The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-10-04
WELLMAN AT
TABLE ISLAND.
Two Days Of Ramming Through
the Ice Floes.
LEAVING THE RESERVE SUPPLIES.

LEAVING THE RESERVE SUPPLIES.
Farewell to Oyen-Hard Work Forcing q
Way Through the Newly Formed Sheets
of Ice-Curious and Interesting Freaks
of Consolation a Cache.
Copyright, 1891, by Walter Wellman.]
ON BOARD THE RAGNvALD JARL, OFF
BRANDY BAY, .Spitzbergen, May live
are making rapid progress toward the
most northern lands OF this archipelago
The Seven islands are in plain view from
the deck of the ship, and with open water
ahead it looks as If we should be able to
reach them in the morning or during the
night. We left our headquarters at Danes
island last evening at 8o'clock. All day
the barometer had been rising and the
wind diminishing, and during the after
noon we saw that the favorable moment
for an advance to the north and east had
arrived. In arctic navigation one must
always be ready to advantage by the first
good opening which presents itself. We
therefore made all possible haste toward
completion of our headquarters and get
ting things aboard. The dogs gave us
some trouble. They had enjoyed them
selves SO much at the island that they
were loath to leave it,. and one little fellow
we could not catch at all, but left him as
another companion for Professor Oyen.
This made the number of dogs on board
As, quite enough for our purpose if the
majority of them will only prove useful in
harness.. Late in the afternoon Professor
French went ashore and made observa-
tions for the magnetic variation, which he
found to be 1S. 40 west.
The closing scenes at Danes island were
rather picturesque. At 1880 Professor Oyen
came aboard, gathered up the last of his
house equipment and after saying his
goodbys to the other members of the expe
dition started ashore. Between the ice foe
to which the .Jarl was moored and the
shore it had been necessary to bridge mar
row water opening with two Of our ice
ladders, which came in very conveniently
for the purpose. A number of Mr.. Oyen's
Norwegian companions had remained at
the house to say farewell to him, and when
he had joined them they shook his hand,
crossed the little bridges, pulling the
bridges after them, and then stopped and
gave three rousing cheers for Peter the
First, liking of Spitzbergen, as they
have dubbed their comrade. Carrying the
bridges, they came aboard, the colors were
run up, and the .Jarl steamed out of the
ford. We waved our goodbys to the sturdy
and studious scientist, who stood in front
of his habitation watching the last human
faces he is likely to behold for several
weeks, without doubt the only man
whose feet at that moment were touching
the soil, or rather the snow, of the Spitz-
bergen archipelago. He was indeed mon
arch Of all he surveyed.
A Smooth Sea In Sight.
At 9o'cleck we rounded Hakluyt's head,
the extreme northwestern point of Spitz-
bergen, and were surprised to find the sea
perfectly smooth after the long northeast
er. This was the only unfavorable sign
to be seen, for the absence of swell indi-
Gated that at no great distance the sea was
covered with ice. Yet no ice was in sight
from the deck, and as we steered to the
east we waited with considerable anxiety
the news which Captain Bottelfsen would
presently bring from the crows nest. Our
anxiety was justifable, for at this point
many expeditions and hunting vessels in
Vulnerable have In the past been complete
~ stopped by pack ice barring their way
in every direction save south It was here
that Sir Edward Parry on the 14th day Of
June, 1897, plunged into the pack by
which his ship was held prisoner until the
S1st day Of June After carefully scan
ming the horizon with his g>.ss Captain
Bottelfsen came down from his eerie and
reported no ice to be seen save few loose
pieces drifting about and a water sky to
the north and east. This good news in
duced us to change the course of the ship
from the east more to the north for the
purpose Of picking up the ICE, wherever it
was, and following along its edge for a
closer study of ats character, that we
should steam alone unimpeded in an open,
smooth sea, with beautiful weather, where
SO many of our predecessors had been
stopped, was rare good fortune indeed.
But with all our jnbilation over the out
look we did not forget that our joy might
in an hour be turned into sorrow, for here
abouts the ice has an incOnvenient way,
like some people we know, of making its
appearance when least wanted.
But it Is one OF the principles of this ex-
petition to have a good time while we may
and to make the most of our luck while it
is with us, knowing full we'll that there
are plenty OF hardships ahead. So we
stood ON the bridge and cracked our jokes,
all without gloves or mittens, basking in
the sun with q temperature Of % degrees
F. Could it be possible this was the Arctic
sea in latitude so?
In Tow of Berg.
About $50 o'clock this morning Cap
tain Bottelfsen stopped the Jarl, the ice
ahead appearing impossible. He had first
seen the pack in latitude 5000 and had
then steered more to the east to avoid it.
At length he ran among shore ice, or ice
which forms along the coast or in the
flords and drifts out to sea, and this being
rather compact and difficult to pass
through he had concluded to wait more
favorable opportunity. We found the Jarl
lying surrounded by ice about six inches
thick, smooth of surface, snow covered
and lying in large foes extending as far
as the eye could reach, though broken here
and there by irregular leads. A dashing,
reckless ice navigator, with as stanch q
ship as the Ragnvald Jarl under him,
would have pressed on, but we are learn
ing that our quiet, taciturn Captain Bot
telfsen ia carefnlness and conservatism