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"TWAS IN THE DAY'S WORK" SAYS AMUNDSEN "SO WE DID IT" Hanna Astrup Larsen . . I T IS all In the day's -work/ i If there were any exact Nor- J wegian equivalent of this En glish expression, it !s what Ho aid Amundsen would say about his trip to the magnetic pole and through the Northwest Passage. It is this attitude toward himself and his work which makes him so satisfactory as a friend but so unsatisfactory as a victim for Intei viewing. The dangers of the expedition were nothing to speak -of. In fact, there \u25a0were none. In a. casual way 'it may Blip out that the tiny sloop was often buffeted by wind and waves in the narrow strip of open water between the coast and the ice- uncertain which' of the two was most to be avoided, and with the compass rendered abso lutely useless by the nearness to the magnetic pole. The cold was nothing. Why, bless you. it was only 79 degrees below' zero. and that is not much when one is used to it. Of other hardships there were none." for there was always enough to eat and shelter sufficient to keep from frrezinp. None of the members of the expedition froze their limbs, and as for their faces, that "didn't count.'" It is true that Captain Amundsen and Lieutenant Haneen lived for three years and a half in the little six by nine cabin of the Gjoa. but that, was no hardship, because they were always pood friends. If is true t!«t there was sometimes frost in their bunks, but that was nothing to whine about.. The loneliness and monotony of life on the tiny vessel or among the ice fields wan. not so bad, for there was always plenty to do and .the time passed quickly— -"even more quickly than in the days of feasting and jolli fication in .San Francisco." The patient, painstaking observa-' lions, extending over a period, of nearly two years, were not at all trying though the fact of not seeing any Im mediate results would have made them peculiarly trying to a more Impatient temperament. "We knew it had to be dene." That was all. The walk overland from the vicinity of Herschel Island to Eagle City, a k distance of TOO miles, through regions never before traversed by. white peo ple, was hard work, of course: but it •was not so bad. after all, for there was always plenty of wood to build ftres at night. And then it "had to- be. done." That is the keynote to it aIL "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to 'do, do it with thy might." would be the Biblical equivalent. The thing was there to be done, and he Just did it as a matter of course. • Indeed, to listen to Captain Amund sen- talk, one might think that nothing in the world could be easier than to do what he has done. It seems merely a case of taking one step at a time, doing your duty day by day, and not worry ing about the outcome. A certain history professor used to tell his students, "In order to study history you must have plenty of imag ination, but don't imagine your facts!" In order to realize just what the. Gjoa trip meant It is necessary to get the plain facts and then to think "about' them until they become real •to : the' imagination. It will not take long to convince most of us that for people of less resolute mold it ' will « be best to keep away from the polar regions. Amundsen's Two Feats. To the popular mind Amundsen will probably always be known as the dis coverer of the Northwest Passage, be cause that Is something more readily comprehensible to the landlubber. It is characteristic of Amundsen, how- Wrver, that his main object was not the | feat of navigation, which, though bril- I liant, had no practical importance. Ui3 aim was to fix exactly the location of the mag-netie pole and thereby render the seamen a practical service. The spectacular element of his undertaking was of no importance to him. Amundsen Fays that he has always been deeply interested in the working of the magnetic needle. On his previ ous polar trips he has often felt the difficulty of navigating in the neigh borhood of the pole, and the desire to do Fomething to remedy this trouble grew on him. He studied