Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1939, Page 78
7°
LE NORD
was photographed with a mapping camera from long. 400 East
to do. 340.
3. Kronprins Olav Land, from about long. 400 East to Ender-
by Land. At a previous stage of the Norwegian discoveries, this
land was considered part of what was then called Dronning Maud
Land. The last named land was discovered and named by the
second “Norvegia” expedition of 1929—30 under the leadership
of Riiser-Larsen. On Dec. 22nd, 1929, Riiser-Larsen and Liitzow-
Holm undertook a flight from the position 65° 10' S., 490 30' E.
in order to map the coast just west of Enderby Land. After flying
for 1 hour 40 minutes the machine came down on a cut in the ice
and the airmen set off on skis towards some little islands bare
of ice, at the edge of the ice-field. The distance however proved
to be too great for the equipment the airmen had, so, climbing
some ice-covered rocks a little further on, they planted the Nor-
wegian flag.
This is, besides the visit of Riiser-Larsen to Princess Ragnhild
Land in 1933 (see above), the only landing on the Antarctic
coast between Proclamation Island (Enderby Land) and Filch-
ner’s Luitpold Land in the innermost Weddell Sea which, up
to the present day, has proved succesful. Although in some
respects there has been a thorough geographical reconnais-
sance from ship and plane, a landing here will always present
difficulties. As a rule the sea ice lies far out from the “land” and
blocks the approach. Where the ice-field meets the sea it is often
difficult or impossible to climb, and, in any case, the whalers who
find their living in the sea outside, have small encouragement
to spend time in such endeavour. Prince Harald Land — Princess
Ragnhild Land appear to be the most promising for a thorough
geographic investigation, but, as far as is now known, it must
be assumed that sea ice always blocks the way in to the moun-
tain regions of Prince Harald Land. An expedition might there-
fore have to depend on the risky air transport from a ship out
in the sea, and would perhaps require to use descent by parachute
on the first flight in order not to endanger the machine on its
first landing.
Through new flights on the ijth and i6th of Jan. 1930,
Riiser-Larsen and Líitzow-Holm were able to ascertain that the
coast south of the spot they had “landed” on Dec. 22nd, bent
in at about long. 500 East to form a wide fjord, which was called
Ice Fjord (Isf jorden). A little west of the mouth of this lay a snow