having gone into the ice badly equipped as he was at a time of year when he ought rather to have been making his way out and they may be right but let us look at the question from the other side as well after years of effort he had at last succeeded in getting the expedition away gerlach knew for a certainty that unless he returned with the results that would please the public he might just as well never return at all then the thickly packed ice opened and long channels appeared leading as far southward as the eye could reach who could tell perhaps they led to the pole itself there was little to lose much to gain he decided to risk it of course it was not right but we can easily understand it the belgika now had 13 long months before her preparations were commenced at once for the winter as many seals and penguins as could be found were shot and placed in store the scientific staff was constantly active and brilliant oceanographical meteorological and magnetic work was accomplished on may 17th the sun disappeared not to be seen again for 70 days the first Antarctic night had begun what would it bring the belgika was not fitted for wintering in the ice for one thing personal equipment was insufficient they had to do the best they could by making clothes out of blankets and the most extraordinary devices were contrived in the course of the winter necessity is the mother of invention on june 5th danco died of heart failure on the same day they had a narrow escape of being squeezed in the ice fortunately the enormous block of ice passed under the vessel and lifted her up without doing her any damage otherwise the first part of the winter passed off well afterwards sickness appeared and threatened the most serious danger to the expedition scurvy and insanity one of them by itself would have been bad enough scurvy especially increased and at such havoc that finally there was not a single man who escaped being attacked by this fearful disease cook's behavior at this time won the respect and devotion of all it is not too much to say that cook was the most popular man of the expedition and he deserved it from morning to night he was occupied with his many patients and when the sun returned it happened not infrequently that after a strenuous day's work the doctor sacrificed his night's sleep to go hunting seals and penguins in order to provide the fresh meat that was so greatly needed by all on july 22nd the sun returned it was not a pleasant sight that it shone upon the Antarctic winter had set its mark upon all and green wasted faces stared at the returning light time went on and the summer arrived they waited day by day to see a change in the ice but no the ice they had entered so lightheartedly was not to be so easy to get out of again new year's day came and went without any change in the ice the situation now began to be seriously threatening another winter in the ice would mean death and destruction on a large scale disease and insufficient nourishment would soon make an end of most of the ship's company again cook came to the aid of the expedition in conjunction with rakovitsa he had thought out a very ingenious way of sawing a channel and thus reaching the nearest lead the proposal was submitted to the leader of the expedition and accepted by him both the plan and the method of carrying it out were well considered after three days hard work day and night they at last reached the lead cook was incontestably the leading spirit in this work and gained such honor among the members of the expedition that i think it just to mention it upright honorable capable and conscientious in the extreme such as the memory we retain of frederick a cook from those days little did his comrades suspect that a few years later he would be regarded as one of the greatest humbugs the world has ever seen this is a psychological enigma well worth studying to those who care to do so but the belchika was not yet clear of the ice after having worked her way out into the lead in a little way on she was stopped by absolutely close pack within sight of open sea for a whole month the expedition lay there reaping the same experiences as Ross on his second voyage with the arabus and terror the immense seas raised the heavy ice high in the air and flung it against the sides of the vessel that month was a hell upon earth strangely enough the belchika escaped undamaged and steamed into punta erinas in the straits of mcellen on march 28th 1899 modern scientific Antarctic exploration had now been initiated and the girl look had won his place for all time in the first rank of Antarctic explorers while the belchika was trying her hardest to get out of the ice another vessel was making equally strenuous efforts to get in this was the southern cross the ship of the english expedition under the leadership of karstens borscher vink this expedition's field of work lay on the opposite side of the pole and ross's footsteps on february 11th 1899 the southern cross entered ross sea in latitude 70 degrees south and longitude 174 degrees east nearly 60 years after ross had left it a party was landed at capa der where it wintered the ship wintered in new zealand in january 1900 the land party was taken off and an examination of the barrier was carried out with the vessel this expedition succeeded for the first time in ascending the barrier which from ross's day had been looked upon as inaccessible the barrier formed a little bite at the spot where the landing was made and the ice sloped gradually down to the sea we must acknowledge that by ascending the barrier borscher vink opened away to the south and threw aside the greatest obstacle to the expeditions that followed the southern cross returned to civilization in march 1900 the valdevious expedition under professor chun of leapsick must be mentioned though in our day it can hardly be regarded as an Antarctic expedition on this voyage the position of bouvet island was established once