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Diaries show pole race marred by split in Norwegian team
Andrew Darby
March 3, 2012
IT WAS the flaw that made Roald Amundsen’s superhuman feat seem mortal after all.
A century after the methodical Norwegian achieved the impossible by being first to the South Pole, there is new light on a breakdown in his expedition.
A dispute over tactics led to Amundsen being called a coward in front of his own men by a key expeditioner, who was then sidelined.
Recently translated expedition diaries detail how, even as news spread of Amundsen’s achievement, the troubled Frederik Hjalmar Johansen was separated from the victory.
Though Johansen’s suicide less than a year later is blamed by some on this disgrace, Amundsen was not being vindictive, according to the Norwegian polar historian Olav Orheim.
It was just business, Dr Orheim said. The pragmatic Amundsen had to keep his exclusive newspaper and book deals intact.
The world first heard of Amundsen’s win in the race for the pole by telegram from Hobart 100 years ago next Wednesday.
So focused was popular attention on conquering Antarctica that this was the early 20th century equivalent of winning a race to the moon, said Dr Orheim, a visitor at the University of Tasmania’s Antarctic co-operative research centre.
It was the outcome of meticulous preparation. ”Without exception, Amundsen’s great ability was to plan. It goes way beyond the others: Shackleton and Scott.”
As Amundsen sent the message from Hobart to Norway that, decoded, said: ”Reached the South Pole. All Well”, Britain’s beaten Robert Scott and his companions were struggling to their deaths on the Ross Ice Shelf. Their fate would be unknown to the public for a further year.
But the best laid plans of Amundsen nearly came undone too, in September 1911, when he set out on the polar trek early in the season and extreme cold forced the party back to base.
In the dash for safety Amundsen struck out ahead, leaving Johansen, a former champion gymnast and seasoned adventurer, to rescue tail-end straggler Kristian Prestrud from freezing to death and bring him in.
Next day Johansen confronted Amundsen.
”Amundsen said he returned as quickly as possible to reduce the frostbite among the party,” Dr Orheim said. ”Johansen said this was cowardly, and the leader should have waited to get the last one.”
The falling out never healed. Amundsen marshalled the rest of his team and excluded Johansen from the successful attempt on the pole.
Later, on the expedition’s ship the Fram’s arrival in Hobart, Amundsen ordered all crew to stay aboard and refuse any communication with the locals while he went ashore disguised as an ordinary seaman.
Protecting an exclusive deal with European newspapers, he sent the coded telegram to his brother Leon in Norway, suddenly making himself globally famous.
”In those days there were no movie stars. Geographical exploration was intensely followed,” Dr Orheim said.
Amid the celebrations that followed in Hobart, Johansen was told he would not be travelling back to Norway on the Fram with the other expeditioners.
”He was sent back anonymously, as in disgrace, because of the episode in the south,” Dr Orheim said. ”I always felt that Amundsen was being vindictive, but then I read Johansen’s diary. In it he said he wanted to separate and not follow the Fram. It is likely he was being ostracised.”
Dr Orheim said despite this, he did not believe Johansen’s suicide in January 1913 at the age of 45 was a direct result. ”His wife had left him, many things were going wrong in his life, and he was alcoholic.”
As for Amundsen, his demand that Johansen stay anonymous and give no interview about the expedition was based on the financial imperative of maintaining the newspaper and book deals that financed the expedition.
”Amundsen wanted to control all of the news,” Dr Orheim said.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/diaries-show-pole-race-marred-by-split-in-norwegian-team-20120302-1u7ss.html#ixzz1oVNTlt1a
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