Amundsen

Roald Amundsen, adventurer in the white wastes of the Earth's poles, knows the vicissitudes of life. Once he immortalized himself by sweeping to the southern tip of the imaginary line on which the world revolves. More recently, only a few months ago (TIME, Mar. 17), he went into bankruptcy, his substance expended in the Arctic. One of his few assets was the schooner Maud which he had left near Alaska to drift across trie pole in the Arctic icepack, while he went adventuring toward the pole by airplane. The failure of the airplane venture was one of the causes of his bankruptcy.

Last week, came the news by wireless from the Maud, relayed via Christiania, that she had met with misadventure, had failed to get into the drift across the pole, was returning. Furthermore, she had sprung a small leak and was almost out of fuel oil, so that she will be compelled to use her sails to complete her return. Another blow at Amundsen.

The day after this news, however, the doughty Captain announced that he had raised $100,000 for an attempt to fly to the pole. Three Durnier-Wahl planes are already being prepared for the attempt. The start is to be in June from Spitzbergen. He plans to spend about 24 hours examining the pole.