for all as latitude 54 degrees 26 minutes south longitude 3 degrees 24 minutes east the ice was followed from longitude 8 degrees east to 58 degrees east as closely as the vessel could venture to approach abundance of oceanographical material was brought home Antarctic exploration now shoots rapidly ahead and the 20th century opens with the splendidly equipped british and german expeditions in the discovery and the gauss both national undertakings captain robert f. scott was given command of the discoveries expedition and it could not have been placed in better hands the second in command was lieutenant armatage who had taken part in the jackson harmsworth north polar expedition the other officers were roids barn and shackleton lieutenant skelton was chief engineer and photographer to the expedition two surgeons were on board dr. coatslitz a former member of the jackson harmsworth expedition and dr. wilson the latter was also the artist of the expedition bernaki was the physicist hodgson the biologist and furar the geologist on august 6 1901 the expedition left coast and arrived at simons bay on october 3 on the 14th it sailed again for new zealand the official plan was to determine as accurately as possible the nature and extent of the south polar lands that might be found and to make a magnetic survey it was left to the leader of the expedition to decide whether it should winter in the ice it was arranged beforehand that a relief ship should visit and communicate with the expedition in the following year the first ice was met with in the neighborhood of the Antarctic circle on january 1st 1902 and a few days later the open raw sea was reached after several landings had been made at cape adair and other points the discovery made a very interesting examination of the barrier to the eastward at this part of the voyage king edward the seventh land was discovered but the thick ice flows prevented the expedition from landing on the way back the ship entered the same bite that borsch gravink had visited in 1900 and a balloon ascent was made on the barrier the bay was called balloon inlet from here the ship returned to McMurdo bay so named by ross here the discovery wintered in a far higher latitude than any previous expedition in the course of the autumn it was discovered that the land on which the expedition had its winter quarters was an island separated from the mainland by McMurdo sound it was given the name of ross island sledge journeys began with the spring depots were laid down and the final march to the south was begun on november 2nd 1902 by scott shackleton and wilson they had 19 dogs to begin with on november 27th they passed the 80th parallel owing to the nature of the ground their progress was not rapid the highest latitude was reached on december 30th 82 degrees 17 minutes south new land was discovered a continuation of south victoria land one summit after another rose higher and higher to the south the return journey was a difficult one the dogs succumbed one after another and the men themselves had to draw the sledges it went well enough so long as all were in health but suddenly shackleton was incapacitated by scurvy and there were only two left to pull the sledges on february 3rd they reached the ship again after an absence of 93 days and of part two of chapter one of volume one of the south pole section three of the south pole this is a liber vox recording all liber vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libervox.org the south pole by roald amundson translation by ag quarter section three volume one chapter one the history of the south pole part three meanwhile armatage and skeleton had reached for the first time in history the high Antarctic inland plateau had an altitude of 9 000 feet above the sea the relief ship mourning had left Lydleton on december 9th on her way south scott island was discovered and on january 25th the discovery's mass were seen buck McMurdo soundly icebound all that year and the mourning returned home on march 3rd the expedition passed a second winter in the ice and in the following spring captain scott led a sledge journey to the west on the ice plateau in january 1904 the mourning returned accompanied by the terra nova formerly a newfoundland ceiling vessel they brought orders from home that the discovery was to be abandoned if she could not be got out preparations were made for carrying out the order but finally after explosives had been used a sudden breakup of the ice set the vessel free all the coal that could be spared was put on board the discovery from the relief ships and scott carried his researches further if at that time he had had more coal it is probable that this active explorer would have accomplished even greater things than he did wilks's ringgold's knoll and eld's peak were wiped off the map and nothing was seen of cape Hudson though the discovery passed well within sight of its supposed position on march 14th scott anchored in ross harbour Auckland islands with rich results the expedition returned home in september 1904 meanwhile the german expedition under professor eric von draggelski had been doing excellent work in another quarter the plan of the expedition was to explore the Antarctic regions to the south of kurgulin land after having first built a station on that island and landed a scientific staff who were to work there while the main expedition proceeded into the ice its ship the gauss had been built at keel with the fram as a model the gauss's navigator was captain hans rooster a skillful seaman of the hamburg american line draggelski had chosen his scientific staff with knowledge and care and it is certain that he could not have obtained better assistance the expedition left keel on august 11th 1901 bound for capetown an extraordinarily complete oceanographic meteorological and magnetic survey was made during this part of the voyage after visiting the crosse islands the gauss anchored in royal