Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-08-22
Stockholm letter TO London Standard.
A Journal OF Death.
TIE TERRIBLE FATE OF SOME NORWEGIAN
SAIINRs

The sad news of the death of the seven
teen Norwegian whalerS, frozen in at tn,
Spitzberg Islands, has now been confirmed
without doubt. Car. Mack, who pene
trated into the Isfjord in the end of June
has now sent home the Journal found in one
of the houses there, the eloquent laconisn
of wnich initiates US into the world of saf
fering and despair the unfortunate men hat
to 20 through before death put an end t.
their miserles. The story of their struggle
is soon told. On the 10th of September
last year, six Norwegian ships, with theil
crews of together 81 men, were frozen in OF
the northeastern coast of the SpitzbergS, al
Gray Hook and Welcome Point, Is and q
English miles, respectively, from the winter
quarters Of the Swedish polar expedition at
Mosel bay. Their provisions being calculat-
ed to last only up to the lst Of December
they applied to Prof Nordenskiold for as
sistance, and were allowed by him to dispose
of the house and stores accumulated at
lsljord. Consequently, Il men, with two
small, open boats, left Gray Hook on the 18th
of October, crossing the ice, westward, until
they found open water, and finally reached
IsiJord in their boats on the l4th October.
The remaining Il men prepared themselves
to pass the winter either in their own ships
at Gray Hook, or with the Swedish expedi-
ton at Mosel bay, when, happily, in the
first day of November heavy storm broke
the ice and made their escape possible
! Thirty-nine men were thus able to reach the
Norwegian port Of Tromsoe; only two, the
old Captain, Matthias, and his cook, would
not abandon their ship, which was not in
sured, and have now been found dead in
"A boat, probably on their way TO Mosel bay
| The ship was totally crushed by the ice.
The entries Of the Journal found at Isljord,
began with the 7th October, 1872, and are
regularly continued every day until the Sd
ton, nor any undertaking on the part of the
men, Is reported, except few hunting par
ties. by whom two bears, two foxes, and a
few reindeer were brought home Darkness.
| however, soon prevented all further hunting
expeditions, and on the 7th of November the
Journal reports: Hunting totally abandon
| ed, by cause Of the darkness. 1hermome-
trical observations were regularly made and
annotated five times a day. The temperature,
which was very hard in October, the quick
silver running down to 10 degrees below
/ Celsius on the DIST. was milder again in No
vember, being degrees above on the Sth,
and varied between q degrees above to -
seconds below, until the 5th of January,
when it began to 20 down again. The low
est degree, b degrees below, Is observed on
the l4th February at O'Clock. n. m. No
mention Is made of sickness or disease before
the 9th December. when it i said lone
Of the crew sick since eight days - but from
this day the same complaint repeats itself
with sad monotony "No improvement in
the state of the sick" On the 10Th it l.
said 1.-TWO men constantly in bed nearly
all suffer Of the disease" Though no indi-
cation Is given what kind Of illness Is meant,
there is no doubt that it was scorbut. The
first death Is recorded on the 10th january
in the following words "Tounes Fender
son, who was taken i'll the 9TH of this month
was called to the Lord this morning at $50,
after painful illness: this afternoon died
also Hendrix Hendriksen, who was taken i'll
on the 10Th December. The Sd Of Febru-
airy only three men were in good health, and
the Journal repeats every dav: "No i'm
proyement,' The Goth February We read ::
To-day We have seen the sun for the first
time in the year 1873" \ new death is re-
corded the following day, To-day the
Lord again called to heaven one Of our COM
rades, Miles Laeson. after an illness Of -
days Two days later the entries are byan-
other hand, who writes on the 2jth, Il have
now only one man in good health to look
after in the whole house o. Lord help Us
in cur great distress - And on the 2Sth he
continues This evening another Of our
men died; the Lord called him home from
this place, 50 rich in suffering" From this
day the journal contains nothing but ammo
tations of deaths until the 10Th April, when
the last regular entry Is made thus, Martin
Hansen died the 18th Of April, at a. IN. 50
Then begins another hand. who writes,
Peter Andreas Nilsen of Batsfiord. a red
bonnet Ilar T. Mitterhuk" What these
words, which have apparently been written
under the influence Of delirium. are meant
to express will never be known, and the hor-
rible fate Of the poor sufferer who traced
them can only be guessed. Did he struggle
hours, days, or weeks among the sixteen
corIses Of his comrades, or did the deliverer
come as he dropped his pen? Nobody knows
or ever will know