ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS 403 



miles, or barely three kilometres, from the South Pole, and certainly 

 not so much as six kilometres from it. 



From your verbal statement I learn that Helmer Hanssen and 

 Bjaaland walked four geographical miles from Polheim in the 

 direction taken to be south on the basis of the observations. On 

 the chart the letters ejgh give the field within which the termina- 

 tion of their line of route must lie. It will be seen from this that 

 they passed the South Pole at a distance which, on the one hand, 

 can hardly have been so great as two and a half kilometres, and on 

 the other, hardly so great as two kilometres; that, if the assumed 

 position of Polheim be correct, they passed the actual Pole at a 

 distance of between 400 and 600 metres; and that it is very 

 probable that they passed the actual Pole at a distance of a few 

 hundred metres, perhaps even less. 



I am, etc., 



(Signed) Anton Alexander. 

 Christiania, 



September 22, 1912. 