sound kurgulin land on december 31st the expedition stayed here a month and then steered for the south to explore the regions between kentland and noxland they had already encountered a number of bergs in latitude 60 degrees south on february 14th they made a sounding of 1730 fathoms near the supposed position of wilkes termination land progress was very slow here about on account of thick flows suddenly on february 19th they had a sounding of 132 fathoms and on the morning of february 21st land was sited entirely covered with ice and snow a violent storm took the gauss by surprise collected a mass of icebergs around her and filled up the intervening space with flows so that there could be no question of making any way they had to swallow the bitter pill and prepare to spend the winter where they were observatories were built of ice and sledge journeys were undertaken as soon as the surface permitted they reached land in three and a half days and there discovered a bare mountain about 1 000 feet high 50 miles from the ship the land was named keiser willhelm the second land and the mountain the gauss berg they occupied the winter in observations of every possible kind the weather was extremely stormy and severe but their winter harbor under the lee of the great stranded bergs proved to be a good one they were never once exposed to unpleasant surprises on february 8th 1903 the gauss was able to begin to move again from the time she reached the open sea until her arrival at capetown on june 9th scientific observations were continued high land had been seen to the eastward on the bearing of wilkes's termination land and an amount of scientific work had been accomplished of which the german nation may well be proud few Antarctic expeditions have had such a thoroughly scientific equipment as that of the gauss both as regards appliances and personnel the swedish Antarctic expedition under dr. Otto Nordenskold left gothenberg on october 16th 1901 in the Antarctic commanded by captain c a larson already mentioned the scientific staff was composed of nine specialists after calling at the falkland islands and statten island a course was made for the south shetlands which came into sight on january 10th 1902 after exploring the coast of louis leap land the ship visited wedell sea in the hope of getting southward along king austere the second land but the ice conditions were difficult and it was impossible to reach the coast Nordenskold and five men were then landed on snow hill island with materials for an observatory and winter quarters and the necessary provisions the ship continued her course northward to the open sea the first winter on snow hill island was unusually stormy and cold but during the spring several interesting sledge journeys were made when summer arrived the Antarctic did not appear and the land party were obliged to prepare for a second winter in the following spring october 1903 Nordenskold made a sledge journey to explore the neighborhood of mount haddington and a closer examination showed that the mountain lay on an island in attempting to work around this island he one day stumbled upon three figures doubtfully human which might at first sight have been taken for some of our african brethren straying thus far to the south it took nordenskold a long time to recognize in these beings dr gunnar anderson lieutenant deuce and their companion during the winter a norwegian sailor named grunden the way it came about was this the Antarctic had made repeated attempts to reach the winter station but the state of the ice was bad and they had to give up the idea of getting through anderson deuce and grunden were then landed in the vicinity to bring news to the winter quarters as soon as the ice permitted them to arrive there they had been obliged to build themselves a stone hut in which they had passed the winter this experience is one of the most interesting one can read of in the history of the polar regions badly equipped as they were they had to have recourse like robinson crusoe to their inventive faculties the most extraordinary contrivances were devised in the course of the winter and when spring came the three men stepped out of their hole well and hardy ready to tackle their work this was such a remarkable feat that everyone who has some knowledge of polar conditions must yield them his admiration but there is more to tell on november eighth when both parties were united at snow hill they were unexpectedly joined by captain iris are of the argentine gunboat uruguay and one of his officers some anxiety had been felt owing to the absence of news of the antarctic and the argentine government had sent the uruguay to the south to search for the expedition but what in the world had become of captain larson and the antarctic this was the question the others asked themselves the same night it sounds almost incredible there was a knock at the door of the hut and in walked captain larson with five of his men they brought the sad intelligence that the good ship antarctic was no more the crew had saved themselves on the nearest island while the vessel sank severely damaged by ice they too had had to build themselves a stone hut and get through the winter as best they could they certainly did not have an easy time and i can imagine that the responsibility weighed heavily on him who had to bear it one man died the others came through it well much of the excellent material collected by the expedition was lost by the sinking of the antarctic but a good deal was brought home both from a scientific and from a popular point of view this expedition may be considered one of the most interesting the south polar regions have to show we then come to the scotsman dr. william s bruce in the scotia we have met with bruce before first in the belina in 1892 and afterwards with mr. andrew coats in the spitzbergen the latter voyage was a fortunate one for bruce as it provided him with the means of fitting