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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included In one exposure ere filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmte d des taux de reduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul cliche, 11 est film6 d partir de i'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche A droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iliustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 6 6 (R f 4^ THE NORWEGIAN POLAR EXPEDITION 1893-1896. "FARTHEST NORTH >» BY DR. FRIDTJOF NANSEN f'OLD MEDALLIt^T, R.G.S. "^^yvTyth-jU Oa ^iux|/f^*^^t^ FRIDTJOF NANSENS "FARTHEST NORTH" BEING THE RECORD OF A VOYAGK OF EXPLORATION OF THE SHIP FRAM 1893-96 AND OF A FIFTEEN MONTHS' SLEIGH JOURNEY BY DR. NANSEN AND LIEUT. JOHANSEN WITH AN APPENDIX BY OTTO SVERDRUP C^ A P T A I N OF THE FR A Af AliOUT ONE HUNDRED AND iWENlV FULL PAGE AND NUMEROUS TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS AND COLOURED PLATE IN FACSIMILE FROM DR. NANSEN'S OWN SKETCH KS PORTRAIT AND MArs Vol. I bonbon: CEORGE NEWNES, Ltd. 1898 'f t^ .00 V, I AMCHir.ALD CONSTABl.K c\ Co. LONDON : IIARKISON AND SONS, ST. MARIIN's lANF., I'KINTEKS I.N OUUINAKY TO IIEK MAJKSIV. "l '- lO H E R WHO CHRISTENED THE SHIP AND HAD THE COURAGE TO WAIT. PUBLISHER'S NOTK. The Map is boutul in at ihc end of tin- X'olume. For permission lo reproduce die map of I'Van/ Josef Land in Julius I'ayer's Xac /.in/> .'/. Eicbakh' 121 1\\ OUo yitidiiii:^ '44 Jiy Otto SimUii:: '45 . 155 • • • • 161 . By A. Eicbakbc '65 1 . . . 107 . /)!■ If. E:^idiits 183 . Jiy A. Blocit 1S7 . 207 . By //. ir-/^///y 215 . Jiv //. Ex/y Jf. Ey;idiii.s 225 • • • • 226 • • ■ • 226 . -^ '^ *7 ••Of -^30 . ^33 . By A. /IWi -'77 . 279 . 290 . 297 . 302 . 312 . 313 . 317 * • • • 326 * • • • 3-^9 « XV l^y H. E^i(Uus Pressure I\.i(l;^fc on llie Port Quarter o{ Frain, July fsl, i S94 ()!i the Ice near the />•(?/// Snowshoe Practir? .... Return from a Snowshoe Run Itlock ol" Ice, .September 2.Sth, 1 S94 . The Waning Day, October, i CS94 \ Snowshoe ICxcursion, Octo'oer, 1 8>;4 On tlie After- Deck of Juain All Hands on Dec!: .... A most remarkable Moon . Tailpiece to Chapter Sunday .\fterno(;n on Board The Cookiu';- ApiKiratus . . />'r //. J^ii^/dias J\v J''. Aa/zsc// /\v F. U'/r/iskio/J l''roin a Diai'/wn l'Ar;F.. .lU o39 35^ 353 353 "? r" T 359 4-9 437 44S 461 470 Ji, \ CC 'T. T3 C M FARTHEST NORTH IlEINC. TIIK KKCOKI) OK A X'OVACl'. Ol" i;.\l'l.( )KA TlOX Ol Till-: Silll- hRAM i8 AM) IIIK Kl I TKIIN MON TIIS' si.Kioii j()iKNi:v iiv DR. XAXSKX Axi) i.ii:ri\ JOIIAXSEX Wnil -X AI'I'KXDIX I'.Y OTTO SVKKDKl.l' CAI'TAIN OF llir: I'RAM CHAP'1-EK 1. INI'ROUUCTION. u. " A lime will conic in Inter years when the ( )ccan will unloose the 1 ;mh1s of thinj;s, wlun the innneasuralile eaiili will lie ojjjn, and Thule will no lon^.r I e the jslreiiie point amnns; the lands." -Sknkca, > U.vsi.KN and untrodden under their spotless mantle of ire the rij,nd polar regions sle[)t the proibund sleep of death from the earliest dawn ,01" time. Wrapped iii his wiiite shroud, the mifihty >,nant streli lied his clanih;)- iie-linil)s al)road, and dreamed his age-loii^( nu- of the i( t- is so Hal that it looks a^. if it wi-rt* fro/L-n on the sea itself; it is from S to lo feet thi< k, and estemls so fir out into the sea that it would take a jovirni'v of four or more days to ri'a< h the land o\er it. lUit this ice lies more to the north I'i'.sl or north. I)e\(ind the limits of the land, than to the soulh and south-west or west . . . ." "This ii e is of a wonderful nature. It lies at times rpiite still, a-. one would e\pc( t, with opening's or larj,a' fjords in it ; hut sometnnes its movement is so strong' and rapid as to e([ual that of a ship running hefore the wind, and it drifts a^'amst the wind a> often as with it." This is a conception all the more remarkahle when \iewe elapsed hefore explorers oik e more sought the northern seas. Then it was other nations, especially the English and the Dutch, that lei the \an. The soher ohservations of the old Northmen were forgotten, and in their stead we meet with repeated instances of the attrac tion ol mankind towards the most fantastic ideas ; a tenden< \ of thouglit that found ample scope in the regions of the north. When the cold proved not to he ahsolutely deadly, theories Hew to the opposite extreme and marvellous were the erroneous ideas that sprang up. and ha\e held their own down to the present day. Over and over again it has heen the same — the most natural explanation of phenomena is the very one that men have most shunned ; and, if no middle course was to he found, they have rushed to the wildest hypothesis. It is only thus that the helief in an open polar sea (ould have arisen and held its ground. Though everywhere ice was met with, |)tople maintained that this open sea must lie hehind the ice. Thus th.e helief in an ice-free north-east and north-west passage to the wealth of Cathay or of India, first propounded towards tiie (lose of the 15th century, cropped up again and again, only to he again and again refuted. Since the ice harred the southern regions, the way must lie further north ; and fniallv a i)assaire over the Pole itself \v:> sought Chapter I. for. Wild as these theorie.s were, they have worked for tlie benefit of mankind ; for by their means our knowledge of tlie earth has been widely extended. Hence we may see that no work done in the service of investigation is ever lost, not even when carried out under false assumptions. England has to thank these chimeras in no small degree for the fact that she has become the mightiest seafaring nation of the world. IJy many paths and by many means mankind has endeavoured to penetrate this kingdom of death. At first the attempt was made exclusively by sea. Ships were then ill-adapted to combat the ice, and people were loth to make the venture. The clinker-l)uilt pine and fir i)arks of the old Northmen were no better fitted for the l)urpose than were the small clumsy carvels of the first English and Dutch Arctic explorers. Eittle by little they learnt to adapt their vessels to the conditions, and with ever-increasing daring they forced them in among the dreaded floes. But the uncivilised polar tribes, both those that inhabit the Siberian tundras, and the Eskimo of North America, had discovered, long before polar expeditions had begun, another and a safer means of traversing these regions— to wit the sledge, usually drawn by dogs. It was in Sii)eria that this excellent method of locomotion was first applied to tlie service of polar exploration. Already in the 17th and iStli centuries the Russians undertook very extensive sledge journeys, and charted the whole of the Siberian coast from the borders of Europe to Bering Strait. And they did not merely travel along the coasts, but crossed the drifc-ice itself to the New Siberian Islands, and even north of them. Nowhere, perhajjs, have travellers gone through so many sufferings, or e\inced so much endurance. In America too the sledge was employed by I'Lnglishmen at an early date fi)r the ])urpose of exploring the shores of the Arc tic seas. Sometimes the toboggan or Indian sledge was used, sf)metimes that of the Eskimo. It was under the able leadershij) of ]\I'Clintock that sledge journeys attained their higliest development. While the Russia IS had generally travelled with a la'ge number of dogs, and only a few men, the I-Jiglish emi)loyed, as a rule, many more men on their expeditions, and their sledges were entirely, or for the most of Siori-:!) SCOTT-HAXSKX. 8 Chapter I, ])nr', drawn l)y llic (.'xploivrs tht-niselves, 'i'lnis in tlu' nK;st enerjjetir atlcni|)t ever made to reach higli latitudes, A!l;eit JNiarkham's nienior- al)le march towards llie north fVom tlie A/crf's winter (luarters, tliere were j;j; men who iiad to draw the slec'ges, th()U>j;li there were |)lenty of d()i;s on hoard the shi|). Durinrlant bearing u])on mv own. As l')e Long liimself says in a letter to Cordon liennett. who supplied the hmds for the expedition, he was of o])ini<)n that there were three routes to choose from, Smith Soinid. the east coast of Creenland. or I'.ering Strait ; but he pu*. most faith in the last, and this was ultimately selected. His '•ft HJALMAR JOHANSEN. {From a /'iioi'<\ra/ ii luUn in Detank; i-. /S'i^J.) ir^ Chapter I. main reason for this choice was liis tjehef in a Japanese current runninf^ north throiij^h Hering Strait and onwards along the east coast of Wrangel Land, which was l)eHeved to extend far to the nortli. It was urged that tlie warm water of this current would open a way along that coast, jiossihly up to the I'ole. The experience of whalers showed that whenever their vessels were set fast in the ice here, they drifted northwards ; hence it was concluded that the current generally set in that direction. '* This will help explorers,"' says I)e Long, " to reach high latitudes ; hut at the same time will make it more difticult for them to come back." The trutli of these words he himself was to learn by bitter exjierience. The /(V?;/;/<^7/t' stuck fast in the ice on September 6th, 1879, in jT' 35' north latitude and 175° 6' east longitude, south east of Wrangel's Land — which, however, jjroved to be a small island — and drifted with the ice in a west-north-westerly direction for two jears, when it foundered, June 12th, 1S81, north of the New Siberian Islands, in 77" 15' north la':iLude and 150° $i)' east longitude. Everywhere, then, has the ice stopped the j^'ogress of mankind towards the north. In two cases only have ice-bound vessels drifted in a northerly direction — in the case of the Te^e/Z/q^ and the Jeaniietk — while most of the others have been carried away from their goal by masses of ice drifting southwards. On reading the history of Arctic explorations, it early occurred to mj that it would be very difficult to wrest the secrets from these unknown regions cf ice by adopting the routes and the methods hitherto employed. But where did the ])roper route lie? It was in the autumn of 1884 that I happened to see an p.rticle by Professor Mohn in the Norwegian M(>r}:;cnl>Iad, of Nov. 30th, 1884, in which it was stated that sundry articles which must have come from the Jcannctte had been found on the south-west coast of Greenland. He conjectured that they must have drifted on a floe right across the Polar Sea. It immediately occurred to me that here lay the route ready to hand. If a floe could drift right across the unknown region, that drift might also be enlisted in the service of exploration — and my ])lan was laid. Some years, however, elapsed i;efore. on the 18th of Februar)-, iSgo. after my return from my Clreenland Expc- Introduction. (lition, 1 at Inst propounded tliL' idea in an address before the ("iiris- tiania Cieographical Society. As this address plays an im|)ortant ])art in tlie iiistory of the ex])edition, I shall reproduce its principal features, is printed in the March number o{ Xafitren, 1890. Ai'ler j,nvin;f Clhristiania in November, 1894, sliowed that it coidd have come by no other way than across tlie I'ole.