Hans, Otto, and Axel begin their descent into the chimney. Axel is fearful and uncertain but cannot bring himself to stay behind in the face of Hans’s bravery. They each take up a third of the supplies and throw down the ropes and other soft supplies.

The hole inside the chimney seems very deep as they cannot see its bottom. The walls are rugged, with rocks protruding and creating something like a staircase. Otto winds a 400-foot-long rope around a rock at the top so that they can use both hanging ends to help their descent. After the first 200 feet, they can unwind the rope and repeat the process.

By the time they get to the bottom of the shaft, Axel calculates that they have been on the move for 11 hours and have descended 2,800 feet. The group decides to spend the night at the bottom before continuing into a side shaft the following day. As Axel lies on his back and looks up, he sees the star Beta Ursae Minoris through the chimney’s circular opening.