out his expedition in the scotia to antarctic waters the vessel left the Clyde on november 2nd 1902 under the command of captain thomas robertson of dundee bruce had secured the assistance of mossman redmos brown and dr. piry for the scientific work in the following february the Antarctic circle was crossed and on the 22nd of that month the ship was brought to a standstill in latitude 70 degrees 25 minutes south the winter was spent at lorry island one of the south orcneys returning to the south the scotia reached in march 1904 latitude 74 degrees one minute south longitude 22 degrees west where the sea rapidly shoal to 159 fathoms further progress was impossible owing to ice hilly country was cited beyond the barrier and named coatsland after bruce's chief supporters in the foremost rank of the Antarctic explorers of our time stands the french savant and yachtsman dr. john sarcoe in the course of his two expeditions of 1903 to 1905 and 1908 to 1910 he succeeded in opening up a large extent of the unknown continent we owe to him a closer acquaintance with alexander the first land and the discovery of loubaix falier and charcot lands is also his work his expeditions were splendidly equipped and the scientific results were extraordinarily rich the point that compels our special admiration in charcot's voyages is that he chose one of the most difficult fields of the Antarctic zone to work in the ice conditions here are extremely unfavorable and navigation in the highest degree risky a coast full of submerged reefs and a sea strewn with icebergs was what the frenchman had to contend with the exploration of such regions demands capable men and stout vessels sir urnus shackleton the name has a brisk sound at its mere mention we see before us a man of indomitable will and boundless courage he has shown us what the will and energy of a single man can perform he gained his first experience of Antarctic exploration as a member of the british expedition in the discovery under captain scott it was a good school scott wilson and shackleton formed the southern party with the highest latitude as their goal they reached 82 degrees 17 minutes south a great record at that time being attacked by scurvy shackleton had to go home at the first opportunity shortly after his return shackleton began to make active preparations few people had any faith in shackleton wasn't it he who was sent home from the discovery after the first year what does he want to go out for again he has shown well enough that he can't stand the work shackleton had a hard struggle to find the necessary funds he left england unheeded and loaded with debts in august 1907 on board the nimrod bound for the south pole with surprising frankness he declared his intention of trying to reach the pole itself so far as i know he was the first to venture to say straight out that the pole was his object this hardy frankness was the first thing that struck me and made me look more closely at the man later on i followed his steps with the greatest interest the expedition unnoticed when it left england was soon forgotten at most people connected the name of shackleton with the rank of lieutenant r and r and the months went by then suddenly came a piece of news that made a great stir it was in the latter half of march 1909 the telegraphic instruments were busy all over the world letter by letter word by word they ticked out the message until it could be clearly read that one of the most wonderful achievements of polar exploration had been accomplished everyone was spellbound was it possible could it be true shackleton lieutenant r and r had fought his way to latitude 88 degrees 23 minutes south seldom has a man enjoyed a greater triumph seldom has a man deserved it better as the details of sir earnes shackleton's expedition will be fresh in the minds of english readers it is unnecessary to recapitulate them here a few points may however be noted for comparison with the frams expedition the plan was to leave new zealand at the beginning of 1908 and go into winter quarters on the Antarctic continent with the necessary provisions and equipment while the vessel returned to new zealand and came back to take off the land party in the following year the land party that wintered in the south was divided into three one party was to go eastward to king edward the seventh land and explore it the second was to go westward to the south magnetic pole and the third southward toward the geographical pole in the plan submitted to the royal geographical society shackleton says I do not intend to sacrifice the scientific utility of the expedition to a mere record breaking journey but say frankly all the same that one of my great efforts will be to reach the southern geographical pole it was further intended that the nimrod should explore wilks land as draft animals shackleton had both ponies and dogs but chiefly ponies the dogs were regarded more as a reserve shackleton's experience was that the ice barrier was best suited for ponies they also took a motor car besides the usual equipment of sledges ski tents etc leaving leidleton on january 1st 1908 the nimrod reached the ice pack on the 15th and arrived in the open ross sea in latitude 70 degrees 43 minutes south longitude 178 degrees 58 minutes east the ross barrier was cited on january 23rd the original intention was to follow this and try to land the shore party in barrier inlet which was practically the beginning of king edward the seventh land but it was found that barrier inlet had disappeared owing to miles of the barrier having calved away and its place was a long wide bay with shackleton named the bay of wales this discovery determined him not to attempt to winter on the barrier but on solid land at this part of the voyage the course of the nimrod coincided very nearly with that of the fram on her second outward trip after an unsuccessful attempt to reach king edward the seventh land shackleton turned to the