Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-09-09
FINDING OF NANSEN.
Men Returned from the Arctic Re-
gion Tell a Graphic Story
OF the Affair.
Copyrighted, 1896, by the Associated Press.


London, Sept. Henry Fisher, bo-
tanical curator to the University College
museum, Nottingham, and the botanist
of Jackson and EarnSworth Arctic eX-
pediion now entering upon its second
winter on Franz Josehand, reached
Gravesend on Saturday, with four com
panions, by the expeditions supply
steamer Windward. This vessel landed
DR.. Nansen, the Norwegian explorer, at
Vardoe island, in the extreme northern
part of Norway, on August 13.
In an interview today Mr.. Fisher fur
nished further details of the meeting of
the two parties on the ice and in a letter
from E. @. Jackson just received there
was additional light upon this interest
ing chapter in Northern exploration his
tory.
Mr.. Fisher said: ION June { we had
just finished dinner in our quarters at
Cape Flora, when suddenly Lieut.. AL
bert Armita &c, r. \. R.. our astronomer,
put his head in the window and shouted:
How many of you are here. [ see a
man on the ice foe: whoever it is, I'm
off,
I'VE then scrambled to our telescopes
and Lieu. Armitage and l. who had
good glasses, suggested that the stranger
was DR.. Nansen.
by the time DR.. Jackson met the
stranger they looked like two specks
stranger still more carefully We definitely
concluded that he must be DR.. Nansen.
He was wearing skin clothes and was
jumping from one ice hummock to an
other in a marvellous manner"
Mr.. Jackson's letter is addressed to A.
G. w. FarnsWorth and continues the
story. He wrote: Something seen on
the ice, started TO meet me. | saw
man on the pack ice southeast of Cape
Flora and a second person further Of.
| fired several shots to attract their at
tention and after an hours walk we
met the man on skis and concluded he
was a Norwegian, and [ imagined ne
was Walrus hunter who had come to
grief somewhere.
approaching nearer we noticed that
he was as black rs a stoker and thar
from head TO foot his clothes were COW
cred with grease.
Eve shook hands warmly and the
following conversation ensued:
"Jackson-1 am awfully glad to see
you
''Nansen-'So am I to see you
''JacksOn-'Haye you a ship here?
"Nansen-'NO, my ship is not here
''Jackson-'How many are there of
you?'
''Nansen-I have one companion in the
distance here
During this time I was looking stead
lily in his face and, in spite of his long.
black hair and smoke black skin. [
thought he was DR.. hansen, whom [
had known in London. SO | exclaimed:
Are you not DR.. Nansen?
Yes, | am Nansen,' was the reply.
"'By jove,' [ answered. I really am
awfully glad to see you
''Then we again shook hands still
more heartily.
4 thank you very much said Dr.
Nansen. 1t is very kind of you
ali bno l(rT7o
midnight, but as light as noon. After
DR.. Nansen and his companion Nieut.
Schott-Hansen) had a bath, were shaved
and had their hair cut, our photographer
took their pictures and they dined with
US,
Our dinner was a great success. To
DR.. Nansen's establishment we had roast
loon, peas and other vegeta bles, jam tart,
cheese, preserved fruits and port, sherry
and whisky
Mr. Jackson also sent by the Wind
ward a resume Of his diary kept during
the past year and maps of his own MAX
ing which entirely alter the geography
of Franz Josefand. He has discovered
great sea where the map Of Payer. the
Austrian explorer, shows land. This
sea, which Mr.. Jackson has named
Queen Victoria sea, he thinks extends
without a break from about seventy
miles north of his winter quarters to
within three degrees of the north pole
and it is considered by far the most i'm
portant body Of water yet discovered in
those parts.
Mr.. Jackson also writes: ga long
channel through which we passed from
Tisto to Queen Victoria sea / named the
British channel. It's chief arms are Gle
ment's Markham channel by Allen
Young sound and Robert Peel sound.
This sea I look forward to as my most
favorable route in 1897, when the sun
returns in the spring"
'"The mapping of Franz Josef land is
practically complete and nothing should
prevent my attempting it's open water or
have DR.. Nansen's tracings of my map
and his route south. AS his watches ran
down he was unable to establish his DO
sition CORRECTLY. Until he saw my map
of last year he supposed that no one had
been there before him."