* " It cannot possibly have come throiiffh Smith Sound, as tiie current tliere passes alon^' tlie western side of Haffin's Hay, and it would thus have been conveyed to liaftin's Land or Labrailor, and not to the west coast of Greenland. The current Hows alon^ this coast in a northerly direction, and is a continuation of the (Ireenland polar current, which con:es alon^f the east coast of (Greenland, takes a bend roimd Cape Farewell, and passes upwards alonj; the west coast. " It is by this current only that the floe coidd have come. " lUit the Muestion now arises what route did it take from the Xew Siberian Islands in order to reach the east coast of Greenland ? " It is ( one eivable t.hat it mi},Mit luUe drifted alonj^ the north coast of Siberia, south of I'lanz Josef Land, U]) through the soiuid between Fran/: Josef Land and Spitzberj^en, or even to the south of Spitzi)er}ren, aji.d mi<,dit after that have ,uot into the polar ciUTent wliich flows along (Ireenland. If, however, we study the directions of the currents in these rejfions so far as they are at jnesent ascertained, it will be found that this is extremely improbable, not lo say im])ossiI)le." " Mr. Lyt/eii, (if iuliiURh;ial), a;"tciwar(ls. cnntrihulcd an articic to \\\v. U,'\!^rafhk 'ridfikiifl (Sill Vi)!., iSS5-tS6, j)]). 40 51, t"i)|)(.Tilint;ciit, in which lie cxpres-ied hims'jif, so far al Icasl as I un(lc;>liin(l hiin, in tlie same ;-,cnsc', and r/niarkahly ciiini^h. sviL,'i;e>.!(jd tiiat ihis lircum.slancL' nii^hl |)n>>ii)ly he fuund to have an ini| 01- taiU hearinij im Arelir esploiaticm. lie says: — " It will therefcre he seen that i''ilar i\|)liirers wlm siek •nia-~>ililc that, if the shi]) of such an expe'Htion is alile to survive the pre'sure of the masses (.)f ice for any V:: ;':h of lime, it will arrive >afely at South Gree.iland ; hut in tlial ca^c it must he ])reiiaied lo spend several ycar> on the way."' Introductio!!. I Iri (u'd ■afis/: Ml)!y I or- ■ilar ■ahly Haviiiff shown that this is evident from the Tegcthoff (hill and from many other circumstances, I prcxeeded : — "The distance from the New Siberian Islands to the 8oth dej,'ree of latitude on t!ie east coast of (Ireenhmd is 1,3^)0 j(e()j,'rai)hical miles, and tlie distance from the last-named phue to julianchaal) 1.540 miles, makinj,' toj^ether a ilistance of 2,900 niiles. 'i'his distance was traversed by the lloe in i.too days, which gives a speed of 2'(t miles |)er day of 2\ hours. 'I'he time durinjf whi( h the relics drifted after having reached the Soth degree of latitude, till they arrived at Juliane- haab, can bj calculated with tolerable precision, as the speed of the above-named ciUTcnt along the east coast of Oreenland is well known. It may be assumed that it took at least 400 days to accomplish this distance; there remain, then, about 700 days as the longest time the drii"ting articles can have taken from the New Siberian Islands to the Soth degree of latitude. Supposing that they took the shortest route, /.('.. across the I'ole, this computation gives a s])ee(l of about 2 miles in 24 hours. On the otlier hand, supposing they went by the route south of Franz Josef Land, and south of Spitzbergen, they must have drifted at much higher speeil. Two miles in the 24 hours, however, coincides most remarkably with the rate at which the Jcainictic drifted during the last months of her voyage, from January ist to June 12th, i.SSi. In this time she drifted at an average rate of a little over 2 miles in the 24 hours. If, however, the average speed of t'le wliole of the Jcannctli's drifting l)e taken, it will be found to be only i mile in the 24 liours. " I5ut are there no other i-vidences of a current flowirig across the North Pole from Bering Sea on the one side to llie Atlantic Ocean on the other ? " Yes, there are. " Dr. Rink received from a Greenlandcr at Godthaab a remarkable piece of wood which had been found among the drift-timber on the coast. It is one of the 'throwing sticks' which the ICskimo use in hurling their bird-darts, but altogether unlike those used by the Eskimo on the west coast of Greenland. Dr. Rink conjectured that it possibly proceeded from the Eskimo on the east coast of Cireenland. ik;\ in tin- nrij,'lil>!)iirli()()il of Ufring Stniit, iis tluit IS ihf only pl.ii I' wluTc "tluowinj; sticks' of a similar form arc usi-d. It was even ornaiiH-'iitt'd with CliiiU'si' j;lass heads, cxadly similar to tliosi- \vhi( li till' Alaskan Kskimo ol)tain by harti-r from Asiatic triht's, and use for tlu' decoration of their * throwinj^ stic ks.' " Wc may, therefore, witli loni'idence assert that this piece of wood was carried from the west coast of Alaska over to (ireeidand by a current tlie whole course of which we do not know, hut whic h may be assumed to flow very near the North I'ole, or at some place between it an riiaptcr I. sea l)i't\vt'iMi ('iivi'iihiiul and S|iilzl)c'rg(Mi. is rcir.arlcahly niassivt.', and this, notwitlistaiiditij,' that tlie sea north of Sil^Tia is ont* of t lie coldest tracts on tlie earlli. This, I suggested, could he explained only on the assunijition that the ice is constantly driftinj^' from tlu' Siberian coast, and that, while passing,' throii^di the unknown and cold sea there is tinu- for it to attain its enormous thickness partly hy iVeeziny, partly hy the constant packing,' that takes place as tlie Hoes screw themselves to^rt-tln'r. I lurlher mentioned in the same lecture that the mud found on this drift-ice sei-nied to point to a Siberian orij^in. I did not at the time attach ^,'reat importance to this fact, but on a further examination of the deposits I had collected durin^^ my (Ireenland I'',x])e(lition, it appeared that it could s( an ely come from anywhere else but Siberia. On investif^atinjr its mineralo^ncal com|)osition. Dr. 'I'orneboiun. of Stockholm, came to the conclusion that the j^reater ])art of it nuist he Siberian river mud. He found about twenty different minerals in it. " This (piantity of dissimilar constituent mineral ])arts appears to me," he says, "to point to the fact that they take their origin from a very e\tensi\e tract of land, and one's thoughts naturally turn to Siberia." Moreover, more than half of this mud dejOTsit consisted of humus or boggy soil. More interesting, however, than the actual mud deposit were the diatoms found in it, which were examined by I'rofessor ("leve, of I'psala, who says : —"These diatoms are decidedly marine (/.<■., take their origin from salt water), with some few fresh- water forms which the wind has carried from land. The tliatomous flora in this dust is quite peculiar and unlike what I have found in many thousands of other sjjecimens, with one exception, with which it .shows the most complete conformity, namely, a sjjecimen which was collected by Kellman during the J'i',!^a lvx])editi()n on an ice-lloe off Cape Wankarem, near Hering Strait. Species and varieties were perfectly identical in both specimens.'' Cleve was able to distinguish sixteen .species of diatoms. All these appear also in t!ie dust from Cape Wankarem, and twelve of them have been found at that place alone, and nowhere else in all the world. This was a notable coinci- dence between two such remote points, and Cleve is certainly right in saying: -''It is, indeed, quite remarkable that the diatomous flora .■MiOI.K JUKI.!, {fioin a /■'totc^rdfle to transport an eApeditionr W!ien this |)lan was propounded it certainly met with approval in various (luarters, espe( ially here at home. Thus it was vijrorously su[)ported by Professor Mohn. !>ut, as mii;ht be ex|)ected, it met ■with opposition in tiie main, especially from abroad, wiiile most of the polar travellers and Arctic authorities declared, more or less o.penlv, that it was sheer madness. The year before we set out, in Nove;p.I)er, 1892, I k.'.l it before the deographical Society in London in a lecture at which the principal Arctic travellers of Eni,dand were present. After tlie lecture a discussion took place,* which plainly shc)weci how greatly I was at \ariance with the generally-accepted opinions as to die conditions in the interior of the I'olar Sea, the principles of ice na\ igation, and the methods that a polar expedition ouglit to pursue. The eminent Arctic traveller, Admiral Sir Leopold M'Clintock, opened the discussion with the remark : -" I think I may say this is the most adventurous programme ever brought under the notice of the Royal Geographical Society." He allowed tliat the facts spoke in favour of tlie correctness of my theories, but was in a high degree doubtful whether my plan could be realised. Me was espe- cialK' of opinion that t^htj danger of being crushed in tlie ice v;as too great. A ship could, no doubt, be l)uilt that would be strong enough to resist tlie ice pressure in summer ; but should it be exposed to this pressure in the winter months, when the ice resembled a mountain frozen flist to the shi])"s side, he thought that the possibility of being forced up on the surface of the ice was very remote. He firmly believed, as did the majority of the others, that there was no proba- * Koth my lecture and the disciwsion are printed in Tlic Gco^raptihal Joiiniat,. London, vol. i, 1893, ii[). I-32. I 1 iS' Introduction. j:) high ! I. m bility of ever seeins^ tlie J'hr;// ;iij^ain, when oik e she had f^ivcn lic'ist'ir over to the i)itiless polar ice, ami coiu hided by saying, " I wisli the doctor full and speedy success, liut it will he a griMt reliei' to his many friends in England wlien he returns, and more particularly to those who have had experience of the dangers at all times insepar- able from ice navigation, even in regions not (juite so far north.'' Admiral Sir (ieorge Xares said : — "The adoi)ted Arctic axioms l\)r successfully na\ig,.ting an icy region are that it is absolutely necessary to keep close to a coast line, and that the farther we advance from civilization, the more desirable it is to insure a reasonably safe line of retreat. Totally disregarding these, the riding principle of the voyage is that the vessel — on which, if the voyage is in any way successful, the sole future liope of the party will depend, is to be pushed deliberately into the pack-ice. Thus, her commander — in lieu of retaining any power o\er her future movements — will be forced to submit to be drifted helplessly about in agreement with the natural movements of the ice in which he is imprisoned. Supposing the sea currents are as slatetl, the time calculated as necessary to drift with the T)ack across the polar area is several years, during which time, unless new lands are met with, the ice near the vessel will certainly I'.ever be (|uiet, ami the ship herself never free from tlie danger of being crushed by ice presses. To guard against this the vessel is said to be imusually strong, and of a spiecial form to enable her to rise when tl.e ice presses against, her sides. This idea is no novelty whatever : but when once frozen into the polar pack the form of the ves.'