While we were busy with all this work we had also to attend to the returning of the expedition’s unused stores to the suppliers. Much of this had been bought conditionally so that we could return everything we had not used. The ever-helpful Omdal, who never seemed to have enough to do, took charge of this part of the work. The more I left to him the better pleased he was. I asked him often in those days if he would not like to be released to go home. “So long as I can be of use to the expedition there is no hurry,” was his reply. At last on August 1st he set off to his home in Kristiansand, which he had been longing for. But I am sure he would have been quite happy about it if I, even then, had said to him that he could not get off.
That’s the sort of man Omdal is!
In the meantime the post-bag was filled with requests for information regarding the instruments and other equipment we had used on the trip. Lantern slides for lectures had to be got ready and advertising matter sent to our business managers.
Thus the days passed and the dreadful 10th of August got nearer, so threateningly that at last to-day I had to take the bull by the horns and go to Amundsen for further particulars.
Now I sit here experiencing the same feelings as in my schooldays, when I used to put off writing Norwegian composition so long that I had to do it during the games’ interval.
The first thing I shall render an account of is—
Why We Chose the Dornier-Wal Type
As the expense of using airships was prohibitive, we could only consider the employment of flying-machines. The choice of type depended upon the idea we could form of the landing conditions among the ice. The highest authority in the “world of polar-exploration,” and many others who had hunted and fished Greenland’s east coast for many years, all contended that there would be many suitable landing places on the numerous big flat ice-floes, and also that we should find water-lanes where the seaplanes could land. Some voices were raised against these contentions but as they were only “voices” we didn’t lay much weight on their opinion, though, as was proved later, these latter were right,—but that is a different matter. We regarded it at that time as certain that we should find plenty of big-enough landing places. Accordingly we based our plans, on making an expedition which could land to carry out observations and which would be of considerably more value than an exploration expedition which would only fly over the ice. An expedition thus equipped would be safer, as a forced landing might have to be made at any time. We decided therefore to use two machines, which would allow the expedition to continue with one plane if the other had to make a forced landing on account of irreparable engine trouble. In a forced landing, too, the machine might be damaged, as there would not be the same opportunity to find a suitable landing-place, as in the case of a voluntary landing. It is also certain that it would double the chances of reaching the goal ahead to set off with two machines rather than with only one,—always, of course, banking on the probability of good opportunities for landing being found.
On the other hand, if such opportunities for landing did not offer, the use of two machines would halve the chances of success, as the risk of engine trouble where two are concerned is naturally double what it would be if only one machine were employed. The arrangements, therefore, were, that both seaplanes’ crews should keep together.
When we made our forced landing on the ice we were convinced that there were no suitable landing places to be found up there, and in consequence we decided that we would only use one seaplane for the homeward flight. We spent some days at first getting both machines ready for a start, because starting conditions were so difficult, that it was an advantage to hold one machine in reserve in case the other should get damaged in attempting to get away; but we discovered that it would take the six of us to tackle the work in each case, so we chose the machine which was in the best condition and therefore safest for the homeward flight.