Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-04-05
One of the Aluminium sledEe..

the north of Spitzbergen till he had
reached latitude 81 IL deg, and at that
point the ice was still trending toward
the northeast If Scotesby had been
after the pole he might have sailed
on to latitude 80 deg. or possibly IS
deg; but he was after whales, and he
then turned back.
Should we be SO fortunate as to
have q season like that of 1906 it will
be much in our favor; for in that case
our steamer will take us from so to
Z 100 miles on our jollrney-a tremendous
help in q country where every mile Of
advance costs so much effort. But
these favorable seasons do not occur
very often, and we expect to be COM
PEELED to leave the steamer and take
to the pack at or very near the land,
or about the SOth parallel. Seven
hundred miles of statute miles of un-
known deserts of ice will lie between
us and the pole. The edge of the fee
pack may be as calm as May MORN
ing; it may be furious with the rage
of the surf and turbulent with rolling
and tossing masses of ice. If the
weather be fine we shall have little
difficulty in disembarking with our out.
AZ, IL IL 10 SlOllut we MuSt uu Ouc Ol
two things-run our steamer within the
edge of loose ice till we reach water
that is protected from the swell of the
ocean by the outer barrier, or await
Il more propitious moment. Probably
the former alternative will be chosen,
because the Ragnsvald Jarl is built for
just such work as this, and it is nearly
always easy to run far enough within
the pack to find harbor behind the
reef of ice which is left SEWARD. In
storms many a ship has been deliber-
ately run within the edge of the pack
to find there safe refuge.
Wherever the southern border of the
pack is there our real journey begins.
At once we start for the north. The
Ragnsvald Jarl is mot Immediately to
leave us, however, Her orders will
be to remainsin ice harbor at the edge
Of the pack orr cruising near by for
week or ten days. This precaution is
taken in view Of the possibility of
change of plan on our part Often the
pack quickly changes its aspect in this
region. Where yesterday was solid
ice. heaped up in hu: Knocks ana irreg-
ular masses, to-day may be leads or
canals of water, with the d..:. cllcd
masses-some as big rs the worlds
fair grounds, others the size Of town.
ships or even counties-drifting in one
direction or another. but most lkely to
the west and south coward the great
Greenland current which SWEEPS out
Of the Arctic ocean. Such al occur
renee as this. within a few days after
the commencement Of our Journey,
might make change of plan desirable.
We could press on, hoping soon to
pass beyond the region of deta ched
masses and get upon the main ice or
solid pack, or we could fall tack upon
our waiting steamer, and in her, per-
haps, press through the broken ice to
the main pack. Our course in such an
emergency will be governed by circuln-
stances The point is that one alterna-
tive Is provided for by the presence of
cur steamer.
But the chances are very strong that
we shall find the pack solid and m
movable. In four seasons out Of five,
as nearly as the writer could learn
from the Norwegian hunting vessel
captains with whom he talked last
summer, the main pack remains for
the most part, intact during the month
Of May. Nor is there q strong current
to the north Of Spitzbergen. Hunting
ships caught in the ice have drifted
first tn one direction and then another.
Sir Edward Parry's ship, the Hecla,
drifted about to all points Of the COM
pass, for three weeks in May, 1927.
Later in the summer, perhaps, the cur
rent moves sluggish]y to the west, but
In May, as rule, it has neither pro-