the action of the magnetic instruments under • Pro fo«=sor Nc-umayer of Germany and took his practical training mainly on the Antarctic, expedition of the Belglca, where lie went along as mate. He had already been to sea for some time, and had his papers as captain. He was of f<-red a position with the Peary expe dition, but his own plans were then already matured and he preferred to Co his own way. Roald Amundsen is the son of a sea. captain of an adventurous disposition. He married a young lady who was considered to be a little bit above him in social position, for the lines are drawn closely in the small towns of Norway. The captain was engaged In the coolie trade in the East Indies. It happened once that there was a mutiny among the coolies and one of them was elected to kill the captain. This fellow had managed to sneak up on deck and came behind the captain, who turned, however. Just In time to save his life, but not quickly enough to csr'ape a frightful gash across his face. "He fell in a pool of blood, but before )\f fainted h* called out to the" mate. "Hang him." and in a moment the coolie swung from the yardarm. while the young wife was busy sewing up her husband's face. She had a child in arms with her on the trip. It would be Interesting if this had ...been the now famous Roald Amundsen.; but It was one of his brothers, which spoils the story. Still it 1» significant as showing what kind of people he-came from. When Roald Amundsen had made up his mind to make a trip to the Arctic legions he bent' all his energy' to preparation. He was very fond of the hardy winter sports of his native land a,nd was a very good skisman. He took an especial delight in long trips alone or with one or two companion, snd on at least one occasion he came very near ioslnj? his life in a. snow storm crossing the mountains. He had . been one of the convivial spirits among the students of Chrls tianla, and though never drinking to <>xcess, he had taken a glass with the „ rest. After he had made up his mind to this expedition he -reflected '-that 'the time might come when it would bo desirable to be independent of all craving for the luxurles'of life, and he decided that total abstinence was, best lor an Arctic' explorer. So for twelve years he never tasted wine or liquor of • any kind. • He Invested all his small fortune In Vhe sloop Gjoa, feeling that this was the best way of burning his bridges be hind him. After that he was forced by necessity to.go'jonl The. rest of the funds were provided by private sub scription. Xansen, the explorer, . who has made a fortune out of his lectures . and writings, was • a generous - con tributor. King Oscar , gave .10.000 crowns of his private fortune/ but there vs.- uo official assistance tendered." In selecting the tiny^ sloop Amund sen was not actuated solely- by mo tives: of economy, ; though these were naturally of some. importance.: <It ; "was his idea that a. small vessel; had :a much better chance of sllppfng' through - the ice than a larger one. No vcss>.l is strong' enough to force the lice, "there fore slzc : Is of no particular advan tage. The sad fate of the.Franklln'ex pedltion of 147 members had demon strated the impracticability.- of the, big, unwieldy polar It. is easier to carry provisions for a small number than for a large— that : was the main point. The Gjoa had T a crew of seven men and carried provisions to last them for four years. The Gjoa was originally, nothing but a small freighter, built for .the Nor wegian coast trade. She was.strength ened with crossbeams and, a sheathing of two-inch oak planks for protection against the ice, so that she: was de clared by Colin Archer," the -builder of Nansen's ships, to be, after! the Fram, the strongest-built vessel; he had ever seen. She. is seventy-three : feet I long and twenty feet wide and registers forty-six tons. Her cabin , was* lined with cork and .birch bark ;for greater 'warmth. It was heated; only by an oil stove, and even Captain Amundsen, admitted that the heat of an- oir stove is. hardly satisfactory \at a temperaturo of sev-' cnty-nine