.el goes for nothing. She is hermetically sea! ;d to and forms a part of the ice block surround- ing her. The form of the ship is for all practical purposes the form of the l)loc:k of ic;e in which she is frozen. This is a matter of the first importance, for there is no rec:ord of a vessel frozen into the i)olar pack having been disconnecied from the ice, and so rendered capable of rising under pressure as a separate l)od\ detached from the i( e block, even in the height of summer. In the event of the destruction of the vessel, the boats necessarily fully stored, not only for the retreat, but for continuing the voyage — are to be available. This is well in theory, but extremely difficult i; 2 36 Chapter I. ""% to arrange for in ])ractice. Preparation to al)andon the vessel is the one thing tliat gives us the most anxiety. To place boats, i\:c., on the ice packed ready for use involves the danger of being separatet' from them by a movement of the ice, or of losing them altogether, should a sudden ojjcning occur. If we merely have everything handy for heaving o\ cr the side, the emergency may be so sudden that we have not time to save anything. , . ."' As regards the assumed drift of the p,olar ice,*, \ares expressed himself on the whole at variance with me. He insisted that the flrifc was essentially determined by the prevailing winds :^ " As to the probable direction of the drift, the Fiatti, starting from near the mouth of tlie Lena River, moy expect to meet the main pack not farther north than about latitude iCP 30'. I doul)t her getting farther north before she is beset ; l;ut taking an extreme case, and giving her 60 miles more, she will then only be in the same latitude as Cape Chelyuskin, 730 miles from the i'ole, and about 600 miles from my supposed limit of the effective homeward arrying ocean current. After a close study of all the information we possess, 1 think the wind would be more likely to drift her towards the west than towards the east. With an ice-encumbered sea north of her, and more open water or newly-made ice to the southward, the chances are small for a northerly drift, at all events at (irst, and afterwards I know of no natural forces that will ca'Ty the vessel in any reascnable time much fartlier from the Siberian coast than the Jt'armettc was carried, and during the whole of this time, unless protected by newly dis(-overed lands, she will be to all intents and purposes immovably sealed up in the pack, and exposed to its well-known dangers. There is no doubt that there is an ocean connection across the area proposed to be explored." In one point, however, Nares was able to declare himself in agree- ment with me. It was the idea "that the principal aim of all such voyages is to explore the unknown polar regions, not to reach exactly * On tliis ii)iii:)rt:int point Sir (Icorge Narcs was riglit, as Mas jjioveil by our ixiicricnce liuri.ig the drift of ihj Fraiii. Introduction. 0/ I that mathematical point in which the axis of our globe has its northern termination."* Sir Allen Young says, among other things : " Dr. Nansen assumes the blank space around the axis of the earth to be a pool of water or ice ; I think the great rlanger to contend with will be the land in nearly every direction near the Pole. Most previous navigators seem to have continued seeing land again and again further and further north. These Jcamicite relics may have drifted through narrow channels, and thus finally arrived at their destination, and, I think, it would be an extremely dangerous thing for the ship to drift through them, where she might impinge upon the land, and be kept for years." With regard to the ship's form. Sir Allen Young says : " I do not think the form of the ship is any great point, for, when a ship is fiirly nipped, the question is if there is any swell or movement of the ice to lift the ship. If there is no swell the ice must go through her, what- ever material she is made of." One or two authorities, however, expressed themselves in fiivour of my plan. One was the Arctic traveller. Sir IC. Inglefield, another Captain (now Admiral) Wharton, Director of tiie Hydrographic Department of England. In a letter to the Geographical Society, Admiral Sir George H. Richards says, on the occasion of my address : " I regret to have to .speak discouragingly of this project, but I think that any one who can speak with authority ought to speak plainly where so much may be at stake." With regard to the currents, he says : " I l)elieve there is a constant outflow (I prefer this word to current) from the north, in consequence of the displacement of the water from the region of the Pole by tl->e i<-e-cap which covers it, intensified in its density by the enormous weight of snow accumulated on its surface." This outflow takes place on all sides, he thinks, from the polar basin, but should be most pronounced in the tract between the western end of the Parr)- * After our return home, Admiral Nares, in the most cMvalrous fashion, sent me a letter of congratulation, in which he said that the /■'ram's remarkable voy.ige over the Polar Sea proved that my theory was correct, and his scepticism unfounclv'd. ! ;8 Chapter I. Islands and Spitzhergtin ; and with tliis outflow all previous expedi- tions liave had to contend. He does not appear to make any excep- tion as to tlie TcgeiliojJ or Jeainictle, and can find no reason " for believing that a current sets north over the Pole from the New Siberian Islands which I )r. Nansen ho|)es for and believes in." '• It is my opinion that when reallv within what may be • of a naval e\|)L'dition. 'I'lie sail- rrtun of l,ra\c Cajitain Sverilriip with the /-hwi does not excuse Nansin. Svrrdruj-s coivsisicncv, coura^a', and skill in holdint; last to Ihv /■'ram and hiiiii^in^r his conirades i)a( k to Norway, wdl win lor him in the minds of nii.ny laurels even brighter than those ol' his able and ic! omplislud cliier," One ()'" iIk; lew who ])ul)Iic'; ga\ e lo mv i)lan the support of his scierlilic authoiity was Trofessoi Supan, the well-known l';dit(.r of l\ieni!aiui'.s ?Jitti'^liiiii:^i"i. In an artiek- in this journal for i.Sc;! (p. 191) he noi oi>ly spoke warmly in its favour, but supported it with new suggestions. His view was that w'lat he terms the Arctic "wind- shed " pr(jliably for the greater part of the year divides the unknown polar basin into two parts In the eas'ern part the jTCvailing winds blow towards the b'ering Sea, while those of the western part blow towards tl;e Atlariie. He thought that, as a rule, this "wind-shed"' must lie near the ISering Se„, and that the prevailing winds in the tracts \«e purjKjsed traversing would thus favour our drift. Our experience b^ie out Professor Sup.an's thecM-y in a remarkable degree. 1 'I i PETER HENRIKSEN. (Fio:n a photoi^raph takiii in /Sgj.) . V: CHAPTER IT. Preparations am) Imjiii'mkn't. T'ooMiARDV as the scheme appeared to some, it received powerful support from the Norwe^^ian (lovernment and the K'wv^ of Norway. A Hill was laid before (he Storthing for a grant of jC^^f-S° (200,000 kroiu r) or two-thirds of the estimated cost. The remaining third 1 hope! to he able to raise from private sources, as I had already received i>romises of support from many quarters.* On June 30th, 1890, the amount demanded was votcfl by the Storthing ; which thereby expressed its wish that the expedition siiouUl be a Norwegian one. In January, i8yi, Mr. Thos. Fearnley, Consul Axel Heiberg, and Mr. KUef Ringnes set to work to collect the further sum re([uired, and in a few days the amount was subscribed. His Majesty King Oscar gave ;^i,i25 (20,000 kroner) while private individuals in Norway gave as follows ; — Consul Axel He!l)erg Ditto (later) Mr. Anton Chr. Houen . Mr. A. Dick, Hovik I )itto (later) . Mr. Thos. Fearnley (merchant) Ditto (later; Messrs. Ringnes cV Co. (brewers) . Ditto (later) £ s. if. ■ s(^2 10 393 15 • 1,125 281 5 393 15 281 5 56 5 281 5 s(^ 5 * I mnieJ lately after my return from the crossiiiy; of CIreenlan:!, Cdiisul Axel Heiberg had placed at my dispcsal £$62 towards the expense-; of another e\[)editioti. lie was also instrumental in setting on iooi the subsequent subscription. reparations aiu 1 I" (|uij)mcnt. 45 Mr. A. S. Kjustcrud (mcrchapt), Drainiiicii . Ditto (later) Mr. Iv Stindt (merchant), IJergcn . Consul Westye Eycbcrg .... Mr. Halver Schou liaruii Harald ^V(Jdcl Jarl.sbcrg and C lovcns- kiold, Minister of .State . . . . Consul Nicolay IL Knudtzon, Chrisliansund . r .V. d. :Si .S 5^' 5 281 5 502 10 2S1 5 5^'-^ 10 jSi 5 Among foreign (.ontributtjrs ni.iy i)e mentioned the Royal Ceo- graphical Society of London, which showed its sympathy widi the undertaking by subscribing jCz^o sterling. J'aron Oscar Dickson provided at his own cost the electric installation (dynamo, accunui lators, and conductors). As the work of e(iuipment proceeded, it appeared that the fir.