Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-12-16

| reduce the number or our sieub'S NV
the quantity Of our provisions. ana 10
walt little longer before setting on
ION March 81. Just az we were APP
| proaching the Fran. the sun appeared
above the horizon for the first time 'ha1
| spring. after the longest polar night ever
! experienced by man. observations taken
on the same day showed that we han
reached latitude of 81 degrees minutes
/ North
"a few DAYS were again spent IN pre-
! variations. II was now my pan oh'y "
take with US dog provisions for one illo ',
and provisions for the men Tor Il hunNi W
days, and with this light equipment Is
to pass quickly on over the ice. we tnus
need not set off so early, ana II was mo-
/ until March 18th that we again said rare
well to our companions. this time IN ear
| nest We had now only three sledges, on
two OF which lay our two kayaks, ana we
| had the same twenty-eight dogs as peioie'
THE TOUGHEST OF MARCHING.
"It was my hope as we got further
north that we should find smoother ice
| the ice there being older, and IT'S uneven
ness. therefore, better covered up by 'no
| drifting snow. This appeared at trst 10
! be the case. We found the ice tolerabiy
| easy to get over and did some goods days
marches. on March 22d we had alreduy
/ reached s. degrees 10 minutes norm hi.i-
/ tude. and we calculated that we couid
! cover greater and greater distances as
| the sledge-loads grew lighter with the
! daily consumption Of food on the part OF
| both men and dogs. The dogs, tco' SEEM
] ed to hold out fairly we'll But by and by
/ the foes began 10 be more uneven anu
packed together, and the DRIFT. "hlch
until then had seemed TO be slisht, was
| now against us.
haI - o.
crees 10 minutes north latitude; on the
| Doth. S degrees 30 minutes. The fee was
/ obviously drifting southwark at good
! rate. while ut the same time our progress
over the rough fee was slow. IL was
/ never-ending labor. forcing our way
| through and getting the sledges over the
| high hummocks apd piled-up ridges OF ice
which were always being formed atresh'
and which the snow-stOrm never had
| time TO smooth over. on such ice the
! dogs. OF course We're Of very little as
! sistance. When they came to obstacles
such as these they waited patiently unul
we had carried the slcdges safely over.
and they could once more draw them on
over short stretch of level ice TO fresh
obstacle.
PACKING OF THE ICE.
THE ice was in constant movement,
and laundering around us on all sides.
on April Sd we were in s. degrees 20 min
utes north latitude. We pushed on
with all our might. always hoping for
better ice. on April 4th we reached s.
degrees 3 minutes. but the Ice grew
worse, until at last on April 9TH. II was
so bad that l thought It unadyisable 10
continue any further toward the north.
II It were like this in the direction Of
Franz Josef's Land. we might have diff
Guilty enough I'm getting there. We were
then In IS degrees il minutes north lati-
tude. and about % degrees east longitude.
In order 70 investigate the state Of the
ice and the possibility Of advance
went further north on ski, but could
discern no likeiv way. From the highest
hummock I could find I saw only packed
and piled-up ice az far as the horizon.
OVERNIGHT CLOTHING.
"The first time we set out from the
Fran we had had our good, warm WOLF
skin clothes with US; but. as spring was
| approaching. and the temperature had
lately been comparatively high, we did
not think we should again have very
low temperature and, therefore. 10 save
weight and make the caravan as easy OF
transport as possible, We reduced the
outfit 10 a minimum, and left our warm
fur clothing on board when we left the
Fran for the second time. n proceeding
that we were TO repent bitterly.
For about three weeks the tempera-
ture remained at about 30 below zero.
rising on April 1st TO as below; but soon
sinking again TO 55i below zero. With
such temperature ana wind, we often
felt 1t bitterly cold in our good. but too
light. woollen clothing. which. owing %
the persplration OF the body, was gradu
ally transformed into an icy coat Of mail.
II was worse with our outer woOllen jack
cts. which became covered with
thick layer OF ice. which II took Us fully
an hour 10 thaw every night in our sleep
ing-bag, no little physical heat being
spent in the process; and not until we
had lain with chattering teeth for an
hour and half did we feel at all COM
Portable. A few minutes after we got
out Of our sleeping-bags In the morning,
cur clothes were again transformed into
ice, and / scarcely think that either Jo-
hansen or I will ever wish for a repeti
ton OF those days. In March the mini
mum temperature was 40 degrees below
zero; the maximum. degrees below Zero
DEATH AMONG THE DOGS.
DR.. hansen then describes the Journey
to Franz Josef Land. one Of the most in
terestlng features OF which relates 10 his
dogs. He says
"Our progress was greatly hindered by
the cracks and channels IN the ice In
that low temperature they were. as
rule. covered with a thin sheet Of ice
which made II impossible 10 use our
kayaks IN getting across. We were,
therefore, often compelled 70 go a round
Of many miles, and II would sometimes
! take half "A day 10 get past channel
Of this kind. The further south we came
the more OF these there were. and they
! greatly hindered our advance. while pro-
visions were dwindllng and the dogs had
20 be killed one after another 10 feed the
remainder. Some Of the dogs at first
evinced great aversion 10 eating their
companions, but as their hunger increased
and they got nothing else TO eat they
gradually became 50 voracous for this
| food that IL was difficult 20 keep them
from il as soon as a dog was killed.
Their rations had 10 be gradually re-
duced 10 the smallest possible amount
so as 10 make the little we had 90 far
enough and keep them alive as long as
! possible. but by degrees they grew sadly
worn out. Many OF them drew their load
faithfully until they suddenly dropped
down with fatigue. unable 10 stand any
longer. We then had no other choice
than TO XII them on the spot or 10 lay
them on one Of the sledges and take
them with us to kill them when we picked
our camp in the evening.
I'm June the channels became more
numerous and more difficult than ever 10
! deal with. and the state of the Ice was
very bad. Dogs. ski. and sledge-runners
broke through the crust on the snow. and
! sank deep into the soft and wet snow be-
meath. The number OF dogs now. too.
was very small, and was continually di-
minishing. Advance seemed almost hope
! less, but we had no choice, and so toled
/ on as best We could, while the rations for
! both dogs and men were reduced TO a
| minimum"