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(REVERSE)
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Gerard
and Ebba De Geer were members of the 1910 International Geologic
Congress and joined a group of the scientists on an excursion
to Spitzbergen in August 1910. They were support persons to
several expeditions of the period.
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Roald Amundsen
1918-24
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Amundsen's South Pole to the North Pole
Polar Drift Voyage
Following
Roald Amundsen's
attainment of the South Pole in 1913, Amundsen planned an
eight year polar drift. The first step was a passage through
the new Panama Canal, but construction delays prevented it.
Amundsen returned to Norway where he became successful in
War Construction, and then returned with a new boat, the MAUD,
in 1918 to set out on his original polar drift plan.
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| This
bi-polar cover was protected, somehow, after mailing it from New
Zealand. It was carried throughout the entire voyage and received
postal markings through 1924. |
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A Boat Designed to Rise When the Ice Squeezed
Roald
Amundsen designed the MAUD to resist the ice
and drift over the pole. It became locked in the ice from
1918 to 1924 without achieving its objective.
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| Post
cards with various art scenes were sold as a fund raising devise.
The location designated in the cancellation varied from time to
time, but it is unlikely that all the cards were actually carried
on the trip. Personal mail was taken off the ship periodically
by crew members who returned to civilization. All mail carried
the same markings. |
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| Roald
Amundsen carried two aircraft on his MAUD expedition,
however the undercarriage of the planes did not hold up in the
rough landings. The limited flights were franked on private labels.
Flight mail was carried to Seattle from Nome and placed in regular
delivery service. |
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To Support His Polar Work
Roald Amundsen
and Lincoln Ellsworth flew two Dornier flying boats to 87°
44' N latitude in 1924. After landing to check their position,
the ice shifted and trapped them for 25 days.
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A
two-sided card was printed as a fund raising devise and was
franked by Norwegian stamps authorized to support Amundsen's
work.
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A Commercial Venture in 1919
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The
days of exploration gave way to a commercial venture in 1919
as Captain John Bartlett sought help getting a good boat from
the Grenfell Mission.
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Official Report
March 31, 1922
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Attention: Mr. Krassinsky, Sales Representative of the
Council for Work and Defense attached to the Northern Sea Route.
Please let us know in London by diplomatic couriers or
by telegram the details of the organization of the KARA
EXPEDITION. If you intend to use foreign credits, you should
do it immediately. Please advise what you have already done.
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