Oscar Mathisen
Speedskating - Oscar Diary

Finland victorious

A 100 years ago today, Scott and his 6 men with their one surviving pony marched into the old Discovery house on Hut Point after their gruelling and disastrous depot drive, and went to rest there for the night.

Amongst his rivals, Amundsen sent Bjaaland, Hassel and Stubberud back home at 8 o’clock in the morning along with one of his dogs, Oden, who was afflicted by a severe gall from the harness. Now he was left with 5, all weary and emaciated, and he gave up the hope of reaching 83°S that he had been harbouring secretly since the start of the drive. The weather was much more pleasant, now only 23 degrees (centigrade) below. But now the flat landscape was changing, with small, scattered formations looking like haystacks. Those however were to prove less innocent than they looked.

Meanwhile in Mexico, the rebel troops of Madero were looking over Casas Grandes.

At a meet in Stockholm, Martin Sæterhaug won substantial victories in two distances, but had to yield the 500m to the promising Finn Tverin after having been disturbed by his pairmate Jean Pettersson, who fell on the back straight.

Results:

500m:

1.Walter Tverin    48,5 pb
2.Martin Sæterhaug 48,8
3.Algot Sjöberg    50,6 pb
4.Aslak Nylander   50,5(?) pb
Oscar Ericson fell
Josef N Pettersson fell

1500m:

1.Martin Sæterhaug   2.35,0
2.Paul Zerling       2.39,5
3.Paul Pettersson    2.39,9
4.Josef N Pettersson 2.41,1
5.Walter Tverin      2.43,0
6.Oscar Ericson      2.47,0
7.Aslak Nylander

5000m:

1.Martin Sæterhaug   9.41,0
2.Oscar Ericson     10.10,0
3.Paul Zerling      10.10,8 fell
4.Algot Sjöberg     10.15,0
5.Walter Tverin     10.21,0
Aslak Nylander fell

Apparently Jean Pettersson also is a participant, and with a fall in the 500m as his only result. Or perhaps the newspaperman mistakes Josef for him. Easy to mix up with all those Petterssons and whatever. Anyway these results are not complete, so if you have more, don’t hesitate to make your presence known!

In Helsingfors the conditions were even worse than the day before, and the races for the Finlander Cup attained a slightly comical outlook. I am supposing that the pairs were set up according to the 5000m results on Saturday, and if so, Lundgreen defeated the 5000m winner Bergström soundly, then Strömstén had a narrow win over Johannessen. But Sigurd Mathisen easily defeated Wickström, and then again Gundersen was defeated as easily by Vikander. Bergström, who won yesterday’s 5000 easily, was even more easily last today, apparently having his expertise rather in the longer distances.

Results 500m:

1.Sigurd Mathisen    54,4
2.Johan Vikander     55,4
3.Gunnar Strömstén   55,6
4.Stener Johannessen 55,8
5.Trygve Lundgreen   55,9
6.Väinö Wickström    56,2
7.Reidar Gundersen   57,2
8.Waldemar Bergström 59,2

Points: KSK 10-HSK 11; overall HSK 19-KSK 23

In the 1500m I am supposing that the pairs were set up according to the individually scored points so far, and if so, Lundgreen wins comfortably over Bergström while Strömsten comprehensively beats Sigurd Mathisen. Oscar’s brother must have gotten himself stuck in the slush. Johannessen skates much better against Wickström, but loses the pair narrowly and ends up unluckily a 10th of a second behind Strömstén, too. Then Gundersen had to beat Wickström in the possibly last pair, while his pairmate had to stay behind Johannessen in order to give the visitors a win. Vikander complies perfectly by nosediving in a curve and getting himself an involuntary and coldish bath. But Gundersen is nowhere near his goal and thus the home team wins.

Results 1500m:

1.Trygve Lundgreen   3.05,9
2.Väinö Wickström    3.07,6
3.Gunnar Strömstén   3.07,7
4.Stener Johannessen 3.07,8
5.Waldemar Bergström 3.11,6
6.Reidar Gundersen   3.20,0
7.Sigurd Mathisen    3.24,4
8.Johan Vikander     3.42,3f

Points: HSK 10-KSK 11; total HSK 29-KSK 34

The two capital cities thus had one stake each in the third Finlander Cup. The Norsk Idrætsblad journalist commenting on the match complains that the Kristiania team was weakened as Henning Olsen stayed home in order to tend to his job and Magnus Johansen treacherously had gone over to the enemy, Kristiania Idrætsforening. More on this in later editions of the diary.