-t estimate was not sufficient. This was especially due t(j the ship, which was estimated to cost X!^,437 \os. (150,000 kroner) but which came to nearly double that sum. ^^ here so much w;is at stake, I did not think it right to study the cost too much, if it seemed that a little extra outlay could ensure the successful result of the expedition. The three gentlemen who had taken the lead in the lust collection, Mr. Thomas I'earnley, Consul Axel Heiberg, and Mr. Kllef Ringnes, imdertook at my recjuest to constitute themselves the Committee of the exi)cdition and to take charge of its pecuniary affairs. In order to cover a portion of the deficiency, they, together with certain members of the Council of the Geographical Society, set on foot another private subscription all over the coiuitry ; while the same society at a later period headed a national subscription. By these means about ^956 '^s. was collected in all. I had further to petition the Norwegian Storthing for an additional sum of ^^4,500, when our national assembly again gave ])roof of its sympathy with the luidertaking by granting the amount named (June 9th, 1890). Finally, Consul Axel Heiberg and Mr. Dick subsciil)cd an additional ^^337 lO'^- each, while I myself made up the deficiency that still re- mained on the eve of our departure. 46 Ch.'iptcr II. SiAir.Mi'.vi (ir Accounts oi mi. I'AI'Idiimn n\ us Si.iiiNr, Ol'T, \^i)^\ JiiCinnc. State (Iraiit ....... H.M. 'I'Ik' Kin^;, miuI ()ii;;iiial pris'atc subs? lihcrs Piivalc sul)S('ri|ili()ii oltlu' (jcopsraphical Soci^-ty National .subscription ..... Interest accrued ...... Ciuaraiiteecl by private individuals . I)elic-it covered by A. lleiberg and A. Dick Ditto I''. Nansen (leographical Society, London (^300) . II. Simon, Manchester (^100) ;\ Norwegian in Riga (1,000 njubles) and others Total * Nearly ;^2 5,ooo. Kroner ore 3Sc,ooo o 105,000 o I 2,7s t j;, -%2S7 23 9,729 7S 5,400 o 12,000 o 5,400 o 9,278 62 444,339 3^'^ Exl^eiuiiliire. Wages account .... Life insurance premiums of married i)articipators Instruments account Ship account .... Provisions account I'Apen.ses account Eciuipnient account Total It will be evident from the plan above expounded, that the most important point in the equii.'ment of our expedition was the building of tlie ship that was to carry us through the dreaded ice regions. The construction of this vessel was accordingl\- carried out with greater care, probably, than has been devoted to any shij) that has hitherto ploughed Kroner ore. • 46,440 ticipators . 5,3^' I 90 12,978 68 271,927 8 39,172 98 1 0,6 1 2 38 57,846 34 444,339 36 r.KRNI' MKNTZEN. {From a photograph takm in /h'a'iii/'cr, /S(^^.) •s Chapte r li. the Arctic waters. I found in the well known shipbuilder, Colin Archer, a man who thoroughly understood the task I set him, and who concen- trated all his skill, foresight, and rare thoroughness upon the work. We must gratefully recognise that the succeii cf the expedition was in no small degree due to this man. CCLiN ARCHER. If we turn our attention to the long list of former expeditions and to their equipments, it cannot hut strike us that scarcely a single vessel hnd i)een built specially for the puri)Ose— in fact, the majority of ex- plorers have not even provided themselves with vessels which were Preparations and Equipment. 49 originally iniended for ire navigation. This is the more surprising when we remember the sums of money that have been lavished on the equipment of some of these expeditions. The (cXrt i:-, they have geneially been iii such a hurry to .^c': out that there has ::vc'^ no time to devote to a more rareful ecjuipment. In many cases, indeed, pre- parations were not begun until a few months before the expedition sailed. The present expedition, however, could not be ecjuipijed in so short a Lime, and if the voyage itself took three years, the preparations took no less time, while the scheme was conceived thrice three years earlier. Plan after [ilan did Archer make of the projected ship ; one model after another was prepared and abandoned. Fresh improvements were constantly being suggested. The form wo finally adhered to may seem to many people by no means beautiful ; but that it is well adapted to the ends in view I think our expedition has fully proved, ^^■hat was especially aimed at was, as mentioned on page 35, to give the ship such sides that it could readily be hoisted up during ice pressure, without being crushed between the floes. Greely, Nares, etc., etc, are certainly right in saying that this is nothing new I relied here simply on the sad experiences of earlier expeditions. What, however, may be said to be new is the fact that we not only realised that the ship ought to have such a form, but that we gave it that form, as well as the necessary strength for resisting great ice-pres sure, and that this was the guiding idea in tlie whole work of construc- tion. Colin Archer is quite right in what he says in an article in the iVr/rs/: 'riiisskrifffor Sovu'St'ii, 1892: — ''When one bears in mind what is, so to speak, the fundamental idea of Dr. Nansen's plan in his North I'ole Expedition .... it will readily be seen that a ship which is to be built with exclusive regard to its suitability for this object must diffc r essentially from any other previously known vessel. . . . "In the construction of the slup two ])oints must be especially studied (i) that the shape f)f the hull he such as to offer a.; small a vulnerable target as possible to the attacks cjf the ice ; and (':) that it be built so solidly as to be able to withstand the greatest possit/l'' pressure from without in any direction whatsoever.'' And thus she was built, more attention being paid to making her a M o 1-1 X 0—0 -at C b O u ^'■^"^ u "a '2 c ^ k- o " « o-o -* ^ M c C nj (J IS ii "S u; 5 a .s S^ S o . o; cii c ■^'oD 3 3 »« o C A C g Eg ^. d 2 to • O C , -3 u c to Si »^ r: >- c ., ^ .■^' Preparations and E(iui{)m(jnt. 51 safe and warm stronghold while drifting in the ice, than to endowing her with speed or good sailing (jualities. As above stated, our aim was to make the ship as small as possible. The reason of this was that a rmall ship is, of course, lighter than a large one, and can be made stronger in proportion to her weight. A small ship too is better adapted for navigation among the ice ; it is easier to handle her in critical moments, and to find a safe berth for her between the packing ice-floes. I was of opinion that a vessel of 170 tons register would suffice, but the /'hiw is considerably larger, 402 tons gross, and 307 tons net. It was also our aim to build a short vessel, which could thread her way easily among the floes, especially ns great length would have been a source of weakness when ice-pressure set in. But in order that such a ship, which has, moreover, very sloping sides, shall possess the necessary carrying capacity, she must be broad ; and her breadth is in fact about a third of her length. Another point of importance was to make the sides as smooth as possible, without projecting edges, while i)l:ine surfaces were as much as possible avoided in the neighbourhood of the most vulnerable points, and the iiull assumed a plump and rounded form. How, stern, and keel — all were rounded off so that the ice should not be able to get a grip of her anywhere. For this reason, too, the keel was sunk in the planking so that barely three inches protruded, and its edges were rounded. The object was that " the whole craft shoukl be able to slip like an eel out of the embraces of the ice." The hull was made pointed for^ and aft, and somewhat resembles a pilot boat, minus the keel and the sharp garboard straker. ]5oth ends were made specially' strong. Tiie stem -onsists of three stout oak beams, one inside the other, forming an aggregate thickness of 4 feet (i"25 m.) of solid oak; inside the stem are fitted solid breasthooks of oak and iron to bind the ship's sides together, and from these breast- hooks stay.' r.re placed against the pawl-bii. The bow is protected by an iron stem, and :^cross it was fitted transverse bars which run some small distance backwards on either side as is usual in sealers. The stern is of a special and somewhat peculiar construction. On either side of the rudder and propeller jwsts — whi'h are sided 24 inches (65 cm.) — is fitted a stout oak counter-timber following the i; 2 ^ " i rZ '-> r^ rt i I I; ! |i ' i 52 Cha])ter II. curvature of tliO stern right up co the upper deck, and forming, so to speak, a double stern post. The pkinking is carried outside these liml)ers, and ib.e stern [)rotected by heavy iron pkites wrought outside the |)kinking, Between these two counter-timbers there is a well for the screw, and also one Ibr tlie rudder, through which they can both be hoisied up on deck. It :.; usual in sealers to have the screw arranged in l.is way, so that It car. easily be leplaced by a s[)are screw shc-:Id it be broken by the ice. IJut such an arrangement is not usual in the case of the rudder, and, while with our small crew, and with the helj) of the capstan, we could hoist the rudder on deck in a few nunutes in case of any sudden ice pressure or the like, I have known it take sealers with a crew of over 60 men several hours, or even a whole day, to shij) a fresh rudder. The stern is, on the whole, the Achilles' heel of ships in the polar seas : liere the ice can easily inflict great damage, for instance, by breaking the rudder. To guard against this danger, our rudder was placed so low down as not to be visible above water, so that if a floe should strike the vessel aft, it would break its force against the strong stern-part, and could hardly touch the rudder itself. As a niatter ol fact, notwithstanding the violent pressures we met with, we never suffered any injury in this respect. Everything was oi" course done to make the sides of the ship as strong as possible. The frame timbers were of choice Italian oak that had originally been intended for the Norwegian navy, and had lain under cover at Morten for 30 years. They were all grown to shape and jo-ii inches thick. The frames were built in two courses or tiers, closely wrought together, and connected by bolts, some of which were riveted. Over each joint flat iron bands were placed. The frames were about 21 inches (56 cm.) wide, and were placed close together, with only about an inch or an inch and a-half between ; and these interstices were lilled with pitch and sawdust mixed, from the keel to a little distance above the waf.erline, in order to keep the ship noderately watertight, even should the outer skin be chafed through. "! he outside planking consists of three layers. The inner one is of oai". 