The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-09-02
ANECDOTES ABOUT NANSEN.
Learning to Run on Slxis-First Inn
preston of Icebergs.


preston of Icebergs.
In letter received in Paris, Nor
wegian, Mr.. Thornbjoorn, gives some
| unpublished anecdotes about Nansen,
| with whom he had been acquainted
from early youth. hansen would never
| have become the famous arctic explorer
without his snowshoes, which carried
him across Greenland. Mr.. Thornbjoorn
tells Nansen's own story of how he as
| boy learned to run on skis:
II had (said Nansen), several pairs of
skis, but they were not real skis. My
father and I had cut them out of old
snowshoes, and the two were not even
Of length. Mr.. Fabritius, the printer,
took pity on me and promised me new
pair. This was toward the end of the
winter. Then spring came on and then
summer, when of course any skiloobning
lski running) was out of the question,
but Mr.: Fabritius' promise kept ringing
in my ears and soon as autumn came on
and the fields began to grow snow
white asked him:
When shall have my slis?'
'Mr. Fabritius, laughing, replied:
"'You shall have them, but not to-
day.
Showing me a parcel he said it was
for me and it came from Paris, but this
was fib. The skis were in the parcel.
10 describe my joy is impossible. It
was a fine pair of snowshoes, each var
nished with black lines. Although it
was forbidden, I went off straight to
the place where the races of the
skiiobers (ski runners) are held. T
started from the middle of the rise and
all went well, but seeing other boys take
their start from the top of the hill I
thought I must do the same. Off T
Sided. I reached the obstacle was to
jump and I was flung into the air for
several seconds which appeared GEN.
turtles to me, until at last I was shot
into heap of snow neck deep. The
other boys thought at,frst I had broken
my neck, but soon as they saw there
was nothing the matter they began to
chaff me and the hill rang with OUT
bursts OF laughter at my awkward
ness"
Nansen took the lesson to heart and
the effect was to make him thorough
master of the art of skiing.
Nansen's first impression of icebergs
is worth telling. On the advice of his
medical attendant, Prof. Collett, he
took passage in 1882 on the sealer Vik.
ing e
1T was" says Nansen, ION a dark
night of March, 1882, when we met the
first iceberg I ever saw, not far from
Jan Mayen.~ ran on the deck and
looked forward, but could distinguish
nothing, because it was as dark as in an
oven.. Suddenly a white mass came
out of the shade and seemed to grow in
size by degrees. The whiteness of this
mass became wonderful in contrast
with the blackness of the inlzy sea. The
mass seemed to roll upon the crest of
the waves. The other icebergs came in
sight, shining at distance, passing
near us with loud noise and disap-
pearing. Then saw a curious glow on
the sky southwark, rising almost up to
the zenith, but most brilliant on the
horlzon.H1 had not noticed it before.
Then heard strange murmur toward
the north, somewhat like the roar of
breakers on rocky coast, but louder.
and in 2 shriller key. The Impression
upon me was very strange and i felt
was on the verge of anew world. What
were those noises and those lights?
The glow was the reflection Of huge
masses OF ice in q thick sky and the
noise was caused BY the beating Of
waves on the icebergs and the knock
ing Of those masses against one an
other, . ondon News.
The smalleat diocese in the world Il
said to esthat Of ST. Helena. Tho
bishop, Dr.. Welby, receives aasaIarY of