west and took up his winter quarters on ross island and McMurdo sound the southern party composed of shackleton adams marshal and wild started on october 29th 1908 with four sledges four ponies and provisions for 91 days on november 26 scott's farthest south 82 degrees 17 minutes south was passed by the time latitude 84 degrees was reached all the ponies were dead and the men had to draw the sledges themselves they were then faced by the long and difficult descent of beard more glacier and it was not until 17 days later that they came out on the high plateau surrounding the pole at last on january ninth 1909 they were compelled to return by shortness of provisions having planted queen alexandra's flag in latitude 82 degrees 23 minutes south longitude 160 degrees east everyone who reads shackleton's diary must feel a boundless admiration for these four heroes history can scarcely show a clearer proof of what men can accomplish when they exert their full strength of will and body these men have raised a monument not only to themselves and their achievement but also to the honor of their native land and the whole of civilized humanity shackleton's exploit is the most brilliant incident in the history of Antarctic exploration the distance covered out and back was 1530 geographical miles the time occupied was 127 days 73 days out and 54 days back the average daily march was about 12 miles meanwhile the other party composed of professor david mosson and mckay had set off to determine the position of the south magnetic pole they had neither ponies nor dogs and had therefore to depend solely on their own powers it seems almost incredible but these men succeeded in working their way on foot over sea ice and land ice cracks and crevasses hard snow and loose snow to the magnetic pole and making observations there what was better still they all came back safe and sound the total distance covered was 1260 geographical miles it must have been a proud day for the two parties of the expedition when they met again on the deck of the Nimrod and could tell each other of their experiences more than any of their predecessors these men has succeeded in raising the veil that lay over Antarctica but a little corner remained end of section three end of chapter one section four of the south pole this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org the south pole by Raul Amoussen translation by A. G. Carter section four plan and preparations part one the deity of success is a woman and she insists on being one not courted you've got to seize her and bear her off instead of standing under her window with a mandolin Rex Beach the north pole is reached in a flash the news spread over the world the goal of which so many had dreamed for which so many had labored and suffered and sacrificed their lives was attained it was in September 1909 that the news reached us at the same instant I saw quite clearly that the original plan of the From's third voyage the exploration of the north polar basin hung in the balance if the expedition was to be saved it was necessary to act quickly and without hesitation just as rapidly as the message had traveled over the cables I decided on my change of front to turn to the right about and face to the south it was true that I had announced in my plan that the From's third voyage would be in every way a scientific expedition and would have nothing to do with record breaking it was also true that many of the contributors who had so warmly supported me had done so with the original plan before them but in view of the altered circumstances and the small prospect I now had of obtaining funds for my original plan I considered it neither mean nor unfair to my supporters to strike a blow that would at once put the whole enterprise on its feet retrieve the heavy expenses that the expedition had already incurred and save the contributions from being wasted it was therefore with a clear conscience that I decided to postpone my original plan for a year or two in order to try in the meantime to raise the funds that were still lacking the North Pole the last problem but one of popular interest in polar exploration was solved if I was now to succeed in arousing interest in my undertaking there was nothing left for me but to try to solve the last great problem the South Pole I know that I have been reproach for not having at once made the extended plan public so that not only my supporters but the explorers who were preparing to visit the same regions might have knowledge of it I was well aware that these reproaches would come and had therefore carefully weighed this side of the matter as regards the former the contributors to my expedition my mind was soon at rest they were all men of position and above discussing application of the sums they had dedicated to the enterprise I knew that I enjoyed such confidence among these people that they would all judge the circumstances are right and know that when the time came their contributions would be used for the purpose for which they were given and I have already received countless proofs that I was not mistaken nor did I feel any great scruples with regard to the other Antarctic expeditions that were being planned at the time I knew I should be able to inform Captain Scott of the extension of my plans before he left civilization and therefore a few months sooner or later could be of no great importance scott's plan and equipment were so widely different from my own that I regarded the telegram that I sent him later with the information that we were bound for the Antarctic regions rather as a mark of courtesy than as a communication which might cause him to alter his program in the slightest degree the British expedition was destined entirely for scientific research the poll was only a side issue whereas in my extended plan it was the main object on this little detour science would have to look after itself but of course I knew very well that