The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-10-11

comes little nearer see through the fur
suit and charcoal disguise and recognize
the rOguish fast skater We were not at
any moment inclined to believe that DR..
Nansen's Fran had reached this neighbor-
hood. The Fran doubtless is 200 or 300
miles from the coast of Siberia, fast in the |
pack and perhaps slowly drifting toward
Franz Josef Land. We have no idea of
meeting her, though we have letters with
us for DR.. Nansen and members of his
crew, and also for Astrag, who is Lieuten- |
ant Peary's companion in northern Green
land
Today we put one of our aluminium |
sledges, with it's three cases packed with
concentrated food, over the side Of the
ship into the water. The process was
watched with great interest by all hands,
and all were delighted when the sledge |
foated as steadily as boat, showing that
our scheme of making a sledge that would
also serve as boat had been successfully
worked out. Then the sledge was taken
upon the shore ice, where there is great
deal of snow, and good test given of it
with four, three and finally two men in
harness dragging it, The men were sur
prised at the ease with which it pulled,
even where the snow was thick and the
surface uneven. Captain Petersen said no
sledge could pull easier with nearly 500
pounds of load upon it. The great ad-
vantage which it possesses over sledge
with runners is that it stays upon the top
of the soft snow, while runners bury
themselves deep and require enormous
strength to pull them out.
During the afternoon the gale increased
in violence and all thoughts of leaving for
l. - 81
was nothing to do but wait. Captain Bot
telfsen thinks the strong east and south
easterly wind has driven the floating ice
against the pack edge with great force, and
that even if we should be able to get to
the heavy ice at the north it would endan
ger the ship and the lives of all on board
to attempt Decentralization.
This has been the worst day since we
came within the arctic circle. The tenn
perature is not low-16 degrees above
zero F.-hut the strong wind and driv-
ing snow make this degree of cold exceed
ingly disagreeable. In the Spitzbergen
region the first half of May is noted for
storms especially from the northeast and
east, while the latter half is generally COM
! paratively calm.
Still Ice Bound.
THURSDAY, May 17.-Officer of the day,
Mr.. Dodge.
It was stormy morning, but with a
Frightening sky and a cessation Of snow
Captain Bottelfsen concluded to go out
and have look at the ice. So he steamed
out short distance beyond Little Table
island, or to latitude 80. so, but the gale
was still violent, and the heavy ice was
coming in large quantities from the north
east He therefore returned to anchor
within the lee of Table island, where we
spent greater part of the day.
This is the Norwegian Fourth of July,
the anniversary of the adoption of the ma
tional constitution, and the Norwegian
members of the expedition joined with
the crew of the Jarl in celebrating the oc-
casion. They hoisted the American and
Norwegian flags to the masthead, fired
| salute with the cannon which the Jar1 car
ries fore and aft for shooting bottle nosed
whale, which make her look somewhat
like miniature man-of-war, and then
organized a grotesque procession and
marched all through the ship.
In the afternoon the barometer rose
little, and the wind went down, inducing
Captain B. to try another look at the ice
to the north. At 8 o'clock he steamed out
past Little Table island, past point of
pack ice that had drifted to the lee of
that rock, famous as being the northern
most land of the Spitzbergen archipelago
and only 40 years ago believed to be the
northernmost land in the world 1t was
in these waters more than a century ago
that young naval officer, Nelson by
name, had an encounter with q polar bear
which afuerward figured in history. 1t was
Clements 4. Markham, president of the
Royal Geographical society of England,
who sid that the young officers expert
ences with arctic storms and polar bear
bore fruit at Trafalgar. We have no naval
ambition, butMeel that we are becoming
pretty good rs AS the Jarl steamed
northward ina lead of ice Captain Bot
telfsen called the writer to the crows nest
for consultation. The wind was still blow
ing strong, and the temperature was the
lowest we have yet seen-11 above zero F.
we mounted to the nest in good sailor
mS5 style, and after quarter hours study
of the situation agreed with Captain Bot
telfsen that it was useless to 20 farther.
Only scattered patches of open water could
be seen ahead, and with the ice in rapid
drift to the west we might be nipped and
carried far out of our position, SO we re-
luctantly gave the order to turn back and |
to round point of ice just to the west in
to what appeared to be large bay of open |
water, extending as far north as 81 IS and |
possibly to 81.30. Captain Botteifsen is |
eager to make this much northing for us |
in order to earn the reward which we have |
promised him and his crew therefor, but
we care more now for reaching the solid |
pack, where we can begin our sledge jour
ney. than for the latitude in which it is to
be found
We have been q little disappointed in
not finding way to the northeast from
the Seven islands. There have been years
in these waters in which, even az early as
this, In May, ship could follow the edge
OF the pack to the northeast for great
distance. Such was Scoresby's experience
In 1906, and with the ease with which we
reached the Seven islands we had reason
to hope for better luck beyond that point.
Nothing but ice greets the eye in that di-
rection, however, and for an outlet to the
north we are compelled to look westward.
It has been favorite theory Of ours that