The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-08
Almost Without Warning the Vessel
Was Gripped by Huge Bergs,
Squeezed anu Wrecked.
LONG AND PERILOUS TRIP
Captain BOttelfSen's Journey i'm
Search of Sealing Vessels.
Explorer Weliman's WhereabOuts-The
Kaiser's Yacht Meteor Beaten by
the British Boat Carina.

TROMSOE, Norway Aug. I.-Captain
Bottelfson, who brought to this place the
news of the loss of the wellman polar ex-
petition steamer Ragnavald-Jarl. gives, in
an interview, further details of ths adj
ventures of the Wellman party. He says
that the expedition reached Walden island
on May II, when the pack ice was becom-
ing troublesome. Wellman and his party
started north on sledges, on AIay "a. On
May % the screwing CT the ice commenced
in real earnest. Near the steamer were
icebergs which lowered as high as the
yardarms of the vessels masts. While the
crew were drinking their afternoon coffee
on that day the steamer was suddenly
crushed by the ice as if it were a match
box. The water rushed in with terrific
force and, in a few minutes, the vessel
was a complete wreck. The crew, in the
meantime, had escaped to the shore. The
men had been occupied for several days
previous in bringing provisions and the
aluminium boats ashore. They were now
obliged to take shelter In a great dog ken
mel until they were able to build a hut
from the wreckage of the steamer. Through
a hole which had been made in the side of
the wrecked vessel the party were enabled
to save a quantity Of coal and other useful
articles.
An express party was sent after Mr..
Wellman and overlook him and his COM
panions at Martens island. Mr.. Wellman,
Dodge and others returned to Walden
island and held a council. Captain Bottelf-
sen, Webfeldt and a sailor volunteered to
go and seek for sealing vessels to the
southwark. Mr.. Wellman resumed his jour
ney northward on May 81, but Bottelfsen
and his party were unable to start on
their trip owing to the heavy pack ice,
and We're still detained at the island on
June %, when Sando, Iverson, Winship and
Heyerdahl returned from MIR. Wellman.
owing to lack of provisions and to troubles
in regard to ice and water, with orders
and mails from Wellman, who had gone
forward.
on June q Captain Bottelfsen and his
party started southwark in search of seal
minimum boat. They passed four terrible
weeks of storm and heavy snow, some
times hauling their boat and sailing or row
ing where there was open water. In this
way they Travelled 230 miles along the
Spitzbergen islands. They were compelled
to throw away nearly all their extra
clothes and much of their equipment, as
the boat was overloaded. Their passage
difF5eult H and Sang s5Tais En of Particularly fpa nsrfy
were wet to the skin, and, the cold being
intense, their sufferings were most severe.
was simply awful. In a hut at MoSset bay
they found and repaired an old gig. On July
Is they tried to cross Wilde bay. but were
obliged to return owing to the fog and ice.
They made another start on the 18th, but
the ice proved too dense, and they were
obliged to abandon the gig and proceed,
hauling the aluminium boat. Seven Nor
wegian ~sealers were seen east of the Morse
island, but they failed to respond to the
party's signal. At Morse bay they found
Nordensjold's hut, where a provision depot
was maintained by a Tromsoe skipper
named Sociazon., The party had to take
their boat around Welcome Point. On July
10 they were taken aboard the steamer
Malygen, Captain Petersen. Heyerdahl was
landed at Danes island to join Professor
Oyen, who was well, but still declined to
leave the island.
Captain Bottelfsen says that during the
journey along the coast his party were able
to shoot a few polar bears and reindeer.
He says that Captain Petersen proved a
splendid ice master. Bottelfsen is high in
| his praise of aluminium boats. The dogs
he had with him proved useless, becoming
sore-footed, and had to be shot. He says
that Sando and his companions left Well
man on June II, six miles east of Cape
Platen, on his way to Ribs island. All his
party were well. He says it is probable
that the two mates, two engineers, a sto-
ker and cook, who were left at Walden
island. will be rescued by sealers as soon
as the ice and weather becomes favorable
enough for them to proceed eastward.