3 inches thick, fastened with spikes and carefully caulked ; Preparations and EqLiI{)nicnt. 53 outside this another oak slieathing 4 inches thick, fastened with through bolts and caulked ; arid outside these comes the iceskin of greenheart, which like the other planking runs right down to the keel. At the water-line it is 6 inches thick, gradually diminishing towards the bottom to 3 inches. It is fastened with nails and jagged bolts, and not with through bolts, so that if the ice had stri[)ped off the whole of the ice sheathing the hull of the ship would not have suffered any great damage. The lining inside the frame timbers is of pitch pine planks, some 4' some 8 inches thick ; it was also ^^refully caulked once or twice. The total thickness of the ship's sides is, therefore, from 24 to 28 inches of solid water-tight wood. It will readily be understood that such a ship's side, with its rounded form, would of itself offer a very good resistance to the ice ; but to make it still stronger the inside was shored up in every possible way, so that the hold looks like a cobweb of balks, stanchions, and braces. In the first place, there are two rows of beams, the upper deck and between decks, principally of solid oak. partly also of pitch pine ; and all of these are further connected with each other, as well as with the sides of the ship, by numerous supports. The accompanying diagrams will show how they are arranged. The diagonal stays are, of course, placed as nearly as possible at right angles to the sides of the ship, so as to strengthen them against external pressure and to distribute its force. Tiie vertical stanchions between both tiers of beams and between the lower beams and keelson are admiral)ly adapted for this latter object. All are connected together with strong knees and iron fastenings, so that the whole becomes as it were a single coherent mass. It should be borno in mind that, while in former expeditioi: ■ it was thought sufficient to give a couple of beams amidships some extra strengthening, every single cross beam in the Fram was stayed in the manner described and depicted. In the engine-room there uas, of course, no space for supports in the middle, but in their :'.ace two stay ends were fixed on either side. The beams of the lower deck were placed a little under the water-line, where tlie ice-pressure would be severest. In the after-hold these beams had to be raised a little to give room for the engine. The upper deck aft, therefore, was somewhat higher than the main deck, 54 Chapter II. 1 1 i and the ship had a poop or half-deck, under which were the cabins foi all the members of the expedition, and also the cookir^^-galley. Strong iron riders were worked in for the whole length of the ship in the spares between the beams, extending in one length from the clamp under the upper deck nearly to the keelson. The keelson was in two tiers and about 31 inches (80 cm.) high, saving in the engine-room where the height of the room only allows one tier. 'J'he keel consists of two heavy American elm logs 14 inches sijuare ; but, as has been mei'itioned, so built in that only 3 inches protrude below th^ outer planking. The sides of the hull are rounded downwards to the kecl^ so that a transverse section at the midship frame reminds one forcibly of half a cocoanut cut in two. The higher the ship is lifted out of the water, the heavier does she, of course, become, and the greater her pressure r n the ice, but for the above reason the easier also does it become for the ice to lift. To obviate much heeling, in case the hull should be lifted very high, the bottom was made flat, and this proved to be an excellent idea. I endeavoured to determine experi- mentally the friction of ice against wood, and taking into account the strength of the ship, and the angle of her sides with the surface of the water, I came to the conclusion that her strength must be many times sufficient to withstand the pressure necessary to lift her. This calcu- lation was amply borne out by experience. The principal dimensions of the ship were as follows : — Length of keel, 102 feet; length of water-line, 113 feet; length from stem to stern on deck, 128 feet; extreme breadth, 36 feet; breadth of water- line, exclusive of ice-skin, 34 feet; depth, 17 feet; draught of water with light cargo, 12^ feet ; displacement Vv'ith light cargo, 530 tons; with heavy cargo, the draugnt is over 15 feet, and the displacement is 800 tons; there is a freeboard of about 3 feet 6 inches. The hull with boilers filled was calculated to weigh about 420 tons, and with 800 tons displacement there should, therefore, be spare carrying-power for coal and other cargo to the amount of 380 tons, Thus, in addition to the requisite provisions for dogs and men for more than five years, we could carry coal for four months' steaming at full speed, which was more than sufficient for such an expedition as this. As regards the rigging, the most important object was to have it as Preparations and Equipment. 55 ;th of ■m to Iwater- water ; with tons; •oilers tons ir coal ;o the |rs, we ;h was it as simple and as strong as possible, and at the same time so contrived as to offer the least possible resisuince to tiie wind while the ship was under steam. With our small crew it was moreover of the hist import- ance that it !:;iiou"id be easy to work from deck. I'or this reason the Fram was rigged as a three-masted fore-and-aft schooner. Several of our old Arctic skippers disaitprovcd of this arrangement. They had always been used to sail with S([uare-rigged shiiis, and with the conser- vatism peculiar to their class were of ()|)iniun that what they had used was the only thing that could be used in the ice However, the rig we chose was unquestionably the best for our [jurpose. In addition to the ordinary fore-and-aft sails we had two movable yards on the foremast for a scjuare foresail and topsail. As the yards were attached to a sliding truss they could easily be hauled down when not in use. The ship's lower masts were tolerably high and massive. TIj'j mainmast was about 80 feet high, the main topmast was 50 feet high, and the crow's-nest on the top was about 102 feet (32 m. above the water. It was important to have this as high as i)ossible, so as to have a more extended view when it came to jjicking our way through the ice. The aggregate sail area was about 6,000 sq. feet. The ship's engine, a triple expansion, was made with particular care. The work was done at the Akers Mechanical Factory, and Engineer Norbeck deserves especial credit for its construction, \\ith his cpiick insight he foresaw the various possibilities that might occur, and took precautions against them. Tiie triple ex[)ansion system was chosen as i)eing the most economical in the consumption of coal ; but as it m'ght hai)pen that one or other of the cylinders should get out ot order, it was arranged, by means of separate pipes, that any of the cylinders could be cut off, and thus the other two, or, at a pincli, even one alone could be used. In this way the engine, by the mere turning of a cock or two, cculd be changed at will into a compound high pressure or low-pressure engine. Although nothing ever went wrong with any of the cylinders, this arrangement was frequently us'.'d with advantage. By using the engine as a compound one, we could, for instance, give the Fmm greater speed for a sliort time, and when occasion demanded we often took this means of forcing our way through the ice. The engine was of 220 indicated horse-power, and wpjl'ers or a spare rudder which we had w'th us. Our quarters lay, as 'fore nti led, ah'ift unoe " tl' • tudf-deck, and were arran, 'd so i!i i !h : .doon, which formed our dining-room and drawing room, wr in lb iniiidle, surrounded on all sides by the sleei)ing-cabins. These consioied oi . -t state-rooms with one berth apiece and two with four berths. The object of this arrangement was to i)rotect the saloon from* external cold ; but further, the ceiling, floors and walls were covered with several thick coatings of non-conducting material, the surface layer, in touch with the heat of the cabin, consist- ing of air-tigiit linoleum, to prevent the warm, damp air from jjcnetrating to the other side and depositing moisture, whi( h would soon turn to ice. The sides of the ship were lined with tarred felt, then came a space with cork paddin;/, next a deal panelling, then a thick layer of felt, next air-tight linoleum, and last of all an inner i)anelling. The ceiling of the saloon and cabins consisted of many different layers : air, felt, deal panelling, reindeer hair stuffing, deal panelling, linoleum, air and deal panelling, which, with the 4-inch deck-planks, gave a total thickness of about 15 inches. To form the floor of the saloon, cork padding, 6 or 7 inches thick, was laid on the deck planks, on this a thick wooden floor, and above all linoleum. The skylight which was most exposed to the cold was protected by three panes of glass one within the other, and in various other ways. One of the greatest difficulties of life on board ship which former Arctic expeditions had had to contend with, was that moisture collecting on the cold outside walls either froze at once or ran down in streams into the berths and on to the floor. Thus it was not unusual to find the mattresses converted into more or less solid masses of ice. We, however, by these arrangements, entirely avoided svch an unpleasant state of things, and when the fire was lighted in tne saloon there was not a trace of moisture on the walls even in the sleeping cabins. In front of the saloon lay the cook's galley, on either side of which was a companion leading to the deck. As a protection against the cold, each of these companion-ways was Preparations aiul Iu|iii|)infnt. 57 f tied with four small solid doors (onsisting of several layers of wooil with lelt beMvcen, all of \vhi( h hn to he passed ihroui^h on ^oing out, And the nicj . )mi)letely to e.