The Redwood gazette., 1894-12-20
News Of CAPTAIN Bottelfsen.

TROMsO, Aug. 16.-Here we all are,
including the dog, safe and sound. True
to the instincts of the civilized brute, the
first thing we did on landing once more in
civilization, after an absence of 4 months
in the icy wastes, was to order big din
ner, a bottle of champagne and Havana
cigar. 1t is only ~ days since we left the
White Bear hotel at Walden island, away
up there on the top of the globe, within
$50 miles as far as man has ever been in
that direction. Though our return has
been rapid, it was not altogether an easy
task. For three days we had pretty hard
time in the drifting ice, beset by dangers
and compelled to struggle from one point
Of vantage to another. Our sharpest work
was crossing the strait, and having once
gained the mainland we felt ourselves
masters of the situation. Along the coast
of Northeast Land we found some open
water and were glad to discover the sea-
worthiness and sailing qualities of our
aluminium boats. In. choppy seas they
behaved admirably and against adverse
breezes sailed almost up to the eye of the
wind. On our way along the shore we
camped one night at a spot which bore
marks of having been also the camp of
Captain Bottelfsen' and his brave compan-
ions, who had dared the dangers of the
Arctic sea in boat IA feet long and AZ
feet wide, Iol1s9 35fiua .srtslj iGtEd Il
On our fourth day out we came to an
open sea and at Low island found num-
Der of Norwegian hunting sleeps working
their way sherthward dis thes fee slowly re-,
ceded, looking for seal and fwa1rus? One
of these 'bfdtghb nasQa letter. ffom Captain
Bottelfseh, which told briefly cof his strugs
giles to reach Daness island and OF Ihis de-
termination eto go on eto Norway as soon
as possible and execute to6r6f1er for, an.
other ship toIcdne out land ttslke aas back.
But the dat6rof tha 1stte1fwas tonlyotwo
weeks earhen :iadd ir really appeared that
with haste and good luck we might reach
Norway before he could thife hisf ship and
start on the, return fpyageoe. Though we
were quite able to take care Of ourselves,
down the coast to headqn9rtersq and were
rather lenieying the strip, we decided to
hire the fast slOop Regentine. Captain Nils
johnson, and 60 on without delay. The
Berentine proved q fast sailer, and luckily
we had a fair wind, 60 that iniitwo days
we came to anchor before our headquarters
house in the Danes Cat. Right glad were
Professor Oyen and Mr.! Heyetdahl to see
u.s. as we'll as three sailor boys who had
sought refuge there when their own ship,
the Malygen, sailed off to Norway with
Captain Bottelfsen without them. They
were in no danger Of being compelled to
winter, for Bottelfsen was coming back,
and besides all the hunting ships would be
sure to call before returning to Norway.
If forced to winter, they would have had
everything q man could wish for except
daylight and the morning paper, for their
comfortable house was literally full of the
best provisions : Taking these stores and
the men aboard, we set sail for Tromso
Gains and adverse winds delayed us en-
route, and it was with great regret we
learned, when near, this port, that Captain
Bottelfsen had but four days before sailed
for Spitzbergen in the Malygen, being
towed out Of the Hord by thA Kindness OF
Captain Wempe. Of the German steamer
Stettin. = "a Is
a Gro1ndless Ruinor.
Great was QUE amazement to discover
that the world had been alarmed for our
safety, and that therech had been reports to
the effect that every life Id the expedition
had been lost. eTkere never was even an
excuse for such rri1nors, and there never
was a,mo1nent in which we were unable to
take care Of ourselves hnd make our way
unaided back to cur headquarters. We
did not even haye eany need efofl lthe ser1e-
ices Of relief ship, stheugb We all felt
deeply grateful for the. .kihd sympathy
which prompted friends toartange for pne,
and which yronld have hnen dicpatched