Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-11-16
AS NANSEN TELLS 1T.
Found The Current But the Wind
Drove Him Back.
He Says Some Scientific Theories Will Have
to Be Changed.

sens own detailed account of his Arctic
voyage. 1t is graphic narrative,
highly embellshed by pictures of a
different and better sort than usually
accompany stories of travel in the high
north. For his forthcoming book, Nam
sen is to receive $4,000, and he will
other writings. This supplies a new
answer to the old question regarding
Arctic exploration, cui bono? In the
following selected portions will be found
much bearing upon the theory which
distinguished Nansen's trip from others,
namely. that the pole, or, at least the
unknown polar regions, could be best
explored, not by herculean efforts on
boats, sledgeS, or snoWshoeS, but by
simply drifting with the ice. Nansen
found mo thoroughfare' on Sept. 90
i'll n deg. A min. He therefore made
fast to an iceberg. and was soon frozen
immovably fast. He continues thus:
During the first few days we drifted
in a northerly direction, so that by
Sept. 80 we had passed the seventy
ninth parallel of latitude. Hope was
bright. but before long it was darkened
by a north wind, which continued
throughout the autumn, and carried us
in a southeasterly direction. That was
i dreary time: it seemed as if every
thing were going against us. On Nov.
We had come right down as far as Il
deg. 43 min. north latitude, and 1873 deg.
min. east longitude: but then at last
we got southerly and southeasterly
winds. and began in earnest to drift in
q northerly and northwesterly direc-
ton. Just as had been presupposed in
the plan of the expedition. AS early as
October the ice pressures began to be
tremendous, and continued throughout
the autumn and winter. We soon dis
covered that it was principally due to
the tidal current, and that the ice peri
odically parted and packed together
again twice in the "a hours The pres
sure was, therefore, greatest at the
spring tides, when it would often lift
the vessel several feet, only to let it
back again into it's former position as
soon as the ice again opened. In the
case of any other vessel this pressure
would have been utterly fatal; but the
Fran surpassed our boldest expecta-
lions. and was superior to all pressure.
The ice piled itself up, and crashed
against her sides with a noise like the
crack of doom. but in vain.
There was not sound of the yielding
of timbers or wood. The noise of the
ice crashing against her sides often
rose to such pitch that we could not
hear each other speak as we sat in the
saloon. 1t was particularly awkward
for the card players, who thus could
not hear each others declarations. At
first, as long as the crew were unaccus-
toned to this, they found the scene so
interesting that they remained on deck
to watch it; but they soon tired of it,
and no longer went up. however bad
the pressure was. We felt as safe as
in fortress, and the Fran was a COM
Portable, warm nest, where nothing was
felt of the severity of the polar winter
The temperature fell rapidly. and con-
tinued evenly low throughout the win
ter. During many weeks the quicksil-
YER was frozen. The lowest tempera-
ture was 63 deg. below zero. In spite
of this. and although with this temper
ature there was often a wind, we felt
quite comfortable during our open-air
excursions, in our good woollen cloth
ing, with a covering of wind-proof ma
tefial outside. The Fran was so well
protected against the cold that even in
these low temperatures we had no fire
in the saloon until the new year.
In the sea near the Siberian coast,and
northward to 70 deg. north latitude, !
found only very incOnsiderable depths
Jess than 80 fathoms. A little south
If this latitude, however, the depth in
creased with astonishing rapidity, and
[ found the sea north of that to be be-
yeen 1900 and 1900 fathoms deep. 1t
therefore, seems to me as if the entire
polar basin should be considered as a
of the deep channel which
runs northward from the North Allan
sic ocean between SpitZbergen and
Greenland. This discovery of a deep
collar basin overthrows, however. all
earlier theories based upon shallow
polar sea. In the numerous bottom
SAMPLES brought to the surface in our
soundings. / always found remark
able absence of organic life, fact
which will probably lead to some alter
rtion of our views with regard to bot
ON deposits. The temperature and
salinity of the sea also prove to be very
from the suppos,tlons OF most
scientific authorities. 1 found, not far
below the cold ice water covering the
surface of the polar sea, deep layer
warmer and salter water. originating
probably in the Gulf Stream its tenn
,erature being as much as deg. above
reezing point. Below this. indeed, the
water was somewhat colder but yet
warmer than is generally
The speed at which we drifted was
continually changing. and our course,
n consequence, was not stralght
inc. Sometimes we drifted forward,
INF at others we went back again, and
we're our course to be marked on map
,s II actually was, it would be such
.onf,sion of loops and knots, that no