\( lude the (old air the thresholds of the doors were made more tli.m ordinarily high. On the half-deck over the cook's g; Me}', ^'jt.veeii the mainmast and the funnel, was a ihartroom facing the how, and a smaller work-room abaft. In order to secure the safely of tiie shi}) in case of a leak, the hold was divided into three compartments by watertight bulkheads. Jiesides the usual pump' 've had a i)owerful centrifugal i)ump driven by the cngme, which couid be connected with each of the three comp> aw . 's. It may be mentioned as an im[)rovement on former expedi -'jns t the J'hif/t was furnished with an electric light instalku.yr. liie dynamo was to be driven by the engine while we were u.uk' ■ jam ; while the intenticjn was to drive it partly by means of the wind, partly by hand i)ower, during our sojourn in the ice. For th. '-,.ose we took a windmill with us, and also a "horsemill"' to be worked by ourselves. I had anticipated that this latter might have been useful in giving us exercise in the long polar night. W'c found, however, that there were plenty of other things to do, and we never used it ; on the other hand, the windmill proved extreme!)- serviceable. For illumina- tion when we might not have enough power to prouuce electric light, we took with us about i6 tons of petroleum, which was also intended for cooking purposes and for warming the cabins. This petroleum, as well as 20 tons of common kerosene* intended to be used along with coal in the boiler, was stored in massive iron tanks, eight of which were in the hold, and one on deck. In all, the ship had eight boats, two of which were especially large, 29 feet long and feet wide. These were intended for use in case the ship should, after all, be lost, the idea being that we should live in them while drifting in the i.e. They were large enousjh to accommodate the wb.ole ship's company with provisions * This oil, li) ..leans of a s])cciall)' construrtid sicam-jci appaiatus, was iiijicted into the furnaces in the fnini of a line s])ia}', wiieie it burned in a verv economical lind saving manner, giving forlh a great amount of iieat. The apparatus was one which has been applied to locomotives in I'.nglnnd. whence il was i)rocuted. Il appeared, however, that it tended to overheat the boiler at one particular jioint, where it made a dent, so that we soon abandoned this method of tiring. 58 Chapter II. for many montlis. 'I lion there were four smaller boats of the form seak-rs generally use. They were exceedipt^ly strong and lightly built, two of oak, and two of elm. The seventh boat was a small pram, and the ckdith a launch with a petroleum engine, which, how.ner, wa.s not very G^iviceable, and caused us a great deal dI" trouble. ■\s 1 shall have beijuent occasion later on to speak of other details oi' our etjuipmen.t, 1 shall content mysell' here with mentioning a few of the most important. Special attention was, of course, devoted to our conmii.ssariat with a view to obviating the ilanger of scurvy and other ailments. The principle on whicli 1 acted in the choice of provisions was to combine variety with wholesomeness. Every single article of food was chemi- cally analysed before being adopted, antl great (are was taken that it should be properly packed. Such articles, even, as bread, dried vegetables, etc., etc., were soldered down in tins as a protection against damp. A good li'orary vras of great importance to an expedition like ours, and thanks to i)ublishers and friends Ixjth in our own and in other countries we were very well supplied in this respect. The instruments for taking scientific observations of course formed an important part of our eijuipment and special care was bestowed upon them. In addition to the collection of instruments I had used on my (Ireenland expedition, a great many new ones were provided, and no pains were .spared to get them as good and complete as possible. Tor meteorological observations, in addition to the ordinary thermometers, barometers, aneroids, psychrometers, h.vgrometers, anemometers, etc., etc., self- registering instruments were also taken. Of sjjccial impor- tance were a self-registering aneroid barometer (barograph) and a oair of self-registering thermometers (thermograi)hs). For astronomical observations wf, had a large theodolite and two smaller one^;, intended for use on sledge expeditions, together with several sextants of different sizes. We had, moreover, four ship's <;hronometers and several pocket chronometers. For magnetic observations, for taking the declination, inclination and intensity (both horizontal and total intensity) we had a complete set of instruments. Among others may be mentioned a spectroscope especially adapted for the northern lights, an electroscope rSERNARI) NORDAIli.. (From a photoi^raph taken in Ikicuibir, iSgj.) Ir 60 Cliiiptcr II. for (lotrrmining tlic amount r)r electricity in the air, plujtoffrapliic apparatuses, of wliich we liad seviii. lar^e and small, and a photo- yraphonuter for maisin^i; < harts, I considered a pen;U'lum apparatus with ils adjuncts : 1 !-e of s|)e( iai iniportanc c to erd^li- us to niaUe jx-nduluui t'Np'jrimenls m tlu' far north. 'I'o do this, how^'ve**, land was nt'ct'ssarj-. 'nd, as we did not find any. this uislruuH'nt unfortunately did not ( ouie into usi-. 1 or hyilroj;raphi( observations we took a lull e(|uipment of water samplers, deep water thermometers, eti . To ascertain the saltness of the water, we had, in addition to the orduiary areometers, an electric api)aratus specially constructed by Mr. 'riiorniie. Altogether, our scientilic c(iuipirient was especially excellent, thanks in great measure to the oblij^ing assistance rendered me by many men of :icienc-e. 1 would take; this opportunity of tendering my special thanks to Professor iMohn, who, besides seeing to the meteorological instru- ments, helloed me in many other ways with his valuable advice ; to Professor (leelmuyden, who undertook the supervision of the astrono- mical instruments ; to Dr. Neimu'\er, of Hamburg, who took c liarge of the magnetic ecjuipment ; and to Professor Otto Petter.son, of Stockholm, and Mr. Thorucje, of Cliristiania, both of whom super- intended the hydrographic: de[)artment. Of no less importance were the physiologico-medicinal preparations, to which Professor 'Porup devoted particular care. As it might be of the utmost importance in severai rcntingenc:ies to have good sledge-dogs, I applied to my friend, iiaron P^.dward von Toll, of St. Petersburg, and asked him whether it was poss!i)le to procure serviceable animals from Siberia.* ^\'ith great courtesy \'on Toll replied that he thought he himself could arrange this for nie, as he was just on the point of undertaking his seccjnd scientific expedition to Siberi:i and the New Siberian Islands. He proposed to send tlu clogs to Kiiabarova, on Yugor Strait. On his journey through Tinmen in January, iS:;3, by the help of an Paiglish merchant named A\'ardroper, who resided there, he engaged Alexander Ivanovitch Trontheim to * I liiul thouglit of pincu ring lings from tlu- Eskimo of ("iiienland ruid IIiulscJii H.iy, l)ul there provctl to be iusupLMalile iliHiculties in the way oi gelling llieiii conv:;yeci from there. 1 r<'|)arali<)ns a lul ]• :|lll|)in('llt. Til inouili ot tlie OlfiU'k, wIk'ic undiTtakc tlic i)iii( luisc of thirly Osti.ik do^s, .uid tlu'ir i onscyaiK i' to \'ii;,'()r Strut. Hut NOiiIdII w.is iiDt (ontiiu witli tins. Mr. Nikolai Kl1( li li.iviiiL; (ifUrrd lo l)f,ir tlii" expanse, my I'rii'tid prrx iin-d die l'!a>t Siljcrian do^s, wliich an' a( kn iwlud^i'd tn he hcitcr draiij;lit do^'s tlian tluisc t-f West S'hcria (Ostiak do.Lfs), and JoMaii rorj^tTson, a Nor wcgian, uiidntook to deliver tlivin at i it was arran^'ed that we should toinh. Von Toll, moreover, thou;,d)t it wouM he iin|)ortant to cstahlish some ilepots of provisions on the New Siberian Islands, in case the Itam should meet with disaster and the e\pedition should he ohlij,fed to return home that way. ( )n VOn I'oH's mentioninj;,' this, Keh h at onee expressed himself willin},^ to Ix ar the costs, as he wished us in that event to meet with Siberian hospitaliiy e\en on the New Siberian Inlands. As it was diftic ult to find tni^tworiliy agents to carry out a task involvin;j so much responsibdity, \'on Toll determined to establish the de|)bts himself, and in May, 1S93, he set out on an adventurous and hi.i,ddy interesting journey from the mainland over the ice to the New Siberian Islands, where, be-^ides laying down three depots for us,* he made some very important geological researches. Another important matter, I thought, was to have a cargo of ( oal sent out as far as possible on our route, so that when we broke off all (onneclion with the ri'st oi" the world we should have on board the I'Viini as much ( oal as slie < oiild carry. I dierefore joyfully accepted an offer from an I'aiglishman, who was to a(("om[)Tny us with his steam yacht to Novaya Zemlya or the Kara Sea, and give us 100 tons of coal on parting com[)any. As (jur departure was drawing nigh 1 learnt, however, that other arrangements had been made. It being now too late to take a: other measures, 1 charleieil the sloop Urania, of ■ TI1C.-.C ik'|)r>ts \vi.r<' anangud most t-nicfully aiul every prccaulicn so well laken that wc certainly ^IkiuIii idI have sulVered frum laiiiiii-' liad we j;()ne there. In the ndrlhenunost deiti'il al Stan l)iirnova on the west '.