The Red Cloud chief., 1896-08-21
DIR. NANSEN'S RETURN
ABANDONED THE GOOD
SHIP FRAN IN 1895.
Went -Four Degrees Nearer the North Pole
Than Any Other Explorer Picked Up
Near Franz Josef Land-wasG Con, Three
Years.

MALMo. Sweden, Aug. IS. Gha
newspaper Dagensnyhelcr has re-
eeived communications from DR.. Nam.
Sen and Lieutenant Schottansep from
the island OF Vardo, Norway. These
communications state that they aban-
doned the Fran in the autumn of 1895
and resorted to the ice.
The steamer Windward. carrying
supplies to the Jackson. Farnsworth
expedition, picked them up near
Franz Josef land. They expected
that the Fran would eventually drift
20 the east coast of Greenland.
DID Not Reach the Pole.
DIR. Nansen left the Fran on March
IA, 1898, in ~ degrees north latitude.
lie travcrsed the polar sea to IA point
50 degrees, ~ minutes north latitude.
situated north of the new Siberia
sands No land was sighted north
OF 81 degrees of latitude. or thence to
Franz Josef land, where he passed
the winter. subsisting on bears flesh
and whale biubber.
DIR. Nansen and his companions are
III tho best of health. The Fran is
expected at Nardo or Bergen shortly.
She stood the ice well. There were
no sick persons on board when Nan
sen left her.
The steamer Windviard took letters
for Nansen when it started to the re-
ief Of the Jackson.F armsworth eXpe.
dition, as Mr.. jackson expected to
lind Nansen aud was convinced that
his idea of drifting across the pole in
the ice was iinpracticable. lie was
also convinced that Manson wonld re.
turn in the direction of Franz Josef
land.
DR.. Nansen failed to reach the
North pole, but he touched a point
Tour degrees nearer than any other
explorer has done.
Has Been Gone Three Years.
DIR. Fridjof Nansen started on his
in the little ship Fran, to
try to reach the North pole, in June,
1899. His plan was different from any
that had hitherto been attempted. 1t
was based on the theory of an open
polar sea and the existence of currents
northward into it from the
New Siberian islands. DR.. Nansen
proposed to sail northward from Nor
and eastward along the Kara sea,
- N''b Wv NV u Il w nv .Nt"
islands; then leaving the
land to continue northerly until the
pack ice was reached. He intended
to ram his ship into the ice, trusting
TO the currents the existence Of which
had been indicated by the drift of
certain relics of the i'll fated Jean
.nette). to carry him with the ice pack
into the polar sea, and out again be-
tween the eastern coast of Greenland
and the island of Spitzbcrgen.
In accordance with this plan, DR..
had his vessel, the Fram-in
English. the Forward-built upon a
special design, intended to resist the
pressure of ice. The hull was L.
in section. built with the
greatest strength and braced inside.
SO that its power of resistance would
be such that the pack ice, instead of
crushing IL, would lift the vessel on
the ice.
The Good Ship Fran
She was 1Ol feet long and with q
beam of one-third her length. She
was fitted with an engine of 100 horse
power, capable of developing "a speed
Of six knots an hour, consuming about
and thrcc.quartcr ons of Goa a
day. The crew consisted of twelve
men. The ship was provisioned for
five years and carried 800 tohs of coal.
She also had an electric light plant
and alcohol for use in cooking. She
provided further with six strong
boats for use in Arctic waters, with
dogs and sledges and a complete
outfit of Arctic supplies. Captain
Otto ~Sverdrup, an experienced Arctic
who had accompanied DR..
Nansen on previous exploring trips in
Northern regions, had command of
The ship,
The Fran left Vardo July II. The
first part of her voyage was made sue
cessfully, her ice-resisting qualities
meeting the expectations
OF her commander as far as they had
an opportunity of being tested. The
last seen OF the ship was when she
from Chaborcwa, on the strait
OF Jugor, Siberia, on August 3, 1893.
There NJ. o. Christoferscn, the secre.
tary of the expedition, babe farewell
to Nanscn and his companions, who
started on in excellent spirits. There
have been various rumors that hansen
had been heard from, and that he had
tound the North pole, but they have
all proved totally ~unfoundcd.