The Portland daily press., 1896-08-22

| wa felt certain to tind ship. We hnd
twanty-eight dogs two sledges and two
kayaks for possible open water. Tha
dog food was calculated for thirty deve
and our provisions for 100 days W
found the ice in the beginning tolerable
| good travelling, and SO made good dis
tanoes, and the ice did not appear drift
ing much. On March 90 we were at So
degrees 10 minutes north Although thu
dogs were less enduring than we hoped
still they were tolerably good. The ice
now became rougher and the drift con-
trary. On March Is we had only
reached 90 degrees 10 miuut es north
and on March 20, IS degrees 80 minutes.
we were now. evidently drifting fast
toward the south. Our progress was very
SLOW IL was fatlgu1ng to work our way
and carry our sledges over the high
hummooks constantly being built up by
! the noes grinding against each other.
| Inc Ice was IN strong movement. and
the ice pressure was heard in ali direo'
tions.
On April 8 We were IS degrees so min.
utes north, constantly hoping to meet
smoother ice. On April we reached 50
degrees minutes north, but the Toe be-
came rougher, until on April 1t got go
Dad That considered 1t unwise to con-
tinue our march in nortAerly direction.
FARTHEsT NORTH.
| We were then ut sc degrees IL minutes
nortn. we then made an excursion on
SKIS further northward In order to exam
inc IS to the possibility of further ad
vance. But we could see nothing but ice
OF the same description, hummock be-
y1na hummook to the horizon, looking
ike a sea OF frozen breakers. We had
had low temperature, and during nearly
three weeks II was in the neighborhood
OF ~ degrees below zero. On April IL
rose to eight degrees below zero, but soon
sank again to SO. When the wind was
elowlng IN this temperature we did not
zee. comfortable IN our TOO thin woolen
cioGhlng. 10 save weight, we had left
our tur suits on board ship. The mini
mum temperature in Gaorh was 40, and
tne maximum was "a. 10 April the
minimum was 3S and the maximum 90
degrees.
1--WE saw no sign Of land In any direo-
ton. In fact, the foe of the Zoe seemed
to move so freely before she wind chat
there could not have been anything in
the way OF land to stop it for long di
lance. we were now drifting rapidly
northward.
MARCHING TOWARD FRANZ JOSEF
| LAND.
| ION April we began msrchine
toward Franz Josef Land. On April Is
our watches ran down. owing to the I'm
usual length of the days march. Altar
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
visions were rapidly decreasing. The
do gs were killed one after the other to
| feed he rest.
| ''In June the cracks became very bad.
ana the snow was In exceedingly bad
condition for travelling. The dogs and
has p ND sic n
tn Q superficial crust and sank deep in che
wet snow. Only a few dogs were now
lett and progress was nsxtEto impossible
But, unfortunately. we had mo- Ine
| re treat. The dogs rations, as we'll
our own, We're reduced to minirn~'-
and we made the best way we cul
| ahead. We expected daily to find lana
sight. but we looked in vain On Ma
81 We were in 50 degrees q miuute.
north and on June 4 In SO degrees "
minutes north. but on June 10 we haG
been drifted to northwest to 81 degrees
26 minutes north. No land was to bu
seen, although, according to Payers mar
mann Land, at so sdegres north. Tho
discrepancies became more and more
puzzling as time went on.
"Ou June 90 we had last sh OF at a
barde seal, and. as the snow beca me con-
stantly worse, determined to wait. We
q
melted away. We also shot three bear
We had only twoEdogs left. which weres
now we'll fed upon neat.
SIGHTED UNKNOWN LAND.
ION July . we continued our journey
over tolerably good snow. On July "a,
when about 80 degrees north, we sighted
unknown land at last, but the ice was
everywhere broken into small foes, the
water between being filed with crushed
Ice, in which the use of kayaks was i'm
possible. We, therefore, had to make our
other. and we did mot reach land until
August at 81. SS north and about 63 de-
grees east longitude.
'This proved to be entirely ice-capped
lands.
"In kayaks we made our way west
ward In open water along these islands,
and on August 10 we discovered land ex-
tending - = from southeast to northwest.
The country became more and more puz-
cling as L could find no agreement
with Payers map. I though we were in
longitude east of Aus ria sound. but ii
this was correct, we were now travelling
straight across Wilczek Land and Dove
Glacier without seeing any land near us.
LAST WINTER.
ron August 20 we rea ched spot in SO
north and 56seast evidently well suited
lOr WinteflHg, anu as III WAS now zoo
late for the voyage to Spitzbergen, / con-
sidered it wisest to stop and prepare for
winter. We shot bears ana 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 blubber for cooking, light
and heat. The bear meat ana the blub-
Der was our only food for ten months,
the bear skins forming our beds and
sleeping bag. The winter, however.
passed we'll, and we were both in perfect
health. Spring came with sunshine and
with much omen water to the south west.
We hoped to have m easy voyage o
Spitzberqen over. the foe ice and the open
water. We were obliged to manufacture
new clothes from blankets and new
sleeping bag Of bear skin. Our provisions
were raw meat and blubber.
On May 10 we were, at last, ready to
start. We came to open water ON May 90
in S1.05 north, but were retarded by
storm until June 8. A little south of
81 degrees we found land extending
westward and open water which reached
west-northwest along it's north coast
Bat we preferred to travel southwark