Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1896-08-20
DIR. HANSEN RETURNS.
ARRIVES AT VARDO ISL.
AND, NORWAY.
Failed to Reach the POle-Went Four
Degrees Nearer Than Amy Other EH-
PIOrer Abandoned the Fran In the
Autumn of 1895 and Took to the Ice.

MALMo, Sweden, Aug. IS. - The
newspaper Dagensnyheler has re-
ceived communications from Dr. Nan.
sen and Lieutenant Schottansen from
the island of Yardo, Norway. These
communications state that they aban.
doned the Fran in the autumn of 1895
and resorted to the ice.
The steamer Wlndward. carrying
supplies to the Jackson Farnsworth
expedition, picked them up near
Franz Josef land. They expected
that the Fran would eventually drift
to the east coast of Greenland.
Did Not Reach the Pole
Dr. Nansen left the Fran on March
IA, 1895, in "a degrees north latitude.
He traversed the polar sea to point
SO degrees, IA minutes north lati .ude,
situated north OF the new Siberia
islands. No land was sighted north
of 50 degrees of latitude, or thence to
Franz Josef land, where he passed
the winter, subsisting on bears flesh
and whale ,blubber.
Dr. Nansen and his companions are
in the best of health. The Fran is
expected at Vardo or Bergen shortly.
She stood the ice we'll There were
no sick persons on board when Nan
sen left her.
The steamer Windward took letters
for Nansen when it started to the re-
lief of the Jackson FarmswOrth eXpe-
dition, as Mr.. Jackson expected to
find Nansen and was convinced that
his idea of drifting across the pole in
the ice was impractical BILE. He was
also convinced that Nansen would re-
turn in the direction of Franz Josef
land.
DR.. hansen failed to reach the
North pole, but he touched point
four degrees nearer than any other
explorer has done.
vARDoE, Norway, Aug. !6.-Tbe
captain of the Windward, the British
steamer which has just returned from
Franz Josef land after taking supplies
to the British North pole expedition
commanded by Jackson and known as
the Jackson Harmsworth expedition,
fled a telegraphlc message here yes
terday describing the accidental
meeting of jackson and DR.. Nansen,
forming one of the most remarkable
incidents in the history of Arctic ex-
ploration, for it appears that the Nor
wegian ex plorer had been living in
hut quite close to one of the English
explorers stations for long time pre-
vious to the meeting OF the two men,
vet neither one of them was aware of
the others presence in that vicinity.
In this messrge, jackson describes his
accidental meeting with DIR. Nansen
while the latter was traversing the
ice pack, and it appears that it was
lucky meeting for the Norwegian eX-
plorer, as the latter was misled, ow-
ing to inaccuracies on the map drawn
by Payer, the discoverer of Franz
Josef land, and also because DIR. Nam
sen two chronometers and his watch
having stopped, he was quite unable
to establish his position and was con-
sequently trying to march westward
to Spitzbergen over the ice pack,
which was not only highly dangerous
but probably impossible.
jackson, after meeting Nansen, con-
Quoted the latter to Elmwood, the
headquarters of the British expedition,
where the Doctor awaited the arrival
OF the Windward, which left the
Thames on June 10, and Vardoe on
June %, to take supplies to the jack
son expedition, and not TO bring them
back, as currently reported.
jackson, in the dispatch filed by the
captain of the Windward, said: ION
June II, met DIR. hansen three miles
out on foe, east of Cape Flora, aud
under most extraordinary circum-
stances. He had wintered in rough
hut within few miles of our north"
ern limit in 1892 and this spring we
unwittingly came within few miles
of his winter quarters.
"Dr hansen left the Fran with one
companion, Lieutenant Sigard Scott
Hansen, lieutenant in the Norwegian
navy, and director in the astronomical,
meteorological and magnetic observa-
tions, and reached latitude SOFA,
travelling northeast from where he
left the Fran, which was in "a North,
1O2 East
1t is believed here that the Fran
NAV turn up here or at Bergen
shortly, as she stood the ice very well,
has plenty of provisions on board and
there was no sickness amo1g her crew
when DR.. Nansen left her on March
IA, 1898.
Professor Mohn says that the scien-
tific result of DIR. Nausen's observa-
tions are magnificent, and that sew
eral islands have been discovered.
DIR. Nansen, in describing their life
during the winter of 1896, said:
"When the bears flesh had been ex-
hausted we were obliged to kill the
weakest dogs to feed the Others and
continued thus until the whole pack
had been slaughtered.
Myself and companions started In
the direction of Spitzbergen on May
10. After that we occupied six weeks
on snowshoes, dragging sledges and
kayaks 1.-THE Arctic canoe) loaded on
sledges after us. We went partly
overland and partly over sea ice.
I'VE reached Jackson's winter quar-
tiers, where we found all in good
health. We remained there about six
weeks, till the steamer Windward
arrived"