The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-17
WHO DR.. NANSEN Is.

DR.. Fritjof Nansen is distinguished
scientist Of Norway, and an enthusiasts
tic believer in the possibility of finding
the North Pole. He is about So years of
age. He entered the University of Chris
tiana in 1880, and two years later went
Oh n sealing trip to Danmark Straits
on the east coast of Greenland in the
Viking.
Later, in 1882, Nansen was appointed
curator of the Museum at Bergen, which
position he retained until 1883, when he
led a small expedition of six men to
Greenland, crossing the southern part of
that portion of the globe. 1t was proba
bly, during this trip that Nansen con-
ceived the plan of making an attempt to
reach the Norh Pole In vessel con-
structed specially for such an undertake
ing. In any case, after his return to
Norway, Nansen took the preliminary
steps toward fitting out his expedition
and the Fran was planned and con-
structed. She is generally classed as
three-masted sailing schooner, but she
had 100-horse-power steam engine in
addition to her SAILS Her displacement
was 800 tons and her sides were SO con-
structed as to force all ice meeting the
vessel to pass underneath her, thus pre-
venting "pincbing' and ''sorewing. I"
The Norwegian Parliament allowed
hansen about S52, 900 to fit out his craft,
and in addition, he was assisted in his
work by many private subscriptions, in
Guiding one of IS. 600 from King Oscar
The Fran was launched October g. 1899,
at Laurwik, near Christania.
A Norwegian paper describing the fit
ing out of the Fran, said "Bread is
the principal nourishment of Nansen
and his people. The bread Is kind of a
biscuit, large and round, white and very
compact The ration Of each man is to
consist of
FOUR BISCUITS A DAY.
This, at least. was given out when
the expedition left Norway. Silk is used
as the most suitable material for tents.
as it shuts out the cold better than any
thing else.
1.-THE cabin Of Nansen's ship. the Fran
Forward is heated by means of an
English petroleum stove, which consumed
three litres of petroleum per day. AS
the explorer has taken along with him
q sufficient supply of this fuel to last him
eight or nine years, there will be no lack
Of heating material. The library of the
expedition consists of 1000 books half of
which are scientific works and the othe r
half novels, poetry, etc.
The Grew mum bers IL men, and all &C.
cupy the cabin, which measures only 13
feet square. There they dwell, eat and
work. The suits they wear cannot be
pentra ted by water.'
The expedition sailed from Christianla
June "a, 1898, the Doctor's plan being
to make for the new Siberian Islands,
and head north until the Fran, by being
Embedded In the ice, would be compelled
to drift along the west coast of any land
which might be found
On August 20, 1895. DR.. Nansen sent
dispatch from Vardo, reporting that
on the I'd of that month he was about
to sail into the Kara Sea, and that the
Fran had behaved splendidly mp to
that stage Of the journey, especially in
forcing her way through the ice
A London dispatch dated March of
last year announced that letter dated
Kjollsford, February "a, had reached
Hammersfest, Norway, announcing that
telegraph inspector at station in
the mountains between Lebsey and Lang
ford -
HAD SEEN A BALLOON as
moving in southsrly direction, and
believed that it was possibly carrying
dispatches from DR.. Nansen, but until
the foregoing dispatch DO further news
OF the balloon Of DR.. hansen had been
received.
DR.. Manson g companions were Capt.
Otto Sverdrup. shipubilder; Sigurd
Scott Hansen. lieutenant in the Norwe-
igan navy, and director Of the astronom-
ical, meteorological and magnetic obser-
vations: Henrik Blessing, surgeon and
botenist; Theodore G. Jacobsen, mate
Peder Hendriksen, harpooner; Anton
Amundsen, chief of engineers; Lars
Petersen. second engineer; Hjalmar
Johannesen, officer of the Norwegian
army; fremen Bernard Nordahl, cleo
trician; Ivan Mogata, carpenter, and
Aldrolph Juell, steward.
DR.. Nanssn, according to Lieut.. Davis
L. Brainard, U. S. A., who accompanied
the Greedy expedition az subsistence
officer, bases his theory of the current
which he relied on to carry him through
the Arctic regions on the fact that the
trend of the Jeanette was generally in
the direction of the pole and that pieces
of driftwcod, ETC., have been found on
the west coast OF Greenland and along
the east coast OF Ellsmere and Grinnell
land, which from their appearance and
character, seem to indicate that they
had drifted from the Siberia coasts.
The COld yVava