The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1895-10-04
NANSEN'S PERILOUS VOYAGE
Trying TO Drift Across the
5s &c. North Polar Sea,
1t Was Specially Prepared for the
Journey, and is Probably the
Strongest Vessel Ahoat-Will the
Venturesome Explorer Ever Return
AliveP-A Talk with Mrs. Nansen
in Her Home in Christiana.

II hope that Norwegian men and wo-
men will send kind thoughts to us
while we drift through the cold, dark
polar world"
This las DR.. Fridjof Nansens fare
well to his countrymen when he set
out on his adventurous voyage in his
stout little ship the Franz" and 1t has
been realized. There is today no more
popular name in all Scandinavia than
his.
The thoughts of the people are kind,
| but they are gloomy. Few of the Nor
wegians expect that Nansen will ever
again see home. 1t is a pleasure to me
| to call attention to some exceptions,
| to his friend and comrade and above
| all to his devoted wife, and to tell some
| of the reasons why they are confident
| that the problem of the Pole is even
| now being solved, that somewhere in
the unknown spaces never yet tray
| ersed by man, the silent currents of the
sea are bearing hansen back again to
| human sight.
1t was more than two years ago, on
August g. 1893, when NJ. o. Christofer-
sen. secretary of the expedition, bade
| hansen goodbye, as he turned his
back upon the world at Chabarowa, In
the strait of Jugor, Siberia.
| Mr.. Christensen knows all of Nan
| sens plans. He expressed to me the
most perfect confidence in the success
| of the undertaking, and said he was
pleased that nothing had been heard
| of hansen. According to the most
accurate calculation" he said, three
years. at least, will be required for
the journey to be completed, and II we
| receive any information before the eX-
piration of that time, it is likely to be
| tidngs of misfortune"
This was reassuring, but my skepti-
cism was not completely eradicated
until 1t became my good fortune,
| through a friends invitation, to meet
the Charming young wife of the ex-
plorer, and from her lips hear an ex-
| PLANTATION of the principles upon which
her husbands plan is founded.
DR.. Nansen's home is picturesquely
| situated at Lysaker, suburb OF
Chrlstiana. Here live his wife and
daughter. The former an intellectual,
| yiyacious and cheerful young woman,
the latter beautiful little girl about
two and a half years of age. Here
they wait his return in a characteristic
| Norwegian home, in every part of
which mementoes of the absent Voy-
ger meets their eyes. A bust or Or.
hansen IL the prominent object IN the
| parlor In every corner on every little
stand and table are photographs and
paintings of the distant husband ane
| father. The walls are decorated with
paintings representing Arctic scenes
and adventures.
| Madame hansen belongs to one or
the best families in Norway. Her
maiden name was Lars and her mother
| is a sister of the poet Johan SEBASTIAN
| Cammerrneyer 'WelhaVen, who was a
| contemporary of Vergeland. Madame
Nansen is herself Norway's most popu-
lar concert singer. Her voice, though
not equal to that of the opera singer,
| Gina Oselio Bjornson, surpasses II IN
| sweetness and purity OF tone. Wner-
ever she appears, she Is always ehti NJ
siastically greeted. Perhaps TO the Inc,
| sympathy and admiration naturally
| drawn to Nansens wife, some portion
Of her success before the public may
be due. She is an admirer or Dr.
| Grieg, the great Norwegian composer,
and she alone sings his music before
not a beautiful woman, but Is charn-
ing and interesting, semi-orunette
Of medium height with we'll built ana
a symmetrical figure. A.,
| orr conversation soon turned TO the
one object of interest-her husband and
his expedition to the North Pole. II
did not depress her to talk about her
absent husband; on the contrary, she
was as happy as the lark she rivals,
and at frequent intervals her clear and
hearty laugh would cause the piano a'
my side to murmur in sympathy.
"Not for a moment do l doubt his re-
turn" she said. "Why. If l had not
felt the greatest confidence in his sue
cess. l should never have been foollsh
enough to let him go. The only thing
which / can see that may prevent ms
return Is a sheer misfortune whereby
the vessel Is crushed; even II Fran
should be wrecked they have boats; II
they, too, are lost, then, as last re-
sort, they have tents to erect on the
Ice"
asked If she had no desire to ac-
| company her husband
She answered, promptly: mo, In
deed, that would be outside of the
sphere of a woman. That would mol
have been the proper thing for me tc
do"
ventured to mention that Mrs
Peary accompanied her husband on al
Arctic trip. ...-
Yes" she said, land so much the
worse for the expedition! 1t must have
been great burden to carry her along
although Mrs. Peary certainly shoWee
much courage" Madam Nansen, II
may be inferred, does not advocate
woman suffrage.
I'D you ever try to persuade your
husband to give up his bold plan?'
mo; on the contrary, / urged and en-
couraged him to the task, for it wa:
his life work, and without an attempt
at 1t he would never have been happy
Since he was so unfortunate as L
have such a desire, 1t was my duty tC
assist him in satisfying it,"
80 you call it misfortune that he
had such deslre?'
well, l can't say / call II fortunate
TO have him up near the North Pole
while | am sitting here"
Madame Nansens faith In the sue
cess OF the expedition and In the SAT,
return of her husband Is sanguine, anC
as grounds for her belief she gave IN,
an Interesting account of DR.. Nansen'!
plans, and told how they had gradually
developed through many years o.
, study and how they had finally led t
the expedition
, Since his twenty-second year DR.
} hansen has been contemplating cross
ing the North Pole, and with that enc
In view has been diligently studying
the Arctic ocean currents. He no
tlced the two large currents flowing
down the coasts of Greenland out o
the Polar regions. Approximate cal
culations showed that an enormous
quantity of water was thus trans
ported southwardly. OF course II would
be impossible for the Polar ocean t
continue to yield such great volumes
Of water unless similar streams wer,
somewhere flowing into it. DR.. Nanser
sought their source on the opposit,
side Of the pole off the coast Of Siberia
whore he discovered a great culren
which moved steadily toward the pole
,Y,1Vr 4 he, ts.vs Al.