The McCook tribune., 1896-08-21
His CHR0NOMETERS STOPPED And
HE LOST His BEARINGS.
JACKSON RESCUED HIM.
Found by the English Scientist on an
Ice FlOe-His Lucky Meeting With
the Norwegian Explorer was Ac-
cidental-The Fran Aban-
doned in the Drifting
Ice-Nansen's Story.

VARDoE, Norway, Aug. .6.-Ibe e
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,
filed telegraphlc message here yes
terday describing the accld entail
meeting of jackson and DR.. Nansen,
forming one Of the most remarka BILE
incidents in tie history of Arctic ex-
ploration, for it appears that the Nor
wegian ex plorer had been living in a
hutquite close to one of the English
explorers stations for a long time pre-
vious to the meeting of the two men,
yet neither one of them was aware of
the others presence in that vicinity.
In this messrge, Jackson describes his
accidental meeting with DR.. Nansen
while the latter was traversing the
ice pack, and it appears that it was a
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 DR.. Nan
sens 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 proba bly, 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 2s, 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: ''On
June II, met Dr. Nansen three miles
out on foe, east of Cape Flora, aud
under most extraordinary circum-
stances He bad wintered in rough
hut within a few miles of our north
ern limit in 1895, and this spring we
unwittingly came within a few miles
of his winter quarters.
DR. Nansen 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 S6:l4,
travelling northeast from where he
left the Fran, which was in "a North,
1O2 East.
1t is believed here that the Fran
may turn up here or at Bergen
shortly, as she stood the ice very we'll,
has plenty of provisions on board and
there was no sickness among her crew
when DR.. Nansen left her on March
IA, 1895.
Professor Mohn says that the scien-
tific result of DIR. Nansen's observa-
tions are magnificent, and that sew
eral islands have been discovered.
DR.. Nansen, in describing their life
during the winter of 1886, said:
when the bears flesh had been ex-
hausted we were obliged to kill the
weakest dogs to feed the others, and
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 (the Arctic canoe) loaded on
sledges after us We went partly
overland and partly over sea ice.
I'VE reached Jackson's winter quar-
ters, where we found all in good
health. We remained there about six
weeks, till the steamer Windward
a rri-a1 -