below. For heating purposes and J; for, the small , petroleum motor,- which"; was. in stalled as an auxiliary power, .the Gjoa carried ; SOOO gallons of petroleum, of which 2000 \u25a0- gallons . are; left • over. She depended in" the' main on her sail power. ' Good : Instruments and \ Food ; • ,;.' In -the; matter ; of t provldlng good in struments no iexpenso. was spared -to equlplthe" expedition perfectly. T, The food supplies '; were jso abundant c that when " the '.Gjoa * met ;s J the American; whalers last' winter she needed; nothing of - what " they' offered* her. The' only thing in '.which she : ran- short: rras .tea. < Th*e • name Gjoa had\ been ""given- the '} sloop by the man i'whorbuilt|her| thirty \u25a0\u25a0 years ago -and f^ named t her i a.tter&h\a ) sweetheart^ : It ;. is a> dialect of;Gyda,".the 'names ot itheVproud'lprin- '• cess -who! incited' Harold* tliej |FairhalrcdT to j gathers the . wholejof his scepter more; than'a 1 : thousand! years'' agol,: Amundsen ' did ' not -change v the i : name ;of { th c i vessel .' when ' q he - took i t.'- It i s safe X to ' say) tb at I Nor way}, wi 1 1 ' sec a revival, of ; the; old-fashioned f name' ' now that ; it has* been] made* famous. It * is .so; rare f that -even f, Norwegians ..did; not^knowithe?originlof !It,!butf guessed? '. on I everything^froml a* goddess t to : aYdog;' (from ';". the ;*• Norwegian;; gjo.i to .bark)/ until .the' story { came out- about r ; a; plain i man, in Jthe7 little of jSandefjord.S NorwayjfWhoimeanttbihonor.ihlSibride: and : . whqs bulldedf: better ' thanj he \u25a0 knew.' ;i- On\ the 'night > between * I' the -' i 6th - and ' 17th \of A June, \u25a0'* which.'Jof £ course, 1 * is tas light? as ; day, 1 ? lnithose i latitudes,*? in $ the^ year,' l9o3, s the slittleTexpedltlonj set fsail? , f romV; Christianla,^* Next % in underi Captain ? Amundsen j was i Lleuten-i ant \u25a0 : : Hanson >. of ?s the '& Danish t» navy;« a? brilliant^ young \ mtn,"whb| -'gladly^ left \ his •railltarj' career 'and? all; thcTdclight3 .THE SAN" FRAXOSCO- -SUNDAY* *CALi; of Cgay,vCoj.»nAier«» -ti ?ofa«?r, to v take^ the ;. same i training •th at {.Captain- Arriun- ' sen v himself « had i taken ? when^ second? in: command^ on "y trie ~;i ßel gica" j expedition.'! ,The f other & memberß of j the {expedition . were\ Norwegians.'"' : " " - t ' ": '^The;trlp .to Godhaven.'i Greenland,: was - , slow; towing jto Hhejcontrary \u25a0 winds. * At - . this > place J ai magnetic \ station »was \ es -^ tablishecj and^ morel dogslwere (shipped;' ln^additionlto^thesslxfdogsiofithe^ram;; \u25a0expedition 1 previously .itakeh'from-Chrls-i" itianlaH iDalrympleJ Island,;: on|Tthe': ; northwesterni coast ; of I Greenland,^ pro-;'| .vlslonsjthat^hadibeen:deposited 7 for;the| by Scotch .whalers were ;• : iV t V;'i '\u25a0.:. vj •;\u25a0\u25a0 ;\u25a0 ' : :i:,^. '-<]. "\u25a0', '?.* ; ;' \u25a0? • i Observations^, taken ; at; Becchyilsland.i; \u25a0whichithesGjoa*r£iached^on4the?22dCof H *Aiigust3 showed ttheypole^to^ber ln .a^ southerly ,v; direction * and;- sail i.was' ;ac lc6r4ingly>'set^on^that,.,courße;>:l c6r4ingly>'set^on^that,.,courBe;>: Off^ :Prescotttlsland.-.JinlPeel/Sourid;fthevre-^ fusal- of Jthefcompassjtoj render j further! service % showed §that I the) pole}! niust % be - hear.';;AThel Gjoa.7 continued \ her.l course,*; i navigating.; by,?- the % nelp ;i of f. the £ stars.* * just -; asSthe < Norsemen '*, did i when athcy.J discoveredJ*Amerlca' : a U; _thousandi years ; agoJ"r ; - : v:* ;V*i'-^ ''\u25a0'\u25a0•'\u25a0."'-.-\u25a0. -". \ \u0084.- \u25a0-'. \u25a0 ''\u25a0 '/,'\u25a0', '-v'\V- ; =.'.''. w*"Whenv;l;-' asked t Captain '/Amundscn-'i .'\u25a0\u25a0 : \u25a0'\u25a0'\u25a0 \u25a0'\u25a0"/?*\ / * ''^ '\u25a0' '\u25a0'-•'•. "' '\u25a0'-' -'\u25a0' \u25a0-• '"'\u25a0\u25a0: '-' ; '•'>\u25a0\u25a0"'.' ? : •\u25a0\u25a0' about -thrilling adventures', and hair .breadth 'Jescapes '} on this " : part .'of j the : journey ."vhe Isaid {there .wereJnone.C Yet to; t the \u25a0 listener^ it ,,v/ould;seem 'that -the .whole; trip.'ibetweehEmasses. of ; floating ice ; ln;a : '.tlny*nutshelli'6f;a i .vessel,' while , the If og, pu tfe ven> the ; stars ! out ]of *com \u25a0 mission's as ; far; as ] navigation l was ; con \u25a0cerne'd,? must 'have 'been "one continuous Ihalrbreadthj escape. -r "r^^. :. : ! -\u25a0 \ .