The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-17
DOCTOR NANSEN'S
OWN ACCOUNT
CONCLUDED from Page IL
our march in a northerly di-


further advance. But we could see
nothing but ice of the same descrip-
tion, hummock beyond hummock, to
the horizon, looking like a sea of frozen
breakers. We had had low tempera-
ture, and during nearly three weeks it
was in the neighborhood of 40 degrees
below zero. on April l it rose to de-
srees below zero, but soon sank again
to IS. When a wind was blowing in
this temperature we did not feel COM
Portable In our too thin woolen cloth
ing. To save weight we had left our
fur suits on board ship. The minimum
temperature in March was 40, and the
maximum was "a. In April the mini
mum was SS and the maximum 20 de-
grees.
I'VE saw no siCn of land in any di-
rection. In fact the foe of ice seemed
to move so freely before the wind that
there could not have been anything in
the way of land to stop it for a long
distance off. We were now drifting
rapidly northward.
'On April 8 we began our march to-
ward Franz Josef Land. On April L. our
watches ran down, owing to the un-
usual length of the days march. After
that date we were uncertain as to our
longitude, but hoped that our dead
reckoning was fairly correct. AS we
came south we met many cracks, which
greatly retarded our progress. The
provisions were rapidly decreasing. The
dogs were killed one after the other to
feed the rest.
LOST HIS WAY.
'In June the cracks became very bad.
and the snow was in exceedingly bad
condition for travelling. The days and
theski and sledge runners broke through
the superficial crust and sank deep in
the wet snow. Only a few dogs were
now left and progress was next to i'm
possible. But unfortunately we had
no line of retreat. The dogs rations as
well as our own We're reduced to a
minimum and we made the best way we
could ahead. We expected daily to find
land in sight, but we looked in vain.
on May 81 we were in So degrees 81
minutes north, and on June in So de-
gress &c minutes north. No land was
to be seen, although according to
Payers map we had expected to meet
with Petermann Land at 23 degrees
north. These discrepancies became
more and more puzzling as time went
on.
"On June 90 we had at last shot a
bearded seal. and as the snow became
constantly worse l determined to wait.
We now had supply of seal meat un
til it melted away. We also shot three
bears. We had only two dogs left,
which were now well fed upon meat.
"On July 22 we continued our journey
over tolerably good snow. On July "a,
when about S2 degrees north, we sight
cd land at last, but the ice was every
where broken into small foes, the wat
er between being filled with crushed
ice, in which the use of the kayaks was
We therefore had to make
our way by balancing from one ice
piece to another, and we did not reach
land until August 6, at S1.3S degrees
north and about SO degrees east longi-
tudc.
This proved tobe entirely ice-capped
islands. In kayaks we made our way
westward in open water along these is
lands, and on August IL we discovered
land extending from southeast to
northwest. The country became more
and more puZzlng, as l could find no
agreement with PAYERS map. l thought
we were in longitude east of Austria
Sound, but If this was correct, we were
now travelling straight across Wilczek
Land and Dove Glacier without seeing
any Land near us.
LIVED ON BEAR MEET AND
BLUBBER.
'On Aug. 26 we reached a spot in 81 10
degrees north and Sc degrees east, evil
IDENTIFY well suited to wintering, and
as it was now too late for the voyage
to Spitzbergen l considered 1t wisest
to stop and prepare for winter. We shot
bears and walruses and built hut Of
stones, earth and moss, making the roof
of walrus hide, tied down with rope and
covered with snow. We used the blub-
Der for cooking, light and heat The
bear meet and the blubber were our only
food for ten months. The bear skins
formed our beds and sleeping bag. The
winter, however, passed well, and we
We're both In perfect health. Spring came
with sunshine and with much open water
to the southwest. We hoped to have an
easy voyage to SpitZbergen over the floe
of ice and open water. We We're Obliged
to manufacture new clothes from blan
cts and a new sleeping bag from bear
skin. Our provisions were raw bear
meat and blubber.
On May 10 we We're at last ready
to start We came to open water on May
90, in Sl.05 N. but were retarded by
storms until June 3. A little south of
81 degrees we found land extending
westward and open water which
reached west northwest alongits north
west coast. But we preferred to travel
southward over the ice through broad
sound
1--WE came on June 12 to the south
side of the island and found much open
water trending eastward. We sailed
and padded in this direction in order
to proceed across Spitzbergen from the
most westward cape, but PAYERS map
was misleading"
DR.. Nansen,s account concludes as
follows. after touching upon the de-
tails of his meeting with jackson, which
have already been cabled
eve left Franz Josef Land in the
steamer Windward on August 7.and had
n short and very pleasant passage,
thanks to the mastery way in which
Captain Brown brought his ship through
the ice. and thence in the open sea to
Vardo."