The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-12-22

AfLetter Written by bfs Nansen.
the Arctic Explorer.
Progress OF One Of the Latest Expeditions
Organized for the Purpose OF Loca-
tIng the North Pole and Explor-
ing the Extreme North.

ting the North Pole and ExpIor-
ing the Extreme North.
DIR. .Nansen, the Arctic explorer, has
written letter to the London. Times.
which will probably be the last he viii.
have an opportunity TO send to Europe
before he IS caught in the ice whiehhe
hopes win drift him across the polar
regions. The letter is dated at Yugor
strait, which separates the European
mainland from Naigateh island at the
south Of Novaya Zemlin. lie wrote
August 2. He says OF his little vessel,
the Fran, which he built specially to
Withstand ice pressure:
- 1.-THE Eram isa asplendid ship for ice
dve rtation. She is as easy to handle
ling steer between the foes as aboat.
subse hss already given me manya glad
--noment when have seen from the
crows nest how well she behaves and
now strong she is. With a feeling of
safenessI let her quietly run with full
speed in between the bige heavy foes;
she breaks them under her with almost
no shaking, no sound in the vessel her
SELF
Months before Nansen sailed he sent
man hundreds ofmiles into western
Siberia to get thirty of their best
sledge dogs that were to be found and
to deliver them at Yugor strait in July.
Dogs are an important feature Of Nam
sens plans and it was regarded as a
matter of so much consequence that
the man succeed in his mission that
King Oscar had a gold medal struck to
give to him if he fulfilled the duty con-
fided to him. He was on the ground
with thirty-fve dogs when Nansen ar
rived. Nansen wrote:
"My man Trontheim went to the
ostialss on the river Soswa, where the
best lsledge dogs in western Siberia arc
to be had There. he bought forty dogs,
as he thought some of them might be.
lost on the way, and he was certainly
right, as five have died by various ac-
cidents From the Soswa river he.
travelled over the Siberian tundra, then
through'the Uralmonntains, then over
the vast plains again until he came
here with the dogs, travelling at last
with the sledges over the bare ground,
over grass and stones; asis the custom
here, where they travel with sledge
and reindeers in the summer as we'll
as in the winter. Trontheim has car
ried ont histask very well and as re-
ward he will get the golden medal Of
King Oscar, which have broughtwith'
me for him. Now it only rests withus
to make good use Of the dogs, They
are niee-lools,ng animals, white, black
and gray, and with pointed nose and
standing ears, good tempered, and
easy to manage 9nt against strange
dogs they are furious they almost
killed Samoyed dog which they got
hold ofathe other day; itswould have
been torn to pieces had il not saved the
poor creature"
When Nansen wrote his. coal tender
a sailing vessel that was to replenish
his stock Of coal, had not arrived, and
he was in much anxiety because unless
she came soon he would be compelled
to staptwith the coal she had in order
to get through the Kara sea and pass
along the, coast Of Asia before the new
ice should'torm.
In'his steam launch he made short
Reconnaissance in the Kara sea, and
everything seemed favorable for an
easy passage. He said of his further
plans:
My present intention is to steer
eastward along the Siberian coast un,
til we reach the, mouthof the Olenell
river, west Of the Lena delta shall
keep as near rs possible to the coast
wherever there is much ice, us there
generally more open water along the
coast than in the ice. If there is time
and q good opportunity should offer
itself shall go into the mouth OF the
0lenelS, as some twenty-six other dogs
are waiting for us there. AS the
sledge dogs from eastern Siberia are
generally known to be better than the
western Siberia ones Baron Toll, the
Siberian traveller, who is now in ST
IBERIA, proposed to me to let some, dogs
wait for us there too, so that If
should happen to pass may take them,
"a small expedition has also been
sent to the island OF Kotelny, the most
western of the New Siberian islands
On this island two depots of provisions
win be left, one on the northwest
coast and one on the southwest coast,
It is on Baron Tolls proposal that
these stores and provisions are ar.
ranged there. AS he says, they can dc
no harm, but it is not probable that
we shall want them. Nobody knows
however, what might happen, and had
De Long of the Jeannette expedition
had some such stores Of provisionsor
theNew Siberian islands the expedition
wouldnot have had such q sad fate
aud think Toll is right.
After having passed the Olenel
river we shall so northward along the
west coast Of the New Siberian islands
as far rs we can in open water. | hope
to be thereby the beginning of Sep.
tember, 1t may belthat we shall meet
with unknown landor islands to the
northwest of Kotelny, and possibly
there may be open water along the
coasts there. If so shall Of course
use It as best ! can. Bnt when we get
no further there is pothing left except
to let the Fram get tbeset iii the ice and
be carried along northward or north
westward by the current, which, ac-
cording to my opinion, must run in that
direction in those regions"
Tho Meaning OF "Closurs."
This word about whiehswe areshear.