WHERE ICEBERGS CRASH.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8730, 18 November 1896, Page 4

WHERE ICEBERGS CRASH.

NANSBN'3 OWN NARRATIVE.

[Correspondent Canterbury Times]. London, September 4.

It is difficult at present to estimate the precise scientific value of the moßt recent a temp's to intrude upon the solitude of the North Pole. So far, the world is lit: le the wiser for the daring and Bufferings of the men belonging to the Nanaen and Jackson expeditions, and for the time being, at all events, one is apt to look upon these excursions as more or less mere bids for notority. Still, while the love of adventure exists, moat people will be interested m the narratives of adventurers, and, therefore, aa supplemental to tbe particulars of the Nansen expedition already sent, I give the following few extracts from an article which Dr Nansen has contributed to the Verdenegang : DRIFTING* NORTHWARDS. The Fram set) out on her perilous voyage on the night of August 4, 1893, forcing her way along the coast of Siberia amid a large quantity of Ice. Two months later — on September 22nd, 1893— the Fram was made fasb to an ice-floe, and was soon firmly enolosed by the ice. The narrative proceeds : "Drifting with the ice we now proceeded s'otrly to the nor'-nor'-wesb, as we had planned beforehand. The ice ground us terribly, bub the Fram wu. equal to any pressure. Tbe temperature rapidly fell, and was low throughout: the winter. For weeks together the quicksilver froze; the lowest temperature was 52deg Grain O. During" the whole journey every member of the expedition enjoyed excellent) health. On board the Fram the eleo'ric light wai produced by the windmills, and quite came up to our expectations. Time p ssed agreeably under the best possible conditions. Everyone did his duby with delight Better men for auoh an expedition ib would be difficult to find." HOW THE PRAM WEATHERED THE ICE. By June 18, 1894, bhe parby had reached 81deg 52m : n north latitude, bub boob after the vessel drifted sontb again. At the end of tie year they had pierced to 83deg 24min, the northernmost point reached up to that time. Then it was that their veseel was put to the tesb: "On January 4 and 5, 1895, the Fram endured the severest crushing she had yet experienced. She was frozen up m ioe more than 30ft thick, on the top of which obher heavy msßses of ice were piled. Thia ice rested against the backboard of the ship and threatened to bury or destroy it. Tbe necessary provisions, B%i cloth canoeß, and other equipments were accordingly landed, and we were nil ready bq leave the ship as soon a* absolutely necessary, prepared to continue the journey drifting upon tbe ico.. But bhe Fram held out t-nd exceeded all our expectations. When the presßure of the ice reached it high sb poinb, and the masses towered high over the bulwarks, the Fram wbb torn loose from tbe ice m which ib stuck, and was slowly lifted op. But nob * p'auk of tbe ship was damaged. After this experience I consider the Fram at good as impregnable." NANSEN TAKES 10 THE IOE, From thia lime the Fram conbinued to drift north rapidly. Nansen Baw that she Boon would have reaohed the highest latitude possible norbh of Franz Josef Land, and he decided bo leave the ship m order bo explore bhe the sea noith of her route : "On March 3, 1895, we arrived ab 84de? 4min north latitude, and on bhe 14th, of the same month, Johaneen and I lefb the Fram ab 83deg 59min nor'h libibude, and 102 dog 27min east longitude. Our aim was to explore the sea norbh wards, to reach bbc highest possible labibude. and go by way of Franz Josef Land bo Spitzbergen, where we bboughb wo would be Bure bo find some vessel. We had 28 dogs, bhree Bledges, aucl two sailcloth canoes, the latber m case we met) with open water. We had provisions for the dogs for thirby days, and for ourßelvea for 100 days,

" At firsb we made clay's marches, and the ice did nob seem to drift mucb. On March 22 we had already reached 85deg lOmin north latitude ; bub the ice became more uneveD, and we begnn to drifb southwards. On March 29 we had only reached 85deg 30min north latibude. Ib wca char thab we were drifting soubhwards pretty rapidly. The ice was m motion ; It Bcrewed itself np m oil direotions. We were uninterruptedly forced fco cab oar way, and get bheheavi'y-laden Bledgea over piled up masses of icei '! On April 4 we were at 86deg 3mln north latitude. We hoped for better los bub ib grew worße and worse, and on April 7 was bo rough that I .considered ib unadviaable to conbinno further northwards, We were now at BCdeg 14min. We made ft snowshoo tour m the direction of the Po'e, bub soon found that It was Impossible to proceed. On tbe horizon the ice lay everywhere piled up, like frozen breakers," A DESPEBATE JOURNEY. Do ring the whole of this time it w&8 bitterly sold. Nansen and his companion had lefo their furs behind them m order to save weight, and they Buffered considerably : There was not a trace of land bo be seen. On April Bwe set our courss for Franz Joaef Land. On April 12 the chronometer Btopped, and we were uncertain as bo our longitude, Southwards the number of crevices m the ice increased and hindered our progress, while on.- provisions sbeadily diminished. One after the other of bhe doga had to be butchered to provide food for the obhers. The rations for tbe dogs had to be reduced bo a minimum, and the animals were soon m a sad'y weak Babe. In June bhe crevices grew worse, and bhe sledge--pabh miserable. Dsge, snow-shoes, and sledges iapfc deep into the snow ; The number of dogs continually i diminished, and progress became ' almost impossible, Bab we had no J choice, and kept on. We hoped i £rmJy to cabch sigbb of land, c tut /n vain, while oar road grew *

worse and worse. At lasb, on June 22, we 9hot a seal, and decided to wait until the snow bad melted, living meanwhile on seal flesh. We aho shot three bears. The two dogs remainiDg to ns were now well fed. On July 23 we ogam made a starb, and nexb day cangbi sighb of land. We were about 82deg north latitude. The ice everywhere was brokrn up into small fields. But bhe intervening spaces were filled with lumps of ice and ice-mud, bo tbab to get through m the canoes was impossible. We bad to balance ourselves with tbe grea'est exertion from one block of ice to another- At last we reached land on August 6 at Sides 38min north latitude ard about 63min eastl.ngibude and found three ielands, which I have called Hvitbenland." IN WINTER QUARTERS. Nansen and his companion then proceeded northwards m open water alongside the islands, end on Augusb 12 came upon a great stretch of land. A few days later bhey" were caught by the ice and held fast for a week, but later they reached terra firma and decided tbab bbc place would be suibable for passing the winter : " We now considered .ib besb to re main here and prepare for bhe winter, as it was too late for the long journey 'o Spitzbergen. We shob bears for their flesh, and walruses for burning material, and builb a hub of stones, earbb, and moss, covering it m wibh walrus skins. We used tbe bacon f r cooking lighting, and heabing. Our only food was bears' flesh and bacoD, our bed bears' skins. The winter passed well, and our health was excellent." A b last spring came wibh sunshine, and open water to the west and southwest Nansen then hoped for a rapid journey to Spifzbergen on the drift ice, and made preparations accordingly. A start was made on May 19, and after surmounting many difficulties the Jackson expedition was meb with on the 18bh of the. following July. FraDz Josef Land was left m the Windward on Augusb 17, and the explorers' sufferings and dangers were for the time being ab all events, ab au end.