we could not reach the poll by the route I had determined to take without enriching in a considerable degree several branches of science our preparations were entirely different and I doubt whether captain scott with his great knowledge of Antarctic exploration would have departed in any point from the experience he had gained and altered his equipment in accordance with that which I found it best to employ for I came far short of scott both in experience and means as regards lieutenant charace in the Canaan maroo I understood it to be his plan to devote his whole attention to King Edward the seventh land after thus thoroughly considering these questions I came to the conclusion I have stated and my plan was irrevocably fixed if at that juncture I had made my intention public it would only have given occasion for a lot of newspaper discussion and possibly have ended in the project being stifled at its birth everything had to be got ready quietly and calmly my brother upon whose absolute silence I could blindly rely was the only person I led into the secret of my change of plan and he did me many important services during the time when we alone shared the knowledge then lieutenant Thorvald Nielsen at that time first officer of the from now her commander returned home and I considered it my duty to inform him immediately of my resolve the way in which he received it made me feel safe in my choice of him I saw that in him I had found not only a capable and trustworthy man but a good comrade as well and this was a point of the highest importance if the relations between the chief and the second in command are good much unpleasantness and many unnecessary worries can be avoided besides which a good understanding in this quarter gives an example to the whole ship it was a great relief to me when captain Nielsen came home in January nineteen ten and was able to help which he did with a good will a capability and a reliability that I have no words to commend the following was the plan of the from southern voyage departure from Norway at latest before the middle of August Madeira was to be the first and only place of call from there of course was to be made on the best route for the sailing ship for the from cannot be regarded as anything else southward through the Atlantic and then to the east passing to the south of the Cape of Good Hope and Australia and finally pushing through the pack and into Ross Sea about new year nineteen eleven as a base of operations I had chosen the most southerly point we could reach with the vessel the Bay of Wells in the great Antarctic barrier we hope to arrive here about January fifteenth after having landed the selected shore party about ten men with materials for a house equipment and provisions for two years the from was to go out again and up to Buenos Aires in order to carry out from there an oceanographical voyage across the Atlantic to the coast of Africa and back in October she was to return to the Bay of Wells and take off the shore party so much but no more could be settled beforehand the further progress of the expedition could only be determined later when the work in the south was finished my knowledge of the Ross barrier was due to descriptions alone but I had so carefully studied all the literature that treats of these regions that on first encountering this mighty mass of ice I felt as if I had known it for many years after thorough consideration I fixed upon the Bay of Wells as a winter station for several reasons in the first place because we could there go farther south in the ship than at any other point a whole degree farther south than Scott could hope to get in McMurdo sound where he was to have his station and this would be a very great importance in the subsequent sledge journey toward the pole another great advantage was that we came right on to our field of work and could see from our hut door the conditions and surface we should have to deal with besides this I was justified in supposing that the surface southward from this part of the barrier would be considerably better and offer fewer difficulties than the piled up ice along the land in addition animal life in the Bay of Wells was according to the descriptions extraordinarily rich and offered all the fresh meat we required in the form of seals penguins and so forth besides these purely technical and material advantages which the barrier seemed to possess as a winter station it offered a specially favorable site for an investigation of the meteorological conditions since here one would be un obstructed by land on all sides it would be possible to study the character of the barrier by daily observations on the very spot better than anywhere else such interesting phenomena as the movement feeding and calving of this immense mass of ice could of course be studied very fully at this spot last but not least there was the enormous advantage that it was comparatively easy to reach in the vessel no expedition had yet been prevented from coming in here I knew that this plan of wintering on the barrier itself would be exposed to severe criticism as recklessness full hardiness and so forth for it was generally assumed that the barrier was afloat here as in other places indeed it was thought to be so even by those who had themselves seen it shackleton's description of the conditions at the time of his visit did not seem very promising mile after mile had broken away and he thanked God he had not made his camp there although I have a very great regard for shackleton his work and his experience I believe that in this case his conclusion was too hasty fortunately I must add for if when shackleton passed the Bay of Whales on January twenty fourth nineteen oh eight and saw the ice of the bay in process of breaking up and drifting out he had waited a few hours or out the most a couple of days the problem of the South Pole would probably have been solved long before December nineteen eleven with