The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-08-17
SVERDUP'S EXPEDITION
Changes Suggested by Experience In tho
Pre- mn ratInu

| Changes Suggested by Experience In tho
Preparations.
A Norwegian proverb says. 1.-THE ship
| that has once seen the sun set on a
field Of Ice. will always return to it,"
With the Fran this certainly will
prove to be the case, for in these days
she again sets sail for Polar seas.
Already in the autumn of 1896, short
! ly after the world had been electrified
! by the news of the return of Nansen
| and the Fran, her captain, Otto Sver-
drup, began planning second arctic
expedition. Before, however, publicly
! announcing his intentions, he laid his
scheme before English and Scandina-
Wan scientists, and went carefully over
his plans with Nansen; the former
| agreed with him, that were he success
| full in accomplishing what he intended,
| the trip would be of great scientific
value; the latter naturally fired Sver-
drur with his usual enthusiasm and
| encouragement. Captain Sverdrup had
but to suggest his plan to wealthy Nor
wcgians of scientific interests in order
instantly to receive promise Of such
support as to remove all financial OBJ
stacles, even should the government
veto an appropriation.
The Frams first expedition had. Of
course, shown its captain in which
ways she fell short Of as well as sur
passed, expectations, and how she bore
the very varying stress and strain Of
polar seas Although the ship had
most admirably wthstood the packing
and grinding Of the ice, as well as in
ternaly fulfilled the wants of such an
expedition, still Captain Syerdrup had
observed several ways in which she
could more fully meet requirements,
Remodelling the ship he thought.
might cost about $4,000, but later he
found that it would amount to about
s6,500. In the spring Of 1897 a petit
ton, accompanied by hearty recon-
mendation from Nansen was laid be-
fore the shorthing, requesting an ap-
preparation of money sufficient to COW
er the expenses. 1t was instantly and
enthusiastically voted by both Radicals
and Conservatives.
The entire cost Of the necessary pro-
visions was betrayed by the brothers
Ringnaes and Consul He!berg, and the
Fran was ready and transformed early
this spring.
With Nansen meeting success, after
having sailed out in the face of so
much criticism and sceptcism, Sver-
drup found it unnecessary to explain
his intentions or support his views in
order to gain confidence or belief. The
course of his trip is in the main as fol-
lows: First, to creep along the west
ern coast OF Greenland, through
Smiths Sound and the Kennedy and
Robinson Straits, to the northwestern
coast, and from there out into Lin
coins Sea, well known from Mark
hams voyage In 1876. Sverdrup hopes
to reach Robinson Strait by August
the time Of year when It is freest from
ice. In LincOln's Sea, somewhere near
Greenland's coast, he hopes to seek
winter quarters. Then the following
spring or summer, the journey will
continue around the northern shore OF
Greenland Greenland, according to the
latest Investigations, Is supposed to be
an island), and drift with the polar
current down the eastern shore The
course Of the trip is, therefore, mainly
a cirCumn1vieation of Greenland
Sverdrups greatest difficulty, should
he succeed in getting round the north
of Greenland, will undoubtedly be
when endeavoring to force the Fran
out of the 'pack-ice," by which she
would gradually be carried southwark
with the polar current. His succeed
Ing in doing this with the Fam in the
summer Of 1896 was what earned for
him Nausen's remark. at a dinner OF
the Norwegian Geographical society
Il consider NaISen said, "Sverdrup's
freeing our ship from the horrible
crush Of the pack-ce which surrounded
her The greatest achievement ever per
formed in arctic reg!Cns.'
The aim of SverdruPs Journey Is
merely one of scientific research, and
not, US Nansen's party was, to reach
the axis Of the pole. Besides a study
of the meteorological, magnetic, and
other physical conditions of these part
" unknown regions, much of the work
will be an accurate examination Of
lC pn1lpnfryctir
oceanic, and the stretches of land that
are passed The geology of the coun-
try also will be investigated, the depth,
percentage of salt, and temperature Of
the sea, the fora and fauna of the re-
elOns, etc.
With tie Fran as their station,
many shedding expeditions will be
made in order to locate definitely the
geographical position of islands and
coast, AVID as Sverdrup recently put it
in speech at the recent fete OF Nor
wegian biologists, "to color the white
ignorance of our maps
In one respect a radical departure
has been made in the Fram's equip
ment, namely, in the use Of petroleum
for lighting as well as heating instead
Of electricity. The large quantity of
coal needed for heating as we'll as for
motor force has now been replaced by
twenty tons of petroleum.
The Danish government has, as
usual, done much towards the success
of the trip. When the Fran reaches
Godhavn, Greenland, she will there
find sixty tons Of coal awaiting her.
as well as the so necessary dogs In
Scoresby Sound a station has been
placed at the disposition Of Syerdrup,
The Greenland authorities in Godhayn,
Egedes Minde, and upernivlk have also
received instruction from the home
government to aid In every possible
manner Sverdrup and his ship
Samuel Stout OF NeWcOmb III Uhn