Evening star., 1896-08-14
DOGS WERE LACKING
Why Nansen Was Compelled to Turn
Back From His Attempt.
VALUABLE SCIENTIFIC RESULTS
Commodore Melville Says the Drift
Theory is Disproved.
HIS VIEWS OF THE ATTEMPT

vARDO. Norway, August 14.-Dr. Nan
sen, whose return from the polar regions
was announced yesterday, says that his
vessel. the Fran. drifted with the ice in a
westerly direction. to 81 degrees, and he
expects the vessel will eventually arrive at
Spitzbergen. He adds that wherever they
penetrated they found the ice broken.
Large patches of water were also found.
$500 meters deep. Below the depth OF
100 meters the water was appreciably
warmer, probably owing to the gulf
stream. Rocky scars. of which tie ex
rlorers had 10 previous knowledge. pre-
vented entrance into the Obenek river for
days.
In consequence of the scarcity Of dogs
with the expedition DR.. Nansen was COM
PEELED to turn back al S6.15. He adds that
If he had been provided with a sufficient
number of dogs and canoes the pole would
have been reached. The land voyage was
most arduous, but extremely valuable
scientific results were obtained
In the autumn of 1895 DR.. Nansen reach
ed the north coast of Franz Josef Land
and built stone house In which nc lived
the whole winter. The Jackson-Harm-
worth expedition arrived at Franz Josef
Land the following spring.
Jackson met DIR. NanSen In June on the
ice foes of Cape Flora. DIR. Nansen was
surprised at the presence of explorers on
Franz Josef Land, as he himself had been
living In a hut close to one of Jacksons S
stations for d long time.
LONDON. August 1.-THE Jackson ex-
pedition is safe at Franz Josef Land The
WiDdward left the Thames June 10 to take
TO bring him back, as generally believed
and currently reported. The Windward Is
understood to have accomplished her task,
and presumably. found DIR. Nansen with
rhn loci sEGora
The commander of the Windward tele-
graphed today from Eardo that Jackson
was met and relieved Dr. Nansen was in
Franz Josef Land in June.
Nansen's Theory Disproved.
Without questioning the accuracy Of the
reports that come by cable from Norway
announcing the safe return of the arctic
explorer, Nansen. from his novel and ad-
yenturous voyage in the Fran, Engineer
in-Chief Melville of the navy, who
member of the Inflated Jeanette party,
which served the pattern for Nansen's
attempt upon the north pole, holds that
the result of the explorers party. as now
understood here, IS to clearly prove his
the Cry of polar drift to be groundlcss.
In the opinion of Commodore Melville, as
expressed to a Star reporter today, Nam
sen has only closely paralleled the cele-
bIated voyage of Wyprecht and Payer in
the Tegethoff. and has followed their drift.
In that case the Tegethoff rounded the
north point of Nova ZeInbla with the in
tenticn of traversing the north coast IT
Siberia They got in the ice and drifted
north and east while the gulf stream ia
vored in the early fall. Afterward. when
the stream lost it's force, they drifted south
and west, bringing up on Wiltsec Island,
one of small group southwark of Franz
Josef Land While they wintered there
their ship was crushed, and in the follow
ing, summer they escaped in their boats
and were picked up off Cape Nassau, one
of the headlands Of Nova Zembla.
Commodore Melville says it will be no.
ticed that Nansen has had similar expert
ence- He did not enter the ice on the other
side of the polar basin from where he was
picked up. his trip fails utterly to prove
that a current exists that may be relied
upon TO carry ship across the polar wa
ters and bring 1T down on the east side Of
Greenland AS a matter of fact, he was
last heard from, according to Commodore
Melville. eastward of Nova Zembla, and he
This is precisely in accord with the judg-
ment passed upon Nansen's theory by Com
modore Melville before he undertook his
Yoyage.
Commodore Melville's Calculation.
Commodore Melville said he had care
fully calculated the probable drift in the
arctic regions north of the New Siberian
Islands, from the experience had with the
Jeanette. AS to Nansen's course, he says
that while it Is not known exactly just
where he entered the ice, he doubtless en-
tered northward Of Nova Zembla and this
would give him just the right drift to
emerge where he is reported to have been
picked up.
1t will remembered by readers of The
Star that Commodore Melville expressed
similar views in opposition to the polar
drift Theory last winter, when 1t was re-
ported that Nansen had reached the pole.
What Prof. Dali Thinks.
Prof. W. H. Dali of the National Museum
and an expert en- questions Of arctic ex-
plorations, WIS seen by Star reporter to-
day and asked how ne regarded the reports
of Nansen's success in getting nearer the
north pole than other explorers
THE reports are so meager." said Prof.
Dali, that it Is hard to draw any conclu-
sion about the trip until further details
have been received. 1t shows. however
that the theory adopted by Nansen. though
not accepted by the scientific world of n
current that would carry him over the
north pole is incorrect, otherwise he would
have