238 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 2 



The geological party planned to do specifically three things. 

 First, to sledge directly southward from Little America to the foot 

 of the Queen Maud Mountains and there ascend Mount Fridtjof 

 Nansen with a view to getting a cross section of the range; second, 

 to sledge eastward from Axel Heiberg Glacier along the foot of the 

 Queen Maud Mountains to their junction with the supposed Carmen 

 Land — this seemed vastly important, for Amundsen's plotted posi- 

 tion of Carmen Land indicated a highland running practically at 

 right angles to the trend of the main Queen Maud Mountains, a 

 curious and unnatural-seeming relationship; third, on the way back 

 toward Little America to make a detour eastward to investigate the 

 land indicated by Amundsen between latitudes 81° and 82°. 



On its way southward the supporting party was first to pass to the 

 westward of this supposed land. They failed to see it. The geologi- 

 cal party, which followed soon after, found no evidence of it; and 

 finally, on the fiight to lay a cache of oil and gas at the foot of Axel 

 Heiberg Glacier preparatory to the polar flight. Commander Byrd 

 and his party corroborated these observations. Our plans were then 

 altered to the extent that we did not leave the trail homeward bound. 

 Otherwise they were carried out in their entirety and with more time 

 at our disposal than we had hoped to have. 



THE SLEDGE JOURNEY OF THE GEOLOGICAL PARTY 



To accomplish so long a journey it was necessary for us either 

 1(> make a preliminary depot-laying trip or to have an additional 

 unit help us move our heavy loads some distance southward from 

 Little America. The latter plan was adopted for conservation of 

 time. The so-called supporting party, composed of Arthur Walden, 

 leader; Christopher Braathen, Joe de Ganahl, and Jack Bursey, pre- 

 ceded us for 200 miles and established depots of food and fuel every 

 50 miles. On November 4 the geological party took its final depar- 

 ture from Little America. There were six of us — Norman D. 

 Vaughan, dog driver and in general charge of the dogs; Frederic E. 

 Crockett, dog driver and radio operator; George A. Thorne, dog 

 driver and topographer; Edward E. Goodale, dog driver; John S. 

 O'Brien, dog driver and surveyor, and myself as geologist and 

 navigator. 



We proceeded southward, keeping as nearly as possible on the 

 meridian of longitude 163° 31' W. From Little America to the 

 foot of Liv Glacier we passed over tw^o features of some geographical 

 note; otherwise this part of our trek contained little that was novel. 

 The first matter of interest was the fact that at 25 miles south of 

 Little America we found ourselves going up a fairly gentle slope. 

 From an altitude of 200 feet above sea level at the station we ascended 



