The morning call., 1893-11-11
THE SEA OF KARA
hansen May Yet Reach
the North Pole.
HIS CHANCES IMPROVING.
He Has Probably Passed the Most
Dangerous Point on His
:: Long Voyage.

LONDON, Nov. 10.-The Pail Mail Ga
zeIte says: DR.. Nansen's prospect OF reach
ing the north pUle are greatly improved.
Norwegian seal-hunters just eturned from
the extreme northern part Of Norway re-
port that at the time they were there Nam
sens expedition was entering the Kara
Sea. This was in August, aud the seal
hunters were then able 10 cruise freely in
northern parts around Nova Zembla and
the islands north by east and north ana
west. The sealers say that over an area of
twenty to thirty miles there was DO Ice,
and they could judge from the waves that
the sea was quite clear OF ice further
north. They add that there is every prob
ability that the Fran had gone through the
otherwise generally ice-choked Kara Sea
in a few days after leaving JugOr Strait.
In all their experience in high ATTITUDES
the seas had never been so free of ice. A
letter from Nansen adds that the winds
from the south were particularly favora-
bic, driving the Ice still further north.
The Kara Sea has been the grave of
many stanch vessels. Once in every four
or five years it is found comparatively
navigable, while in other years it is full Of
drift ice.
DR.. hansen left Christiania after three
years preparation for polar exploration.
In August last he sent The following mes
sage from Vardo. 1t was written in the
Jugor Strait. This strait sometimes
called the Pat Strait is a channel separat-
ing WaIgatz Island from the mainland Of
Russia, and is the most southerly Of the
four possible entrances into The Kara Sea /:
e, The passage from Norway to Nova
Zembla was good, except for wind and fog.
Gooseland, in Nova ZembIa. was sighted
in the fog on July %. and the vessel turned
south. meeting the first ice on the 9th, in
latitude 60 deg. 80 min. north, Longitude
30 deg. east, about ten miles north of kol-
gueff Island. We forced our way through,
the Fran proving a splendid ship in the
ice, aud arrived at Jugor Strait, distance
Of $50 miles from the point where the ice
was encountered, on July %. The vessel
sent out with coal has not arrived; but We
have sufficient coal, ana we sail into the
Kara Sea tonight. We have thirty-four
splendid sledge-dogs from Siberia Oh
board. The Jugor Strait has been
open since July and there seems to be
little ice in the southern part of the Kara
Sea, a favorable wind having carried it
northward. [ consider our prospects very
favorable, and we shall make our way
eastward most rapidly along the coast.
Unless the ice prove unfavorable we hope
to reach the New Siberian Islands before
the end of August, and if this should be
accomplished l look on our success as
almost certain. If there is time we shall
l. lvy loa
able to send news from there"
The Fran is Norwegian ship. and her
name means Forward" Her dimensions
are as follows: Length, 125 feet; beam. Sc
feet; depth from deck TO keel, II feet.
With her heavy cargo she is about 800 tons
dead weight. The hull is built almost en-
tirely of oak and is very strong. At the
points exposed TO pressure from the ice
her sides are from thirty to thirty-two
inches thick. The hull is coated on the
outside with ''ice sheathiDg." composed Of
a thick layer of greenheart-a very hard
American wood, having an oily and slip
perry surface. Her engines, which were
made by firm of Norwegian engineers,
are triple expansion and of $50 indicated
horsepower.
DR.. Nansen's plan was TO leave the coast
at the mouth of the River Lena and then
TO start in a northeIly direction along the
western coast of the island of Kotelnai, the
most westerly OF the Liakov or New ST.
berian group, con tnuing until the pack
ice rendered further navigation impOssi-
bic. He then proposed to run the ship
into the ice pack and drift with it north
ward over the North Pole. He has pro-
visions for five years.