564 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXFEDITION. 



The reason of this lies in the depth of the water, 

 which, close under the shore and in the interior of the 

 Fjord, is much greater than it is farther out. The same 

 conditions are seen here as on the Norwegian coast, 

 where a channel of more than 200 fathoms deep runs 

 close along the shore, whilst but a little beyond rises the 

 plateau of the North Sea from thirty to forty fathoms 

 deep. Our soundings gave analogous results on the coast 

 of Greenland. Under Shannon Island, only a few miles 

 from land, there was a depth of more than 200 fathoms, 

 whilst beyond there was only 100. The same showed 

 itself near Cape Broer Ruys, and in the Fjord itself it 

 reached the unheard-of depth of more than 500 fathoms. 

 This is also the reason that in the Greenland seas no 

 icebergs are met with far from land. To the south, 

 according to Captain Hegemann's report, they increase in 

 numbers under the land, partly for the reason that there 

 many glaciers discharge themselves straight into the 

 sea, whilst farther to the north they descend only in the 

 interior of Fjords. 