-uast of Kcitclnoi, at 75' ^7' X.L., we should have found jirovisions for a week ; with thCFC we « uld easily hrvc made our way 65 niiks souihwaids aion|; the eoa^t to the second depot al Uiassal ich, where, in a I.ouse hiiill liy Huron \\\\ Toll ni lSS5, we should have found jJrovisM.ns for a whole nioiuh. Lastly, a third de[i(il in a hous(," on Uic south side of F.itl'ti LiaUholf I>land, with provisions for two months, would have enabled us lo leac: the mainland with ea^c. ( r «,. ! i 62 Chapter II. Bronosund in Nonlland. to bring a cargo of coals to Khabarova on the Yugor Strait No sooner did the plan of my expedition become known, than petitions poured in by the hundred from all ([uarters of the earth, from Euiope, America, Australia, from i)ersons who wished to take part in it, in spite of the many warning voices that had been raised. It was no easy thing to choose among all the brave men. who applied. As a matter of course it was absolutely essentia! that every man should be strong and healthy, and not one was finally accepietl till he had been carefully examined In- Professor Hialniar lleiberg, of Christiania. The following is a list of the members of the expedition : — Otto A\iiiiiaiii! Svcrdnip, Commander of the /')a/!i, was born in l^indal in Helgeland, i8s,5. At the age of seventeen he went to sea, passed his mate's examination in 1S78, and *" )r some years was captain of a shii). In 1888-89 he took part in the (Ireenland Mxitedition. As s on as he heard of the plan of the i'olar I'lxpedition he ex[)ressed his desire to accom]xany it, and I knew that I coukl not [)lace the Fraiii in better hands. He is married, and has one child. ^/{,'V/;v/ Stott-JIaiiscii, l-'irst Lieutenant in the Xavy, undertook the nianaiiement of die meteort)logi one ( hild. Anton AinuudsoK chief eiinineer of the /■'/■am. was born at Ilorten in 1853. In 1SS4 he passed his technical examination, and soon after- i^, Preparations and Iu]uipment. vanls his engineer's examination. Vor twenty-fivo years he has been in tlie Navy, where he attained the rank of chief engineer. He is married, and has six children. Adolf lac!/, steward and ciii:;ha/c/i, from Christiansand. He is married, and has four chillren. Bernha>-d Xorda/i/ \\o.<<\)on\ \\\ i.]\\\'\^U:\\\\:i in 1862. At the age of fourteen he enten/d the Navy and advanced to be a gunner. Sub- secjuently he has done a little of everytldng, and among other things has worked as an electrical engineer. He had charge of the dynamo and electric installation on board, a( ted, moreo\er, as slok;.:- an;! for a time assisted in the meteorcjlogical observations. He is married, antl has five children. /rvr;- O/fo /ri^cis J/oxs/dd wa^ born at Aure in Xordmore "■■■'. 'S56. In 1877 P^i'^^e'd his examination as fust assistant, and from 18S2 onward:? was one of tin- head keepei's at the C.austad Lunati" Asylum. Bcnif Fciitzcii, born in i860, went to sea for several years. In 1890 he passed his mate's examination, since whii h he has sailed ; s male in several voyages to the .Arctic !>ea. We engageil !iim at '!'ro;n>o jusl as we were starting. It was 8.30 when he came on ln)ard to speak tt) nie, antl at 10 o'clock the I''ram set sail. CHAPTER III Tin; Start. " Sii travel I north to the gloomy abode That I lie sun never shines rn — There is no day." It was midsummer day. A dull, gloomy day ; and with it ramc the inevitable leave-taking. The door ( loscd behind me. I'or the last time I left my home, and went alone down the garden to the beach where the Fnvii's little petroleum launch pitilessly awaited me. IJehind me lay all I held dear in life. And what before me? Mow many years would i)ass ere I should see it all again ? What would I not have given at that moment to be able to turn back ; but up at the window little Liv was sitting clai)[)ing her hands. Happy child, little do you know what life is -how strangely mingled and how full of change. Like an arrow the little boat sped over Lysaker liay, bt^aring nie on the lirst stage of a journey on which life itself, if not more, was staked. At last everything was in readiness. The hour had arrived towards which the [)ersevering labour of years had been incessantly bent, and with it the feeling that everything being jirovided and completed, responsibilitv might be thrown aside and the weary brain at last find rest. The /■'/■di/i lies yonder at Pei-perviken, impatiently panting and waiting for the signal, when the lat'iuli comes puffing i)ast Dyna and runs alongside. The deck is closely packed with peo])le come to bid a iast farewell : and now all must leave the ship. Then the FroDi weighs anchor, and, heavily huk'H and moving slowly, makes the tour of the little (reek. The quays are black with crowds of people waving their hats and handkerchiefs, laut silently and (juietlythe Fram heads towards the fjord, steers ^hjwly jjast Bygdij and Dyna out on her The Start. ^\^ unknown path, while httle ninihlc craft, steamers, and jileasure ooats, swarm around her. J'eaceful and snu^^ lay tlie villas alon^^ the shore behind their veils of ioliaire, just as tb.ey evL-r seemed of old. Ah ' "fair is the woodland slo])(', and never did it look fairer.' Lonu, lonj; will It he before we shall plouj^di these well-known waters ai,'ain. And now a last farewell to hoi";ie. \'onder it lies on the ]>oint : the fjord sparkliiif^ in front, pine and fir woods around, a little snnling meadow-land and lon[( wood-clad riilges behiiivl. Through the glass one could descry a summer-clad figure by the bench under the tlr- tree. . . . It was the darkest hour of the whole journey. And now out into the fjord. It was rainy weather, and a feeling of melancholy seemed to brood over the familiar landsca|)e with all its memories. It was not until noon next day (June 25th) that the Frain glided into the bay by Raikvik, Archer's shipyard, near Laur\ ik, wheie ner t radle stood, and where many a golden dream had been dreamt of her victorious career. Here we were to take the two long-hoats on board and have them set up on their davits ; and there were several other things to be shipped. It took the whole day and a good i)art of the next before all was completed. About three o'clock on the 26th wc bade farewell to Ra^kvik, and made a bend into Laurvik l>ay in order to stand out to sea by Frederiksva;rn. Archer himsi 1'' had to take the wheel and steer his child this last bit before leaving the shq). And then came the farewell hand-shake ; hut few words were spoken, and they got into the boat, he, my brothers, and a friend, while the Fram glided ahead with her heavy motion, and the bonds that united us were severed. It was sad and strange to see this last relic of home in that little skiff on the wide blue surface, Anker's cutter behind, and Laurvik further in the distance. I almost think a tear glittered on that fine old face as he stootl erect in the Ix^it and siv ute'l' bore alont;' the ( oast in i^^ooil weather, past ("hri>tiaiisand. The ie\t ,n-eiiin,i,f, June 27th, we were off the Xa/e. T sat u|) and chatted wiui Scott-l lansen till late in the ni,i,dit. He acted as captani on the trip from ('hristiania to Troiidhjeni, where Sverdrup was to join, after liavin^f accompanied his family to Steenkiier. As we sat there in the chart-house and let the hours >lip by while we pu^l■;ed on in the ever- increasin<,r swell, all at once a si'a burst ojjcn tiie tlot)r and poured in. We rushed out on deck. The ship rolled like a lo!-,^ the seas broke in o\er the rails on both sides, and one by one up came all the crew. I feared most le>l the slender davits which supported the lonij^-boats should <^\\v wav, and the boats themselves should go overboard, jierhaps carrying away 'vith diem a lot of the rigging. 'I'lv.n twenty- live empt}' ])araftin casks which were lashed on de< k broke loose, washed backwards and forwards, and gradually filled with water ; so that the outlook was not altogether agreeable. But it was worst of all ^vhcn the piles of reserve timber, spars, and |)lanks, began the same dance, and threatened to break the props under the boats. It was an anxious liour. Sea-sick T stood on the bridge, occui)ying mysell in alternately making libations to Xeotune and trembling for the safety of the boats and th" men, who were trying to make snug what they could forward on deck. 1 often saw only a hotch-potch of liea, drifting ])lanks, arms, legs, and em])ty barrels. Now a green sea poured over lis and knocked a man off his legs so that the water deluged him ; no.v I saw the lads jumping over hurtling spars and barrels, so as not to get their feet crushed between them. There was not a dry thread on 'hem. Juell. who lay asleep in the '' (Irand Hotel," as we called one of the longboats, awoke to hear the sea roaring under him like a cataract. I ni( I him at the cabin door as he came running down. It was no longer sale tiii_ro 1" • ihouijht : best to save one's rags — he hail u bundle under hi.; arm '"uen i,e set off forward to secure his sea clust, which was float'ig :'•"'; *■ mi t! >• fore-deck, ai 1 dragged it hurried!)' aft, while one ■ lea.' ) !-,ea aft:-i ai-.' it.''e.' swept lAerhim. Once the /vvw burieil hei bov.s ae.d s'l'.npi J; a sea eve'- the I'orecaslle. 'I'here was one fellow iil! ■■I'UPHi 1- IVAR MOGSTAD. {From a f'ltolo^'ra/'h taken in /Si//. ) li :i 1 68 Chapter III. Clinging to the anchor-davits over th(„ frothing water. It was poor juell again. We were iiard put to it to secure our goods and chattels. We had to throw all our good paratiin casks overboard, and one prime timber l)aulk after another went the same way, while I stood and watched them sadly as they floated off. 'i"he rest of the dL( k ( argo was shiftetl aft on to the half-deck. I am afraid the shares in the expedition stood rather low at this moment. Then all at one e. when things were al)()ut at their worst with us, we sighted a bark looming out of the fog ahead. There it lay with royals and all sails set, as snugly and peacefully as if nothing was the matter, rocking gently on the sea. It made one feel almost savage to look at it. A'isions of the J'/yi/i,i^ Dutchman and other devilry flasheil through my mind. Terrible disaster in the cook's galley ! Mogstad goes in and sees the whole wall sprinkled over with dark red stains — rushes off to Nordahl, and says he believes Juell has shot himself through desjjair at the insufferable Iieat lie complains so about, "Great revolver disas . r on board the Irani! " On close inspection, however, the stains appeared to proceed from a t)ox of chocolate that had upset in tlie cupboard. Owing to the fog we dared not go too near land, so kejit out to sea, till at last, towards morning, the fog lifted somewhat, and the ])ilot found his bearings between Farsund and Hummerdus. We ])ut into Lister I'jord, intending to anchor there and get into better sea trim ; but as the weather imj^roved we went on our way. It was not till the afternoon that we steered into Ekersund, owing to thick weather and a stiff breeze, and anchored in Hovland's Bay, where our pilot, Hovlnnd,* lived. Next morning the boat davits, etc., were put in good working order. The Fram, however, was too he:ivily laden to be at all easy in a seaway ; but this we could not alter. What we had we must keep, and if we only got everything on deck shipshape and properly lashed, the sea could not do us much harm liowever rough it miglit be ; for we knew well enough that ship and rigging would hold out. * Huth Ilovland who piloted us from Christiania to Ucrj,'en» and Julian IlatjinNeii who took us from Hcri^cn to Vardii, were most kindly placed at the disposal of the expedition 1)) the Xurdenfjcldske Steamship Company of Trondhjen;. TIk- Start. 