The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-08-14
NORDENSKJOLD'S VOYAGES.
Sailing Through the Polar Sea to the Pa
cifc Ocean.

northeast passage from tne Atlantlc 10
the Pacific Ocean, places him foremost
among the bold and adventurous spirits
who have devoted their lives to the cx-
ploration of the Arctic regions.
Nordenskjold began his career as an
explorer in 1872. The problem he took
upon himself to solve was whether or not
there is navigable water north of Asia
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He
had before him the records of the efforts
of Cabat, Willoughby, Barentz, and
Behring, as well as of others whose
names are also familiarly known. He
studied all these from the expeditions of
the Mortimer and the Icelanders to the
latest expeditions in 1871 and 1878, in
which many gallant Norwegians lost
their lives. From these records he
learned the several theories that had
been held, and to what extent the facts
as ascertained by the explorers proved or
disproved them.
Previous to 1872 Nordenskjold had
engaged in six voyages. In that year he
was selected by the Swedish government
to undertake sledge journey from Spitz-
bergen toward the the North pole. The
explorers encountered disasters, and were
compelled to return home the following
year without having gained much infor-
nation, though they acquired deal of
experience.
In 1875 the Professor was able, through
the generosity of Mr.. Oscar Dickson, a
wealthy merchant of Gothenburg, to
essay the proof of his belief that there is
q navigable sea north of Asia. He sail
ed from Tromsoe, a port on the northern
coast'of Norway, on the Sth of June of
that year, and on the 18th of August
reached the mouth of the Yneisei River,
the middle one of the three large water
courses of northern Asia. BY this voy-
age he established the fact that the Sea
of Kara is navigable, and also opened a
water route to most desirable parts of
Siberia. He named port at the mouth
of the river Dickson's Port, in honor of
his patron. This voyage also gave addi-
tional color to the probability of a route
to China by way Of the Yneisei River.
In the following year he made another
voyage: sailing from Tromsoe on the 25th
of July. His patron had replaced the
small vessel of the year previous with a
staunch little steamer, the Ymer. She
was freighted with goods suitable for the
Siberian trade. The voyage to Nova
Zembla was made in five days, but, in
passing through the straits that separate
that island from the main land, he found
the Sea of Kara, that he had navigated
so easily the year before, full of drifting
ice. After waiting several days, he be-
gan beating in the ice up the Nova Zem-
blan coast, and in latitude 72 found him
self in an open sea. By the middle of
August he again reached the mouth of
the Yneisei River. He assembled it for
some distance, and, having disposed of
his cargo to advantage, returned to the
port he started from, after an absence of
seven weeks.
These voyages went far to convince the
Professor that the northeast passage
could be made. To prove it he threw all
his energy into the undertaking, and his
patron fitted out more extensive expe-
dition. An appeal was made to King
Oscar, and he at once became interested
in the enterprise. Of the 100000 Or
100000 required, Mr.. Dickson contribu-
ted $4,000, and the government and Mr..
Alexander Sibiriakoff the rest. King
Oscar commissioned several of the ablest
officers of his navy to accompany the ex-
pedition. Several eminent savans volun-
teered their services. The feet consisted
of four vessels-the steamer Vega, which
carried the originator and commander of
the expedition, the steamer Lena, and
two smaller vessels fitted out to open
trade with Eastern Siberia. The last
three were the property of MIR. Sibiria-
kof.
Eleven days after starting from from
soc they anchored off Port Dickson.
They remained there three days to make
up and dispatch correspondence and
complete their preparations for the long
and perilous voyage. Then the bows Of
the stout little steamers were pointed to-
ward the North Cape. For two months
nothing was heard of the explorers, and
then q dispatch was received by Mr..
Sibiriakoff from Yakutsk, on the Lena
River, announcing that the expedition
had reached the mouth of that river in
safety. The steamer Lena had passed up
the river and the Vega had continued
her Journey toward the Pacific.
The arrival of Capt. Johannsen and
the Lena at Yakutsk was the occasion
for public rejoicing there. This town
is situated near the centre of the Russian
Empire in Asia, and the only means of
access have been overland: hence the
arrival of the first vessel, proving that
water communication could be had with
the more civilized parts of the world was
sufficient cause for the general celebra-
ton.
In December Nordenskjold's patrons
received letter from him in which he
gave the record of his voyage from the
mouth of the Yneisei to the mouth Of
the Lena River. Though it is to great
degree technical, it is full of interest to
the general reader. Soon after sailing
from Port Dickson the explorers ran into
heavy fog. They moved with the ut
most caution, and their course was rem
dered more dangerous by the discovery
of many small islands not noted on the
charts. The second day the fog was
dense, and they anchored. 1t was no.
ticed that the sea was only slightly salt,
particularly at the surface. By dredg-
ing, however, many specimens of pure
deep sea life were found. In the after
noon the fog lifted somewhat, and the
Vega renewed her course. The explorers
soon came upon drifting ice, but it was
thin and rotten, and did not impede the
vessel. Near the coast the usual arctic
animals were seen, but none of the arctic
birds. Many interesting discoveries were
made in nearly every branch of science,
but the most important were geogra-
phical.
The voyagers kept close to the coast
the greater part of the way, and made
landings occasionally. They were fire.
quently surprised at the entire absence
of snow and the wonderful verdure in
some places. There are points, Prof.
Nordenskjold thinks, judging from the
profusion of the game, that the Russian
buntnrs have not visited for centuries If