31 



solbelyste Top mod den dybe blåa Himmel var el ligesaa 

 gribende som pragtfuldt Syn. Inder Gangen cundt Øens 

 nordre Del til Rækved-Bugten bestemtes de forskjellige syn- 

 lige Pynters og Isbræers Beliggenbed ved Hjelp af Pej- 

 linger og Vinkelmaalinger med Sextant. Ved Midnat an- 

 kredes i den store Rækved-Bugt udenfor Lagunen paa 12 

 Favne Vand en gud Kvartmil YSY. af Egøen. 



Paa denne Ankerplads blev vi liggende den følgende 

 Dag. Brændingen var for stor til, at vi kunde føre nogen 

 Instrumenter iland. Skyteppet laa fremdeles over Beeren- 

 berg og over Sydlandets Hojder. men Solen trængte oftere 

 gjennem, saaat der fra Skibsborde kunde faaes en hengere 

 Række Solhøjder. Om Eftermiddagen, efter et frugtesløst 

 Forsøg paa at komme iland. bestemtes ved Vinkelmaalinger 

 Retninger og indbyrdes Afstande mellem flere af de frem- 

 tredende Punkter paa Østsiden og Fugleberget paa Vest- 

 siden, hvis Top kunde sees over Øens laveste Del. Samme 

 Dag toges Skitser af de synlige Partier af Øen. og arbej- 

 dedes paa. grandt Vand af Zoolog erne. 



< tnsdag den Iste August erholdtes atter nogle Sol- 

 højder fra Ankerpladsen om Formiddagen. Skyd;vkket be- 

 gyndte at løse sig over Øens nordlige Del. men laa frem- 

 deles tungt over den sydlige. Havets Tilstand var den 

 samme, som Dagen før. Vi lettede og stod udover paa 

 Havet, loddede, tog Temperaturrækker og skrabede paa 

 den af sort Sand og Ler bestaaende Havbund. Imidlertid 

 blev Beerenberg efterbaanden befriet for Taagebyllet, og 

 om Eftermiddagen havde vi Fjeldet ganske klart i hele sin 

 Udstrækning. Paa Havet havde vi ofte sterke Hvirvelvinde. 

 og paa Land saa vi dem hvirvle Egøens løse Tufsand højt 

 i Vejret, et skuffende Billede af en vulkansk Eruption. 

 Om Aftenen ankredes udenfor Lagunen et Par Kvartmil 

 i Sydvest' for den forrige Ankerplads. 



Den 2den August var Brændingerne fremdeles hin- 

 derlige for Landgang. Vi lettede om Formiddagen og stod 

 østover, ved hvilken Lejlighed Beerenbergs Højde blev be- 

 stemt ved udsejlet Distance og Vinkelmaalinger. Deretter 

 skrabedes og loddedes, idet vi atter gik østenom og nor- 

 denom Øen. Beerenberg tilhyllede sig atter i sit Taage- 

 slør, og vi havde seet den for sidste Gang. Allerede 7 

 Kvartmil i Nordøst for Nordøstkap fandtes 1040 Favne. 

 Deretter oploddedes et Snit mod Vest og senere Nordvest, 

 i hvilket vi fik 1000 Favnes Dyb.i omtrent 28 Kvartmils 

 Afstand fra Land. Der viste sig heller ikke .her nogen Is 

 paa Havet, men Luftens Temperatur gik om Natten ned 

 til -j- < >".l. Da vi allerede østenfor Jan Mayen havde fon- 

 det Kuldegrader i Havet i et saa ringe Dyb som 20 Favne. 

 og saalédes var komne ind i den grønlandske Polarstrøm, 



our first glimpse of Beerenberg, with his dazzling, snow- 

 clad summit. standing boldly out against the deep-blue 

 northern sky — a truly grand and imposing spectacle. < h\ 

 our course round the northern shores of the island to the 

 ( Jreat Wood-Bay. \ve determined the position of the glaciers 

 and headlands then visible^ by compass bearings and observa- 

 tions with the sextant. At inidnigbt we came to anchor 

 in the Great Wood-Bay, off the lagoon, in 12 fathoms, up- 

 wards of a mile west-south-west of the Egg-crater. 



We lav at our anchorage the w hole of the following 

 day. There was too mucb surf to attempt conveying 

 any instruments ashore. The canopy of clouds still ex- 

 téndéd ' over Beerenberg aud the heights in the soutlrern 

 part of the island. — though not so dense but that the 

 sun could occasionally pierce it; and hence we succeeded 

 from our position on board the ship in obtaining a series 

 "of altitudes. In the afternoon, having made a fruitless at- 

 tempt to land. we determined by trignometrical observations 

 the bearings of several of the salient points on the east 

 coast, and their respective distances from the Fugleberg on 

 the western shore, the summit of that cliff being visible 

 al iove the lowest parts of the island. Mr. Schiertz. artist 

 to the Expedition, made sketches of the scenery then in 

 view. and our naturalists dredged in shallow water. 



On the forenoon of Wednesday tin- Ist of August we 

 could again take a few altitudes of the sun. There was 

 now a rent here and there in the cover of cloud over 

 the northern parts of the island: but over the southern 

 it still liung heavily. As on the day before. there was 

 a cohsiderable swell. Weighing anchor,' we stood out to 

 sea, sounding, taking serial temperatures, and dredging the 

 bottom, which consisted of black sand and clay. , Mean- 

 while, Beerenberg bad begun to emerge from under his 

 misty shroud; and in the afternoon the giaut stood forth 

 in all his grandeur. Off the coast. fierce eddying gusts (whirl- 

 winds) repeatedly swept the surface of the ocean ; and on 

 shore, as could be plainly seen from the deck of the ves- 

 sel. they whirled high into the air the loose tufaceous sand 

 of the Egg-crater. presenting a striking resemblauce to a 

 volcanic eruption. In the evening we anchored off the 

 lagoon. a couple of miles south-west of our last anchoring- 

 place. 



On the 2nd of August the surf still prevented our 

 landing. Getting under weigh in the forenoon. we stood 

 eastward. our first work being to measure the altitude 

 of Beerenberg, by computing from the distance run 

 and trignometrical observations. We then dredged aud 

 sounded, again coursing east and north of the island. Bee- 

 renberg once more retired within his misty covering. and 

 we had seen him for the last time. At no greater distance 

 than 7 miles north-east of the north-eastern. extremity of 

 the island. the depth was 1040 fathoms. We then explored 

 a section bearing west and north-west. in which the depth 

 reached 1000 fathoms. about 2S miles from land. No 

 ice was met with here. either in the sea; but the 

 temperature of the atmosphere sank at night to -j- 0°.l. 

 Having observed east of Jan Mayen at the trifling 