6q II w;is late in tlic evening of llie la>t day of June when we rounded Kvarven, and stood in for Heri^en in the ^dooin of die sullen ni,i,du. Next niornin<,f when 1 came on de( k, \'a^fen lay ( kar and hriglit in tlie sun, all the sliips l)ein<,f ^aily decked (.at with huntiuLj iVoni topmast to deck. 'I'lie sun was holding,' hi^h festival in the sk\' L'lriker.. Moiren and I-o\siakken sparkle 1 and glittered, and i,Me(.'ted me as of old. It is a marvellous ])lace. that old llaiiseatic town .' In the e\eninjr I was to t,Mve a le( tuie, hut arri\ed half an hour too ia^e, hor iu>t as 1 was dressinj^ to go, a number ol' hill.-, poured in. and il I was to leave the town as a solvent man I must net'ds \k\\ them. and so the public perforce had to wail. IJut the worst of it was that the saloon was full of those everlastingly in([uisitive tourists. I could hear a whole (om])any of them besieging my cabin door while I was dressing, declaring " they must shake hands with the doctor i"* One of them actually peeped in throLigh the ventilator at me, nr mm '.'tarx told me afierwards. A nice sight she must have seen, the iowl) creature I J\e|)c)rt says she drew her head back \ery (luickl)-. Indeed, at every place where we jjut in we were looked on somewhat as wild animals in a menagerie. I'or they peeped unceremoniously at us in our berths as if we had been bears and lions in a dun, and we could hear them loudly disputing among themselves as to who was who, and whether those nearest and dearest to us whose jxjrtraits hung on the walls could be called pretty or not. ^\■hen I had finished my toilette 1 opened the door cautio'jsly. made a rush through the gajjing comjjany. "There he is, there he is I "f they called to each other as the\ tumbled u\) the steps after me. It wa> no use, I was on the cpiay and in the carriage long before they had reached the deck. At S o'clock there was a great banciuet, many fine speeches, good fare and excellent wine. ])retty ladie--. music. :ind dancing till far into the night. Next morning at i i o'cloc k — it was Sunday-- in bright sunshiny weather, we stood iiorlhwarch, over liergen Fjord, main friends accom|)anving us. It w.is a loveh'. inver-lo-be-forgotten summer day. In Herlo l''jord, right out by the skerries, thev parted from us. amicl * I'Jngli.sh in tliL- original //•/,/. y £ ' IS' .1 I i ^feH '■ r 1 ' i li 1 [ 1 ?o Chapter III. wavinfjs of h;its .ind pcx krt-liaiidki'n hiffs ; we roul as much as vou ukc at e Meauties < >l nature, but it is a line thiiii: for a iiei land. to have a fai he it nevt'r so loor, X e\er did tins si^em ( leaiXT to ivie th.".n Uov when I wa- lea\ iw' it. Ev ery now and then a hurrah from mil at one time from a 'a )f children, at another I nop rom growiMi]) ]>eople, but mostly from wondi-r- ing peasants who ga/e long at the strange-lookinir hip and muse over Its enigmatic destination. Anvomen on board sloops and CliapUr III. ti'ii-(),ir''(I l)(i;it> stand up in llicir slin't> tliat Lilow in tlU' si iiilif,'lit, and 1(^1 (in llicii- oars tn liMik at lis. Steamboats c row led with prc'pli' rainc out lioni the towns wi' passfd to irrftt us and hi 1 usliodspird on our wav with music, .soiius, and ( aiinoii salutes. I u' 'HiMt tourist sUMinho.its dipped flails to us and fired salutes, and the smaller craft did the sanu'. It i> emharrassin^^ and oppressive to he the ol)je( t ol homage lil;e this hel'ore anything has been acct)m[)lisht'd. There is an OKI s .1)11 itr Al i\(.' ihu (liy slmll lie pniiscil, TIk' wife when 'lu' i-- hmiil, 'I'lu' >wi)iil v\ lull ii iid, 'I lie wdiuan will II m.iriicd, 'Ihi' iiL' wlun i);i-.sL(l ovii, A I c wlKii cini -.1; Most touching was the interest and sympathy with whi( h these ] fisher-i'olk and peasants greeteil us. It often set loor me wonaerinir. I I ell they followed us with fervent eagerness. I remember one day— it was north in llelgeland — an old woman was standing waving and waxing 1 to us on a Dare ( ra;/. ler cottage lav some distance inland. wonder if it can realU be us she is \\a\ ing to." 1 said to the pilot, who was standiii'f beside me r.ut liow (an slie know who we are Vou ma\' be sure it is,'' was the answer. '■ ()!i ! ihev know all about the l-'iixin up here, in e\ ery cabin, and they will be on the look-out for vou as vou come hac k, 1 (an tell vou, he answer red. Av, triilv, It IS a res])onsible task we are undertaking, when the whole nation are with us like this. What if the thing should turn out a huge disappoint- ment ! In t le e\eninir I w(/iild sit and 1 ool- iround — lonelv huts lav scattered here and there oij points and islets. Here the Norwegian ])e()])le we.ij out tlieir lives in the struggle with the ro(ks. in the struggle with the sea ; and it is this people that is sending us out into the great hazardous unknown; the very folk who stand there in their fishingdjoats and look wonderingly after the Fraiii as she slowlv and heavilv steams alon (Irt'^^cs Mild ^fiUk'HU'ii ;it tlu' oars fiUi-rlaiiim;,' them uitli small t.ilk, a^ llicy wavi' llu'ir paiaMiN and [kx kt't-lian(lkt'r(hit.'f>. Wv-. ; il i> tlu-y wlm arr SL-iidin;; ii'^ init. Il i> iml a ( la-i'riii^ thoii^jlu. Not one (if ilicm. tlicy Aiv indhahly. knows what they air pasinn tiuir iMincv lor, M l\ he a\L' ncai'd it is a ^^lorious I'litt. r|inst' : hut \\\\\ ? lo what end Wf not (k'lraiKliiiL' llifiii lUil thrir c'\('s arc iixcttcd (in thf slnii. and H'lhaiis there dawns hftdic tlu-n' niuids a nioniLiitai)' \ ision dl a nrw nid in( i)ncL'i\ ahlf wmhl, with aspirations alter a sonuthinj,' ol whuh hcv ;nou naii<:ht. An neiT on i)oaiil arc nicn wlio arc a\ing wil'c and children liehiiid lhe:ii. Now sad lia-> lieeii the st'pariition — wh u lon^finy, what ycarnin await theiii in the < oinniL years I And it is not for profit they do it. I'or honour and ^lory then •J"h th tl ese ma he scant eiionijh. same ( raviiiLj to f^^et hi'um ]t is the saiiu' thirst U I the limits (if till' a( hie\ finent, know II w liK h iiiHMicil us p(.'ople in the Sa^^a times, that is stirnni,' m them ai^am to(la\. In spite ol all our toil for suhsisteiK e. in spite of all uur " peasant politics,'' sheer utilitarianism is perhaps not so dominant among us alter all. As time was pre( iuus I did not. as originally intended, put in at 'I'rondhjem, hut stopped at l>eian, where Sverdrup joined u.^. Here JJrogger also came on hoard, to accompany us as far as 'lofe ssor roniso. Here, too, o'.:r doctor re( eived three monstrous ( hest> with the medicine supply, a gift from Apothecary riruun of 'I'rondhjem. And so on towards the north along the lo\ely coast of N'ordland. A\'e stopped at one or two ))la(es to take dried lish on hoard as provision for the dogs. Past 'I'orghalten, the Seven Sisters, and Hestemanden, past I.ovunen and 'rrieneii, far out xomkr in the sea. past Lofoten and all the other lovely places ea( h hold giganti( lorm wilder and more heautiful than the last. It is uni(|ue a fair) land a land of dreams, ^\'e felt afraid to go on too fast something. On lulv 1 2th we arrived at I'ronisd. where we were to take in coal for fear (if missing and other things, such as reindeer t mocassin). I'inn shoes. '• senne loaks omager '' (a sort of 1 ,app dl ol WilK rrass. dried reindeer llesh. etc., et( ., h had heen procured h} lluit indefatigahle friend of the ^, > IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) r/. /. ^ .^^!^ ^ K, 1.0 I.I La 12.8 |2.5 *^ Uii 122 1.8 L25 1 U. ^ ^ 6" - ► V] V) ^>i 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation v "^ c\ \ 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (716) 872-4S03 ..V 4^ ^ 4^ \ \ %^ \ 74 Chapter III. exjiedition, Advocate ^[ack. Tromso ernt IJentzen— a ^tout fellow to look at. He originally intended accompanying us only as far as \'i;gor Strait, but as a matter of fact he went the whole voyage with us, and proved a great ac(|uisi- tion, being net only a capital seaman, but a cheerful and amusing comrade. After a stay of two days we again set out. On the night of the 1 6th, east of the North Cape or Magero, we met with such a nasty sea, and shipped so much water on deck, that we put into Kjollefjord to adjust our cargo better by shifting the coal and making a few other changes. We worked at this the whole of two days, and made everv- thing dear for the voyage to Novaya /emlya. I had at (irst thought ot taking on board a fresh supply of coal at \'ardo, but as we were already deeply laden, and tiie Cniz/ui was to meet us at \'ugor Strait w 1 th coal ^e thought it best to be contented with what we had already got on board, as we might expect bad weather in < ros^ing the ^\'hite Sea and IJarents Sea. At ten o'clock in the eveni nu we we ighed anc iior and reac lied X'artU) next evening, where we met with a magni- li( ent reception. There was a band of music on the pier, the fjord teemed with boats, 'lags waved on every hand, and salutes were lired. The |)eople liad been waiting for us ever since the |)re\ious evening, we were tolcb-some of tiiem, indeed, comins;: from \'adso — and thev lia; seized tlie opportunity to get up a suhsc ription to provide a bi ub drum for the town band, the " Ninth Pole, And here we we re en tertained to a sumjituous banipiet, with speeches and champagne flowing in streams, ere we bade Norway our last farewell. The last thing that had now to be done for the l-'rani was to have her bottom cleaned of mussels ami weeds, so that she mi";Iit be able to #r /^ Chapter III. make llu' l)i-sl spL'fd p.issihlc. 'I'lii:, work was dont- hy divers, who were leadily placed at our service l)y the local inspector of the (ioveriiineiU H.irhour Department. lUit our own bodies also ( lainied oi\e last ( ivilised Tea-.t o!" purifi- ( alion. heiore enteriiij,M)n a life of savaj^ery. Thj hath nov.se of the town is a small timber buildiiv^f. The bath-room 'tseli is low. and provided with shelves where you lie down and are parboiled with hot steam, which is constantly kejjt up i:y water bein^r thrown on the i,dowin