Evening star., 1896-02-13

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Explorer Nanscn.
the contrary arguments that the current
may be accepted That this current VIII
enable Nansen to reach the pole, or within
500 miles of it, by no means follows, but he
means to try it.
Nansen's Plan.
His plan is simple. The Norwegian as
sembly has voted $4,000, and the king,
with twelve private citizens, contributed
$4,000 more. With this Nansen is building
a novel ship. 1t is to be Of about 200 tons
burden, and fitted with full sail power and
sufficient steam power to enable it to make
six knots an hour in calm water. The form
of a cross-section of the hull will be that
of the letter v, so that the foes can get no
hold of her when they come together, but
will, instead, squeeze her up out OF the
water "She will be built Of excellent oak,
her sides will be made very thick and in
side she will be strengthened by system
of strong beams and braces. Her bow will
be extraordinarily strong. Outside she will
have two oak plankings, one without the
other, and outside Of these third planking
of hard oak or greenheart. am also think
ing of giving her a thin sheathing OF mild
steel several feet broad along the water
line, in order that the ice shall not be able
to cut into and damage her wooden sides
when it is pressed against them. The diff
Guilty will be- however, to fasten this
sheathing properly. l feel certain that the
ship will be the strongest ever used in the
arctic regions and that she can be crushed
only in an extraordinary combination Of
circumstances" to quote the words OF her
builder.
Nansen's Expectations.
Then, to allow him to tell his own plans,
when we have arrived at the New Siber-
1ov, To1o do e1on TO for he
right moment to reach the furthest pos
sible point north in the open water. think
this will probably be in August or in the
beginning of September. To be able to get
better view of the surroundings, and to
examine in what direction there Is open
water. ETC.. think of Using captive bal
loon from the ship. At the most favorable
moment we must push northward as far
We can. This will be very likely along
the western coasts Of the island as l ex-
pect to find most open water there. When
we can get no further We shall have moth
ing left but to run into the ice at the most
favorable spot. We shall then be In the
current which the Jeannette struck, and,
like her, shall be carried northwest. The
ice will, perhaps. soon begin to press. but
1t will only lift strong ship, and this
will give us good quarters on the foe.
While drifting we shall have plenty Of
time and excellent opportunity to make sci
entifc observations of great Importance
Probably We shall in this way, in the
course of some years, be carried across the
pole or near it and into the sea between
SpitZbergen and Greenland, where we shall
get into open water and be able to return
home.
There is, however. possibility that the
ship. in spite of all precautions may be
crushed in the ice; but if this happens the
expedition will have another resource. 1t
will now be time to the ice quarters
instead of the ship, and we shall have to
| move all our provisions, coal, boats ETC.,
| to the ics foe and encamp there. For this
purpose we shall probably. besides the
common light boats, take boat big
! boat will be like second ship. only on a
| much smaller scale, and. as it will stand
| on an ice foe, it cannot be crushed. Be
| sides, we shall take warm and light tents
| similar stuff. well filled between with rein
| deer hair. That there is no great risk in
| leaving the ship and taking refuge on the
| drifting ice foe, we have to some extent
Other expeditions have drifted in similar
| way for considerable distances and during
many months without an accident. 1 need
| only here mention the Hansa crew and the
! men from the American Polaris."
| In the Jeannette's Drift.
| Mr.. Spears continues:
| He hopes that the current which drifted
the Jeanette on to her destruc. lion at from
| two to eight knots per day will carry him
| at not less than two knots per day over the
| unknown course that stretches away 1900
| miles long. He hopes that in this region,
| where the days are six months long and
the nights no shorter he will have ample
time and opportunity for scientific investi-
| CATION. He hopes that the current will
drift him near the pole, and that he will
| make great discoveries there. He hopes
| that at the end of three, or at most four
years he will find the foe breaking up
| around lis ship not very far off the coast
| of Greenland. He hopes once more to es-
| cape the dangers of ice fields driven hither
| and on in chaotic fury, and once more to
see the little ship heading away with an
| unbroken company for home and friends.
DR.. Nnnsen's Greenland Trip.
DR.. Nansen in 1855 went to the east coast
of Greenland in whaler. carrying with him
an outfit of sleds, utensils and SO on, with
which he proposed to cross Greenland. Be
ing unable to reach the shore, because of the
| floating ice there, he landed on a great ice
| cake. The story of his experience on that
foe of ice Is one of the most thrilling in the
annals of arctic exploration 1t was great
| merit of DR.. Nansen that he has not in any
way tried to impress on the reader of his
| writings the extent of his own bravery, or
endurance, or suferings. Indeed, there is a
cheerfully in all that he has published, that
should entitle him to a high place in the
estimation of readers. Dr. Nansen at la ST
landed on the Greenland coast, scaled the
mountains and glaciers there and then
struck off afoot over the ice cap, where the
temperature was often more than 60 degrees
below zero, Fahrenheit He lived In q tent
slept In bag and thrived on it, He event
ually reached the west coast, where he
made small boat out of sled frames and
canvas and padded her down to the Eskimo
settlement Of Godhaab, where he remained
all winter and enjoyed life immensely He
was tie first man to cross Greenland, and
he destroyed the illusion long held that in
the interior Of that country might be found
valleys green with vegetation and alive
with game and strange people.
His success embodened him to undertake
the following Of new route to the north
pole.
NANsEN AND HIS FRIENDS.