Abstract
Using newspaper articles and interviews that appeared in the March 11, 1912 and March 12, 1912 issues of The Daily Chronicle and The New York Times, as well as crewmember diaries and personal telegrams, this chapter provides an in-depth analysis of Roald Amundsen’s and his men’s public portrayal of their expedition, particularly in regard to the role and fate of the sled dogs. Amundsen’s accurate narrative regarding the dogs’ key role in his victory and his sometimes questionable contention regarding the killing of the dogs are discussed. Statements regarding the killing and consuming of the dogs, made in the news articles and expedition diaries, are compared and analyzed, as are Amundsen’s branding efforts, and the press’s and public’s fascination with the dogs, including the abundance and prominence of photo and ink space devoted to them. Also featured are the reported opinions given by Fridtjof Nansen, Robert Edwin Peary, and Ernest Shackleton regarding sled dog-driven exploration. And Amundsen’s announcement about his dogs’ future role in the Douglas Mawson expedition also is presented.
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References
Amundsen, R., Antarctic expedition diary, 7 March 1912–12 June 1912, NB Ms.8º 1196, Manuscripts Collection. Oslo: National Library of Norway.
Amundsen Letters of Correspondence, Manuscripts Collection. Oslo: National Library of Norway.
Amundsen and Scott. (1912, March 11). The New York Times. NYTimes.com https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30611FD3F5813738DDDA80994DB405B828DF1D3. Accessed 25 Nov 2012.
Amundsen describes his polar dash; found the pole’s altitude 10,500 feet; forced to kill and eat his dogs. (1912, March 11). The New York Times. NYTimes.com. https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9503E1DC143CE633A25752C1A9659C946396D6CF and https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0910FD3F5813738DDDA80994DB405B828DF1D3. Accessed 25 Nov 2012.
Amundsen favored, says Shackleton. (1912, March 11). The New York Times. NYTimes.com. https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30810FD3F5813738DDDA80994DB405B828DF1D3. Accessed 21 Apr 2014; https://www.nytimes.com/1912/03/11/archives/amundsen-favored-says-shackleton-english-explorer-points-out-how.html. Accessed 7 July 2020.
Amundsen gives honor roll of his polar aides. . . . Dogs better than ponies. (1912, March 12). The New York Times. NYTimes.com. https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A05EEDC143CE633A25751C1A9659C946396D6CF and https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50F1FFD3F5813738DDDAB0994DB405B828DF1D3. Accessed 25 Nov 2012.
Amundsen has given no news. (1912, March 12). The New York Times. NYTimes.com. https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40F1FFD3F5813738DDDAB0994DB405B828DF1D3. Accessed 25 Nov 2012; https://www.nytimes.com/1912/03/12/archives/amundsen-has-given-no-news-except-to-the-newspapers-with-which-he.html. Accessed 6 July 2020.
Amundsen’s Statement. Reserves His Narrative for Those Newspapers Who Helped Indemnify Him. (1912, March 11). The New York Times. NYTimes.com. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F10810FD3F5813738DDDA80994DB405B828DF1D3 and https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10810FD3F5813738DDDA80994DB405B828DF1D3. Accessed 25 Nov 2012.
Hassel, S. (2011). Sverre Hassels dagbøker: Sydpolsekspedisjonen 1910–1912 [Sverre Hassel’s diaries: the South Pole expedition 1910–1912] (G. O. Kløver, Ed.). Oslo: The Fram Museum.
Interview with Amundsen. The Greatest Difficulties. Dogs Are Delicious. No Real Hardships. The Daily Chronicle (London), 11 March 1912. NB Ms.fol. 1924:5:3, Manuscripts Collection. Oslo: National Library of Norway.
Peary’s opinion of dog meat. (1912, March 12) The New York Times. NYTimes.com. https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F00E1FFD3F5813738DDDAB0994DB405B828DF1D3 and https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00E1FFD3F5813738DDDAB0994DB405B828DF1D3. Accessed 25 Nov 2012.
Tahan, M. R. (2019). Roald Amundsen’s sled dogs: the sledge dogs who helped discover the South Pole. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Topics of the times. (1912, March 12). The New York Times. NYTimes.com. https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C16FA3F5813738DDDAB0994DB405B828DF1D3. Accessed 25 Nov 2012; https://www.nytimes.com/1912/03/12/archives/topics-of-the-times.html. Accessed 6 July 2020.
What Dr. Nansen Thinks. (1912, March 11). The Daily Chronicle (London). NB Ms.fol. 1924:5:3, Manuscripts Collection. Oslo: National Library of Norway.
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Notes on Original Material and Unpublished Sources
Notes on Original Material and Unpublished Sources
Roald Amundsen’s expedition diary, quoted in this chapter, is in the Manuscripts Collection at the National Library of Norway (NB) in Oslo. (The excerpts quoted are translated from the original Norwegian.)
All Roald Amundsen letters of correspondence quoted in this chapter, written from and to Roald Amundsen and Leon Amundsen, are in the Manuscripts Collection at the National Library of Norway (NB) in Oslo. (The excerpts quoted that were originally in Norwegian were translated for the author by Anne Melgård during the author’s research at the National Library of Norway.)
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R. Amundsen Antarctic expedition diary, 10 March 1912, NB Ms.8º 1196.
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The New York Times to R. Amundsen, telegram in English, 7 March 1912, received 8 March 1912, NB Brevs. 480:C.
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E. Shackleton to R. Amundsen, telegram in English, 9 March 1912, received 10 March 1912, NB Brevs. 480:C.
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R. E. Peary/The New York Times to R. Amundsen, telegram in English, 13 March 1912, received 14 March 1912, NB Brevs. 480:C.
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Earl Curzon of Kedleston to R. Amundsen, telegram in English, 11 March 1912, received 12 March 1912, NB Brevs. 480:C.
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Tahan, M.R. (2021). Fleeing the Journalists While Courting the Press. In: The Return of the South Pole Sled Dogs. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65113-8_6
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