2. Jan Mayen. 



Den 27de .Tuli L877, omAftenen, kom vi. paa Vejen 

 fra Tromsø til Jan Mayen, ind i Polarstroinmon. Tempe- 

 raturen i Havets Overflade, der hele Dagen tidligere havde 

 været 8° og derover, gik hurtig ned til mellem 4" og 5 

 og en Temperatur af 0° fandtes allerede i 17 Favn.- Dyb. 

 Dette rar 15 geografiske Mi] øst for Jan .Maven. Den 

 følgende Nat og Formiddag dampede vi. under jevnlig Lod- 

 ning, ' videre vestover og fandl Dybder paa 829, 968, 7'.ii>. 

 1060 og, Kl. 1 Eftm. den 28de, 65.4 Favne. Endnu viste 

 Jan Mayen sig- ikke. Med det kolde Vand havde Polar- 

 havets Taage indfundet sig og tauet bort saavel Siden som 

 al Udsigt til Land. Imidlertid tydede, foruden Dybdens 

 Aftagen, den stadig tiltagende Mængde af Søfugl, navnlig 

 Lunder, som saaes flyvende østover, paa at Landet ikke 

 kunde være langt borte. Med Kursen fremdeles ret mod 

 Vest dampedes fra Pladsen for det sidste Lodskud videre 

 Kl. 1.40 Min. Kl. 2 • hørtes pludselig første Styrmands 

 Raab "Jeg ser Isbræen forud". Farten standsedes, Loddet 

 kastedes og viste en Dybde af 144 Favne. I Horizonten. 

 under den lavt liggende Taage. skimtedes en vældig ned- 

 overhængende Isbræ mod den mørke Fjebjvæg. Det var 

 Østsiden af Jan Mayen. Med Loddet i Bund bleve vi lig- • 

 gende paa samme Plads et Par Timers Tid. Taagen lettede 

 noget, og vi kunde se nordover til Ostkap og sydover til 

 Sydostkap. Vi laa ligeudenfor den sydligste af Østsidens 

 fem sture [sbræer Petersens, Bræ). Afstanden fra Land 

 bestemtes, ved Ekkoet af et Kanonskud, (10.'4 Mellemtid) 

 til en liden Kvartmil (1750 Meter). 



Da Søgangen kom fra Nordnordost og der saaes Bræn- 

 dinger paa Stranden, besluttedes det åt søge en Aukerplads 

 paa den anden Side af Øen. Vi tog da Loddet ind og dampede 

 nordover. Vejret holdt sig fremdeles taaget, og i det Øje- 

 blik. vi vare uaaede til tvers af Nordostkap, lagde Taagen 

 sig saa tæt over Havet, at Landet og Horizonten blev tau. 4 

 ganske bort. Kursen sattes en Stund senere mud "\ est. 

 derpaa mod Syd Og endelig mod Syd. .st. Taagen holdt sig 

 hele .Tiden over Havet og hindrede al Udsigt. Med korte 

 Tidsmellemrtim observerede.s Havoverfladens Temperatur 

 som et muligt Varsel om Is i Nærheden. Vi fandt jevnlig 

 over 3". Og ikke lavere end 2.°3. Da vi Kl. 7 om Aftenen 

 efter Bestikket nærmede .os Mary Muss Bugten, begyndte 

 vi at lodde, og fortsatte hermed under Farten ind mod det 

 usynlige Land. for paa denne Maade at tinde en Auker- 

 plads. til Kl. 1". Kl. It» 1 -, begyndte imidlertid heldigvis 

 Taagen at lotte sit:, saaat de nedre Dele af Landet bleve 

 synlige. Vi kunde nu orientere os og vælge vor Auker- 

 plads. og Kl. 11 faldt Vøriugens Anker i Mary Muss 

 Bugten paa 20 Favne Vand. en god halv Kvartmil fra 

 Stranden. 



2. Jan Mayen. 



ln il..' evening of the 27th of July, 1X77. on our 

 passage from Tromsø to Jan Mayen, we entered the Pi. lar 

 current. The témperature at the surface ..r the sea. which 

 throughout the day had not been lower tban 8°, sank 

 rapidlj ti. between 4 aud ."> . and <> was registered at a 



deptb et 17 fath s, the position of the ship being then 60 



miles easl ..f Jan Maven. During the night and the fore- 

 noon of the following day we steamed on westward, sounding 

 repeatedly, and found the deptb to be successively 829, 

 968, 796, 1060, and. at 1 p. m. on the 28th, 654 fathoms. 

 Still, nothing was to he seen of dan Mayen. "With the 

 frigid water had come the Arctic fog, shrouding botb the 

 sun and the land. Meanwhile, divers species of sea-birds, 

 more especially puffins, seen flying eastward in steadily 

 increasing numbers, could not fail to announce. apart from 

 the observed decrease in deptb, our comparative proximity 

 to the island Steering due west as before. we steamed on 

 trom where the hist sounding had been tåken (1.40 pm.). 

 and at 2 p. m. we suddenly heard the first mate shout 

 "Glacier ahead!" The ships way was immediately deadened, 

 and on heaving the lead. the deptb was found to be 144 fathoms. 

 (ln the horizoh, under the low-lying fog, could be descried 

 against the dark mountain-wall a huge. beetling glacier. 

 It was the eastern shore of Jan Mayen. A\'itli the lead 

 at the bottom, we remained in the same spot for a couple 

 ..f hours, when the fog began to clear a little, and looking 

 northward. we could sight Cape Ea>t. southward, Cape 

 South-East. The vessel lav right off the most southerly ..f 

 the 5 large glaciers ( Petersen*s glacier) on the east coast 

 ..f Jan Maven. The distance from land was determined 

 by the echo of a cannon-shot (interval 10/4), and found 

 to l.e something under a mile (5742 feet). 



The swell coming from the north-north-east. aud obser- 

 ving the sea breaking on the shore. we determined to seek a 

 sheltered anchorage on the other side of the island. The lead 

 was accordingly hoistedin. and we steamed northward. The 

 weather still continued thick: and just as the vessel had 

 got abreast of Cape Xorth-East. the tog became all at once 

 so dense that aothing could be seen of the land and the 

 horizon. Shortly after, the course was set west. then 

 south, and rinally south-east. Meanwhile. there was no' 

 break in the fog. which still liung over the sea. excluding 

 the prospect on every side. At brief intervaJs we noted 

 the témperature of the surface-water, as a possible indication 

 of the proximity of ice. This was generally found to he 

 3". aud in no case under 2."3. At 7 p. m.. as. according 

 to our reckoning. we were approaching Mary alliss Bay. 

 we heaved the lead. and continued sounding till 10 o'clock. 

 as we bore down on the fog-shrouded coast to fmd anchorage 

 for the ship. Fortunately. however. at half-past ten the dense 

 mist began to rise. disclosing the lower parts of the land. 

 We could now look about us and choose our ancborage; 

 and at 11 o'clock the "Vormgen" dropped her anchor *in 

 Mary Muss Bay. in 20 fathoms of water, a little more tban 

 half a mile from the shore. 



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