m9 
WORK oF ‘‘ MAUD’’ BEXPEDITION—-SVERDRUP 227 
the end of February, 1924, Captain Wisting received a wireless 
message from Captain Amundsen asking him to get out of the ice, 
if possible, and return to Nome in the summer of 1924. In the 
spring and summer we were again carried toward west-northwest. 
The ice opened, and on August 9 we could move under the ship’s 
own power after having drifted helplessly for two years. However, 
we did not reach Nome in the summer of 1924, but were stopped 
by the ice at the Bear Islands, where we had to stay for 10 months. 
We finally reached Nome on August 22, 1925. 
When leaving Point Hope, our party consisted of eight men, 
including a native boy from the Siberian coast who acted as cabin- 
boy. We lost one of our comrades from inflammation of the brain 
in July, 1923, after one year in the ice, and buried his body in sailor 
fashion by lowering it in a space between the ice-floes. During the 
remaining two years we saw no human beings outside of our own 
small party before March, 1925, when we were visited by half-breed 
Russians from the settlement at the Kolyma River. 
During the drift and later we did not pass through any geographi- 
cally unknown region. We carried an airplane, a Curtiss Oriole, 
with which we hoped to extend the geographical exploration to both 
sides of our route. The starting and landing conditions on the ice 
were, however, very unfavorable. Two successful trial flights were 
made in spite of the difficulties, but during the third flight the motor 
missed fire at the take-off, the pilot had to land on rough ice, and 
the plane was damaged beyond repair. 
Our zigzag route was determined by frequent astronomic observa- 
tions, generally two or three a week. In winter it was often a chilly 
amusement to take these observations and the observer had to dress 
up for the occasion, but in summer it was delightful because the 
temperature then was around the freezing-point. The astronomic 
observations were generally taken on the ice, but the instruments 
were never left there. They were always carried on board after 
the observations, because the ice might at any time break up and 
the instruments might be damaged or lost. 
The astronomic observations, of course, had to be taken from the 
very beginning of the drift in order to follow our route step by 
step. Simultaneously with these, the observations of the magnetic 
elements were made. These observations had to be taken on the ice 
at such a distance from the ship that the disturbing influence of the 
magnetic iron masses on board was eliminated. The Maud was far 
from being nonmagnetic. The first observations were taken with- 
out any other shelter than the protection against the wind which a 
large ice-hummock might give. Later, when our surroundings be- 
came more solid, we built an ice house which we used to call the 
_ “crystal palace.” The ice house was equipped with electric lights 
20837—27——16 
