Southold High School - Snuffbox Yearbook (Southold, NY)

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THE SNUFF BOX CAPTAIN ROALD AMUNSDEN Captain Roald Amunsden, the famous Arctic and Antarctic explorer, was born at Smallenene, Norway, July 16, 1872. His father, Jens Amundsen, was a ship-owner and a sea captain. Amundsen must have inherited his love of adventure from his father, for one of the chief delights of his boyhood was to read stories of adventure and of exploration. The account of the exploits of Sir John Franklin, who had unsuccessfully tried to negotiate the Northwest Passage, especially interested him. Amundsen’s parents wanted him to become a doctor. Accordingly, he was sent to a private school in Oslo, and thence to a medical college. The medical profession, however, was distasteful to him, and he soon forsook this to enter the naval service of Norway. Amundsen was a man of great physique, without which his future exploits would have been impossible. Even as a boy he used to go whaling with his father and thus he built up a strength which grew to be invaluable to him. After serving several years in the navy, he grew restless as this life did not apparently furnish him with enough adventure. Consequently when the Belgian government sponsored an expedition to the Arctic in 1897 Amundsen resigned his commission to volunteer for duty with 14

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THE SNUFF BOX high standards in the High School. Two prizes have been offered to Seniors. One of these was offered to the Class as a whole and depended on scholarship. As a result of this prize, the Seniors’ record in the second quarter earned for the class $20 toward their Washington fund. The other prize which we call the Good Citizenship Prize will be awarded at Commencement to the member of the graduating class who has been adjudged the best all-round school citizen during his high school career. CHIEF MANABOZHO Great was the excitement in S. H. S. on that memorable day when a real Indian chief appeared at school. The upper grades and the high school were summoned to assemble in the Auditorium where Chief Manabozho, of the Mohawks, lectured to us about Indian customs, sang some of his native songs, danced various war dances and folk dances. This event was sponsored by the Suffolk County Boy Scout organization. After Chief Manabozho, Field Executive Simmons of the Boy Scouts described the advantages of the organization and of the Scout Camps, thereby encouraging more boys to join the local troop. THE TRANSMISSION OF PICTURES BY WIRE For the past several years the Lecture Bureau of the New York Telephone Company has sent us each year a speaker to address the student body on various interesting topics in connection with the telephone and its uses. This year we had the pleasure of hearing Mr. P. B. Smith, who gave an entertaining and interesting stereopticon lecture on the transmission of pictures by wire. Mr. Smith explained the principles involved in the process and illustrated these by the use of slides. This process has been so much improved in the past few years that it is now possible and practical to send the image by wire almost without defects. THE LECTURE COURSE The Class of ’29 carried out the custom established several years ago by sponsoring a Lecture Course. Three entertainments were given, and while the Seniors did not derive much financial profit from the project, we feel that it was worth our effort and that the Course was appreciated by the public. The first entertainment was the operetta, The Gallant Soldier,” presented by the Terhune Light Opera Company, on November 2. The other two were the Hurley Entertainers, given on December 6th, and the well-known comedy team of Vernon Stone and F.lectra Platt, who gave the concluding number on February 6th. 13

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THE SNUFF BOX this expedition. Early in 1897 the party set sail and reached Graham Land, a point north of the Arctic Circle. Here their ship became frozen in the ice and they were imprisoned for thirteen months, after which they managed to cut a way through the ice and escape to clear water. As soon as he again reached Norway, Amundsen undertook to organize on his own responsibility an expedition to navigate the Northwest Passage, a feat which had baffled all explorers up to 1854. He chartered a ship, the Gjoa,” organized a group of companions, and left Oswald on June 16, 1903. About two years later, the Gjoa” successfully traversed the Northwest Passage. After making many observations and compiling data in the North Polar Region, Amundsen made plans for a voyage to the Pole itself. About this time news reached him that Commander Peary of the United States Navy had reached the Pole. Disappointed that he could not be the first to reach the North Pole, Amundsen resolved to attempt to reach the South Pole. Amundsen s real plans had been kept secret, people generally believing that he was to start on another Arctic expedition. It was not until after he left port that the real goal was disclosed. Three rivals were also in the race for the South Pole, among them being Captain Robert Scott of Nova Scotia, who almost succeeded in reaching the Pole before Amundsen. Amundsen used dogs on his expedition, while Scott relied upon Manchurian ponies, which did not prove to be hardy enough. Reaching the Bay of Whales in 1911, Amundsen spent about a year before he was ready to make the final dash for the South Pole. Taking four companions with him, he left his base in October 1911 and reached his goal about December of the same year. To make sure that he had reached the true pole, he drew around his camp a circle with a radius of twenty kilometers. Scott reached there only thirty days later. Already nearly exhausted from the trip, his disappointment was so great that he apparently lost heart on his return trip and finally perished before again reaching his base. After his return to Norway, Amundsen spent several years of comparatively quiet life, during which time he lectured and wrote books about his expeditions. Among these was a book entitled The South Pole. Not contented however to lead an inactive life, he planned another trip to the Arctic regions under the auspices of the Norwegian Government when the World War broke out necessitating a postponement of the trip until 1918. Convinced that the most expeditious way of overcoming the rigors of Arctic travel was by the use of airplanes, he took two planes with him on board the ship Maude,” which had been chartered for the trip. For two whole years no word was received from the expedition when a wireless message was received in 1920 with the information that Amundsen had been picked up at Cordova. Alaska. After this adventure Amundsen spent about two years making preparations for another trip in the Maude.” The ship had been 15