13 



Heldning, og endelig selve Keglens Heldning paa 42". 

 Paa Østsiden sees Underdelens Skraaning paa 10" at skyde 

 sig foran de fjernere, i Skygge liggende Partier, der staa 

 ud som Ribber fra den geometriske øvre Kegle. Solen 

 stod. da Kraterets Konturer og Skygger skitseredes, i Vest, 

 i Papirets Plan. 



Den stejle Kratervæg er paa mange Steder snefri. og 

 den sorte Aske viser her store Flekker at' ofte bizarre Fi- 

 gurer. Kraterranden er tagget, men Sneen, der dækker 

 den, giver Randen med dens Tagger ejendommelig bløde 

 Omrids. Kraterranden er køjest paa Vestsiden; der umal- 

 tes en gjenuemsnitlig Heldning af den øverste Linie af 2 l / 2 

 Grad. Det højeste Punkt af Beerenberg ligger saaledes 

 (nu) paa Kraterets Vestside og, som Fig. 4 viser, noget 

 mod Nord. Det er dette Punkt, hvis Højde vi have søgt 

 at bestemme med et rundt Tal til 1950 Meter. 



Fra Loddestationerne toge Officererne Pejliiiger til 

 Øens nordlige og sydlige Del. At bestemme Skibets paa- 

 værende Plads efter Pejlingerne og Scoresby's Kart, viste 

 sig omtrent ugjorligt. da dette, i Overensstemmelse med de 

 ældre hollandske Karter, giver Sydlaudet for langt og for 

 smalt. 



Medens vi vare paa Soen. havde vi Anledning til at 

 iagttage de voldsomme Hvirvelvinde. der kunne blæse under 

 Beerenberg. For et Sejlskib maatte disse være yderst 

 generende med de pludselige Omslag i Vindens Retning 

 under sterke Byger. I disse maaltes en Vindhastighed af 

 15 Meter pr. Secund. den største Vindhastighed vi iagttog 

 under 1877 Aars Rejse. Fra Søen saa vi. hvorledes det 

 fine Tufsand fra Ægøen i - eves løs og førtes hojt op i Luf- 

 ten som en mørk Røgsky med de sterke Vindbyger. Med 

 den vulkanske for Øjne skulde der ikke nogen sterk 

 Indbildniugskraft til. for at man kunde tro at se Ildsluer 

 bryde ud fra Ægøen og saaledes komme til at medbringe 

 Etterretning om at have været tilstede ved et vulkansk 

 Udbrud. Heldigvis havde vi Dagen før havt Anledning til 

 at overbevise os om Sagens sande Natur. Om Aftenen 

 ankrede vi i den store Rækvedbugt et Par Kvartmil i 

 Sydvest for den forrige Ankerplads. 



, Næste Morgen, den 2den August, var Beerenberg 

 fremdeles synlig. Vi lettede og stod østover, passerede 

 Ægøen og loddede i 195 Favne udenfor Sydbræen. Paa 

 Veien saa jeg tydelig inde paa Underlandet under Krater 

 Vogt det af Carl Vogt i 1860 observerede og beskrevne 

 lave Krater Berna. Fremdeles saa jeg, at Sydbræen gik 

 lige til Stranden, men at dens nederste Del var bedækket 

 med Smuds. Efter Lodningen gjorde vi et Forsøg til Be- 

 stemmelse af Højden af Beerenberg. Efter et godt Med 

 (Ægøens Kant over et markeret Punkt inde paa Land) 

 sejledes i en nøjagtig udmaalt Tid, medens Skibets Fart 

 hvert Ste Minut observeredes efter Loggemaskinen. Ved 

 Begyndelsen og Enden af dette Tidsrum niaalte med Sex- 



short distance 28°", the inchne of the upper cone itself 

 reåching, as previously stated, 42°. ( >n the east side, the 

 slope of the lower cone. that shelves at an angir of l0°, 

 was seen extending before the more remote parts of. the 

 upper declivitv. which lay in shadow. and like huge ribs 

 project from the upper cone. When sketching the contours 

 and shadows of the crater. I bad the sim in the same 

 plane as the paper. 



The precipitous walls of the crater being in many 

 places bare of snow, large patches, of the black sur- 

 face make their appearance, many of them grotesque in 

 form. The ridge of the crater is extremely rugged; hut 

 the snow covering the jagged edges imparts a wonderful 

 softness of outline. The ridge of the crater is highest on 

 the west side; and its average incline was found to be 2 l /g 

 degrees. The most elevated point of Mount Beerenberg is 

 accordingly (now) on the west side of "the crater, and. as 

 sliown in Fig. 4. lies a little towards the north. It is this 

 point the altitude of which we have approximately deter- 

 mined at 6400 feet. 



From the sounding-stations. the ship's ofticers took 

 bearings of points in the northern and southern parts of the 

 island. To determine the ship's position from bearings and 

 Scoresby's map proved well-nigh impossible, since the latter, 

 based as it is on the earlier Dutch maps, gives the south- 

 ern part of the island at once too long and too narrow. 



Whilst engaged in sounding, we bad opportunity of 

 observing the violent whirlwinds that are often encountered 

 on passing east of Beerenberg. To sailing-vessels they 

 must prove a serious an-noyance, owing to the sudden 

 changes in the direction of the wind during heavy squalls. 

 On one such occasion the velocity of the wind was found 

 to reach 15 metres a second, the greatest velocity observed 

 on the cruise in 1877. In the strong eddying gusts the 

 fine tuff-sand of Egg Island would be caught and whirled 

 aloft like a dense cloud of dust or askes. With the vol- 

 canic island in immediate proximity. it required no great 

 stretch of the imagination to fancy you saw dames bursting 

 fortli from the crater. and thus bring away the erroneous 

 impression of having witnessed a volcanic eruption. For- 

 tunately, we bad had on the previous day opportunity of 

 ascertaining the true nature of the phenomenon. In the 

 evening we east anchor in Grreat Wood Bay, a couple of 

 miles south-west of our former anchorage. 



Next morning, August the 2nd, Mount Beerenberg 

 was still visible. We got under weigh. steering east. past 

 Egg Island, and souuded in 195 fathoms. off the southern 

 glacier. As we steamed along the coast. I could plainly 

 distinguish on the low-lying tract beneath Vogfs crater 

 the low Berna crater. observed and described by Carl Vogt 

 in 1860. Moreover. I coidd folio w the direction of the 

 southern glacier to where it reaches the sea: its lower ex- 

 tremity w T as covered with dirt. After sounding. an attempt 

 was made to determine the altitude of Mount Beerenberg. 

 Selecting a good bearing (the base of the outer wall of Egg 

 Island in a. line with a salient inland point) we steamed ahead 

 in this direction for a given tinie. accurately measured. the 