• J* ;,The C* 5 favorable -weather .-. conditions i'madeS lt.*- possible?/. to complete? In;. one ; aummer/whatf "Amundseiu had | expected • to" dojiriitwo,* and? sojthe^Gjoal anchored '.Int September,^ of tt * the *f same; year..; in the snugS little r harbor" on'fKing '.-.Williams •Land|-which:; bears *herA name. -..^ This tis [the| L spbttwhero % the \ main j work i.'of % the fexpeditiori'Cwas ?'done/li; Magnetic*, obser; •jyatidns,'! taken;" immediately Juporij their, arrival.", showed^that ithe^ place s was; as : near} the! magnetic! pole ; as *It ,was< p'os- i sible^to fget,'; and'; here". the;workTof tak '' ing Jobservations .was ,.;.' continued J for inineteenVmonths.^^^- '^ -. .;;,.;;; ,\u25a0; . ':i The ',:\u25a0 only - expedition •; ever Jv sent out Ithe'jmagneticljppleS.was^that'jsentcout ;by T ithesNor\vegia.niG6vernmeritfin^lB29 'underi Prof essori Hahs'teenJV'who^ hoped tolflnd the" pole in Siberia.' . It is need- les*. to state, that. he failed to find It — ; failed -because Jt:was not thero to find. \u25a0 Th<3;pble ' had. been located by the Ross expedition (1829-1833) In the neigh borhood, of -the place .where the Gjoa was .anchored/: but no accurate observa tions were taken at the time. ThVCnmp at Gjoa Harbor. Th» tiny .harbor, not much wider than the boat,* soon froze over, and .it' be- : cam«\i possible to. pile the snow high around; the. Gjoa; which was now made, ready :for. winter, quarters. ." Sails were spread over her, double windows put in. and a^ system of . ventilation was ; ar ."ransr«!?,'.'si highly necessary ; precaution, it vwoull seem, when -it is remembered that tii « ionly way of heating ( the six by r ln.? cabin was the stove. It contains four; bunks of the shallow est ; and narrowest variety r that « could possibly; hold men *\u25a0 of A the' size^of ; an i Arctic explorer. Two.of them were oc-f "cupiedfdurlnz the whole.of 'the .voyage !by thn jcnptaln ; and •lieutenant, : for it ".was cc nfltlcrcd' necessary that some one stay' on":boara'the* vessel. " • , Buildings < were* erected ,on shore for the "crew : ami!- for.;.- bousing;. the .instrtt-" ; ments.rTh? chief l>uUding;materlal : .was •' packing .-cases Tot ,wood 'hailed together. • with copper 'nails.'; co : that, they {should ? 'not ' influence- c the. ; magnetic>r observa tions". were- fllledi with sand j «and*placedt'lnfpositlori.";.v-"A.U' provisions: '.\vorcbr'oughtTon}la"nd. , ,'* '. - '/•\u25a0<. '^^Tlicn^begainthe'feal.work.of the; ex-;' r pedittonri^EverjrJinan-Jiad i his .: allotted bJand-'there-were "certain hours Iset.'^ \u25a0 'No ?vto feel "% bored. 7 Captain. himself {conducted; the :mag^ notir'obscrvatloiis.TivUh the faithfulas-." sistance 'of Uhe man;:.Wiik, who later; I diedVi at 1 Herschel \u25a0' Island. : : Hansen ; 'was ".the • pliotogf apher; of ; the /expedition' 7 : and -'conducted {'the^- astro-; inomical-! and" ; geological"; : observations. \u25a0Ristvedt had ;to' do? with the>meteotOr loglcai* observations, and Lund and Sel mer Ilansen took care of '.the, ship. • v- Thecook. Lindstrom. deserves special mention. I first met- him .on the • deck of tho Gjoa. .where some one introduced him to me with the remark that he had vbeen with Nansen ' and Pverdrup on their expeditions. n - "Ah, ' you ; must have a lot to tell." The. words slipped out before I thought. I ought to;have re membered that the subordinate mem bers of such an expedition are not sup posed to . talk ' before - the. captain has given them leave. Llnstrom's face set tled * into ; such hardness as is : possible to such a round and jovial moon. "We don't talk.'