Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-08-19


DR. Fridtjof Nansen is a Norwegian
scientist in the prime of life, being i'll
his 34th year.
He entered the university at Chris
tiania in 1880 and in 1882 went as a
passenger in the sealing steamer Viking
to Denmark straits and the east coast
Of Greenland where the vessel became
icebOund in the pack for tWenty-four
the museum at Bergen in 1882, and
days. lie was appointed curator of
held that situation until 1888, when he
undertook the leadership of a small eX-
petition, consisting of six men ali told,
to Greenland, and crossed the southern
portion of that country from the east
coast to GOdhaab, on the west. where
the party wintered, returning to Norway
III June, 1889.
Nansen then conceived the idea Of I'M
Gnrtaking an expedition to the North
pole by new route and IN vessel of
special construction.
This expedition sailed from Christiania
June "a 1898. The doctors plan was to
make for the New Siberian islands, and
thence sail directly north till the Fran
should be imbedded in the ice, then drift
along with it, following the west coast
of any land that might be met.
The doctor sent a dispatch from Var
doe August %, 1893, written by Chara-
bowa, in the YugOrski straits, on the
second of that month, reporting that he
was about to sail into the Kara sea, and
that so far the Fran had behaved splen-
didly, especially in forcing her way
through the ice.
A dispatch from London March of
this year announced that a letter, dated
at Kjollefjord February "a, had reached
Hammerfest, Norway, announcing that
a telegraph inspector at mountain sta
ton between Lebesy and Langfjord
NIsIxp
direction, and believed that it was pos
sibly carrying dispatches from DR.. Nan
sen.
Reported to Have Found the Pole.
On April Is continental papers gave
currency to a report that DR.. Nansen
had found the North pole and was on
his way home. The report originated
from q telegraph station on the extreme
northern coast of Siberia and was to the
effect that some weeks previous some
traders had seen a vessel which they
thought was the Fran. The informal
ton did not come to the operators d.
rect, it having been passed by word of
mouth by several parties, and but little.
credence was given it by the scientific
world.
Although the Fran is generally classed
as a sailing vessel (she is rugged as a
three-masted schooner), she is provided
with a steam engine of 100 horsepower.
1t was expected, however, Lndt SIG
would depend principally on her sails
while in the ice. Her displacement is
800 tons, and her sides are so construct
ed as to force all ice meeting the vessel
to pass underneath it, thus preventing
all ''pinching'' and @'screwing."
The Fran was launched October 10,
1892 at Laurwik, near Christiania.
The Norwegian Parliament gave DIR.
Nansen about $50, 900 in aid of his expe-
dition, and many private subscriptions,
including one of over $4,000 from King
Oscar, were added to the fund.
DIR. Nansen's companions were Capt.
Otto Sverdrup, ships master: Sigurd
Scott Hansen, lieutenant in the Norwe-
gian navy, and director of the aStronom-
ical, meteorological and magnetic obser-
vations; Henrik Blessing, surgeon and
| botanist; Theodore G. Jacobsen, mate;
Peder Hendriksen, harpooner; Anton
Amundsen, chief engineer; Lars Peter
sen, second engineer; Hjalmar johann
nesen, officer in the Norwegian army,
fireman.: Bernard Nordahl, electrician;
Ivan Mogstad, carpenter, and Adolf
Juell, steward.
The doctor married in September, 1889,
Miss Eva Sars, youngest daughter of the
late professor Of zoology in the university
at Chrstiania, NJ. Sars, and has one
child a daughter. Mrs. Nansen, who
has a powerful. musical voice, became
a professional singer in her maiden days,
and since her marriage has appeared
before the public on various occasions.