By the following day every one was fully occupied taking our belongings ashore. Riiser-Larsen organized the work with the frequent assistance of his comrades and the officers from the “Hobby.” At this point I would like to hand out a few compliments to the crew of the “Fram.” When and where they could help, they were always at hand. Quick, skillful, and willing at all times. Fortunately the ice here was so strong that one could discharge the seaplanes on to it. This was a great help and lightened the work considerably. Everybody at the same time hauled them along a natural slide towards land and placed them outside the station-workshop, where all the necessary help was obtainable. Director Schulte-Frohlinde from the Pisa Works, with his two mechanics, Feucht and Zinsmayer, along with Omdal and the Rolls-Royce mechanic, Green, who had got the very worst jobs, remained in charge. In spite of snow and cold they continued “hard at it” from morning until evening without any one ever hearing them grumble once; but they were men of steel!
It was gratifying to see how the machines grew from day to day. Frohlinde believed that he could have them completed by the 2nd of May, and it very nearly proved so. There was another duty which had to be carried out each day under the same difficult conditions and with the same unabated energy. This was the weather report service. No matter how it blew, no matter how it snowed, nor how bitterly cold it was, Bjerknes and Calwagen were always “on the go.” Nothing seemed to tire these two young scientists and the expedition owes them the greatest gratitude for their splendid work. They were assisted in their work by Devold, who was principally employed receiving messages from the numerous stations in Europe, Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. The weather report service is still in its swaddling clothes, but there is no doubt that in time it will become a strong factor in our progress. Already we could see the benefit to be derived from this particular service by any expedition whether it should go north, south, east or west.
Others of our “most occupied men” were the photographer Berge, and the journalist Ramm. The first of these two could always be seen with his camera in his hand and his tripod on his shoulder. He was everywhere. One could not even blow his nose without Berge being there to immortalize the event. Ramm kept the world advised of the expedition’s progress; if we did anything, it was immediately telegraphed. If we did not do anything, it was likewise immediately telegraphed. His strongest competitors were the meteorologists; not that they were giving news to the world’s press in competition with Ramm. No, they did not do that, but they were in frequent use of the wireless. Between the two parties there arose a burning question as to which was the more important—the weather reports or the news reports. The meteorologists voted for the weather, Ramm for the news. And so it remained. Dr. Matheson acted as the “Fram’s” and the expedition’s doctor. As a doctor he fortunately did not get much to do, but it seemed safe and comforting to know that he was near if anything should happen.
I now come to the expedition’s most occupied man. That was my old traveling companion from the “Fram” and the “Maud” trips, Sailmaker Rönne. Since he first joined my service for the “Fram” expedition in 1910—fifteen years ago—any weakening in his work was undiscernible by me. In view of what he did on this trip one could only come to the conclusion that he had improved. He was the first man up every single morning, and in full swing long before any one else. But it was quite necessary for him to do this if he was to complete in good time all the little orders which came streaming in to him every day in large numbers. At one moment he was sewing shoes, soon afterwards trousers, then tents and sleeping bags. He worked at the boats and made the sledges ship-shape. His strongest forte was to bring along with him everything that other people had forgotten. If anything was missing any one could be absolutely sure that Rönne would be able to help him out of the difficulty. His greatest service at this time was that during the flight to the North he gave me a long knife made from an old bayonet which was to prove our best ice-tool. It was during our last dinner in the “salon” that he came to me and honored me with the knife. I had a splendid clasp-knife already, but accepted his gift in order not to offend him. I intended to lay it away in one or other of my lockers as it was too big to carry about. But how it happened I cannot say—the knife appeared in my rucksack and was of invaluable use to us later. Ton after ton of ice has been shifted by my comrades and myself with this same knife. When I travel next time I shall have at least a dozen with me.
Our cook, Einer Olsen, could prepare a rum omelette—now, I must not let my tongue run away with me—just as well as any chef in the best hotel of any seaside resort, and that is not saying enough. Apart from this he absolutely astonished us with what he called “gateau danoise” (Olsen was a linguist). I sought in vain, from the point of view of a baker, to analyze this confection, but without success. The nearest I can describe it is a cross between a cream bun and a “gateau de mille feuilles.” He got up still earlier in the morning than Rönne and thus deprived him of his record-breaking honor.
Our stay in King’s Bay began really with the baptism of the “salon.” That was on Sunday April 19th. The furniture of the “salon” was quite different from what it originally had been. Its contents were composed of a long board and four trestles. In addition to this, and on account of the shortage of room elsewhere, it was necessary for the “salon” to house the pantry. This stood beside the entrance. A little gramophone supplied us with all the jazz we desired. In addition to this it could play music! But what was missing in the way of furniture in the “salon” was made up for by the culinary masterpieces. And here competition was strengthened by originality. Yes, there were even a few who risked saying that.... No, I won’t repeat it, as one says so many things. On the evening of the christening there were twenty-six people round the table. I see by my diary that the number was “legion,” but my diary has to be discreet, so it keeps silent about the rest.
There is nothing particular to relate about the days which followed. One followed the other just exactly as ordained by the almanac. Some (yes, the most) were beautifully sunny and beautifully colored from the magnificent glaciers. Others were overshadowed with fog and snow. The day in the week which we looked forward to with the most pleasure was not Sunday, as you might be inclined to believe, but Friday. Every Friday at 5:30 P.M. there was a steam bath; a proper, really good steam bath. There was nothing mean about the heat in this as we had coal all around us, wherever we went, and wherever we stood. It was far meaner as regards the quantity of water, but we did not bother about that. The bath was naturally very popular. In the morning the ladies had their turn; in the afternoon the Directors with their staff along with the members of the expedition. Saturday was bath day for the miners.
Over and above this a very important piece of work had to be done in these days: i.e., getting the provisions and equipment ready for the flight. In case it should interest anybody, I will here repeat my list exactly as it appeared:
Provisions
| Salt Beef | 400 gr. | per man per day |
| Chocolate | 250 gr. | „ |
| Biscuits | 125 gr. | „ |
| Dried milk | 100 gr. | „ |
| Malted milk | 125 gr. | „ |
| Total | 1000 gr. | kg. |