*: he -said. Evidently "he -.had been there .before and; knew a-news paper scribe ' when" he. saw one. .for he dodged me constantly.' throwing me tantalizing glances and lifting his glass to' "skaal" with .me ; when \ I was safely in-my place at the banquet table, but "running 'away when he was invited to tell about his trip. It, was not; until 1 had him cornered and had plied him with the strongest coffee the club Nord could produce- that I; learned the true cause for. the success of the Amundsen expedition. The -cause is Lindstrom. He says^so" himself.? and if he does not know who should?; _ Lindstrom "admires Nansen, he adores Sverdrup,- but he loves Amundsen. Nevertheless . he "• is willing to admit that they all need ' looking after. "You see." he says confidentially, "they need a practical, man. . When .the captain was looking for men 'to go with him/ Nansen told him, 'You must have' Lindstrom. for. ..you,' must have a man who will cook whatever you want and be always good-natured.* You see. .when- people arc oft "on a- trip like this they get so they don't know what they want. One day it is coffee, another -day It is coroa. then it -is tea. The captain was not "!a* bit than the rest.- But I always cook what they want and makf no fuss about it. Yes. we always \ had \u25a0 plenty; to" eat. and the officers and -men shared alike. On many expeditions ; the': officers get all the ".- good things .and the men* get -nothing, but Captain 13 not that kind • of/a".nVanJ "You", see.- they need a man like .-me who; is always infa .good humor." The married;; men.'; are always: worrying, about. their people at home and wonder ing whether they will ever get through. 1 cheer; them:up. -^They^ are all married on our' shin except me and the captain and the lieutenant." j" The order is char acteristic- ,- - V- :v: v '"Captain* VAmundsen .laughed hea/tily at ; the , revelations ; of his_ cook, ; especial ly about his capricious ; appetite, and . '^ indeed ;-.it would seem , a pity if ': men living three years in' the near^nelghbor 'hood *of .the -pole .could ;^ net at -least \u25a0enliven the jmonotoriy* of ;,ihelr life \u25a0changing "from 'coffee to cocoa and from • cocoa ' back :to - coffee ."again.*, "He J'de clared Uhat, in spite/of;his "tendency; to* TpuO: a ' high\value fon \himself ,' Lindstrom . did ;4; 4 splendid Cj service.'. > From "having"; ;r; r shipped ras * Jack 'of 1 all - trades. . he : was ; - promoted Uolthe^ dignity of Jack 'of all r : sciences' J forihls; activity -in .preserving '.-'of fall \kinds.'" particularly \ birdsj|gHB3fiHBHBHHVHEBBHPIH \u25a0 v Indeed,; Captain, Amundsen ihas noth ing '^but . praise -for : all (his .."comrades," ' as he;always~calls them. Another. ;, member 'of -the , expedition who : should : have^special mention Is ; the 7 Eskimo ; dog," Silla," so 7 called \ because : he - '.was jleahj as a>herring • (Norwegian . dia-' ; lect^Slllai-thev herring). i^Silla .was the ! Sverdup;6n «his '.trip;, and > also = did yeo ; ; man's j service \ on \ the V"Ara undsen ;• expe-.* ' •dltion. >3 The ; brave", animal "i la]. now the property of G. Lomen" of Nome,, to wham the captain presented It. •In talking to Captain Amundsen, and hismen about their trip, a could not help again, and again getting back to' that aspect" of It which impressed me" 'most, the dreariness and loneliness of it. Dangers are fared by all seamen. Hardships are a matter of course, but the unspeakable . monotony always seemed to me, more impossible to bear than anything else. The answer was 'always "we were too busy to think about it.'* ".•v Besides the regular work In connec tion with the observations, the collec tions made! of botanical and zoological specimens, as well as the looking aft«r the comfort of the expedition and the preservation of Its property, there were several trips made In the neighbor hood of the harbor for the exploration, of unknown territory and the taking ; of , magnetic observations. There was plenty; of work in preparing for these expeditions- and also for those who were. left In charge^of the vessel and - theinstruments. . For the leisure hours which must be • passed somehow. • there was a well stocked ..library containing not only qt '.complete; collection of books on Arctic expeditions, but also a number of "hooks of general* interest. Card 3 some times • helped to paSs the time. ; Christmas Was Celebrated. Christmas was .never allowed to pass without such festivities as the circum stances .would permit. Punch was made | of > the strong ; liquors : . with which the .