his keen sight and sound judgment it would not have taken him long to determine that the inner part of the bay does not consist of floating barrier but that the barrier there rest upon a good solid foundation probably in the form of small islands scaries or shoals and from this point he and his able companions would have disposed of the South Polar question once for all but circumstances willed it otherwise and the veil was only lifted not torn away I had devoted special study to this peculiar formation in the barrier and had arrived at the conclusion that the inlet that exists today in the Ross Barrier under the name of the Bay of Whales is nothing else than the self-same bite that was observed by Sir James Clark Ross no doubt with great changes of outline but still the same for seventy years then this formation with the exception of the pieces that had broken away have persisted in the same place I therefore concluded that it could be no accidental formation what once in the dawn of time arrested the mighty stream of ice at this spot and formed a lasting bay in its edge which with few exceptions runs in an almost straight line was not merely a passing whim of the fearful force that came crashing on but something even stronger than that something that was firmer than the hard ice namely the solid land here in this spot then the barrier piled itself up and formed the bay we now call the Bay of Whales the observations we made during our stay there confirmed the correctness of this theory I therefore had no misgivings in placing our station on this part of the barrier the plan of the shore party was as soon as the hut was built and provisions landed to carry supplies into the field and lay down depots as far to the south as possible I hope to get such a quantity of provisions brought down to latitude eighty degrees south that we should be able to regard this latitude as the real starting place of the actual sledge journey to the pole we shall see later that this hope was more than fulfilled and a labor many times greater than this was performed by the time the steeple work was accomplished winter would be before us and with the knowledge we had of the conditions in the Antarctic regions every precaution would have to be taken to meet the coldest and probably the most stormy weather that any polar expedition had hitherto encountered my object was when winter had once set in and everything in the station was in good working order to concentrate all our forces upon the one object that of reaching the pole I intended to try to get people with me who were specially fitted for outdoor work in the cold even more necessary was it to find men who were experienced dog drivers I saw what a decisive bearing this would have on the result there are advantages and disadvantages in having experienced people with one on an expedition like this the advantages are obvious if a variety of experiences are brought together and used with common sense of course a great deal can be achieved the experience of one man will often come in opportunity where that of another falls short the experiences of several will supplement each other and form something like a perfect whole this is what I hope to obtain that there is no rose without a thorn if it has its advantages it also has its drawbacks the drawback to which one is liable in this case is that someone or other may think he possesses so much experience that every opinion but his own is worthless it is of course regrettable when experience takes this turn but with patience and common sense it can be broken of it in any case the advantages are so great and predominant that I had determined to have experienced men to the greatest extent possible it was my plan to devote the entire winter to working at our outfit and to get it as near to perfection as possible another thing to which we should have to give some time was the killing of a sufficient number of seals to provide fresh meat both for ourselves and our dogs for the whole time scurvy the worst enemy of polar expeditions must be kept off at all cost and to achieve this it was my intention to use fresh meat every day it proved easy to carry out this rule since everyone without exception preferred seal meat to tend foods and when spring came I hope that my companions and I would be ready fit and well with an outfit complete in every way the plan was to leave the station as early in the spring as possible if we had set out to capture this record we must at any cost get there first everything must be staked upon this from the very moment when I had formed the plan I had made up my mind that our course from the Bay of Wales must be set due south and follow the same meridian if possible right up to the pole the effect of this would be that we should reverse an entirely new region and gain other results besides beating the record I was greatly astonished to hear on my return from the south that some people had actually believed we had set our course from the Bay of Wales for Beardmore Glacier Shackleton's route and followed it to the south let me hasten to assure them that this idea never for a single instant crossed my mind when I made the plan Scott had announced that he was going to take Shackleton's route and that decided the matter during our long stay at Fromheim not one of us ever hinted at the possibility of such a course without discussion Scott's route was declared out of bounds no due south was our way and the country would have to be difficult indeed to stop our getting on to the plateau our plan was to go south and not to leave the meridian unless we were forced to do so by insuperable difficulties I foresaw of course that there would be some who would attack me and accuse me of shabby rivalry and so forth and they would perhaps have had some shadow of justification if we had really thought of taking captain Scott's route but it never occurred to us for a moment our starting point lay three hundred