Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1893-12-31
FROM. THE FAR NORTH
A Letter Written by DR.. Nansen..
the Arctic Explorer.
PFoErssi OF One OF the Latest Expeditions
Organized for the Purpose OF L.oca-
ting tho North Eolv aud Explor-
Ing the Extreme North.

NS = ~ pohO oN A<OCAs
ting tho North Eols aud Explor-
ing the Extreme North.
-
DR.. Nansen, the Arctic explorer, has
written q letter to the London Times,
which will probably be the last he will
have an opportunity to send to Europe
before he Is caught in the ice which he
hopes will drift him across the polar
regions. The letter Is dated at Yupor
strait, which separates the European
mainland from Waigetch island at the
south of Novnya Zernlin. He wrote
August 2. He says ~ his little vessel,
the Fran. which he. built specially. to
withstand leo pressure.
THE Fran is : spieptid ship for ice
navigation. She ia aS easy to handle
aud steer betweGn the foes as q boat.
She has already giyarS me many n glad
moment when l have seer from the
crows nest how well she behaves and
how strong she IL. With a feeling Of
safcness I let her quietly run with full
speed In between The t.;R, heavy foes:
sll= breaks them und ct her with almost
no shaking, nc sound In the vessel her
self"
Months before Nansen sailed he sent
q man hundreds Of miles into western
Siberia to get thirty Of their best
sledEe dogs that we're TO be found and
to deliver them atfrgor strait in July.
Dogs are IN ~iInpotant feature of Nan
sens plans and 1t was regarded as q
matter of 30 mua consequence that
the man succeed II his mission that
King Oscar had O gid medal struck to
give to him II he fulfilled the duty con-
fided to him. He wa on the ground
with thirty-ive dogs Then hansen ar
rived. Eansen wrote
MY man Tronthcm went 10 tho
Ostiulss on the river Sswa, where tho
best sledge dogs in wstern Siberia arc
to be had. There he bought forty dogs,
Us he thought some oithem might be
lost on the way, and h was certainly
right, as five have diel by various ac-
cidents. From the Sswn river he
Travelled over the Siberia tundra, then
through the Ural mountins, then over
tho vast plains again ntil he came
here with the dogs, tr7cling Mt last
with the slcdges over thbare ground.
owe grass and stones. nss the custom
here, where they trave.with sled1e
and reindeers In the sumner rs we'll
as in the winter. Tronthim has car.
ricd out his task very wei and as n re-
wa;2 he wil! get the golen media! Of
King Oscar, which I hive bought with
me for him. Now It only .sts with us
TO make good use Of the ogs. They
nrc ~nice-looking animals, 'hite, black
and gray, and with point lose and
standing ears, good tepered, and
easy to manage. But agast strange
dogs they arc furious; ICY almost
killed n Samoyed dog With they got
hold OF the other day; itvould hnye
been torn to pieces had I IT saved tho
poor creature"
When Manson wrote hioal tender.
u smiling vessel that vase rcpleni9h
his stock of coal, had notrrivcd, and
he was In much anxiety bausc unless
she came soo he would compelled
to start with the conl he ad in order
to get through the Karhca and pass
along the coast Of Asia bore the new
leo should form.
In his steam launch he ado n short
reconnaissance In the Ira seq, and
everything seemed farcblc for nm
casy passage. Ho said , his further
plans:
MY present intontlt is To steer
eastward nlong tho Siban coast I'M
til we reach tho mouth tho Olcnek
river, west OF the Lena lta. ! shall
keep as near MS possil to the coast
wherever there Ia mudce, as there
is generally moro open ter along the
const than in the Ice. there Is timo
and q good opportun should offer
itself / shall go into ttinouth OF tho
Olenek, as some twentix other dogs
lrc waiting for us lcrc. As tho
sledgo dogs from easn Siberia arc
generally known 70 better than tho
western Siberia ones iron Toll, tho
Siberian traveller, WI Is now i'm ST.
bcria, proposed 10 me let some dogs
wait for us there 4 so that IL
should happen topasslay take them.
ga small cxpcditionas also been
sent to the island Of Bluy, tho most
western OF tho Now 6rinn islands.
On this island two dcr of PROVISIONS
will DO left, ono onic northwest
comet md one on tho .thwcst coast.
II ia on baron FOIL proposnl that
these storcs and proions nrc mr..
rapBcd thcrc. As he IS, they cnn do
no harm, but II is notrobable that
we Bholl want them. 6body knows.
however, whnt might bpcn, and had
DC Long Of tho Jeanne expedition
had some such stores ,prorisionson
the New Siberian islsndo expedition
would not havo had su q sad iato,
and I think Toll Is RICH,
AFTER having rassc tho olouck
river vic shall 60 northytd alopg tho
west coast OF tho New S.riau islands
ms far AZ we can in openntcr. I hop
to 10 there by the bcgiiing OF Scr
tcmbcr. 1t may be that Q shall meet
with unknown lind or lands to th.
northwest Of kotclny. ad possibl:
there may DO open wat along The
coasts there. II 60 I shd Of course
use it as best can. But hen wo get
no further there Is notbin loft oxcept
TO let tho Fran got bosct itho leo md
be carried along n~orthwad or north
westward by tho current, which, nc
cording TO my opinion, mussun In that
direction In those rcgions.'
~ .,yva u. did not rcheapo hio own