The morning news., 1897-08-18
ANECDOTES ABOUT NANsEN.
Learning to Run on slSis-First Inn
preston of IceberGs.

From the London Daily News
In a letter received in Paris a Norwe-
gian, Mr. Thornbjoorn, gives some unpub-
lished anecdotes about Nansen, with whom
he has been acquainted from early youth
Nansen would never have become the ia
nous Arctic explorer without his snow
shoes, which carried him across Green
land. Mr.. Thornbjoorn tells Nansen's own
story of how he as a boy earned TO run on
skis:
q had said Nansen) several pairs Of
skis, but they were not real skis. My
father and had cut them out of old snow
shoes, and the two were not even of
length Mr.. Fabrtius the printer, took
pity on me and promised me a new pair.
This was toward the end Of winter. Then
spring came on and then summer when
Of course any skloobning (skl running
was out of the question, but Mr.. Fabritius'
promise kept ringing in my ears and
soon as autumn came on and the fields be-
gan to grow white 1 asked him:
when shall have my skis?
"Air. Fabritius, laughing, replied:
d" You shall have them. but not to-day
Showing me a parcel he said it was for
me and II came from Paris, but this was
fb The skis we're in the parcel. To de-
scribe my Joy is impossible. 1t was fine
pair of snow-shoes in ash, vanished with
black lines. Although il was forbidden
went off straight to the Housebybakken.
where the races Of the skilobers (ski run
ners) are held. / started from the mid
die of the rise and all went we'll. but Sec
ing other boys take their start from the
top of the hill, / thought ] must do the
same. OFT ] Sided. | reached the obsta-
Gle ] was 10 jump and / was flung into
the air for several seconds, which appear
ed centuries to me. until al last ! was
shot into a heap of snow neck deep. The
other boys thought at first / had broken
my neck, but as soon as they saw there
was nothing the matter they began 10
chaff me and the Hill rang with outbursts
of laughter az my awkwardness."
Nansen took the lesson to heart and
the effect was TO make him a thorough
master I'm the art Of skiing
Nansen's first impression Of icebergs Is
worth telling on the advice Of his medl-
cal attendant Prof. Collett, he took pas
sage. in 1852 on the sealer Viking.
"Tt was" says Nanscn, "on dark
night OF March, lsS2. that we met the first
Iceberg ] ever saw, not far from Jan
Maven. ran on the deck and looked for
ward. but could distinguish nothing, be-
cause it was as dark as in an oven. Sud
denly r. white mass came out OF tho shade
aud seemed 20 grow IN size By degrees.
INN MNIlfNfHr NI AAttN NiaH" N'NAtl' WNl-
derful in contrast with the blaekness OF
su inkv sea. The mass seemed 20 roll
upon the crest 81 the waves Tho other
iceborus came On sight. shining at q dis
tancc. passing near us with loud noise
and disappearing. Then ! saw "a curious
glow on the sky southwark, rising almost
up 10 the zenith. but most brilliant on
tha horizon. I had not noticed it before
Then ] heard q strange murmur toward
the north somewhat like the roar OF
broalters on n rocky coast but louder
ana in "a shrilicr key. The impression upon
nae was very strange ana ] fc.f 4 was on
fbr verge 0f new world What we're
those noises and those iightaf The glow
was the reflection uf huge masses ~ See
in o thick fky ana che noise was caused
hy iha beating 0f waves un tho icruefga
one another