43 



Dybden at være 1343 Favne. Dette Lodskud har den 

 særegne Interesse og Betydning, at den Svenske Expedition 

 med "Sofia" under Nordenskiold og von Otter i 1868fandt 

 en Dybde ai 1350 Favne, altsaa kun 7 Favne mere end 

 vi. paa et Punkt der Ligger kun 2 Kvartmile længere Vesi 

 end vor Station. Resultatet at Lodninpen ble\ derfor 

 imødeseet med en vis Spænding, der maatte være bevirket 

 ved Betragtningen at vore to foregaaende Lodskud. men 

 med den udmerkede Overensstemmelse fulgte Forvisningen 

 din den svenske Expeditions talrige Dyb-Lodskuds Sik- 

 kerbed og store Betydning for det Endemaal, som vor 

 Expedition var ude for at søge fremmet. Vi arbéjdede 

 nu videre i Retning mod Isfjordens Munding, bestemte 

 Bankens Åffald mod Ishavsdybet, og pik derpaa nord- 

 over og nordvestover. So og Vind var meget hinder- 

 derlige, saa vi kun gjorde ringe Fart. Om Morgenen 

 Onsdag den 14de August fik vi atter Is i Sigte. Vi var 

 da nær den 80de Breddegrad. Efterat have loddet og 

 traAvlet her og hengere ost lidt nordenfor 80° Bredde, gik 

 vi om Morgenen den 45de ind til Norskøerne ved Spids- 

 bergens Nordvest-Kyst. 



Sundet mellem Norskøerne er en pod Ånkerplads, 



men Isflag drev stadig gjennem det med det stærke Tid- 

 vand, og Aftenen for vi kom ind, bavde et stort Isflag 

 brukket Kjettringerne og tåget 3 af de her liggende 5 Fangst- 

 fartøyer med sig ud af Sundet. Der var stor Fiskerigdom, 

 saaledes at 3 Baade med 2 Maud i hver i Løbet al et 

 Døgn kunde fiske og virke 220U Torsk. De havde blot 

 20 Minutters Ddroning og fiskede paa 16 Favne Vand. 

 Paa Grand af Flueaat (Limaciner) havde fisken imidlertid 

 her. ligesom ved Beeren Eihmd, en meget ubehagelig Smag, 

 der imidlertid skal forsvinde, naar Pisken saltes og klippes. 



Medens "Vøringen" laa ved Norskøerne. blev Bun- 

 den skrubbet, og der indtoges en Del Ballast, hvortil der 

 hge i Stranden , var Anledning til at tåge Sten. Skibet 



to determine the variation of thecompass. Then, standing 

 north-east, we steamed on between the floes, whicb by this 

 time were floating round the vessel, and in the bright 

 sunshine, with their thousand fantastic shapes, afforded a 

 striking and beautiful sight. Ln the afternooii we again 

 got clear of the ice, and aow taking a more aortherly 

 course, bad by the LOth, at 3 a.m., reached a point in Lat. 

 77" 50' X. long. 0° !)' W., where the depth was found to 

 be L640 fathoms. We uow steered east. and on the same 

 day, at 7 p.m., sounded in L333 fathoms. A new dredge- 

 rope baving meanwhile been spliced, and other trawling- 

 gear prepared, the apparatas was sent down. It came 

 up next morning, at about baLf-past 9 o'clock, bringing a 

 rich freight of marine animals, among which were a few 

 fishes, hut with the boom broken through the middle, and 

 a big stone, as much as a man could lift, .enclosed in tlie 

 bag. ln the affcernoon we sounded again. and nuw found 

 the depth to be );J4-i fathoms. To this sounding attaches 

 speciaJ interest and importance, since the Swedish Expe- 

 dition despatched with the -Sofia" in 1868, under the 

 direction of Nordenskiiihl and von Otter, found a depth 

 of 1350 fathoms — only 7 fathoms more than we meas- 

 ured here — at a point but.two miles fartber west ofour 

 station. The result of the sounding bad been awaited with 

 some little excitement after recording the two foregoing 

 depths, and the satisfaction felt at the verv dose agree- 

 ment was accompanied by the assurance of the fcrustworth- 

 iness distinguishing the deep-sea soundings tåken on the 

 Swedish Expedition. and of their great valne as adjuncts 

 in working out the object whicb the Norwegian Expedition 

 bad been despatched to attain. We now explored fartber. 

 in the direction of the lee Sound, determined the slope of 

 the bank towards the depths of the Arctic t tcean, and then 

 stood north and north-west. But the weather was boister- 

 ous — wind and sea and we made but little progress. 



On the morning of Wednesday the llth of August we 

 again came in sight of ice. near the 8Uth parallel of lat- 

 itude. After sounding aud trawling botli at this point and 

 fartber east. a Little to the north of 80°, we proceeded on 

 the morning of the loth to the Norway Islands, on the 

 north-western coast of Spitzbergen. 



In the sound between the Norway Islands there is 

 good anehorage, but Hoes kept drifting through it with the 

 strong tida! current, and the evening before a large floe. 

 after breaking the cables. bad carried 3 of the 5 tishing- 

 vessels that lav at anchor here out of the sound. The 

 place abounded in hsb: 8 boats— 2 men to each — could 

 catch and cure in twenty-four hours as many as 2200 cod. 

 The row out took only 20 minutes, and the depth on the 

 tishing-ground did not exeeed lli fathoms. The tish. how- 

 ever. Uke those on the shores of Beeren Eiland. being in- 

 fested with parasitic animals (Limadnæ), have a rather 

 disagreeable tast.- hut this they are said to lose on being 

 .salted and dried. 



Whilst the "Vøringen" lav at anclior at the Norway 

 Islands, her bottom was scrubbed, and extra ballast tåken 

 in. the beach supplying stones Ln plenty. The ship had 



