Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-14
HAS FOUND THE NORTH POLE
Apparently Authentic News from the Ex.
plorer Nansen,
IS LOCATED ON A CHAIN or ISLANDS
siberian Agent of the Norwcginn N
scicntist Claims to Have Received
Intelligence that the Expe-
dition is m Success.

1
nareff, who is the agent of DR.. Fritjef Nan
sen, the Norwegian explorer who sailed Ii
the Fran June "a 1898. for the Arctic re
gions, has received information to the effec
that DR.. Nansen has reached tho north pole
has found land there, and Is now returning
toward civilization.
In April last the Figaro of Paris circulated
a rumor that DR.. Nansen had found the nortf
pole. and that it is situated on chain O.
mountains. 1t was then added that he hat
planted the Norwegian flag there. The story
was generally regarded as being without
| foundation.
| On September II of last year advice.
| were received in London from the Danist
| trading station of Angmagsalik, on the east
! coast OF Greenland that a ship. supposed
| to be DR.. Nansens Fran, had been sighted
| at the end Of July. stuck fast in an ice drift
Finally, on December 6. a dispatch from
Christiania, Norway, stated tina. DR.. Nansen's
wife received letter by carrier pigeon re.
porting that the expedition was doing well
AS no carrier pigeons were taken north by
the Nansen party, this report was evidently
incorrect, but 1t was published for what
1t was worth
Dr.. Fritjef Nansen is distinguished
scientist Of Norway and an enthusiastic
believer In the possibility of reaching the
north pole. He is about 35 years of age.
He entered the University Of Christiania in
1880 and two years later went on a sealing
trip to Denmark straits on the west coast
OF Greenland. In the Viking
Later Nansen was appointed curator of
the museum at Bergen, which position he
retained until 1883, when he led small
expedition to Greenland, crossing the south
ern part of that portion of the globe. 1t
was probably during this trip that Nansen
conceived the plan of making an effort to
reach the north pole in a vessel constructed
specially for such an undertaking. In any
case, after his return to Norway. .Nansen
took the preliminary steps toward fitting out
his expedition and the Fran was planned
and constructed. She is generally classed
as three-masted sailing schooner, but
she had 160-horse power steam engine in
addition to her sails. Her displacement was
500 tons and her sides were so constructed
as to force all ice meeting the vessel to
pass underneath her, thus preventing pinch
ing and "screwing.' The Norwegian
Parliament allowed Nansen about $52 900 to
mt out his craft and in addition he was
assisted in his work by many private sub
Oscar.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SHIP.
The Fran was launched October 25, 1892,
at Laurwik, near Chrlstiania.
Norwegian paper. describing the fitting
out of the Fran. said: Bread Is the prin-
The bread is a kind of 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 anything
else. The cabin of Nansen's ship the
Fran forward) is heated by means Of m
English petroleum stove, which consumes
three litres of petroleum per day. AS the
explorer has taken along with him sutfi-
cient supply of this fuel to last him eight
or nine years. there will be no lack of
heating material. The library of the ex-,
petition consists of 1000 books half of
half novels. etc. The crew numbers twelve
men and all occupy the cabin, which meas
ures thirteen feet square. There they eat
and sleep. The garments they wear can.
not be penetrated by water"
The expedition sailed from Christania June
49, 1893, the doctors plan being to make for
the new Siberian islands and head north
until the Franz by being imbedded in the
ice, would be compelled to drift along the
west coast of any land which might be
found.
On August 23, 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 be-
haved splendidly up 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
kjolleadord, February "a, had reached Ham
merfest. Norway. announcing that a tele-
graph inspector at station in the noun |
tsins between Lebesy and Langfjord had |
iean balloon moving in a southerIy direc- |
ion and believed that it was possibly carry |
ng dispatches from DR.. Nansen, but until |
he foregoing dispatch no further news of |
he balloon of DR.. Nansen had been re- |
,eved.
DR.. Nansen's companions were Captain |
tito Sverdrup, shipmaster; sigurd Scott Han
en, lieutenant in the Norwegian navy and di-
'cctor of the astronomical meteorology and
laval observations; Henrck Blessing, sur
,eon and botanist; Theodore G. Jacobsen.
rate; Peder Hendricksen, harpoonist: An
lrew Munden, chief engineer; Lars Peter
eu, second engineer; Hjalmar Johannsen
ffcer In the Norwegian army; Bernard
Iordahl. electrician; Ivan Mogatad, carpen-
er, and Adolph Juell, steward.
SEEN BY ESQUIMAUX
The following letter was received last year
~ Mr.. A. Balm of Sheffield, England, an
Arctic lecturer:
CHRISTINA. Sept. 1s.-The steamship
Iertha, fre!ghted by the Danish government
o bring victuals and furniture to the Dan
sh colony (Angmegsalik) which was estab-
ished last year on the coast of Greenland
rrived there on August 25. Peterson the
manager of the colony, then reported that
ifferent Esqu!maux twice saw, at the end
I July, three-masted vessel stuck fast
n the ice. The ship had a short foremast
I was first seen In the Sermiligak ford
So degrees 20 minutes north latitude, SO
minutes longitude). They had seen no
moke from the ship. The report is quite
We can get no more until
ext year The Fram's foremast was ex-
short, so that the description
grees so far. From the statements of the
,squimaux, we should. In that CASE, not
ear from the Fran until next year. Mean
,hile we must be patient and not feel quite
ertsin that we have 10 do with the Fran"
LONDON, Feb. 13.-It Is pointed out here
n well informed circles that If the news
hat DR.. Nansen Is returning from the north
ole turns out to be correct, 1t indicates that
he explorer has made his way hack to New
Iberia from the Arctic regions aud is thare
waiting favorable conditions before COM
lencing hio homeward Journey W.
Kouchnareff. the man mentioned In the
lspatch from Irkutsl. Siberia, via St. Peters
urg. as the agent of DR.. Nansen who has
eceiyed information that the explorer has
ound the pole and is returning, is DR.. Nam
ems dog supplier He resides near the
louth of the Lena river. The people OF that
,cality pay frequent visits to New Siberia
nd may in this manner have brought the
ews to Kouchnaren.
DOUBTS THE REPORT
WASHINGTON. Feb 13.-Dr Nansen, ac-
ording to Lieutenant Davis l.. Brainerd.
!. S. A.. who accompanied the Greeley ex-
edition as subsistence officer. bases his the |