^expedition -was sparingly provided, and were .kept for state occasions. As it vis* manifestly .impossible for a good! Norwegian to pass Christmas Eva -. without', a i Christmas '; tree, v a sorry sub stitute was made and hung with gifts. There were . packages ' brought from home and labeled "Christmas 1903," . "Christmas • 1904."; and so on. These 'contained the little things with which, unappreclative ; men are showered by their sisters and their cousins and their aunts at Christmas. Only, these men were not unappreclative. They had .reached the point where even that spe cial abomination 'of mankind, a pen wiper, if made by loving hands at home, could touch the chords that vibrate with a 'mingled joy and pain too keen for expression. . . As the camp ?was not located far ther, north than 65 degrees 37 minutes there was only six weeks of darkness in the winter, with six weeks of light In the summer. . The surrounding country is very ilat. and It seemed to me that the level stretch of land and water, unbroken by human habitation, must have a peculiar beauty .of its own. whether seen under the rays of , the* 1 midnight sun or under the north ern-light in winter. The captain, how ever, confessed to finding the land scape tiresome, and even the sunsets lost their charm in the absence of the jagged peaks and deep fjords which spell beauty to a Norwegian. The north ern light was not nearly so brilliant as : it often is in Norway, and was generally of , a sickly green color. Camp life was enlivened by the visits of hordes of friendly Eskimos. They came to get wood and iron, and they liked the white people so well that they. built their'houses around the ship and. lived there. The gift of petroleum cases and tin cans meant riches to them, and the men on \ the Gjoa in their > turn coveted the comfortable \u25a0jclothes of their visitors." Clothes of gray "vadmei." the Norwegian home spun, made for the occasion of such extra strength and thickness that it was almost as impenetrable by the wind as a board, had been brought from Norway/ but tills was only for summer wear on" the sea. 'where ; fur garments would be' out of place. For winter a 'double set of garments made of the skins of reindeer, were in order.' , These were warm and light and allowed the air to circulate freely around. the body. In the spring, of 190.>, the- expedition broke the camp which had been Its.. home for, almost, two years. When tha "low hills showed J streaks of black, when the sun beamed, the birds .began to. sing and the flies to buzz, when all nature ..was .awakening to the brief but intense -, summer of , the. Arctics, then' the "Gjoa set sail- from; the har bor that "hatl-. sheltered her sso long. There came -another, summer^of'wrig gling through the drifting ice floes. It was no ' easy matter" for seven men to manage the boat in the difficult passages. They had mapped out their ..work in such. a way mat each should have six \u25a0 hours' sleep out Qf every twenty-four, -but often' they got no sleep; at' alL On ; August 26 the, Gjoa sighted the whaler Charles Hanson. Captain 'Sic- Kenna. It . was a delight to meet peo ple ? from the outside world, but time was ..precious, and Captain Amundsen decided -to continue his voyage after a i brief visit "on board the Charles "Hansen. Farther on he encountered other San' Francisco' 'wha'ers. which w«sfe' fast; in .the ice. The Gjoa spent the. winter .with them near Herschel Island., where a" comfortable cabin 'was builtTof "driftwood from the Mackenzie River. 'T\ .: " '\u25a0 -" . ~- . vWith her entrance into waters that are regularly -visited by whalers from . San \ Francisco ! the Gjoa had practically Completed her voyage of exploration, though \Captain Amundsen's trip;over land ' to Eagle. City .: and ..Lieutenant Hanson's trip from Nome to San Fran cisco , were . perhaps ' the most f difficult \u25a0part, of the. whole undertaking.