fifty geographical miles from Scott's winter quarters in McMurdo Sound so there could be no question of encroaching upon his sphere of action moreover Professor Nansen in his direct and convincing way has put an end once for all to this twaddle so that I need not dwell upon it any longer I worked out the plan is here given at my home on Bundefjord near Christianity in September nineteen oh nine and as it was laid so was it carried out to the last detail that my estimate of the time it would take was not so very far out is proved by the final sentence of the plan thus we shall be back from the polar journey on January twenty-fifth it was on January twenty-fifth nineteen twelve that we came into Fromheim after our successful journey to the pole this was not the only time our calculations proved correct captain Nielsen showed himself to be a veritable magician in this way while I contended myself with reckoning dates he did not hesitate to go into hours he calculated that we should reach the barrier on January fifteenth nineteen eleven this is a distance of sixteen thousand geographical miles from Norway we were at the barrier on January fourteenth one day before the time there was not much wrong with that estimate in accordance with the Storthings resolution of February ninth nineteen oh nine the From was lent for the use of the expedition and a sum of seventy five thousand kroner four thousand one hundred thirty two pounds sterling was voted for repairs and necessary alterations the provisions were chosen with the greatest care and packed with every precaution all groceries were soldered in ten boxes and then enclosed in strong wooden cases the packing of ten provisions is of enormous importance to a polar expedition it is impossible to give too much attention to this part of the supplies any carelessness any perfunctory packing on the part of the factory will as a rule lead to scurvy it is an interesting fact that on the four Norwegian polar expeditions the three voyages of the From and the Goya voyage not a single case of scurvy occurred this is good evidence of the care with which these expeditions were provisioned in this matter we owe a deep debt of gratitude above all to Professor Sophus Torrep who has always been the supervising authority in the matter of provisioning this time as well as on the former occasions great praise is also due to the factories that supplied our ten goods by their excellent and conscientious work they deserved well of the expedition in this case a part of the supplies was entrusted to a stavanger factory which in addition to the goods supplied to order with great generosity placed at the disposal of the expedition provisions to the value of two thousand kroner a hundred ten pounds the other half of the ten foods required was ordered from a firm at Moss the manager of this firm undertook at the same time to prepare the necessary Pimecan for men and dogs and executed this commission in a way that I cannot sufficiently praise thanks to this excellent preparation the health both of men and dogs on the journey to the pole was always remarkably good the Pimecan we took was essentially different from that which former expeditions had used previously the Pimecan had contained nothing but the desired mixture of dried meat and lard hours had besides these vegetables in oatmeal an addition which greatly improves its flavor and as far as we could judge makes it easier to digest this kind of Pimecan was first produced for the use of the Norwegian army it was intended to take the place of the emergency ration the experiment was not concluded at the time the expedition left but it may be hoped that the result has proved satisfactory a more stimulating nourishing and appetizing food it would be impossible to find but besides the Pimecan for ourselves that for our dogs was equally important for they are just as liable to be attacked by scurvy as we men the same care had therefore to be devoted to the preparation of their food we obtained from malls two kinds of Pimecan one made with fish and the other with meat both kinds contained besides the dried fish or meat and lard a certain proportion of dried milk and middlings both kinds were equally excellent and the dogs were always in splendid condition the Pimecan was divided into rations of one pound one half ounces and could be served out to the dogs as it was but before we should be able to use this Pimecan we had a five months voyage before us and for this part of the expedition I had to look for a reliable supply of dried fish this I found through the agent of the expedition at Tromsø Mr Fritz Saffa two well known firms also placed large quantities of the best dried fish at my disposal with all this excellent fish and some barrels of lard we succeeded in bringing our dogs through in the best of condition one of the most important of our preparations was to find good dogs as I have said I had to act with decision and promptitude if I was to exceed in getting everything in order the day after my decision was made therefore I was on my way to Copenhagen where the inspectors for Greenland Miss yours do guard Jensen and Benson were to be found at that moment the director of the Royal Greenland Trading Company Mr Rydberg showed as before the most friendly interest in my undertaking and gave the inspectors a free hand I then negotiated with these gentlemen and they undertook to provide one hundred of the finest Greenland dogs and to deliver them in Norway in July nineteen ten the dog question was thus as good as since the choice was placed in the most expert hands I was personally acquainted with inspector do guard Jensen from former dealings with him and knew that whatever he undertook would be performed with the greatest conscientiousness the administration of the Royal Greenland Trading Company gave permission for the dogs to be conveyed free of charge aboard the Hansa jead and delivered at Christensen end of section four