492 



NA TURE 



[Sept. 20, 1 



THE NORWEGIAN GREENLAND 

 EXPEDITION. 



INFORMATION having been received by the sealer 

 Jaso?i of the Norwegian Expedition under Dr. 

 Fridtjof Nansen, which is to attempt traversing Green- 

 land from the east coast to the west coast, having left 

 that vessel on July 17 in lat. 65° 2' N., and by this time 

 is no doubt fairly on its way across the inland ice, some 

 particulars of the plan and aim of this expedition, fur- 

 nished by the leader himself, will doubtless prove of 

 interest, and tend to correct various erroneous statements 

 which have appeared. 



When leaving the Jason, an ice-belt about ten miles 

 in width separated the vessel from the mouth of the 

 Sermilik Fjord, and the Expedition was seen to make 

 good progress, either walking over the ice or rowing 

 through it, and at 6 a.m. it was out of sight. It was Dr. 

 Nansen's intention to land in this fjord, which is in- 

 habited, and proceed to the bottom, where he would 

 attempt to ascend to the inland ice plateau. The moun- 

 tains around the fjord are very steep, and upwards of 

 6000 feet in height, but still this spot was recommended 

 by the Danish explorer, Captain Holm, as the most suit- 

 able. It is agreed by all competent authorities that once 

 on the inland ice plateau the rest of the journey will be 

 comparatively easy, Dr. Nansen and his followers pur- 

 posing to journey on the so-called Norwegian Ski across 

 the smooth snowy surface of the inland ice. These 

 adjuncts of locomotion are highly recommended by 

 Baron Nordenskiold in land journeys in the Arctic 

 regions ; and as a proof of their utility it may be men- 

 tioned that when on the inland ice in 1883, the two 

 Lapps in his train were sent forward, and covered in 

 fifty-seven hours twice as much ground as the rest of the 

 expedition in twenty-seven days. Before, however, de- 

 scribing these means of locomotion on snow, a brief 

 reference to the members of the Expedition should be 

 made. 



The Expedition, for which there were thirty-five volun- 

 teers, including one Englishman, consists of Dr. Fridtjof 

 Nansen, of the Bergen Museum, leader ; Lieutenant in the 

 Norwegian army, Herr O. C. Dietrichson ; Herr Otto Sver- 

 drup, an officer in the Norwegian mercantile marine ; and 

 Herr Kristian Kristiansen, a land-owner ; with two Lapps, 

 Samuel Bulto and Oie Ravna, the latter of whom was 

 "on view" at the Exhibition in London in 1883. All 

 the members are men in their best years, powerful, and 

 accustomed to hardships of all kinds, and last, not least, 

 experts in the craft of Skilobning, or Norwegian mode of 

 journeying on snow. This mode is entirely different from 

 that practised in Canada under the name of " snow- 

 shoeing," and therefore deserves special mention. The 

 Ski, or snow " runners," as they might more justly be 

 called, are long strips of carefully selected pine-wood 

 without a flaw, those used by Dr. Nansen being about 

 8 feet in length, 1 inch in thickness, and 4 inches in 

 width. In the middle is a leather strap covered with 

 sheep's wool for the foot, and a slight catch for the heel, 

 whilst the edges are (in this particular case) protected 

 by means of a steel band. The wood has been carefully 

 seasoned and soaked in tar to prevent the penetration of 

 moisture, whilst underneath the Ski are lined with 

 reindeer skin, the hair of which gives the runner a better 

 "grip" on the snow when going up hill. In front they 

 are pointed and bent slightly upwards, so as to pass 

 more easily over obstacles. A good pair of Ski will, when 

 carefully prepared, have the elasticity almost of a Toledo 

 blade, and jumps of 25 or 30 feet, when such may be 

 necessary in the mountains, are frequently performed by 

 good Ski men, without breaking their Ski. The most 

 remarkable feats of agility are performed by experts on 

 these means of locomotion ; in fact, many a Norwegian 

 is as much at home on his Ski as a Red Indian on his 



horse. As to the progress made on Ski, it is simply 

 astounding, a good runner on dry snow, and across a fair 

 country, being capable of covering a hundred miles a 

 day, and down hill the speed rivals that of the fastest 

 express. Dr. Nansen and his party, who are all cele- 

 brated for their achievements in the Ski sport, carry with 

 them nine pairs of these. For the conveyance of pro- 

 visions he has with him five hand sledges of novel 

 construction, being only half the weight of those gener- 

 ally carried in Arctic journeys. They are 9 feet long, 

 and 2 feet wide, greatly curved at both ends, and shod 

 with steel bands, whilst at the back is a steering-pole. 

 The weight is 25 pounds. Dr. Nansen had occasion to test 

 the quality of one of these sledges when travelling last 

 winter alone across Norway on Ski, from Eidsfjord to 

 Nummedal, a distance of about fifty miles. The adop- 

 tion of this kind of sledge has been made at the instance 

 of Baron Nordenskiold, who, during his journey across 

 the inland ice, found those then used too heavy. The 

 Expedition is also provided with a tent, brown in colour, 

 in order to afford a rest to the eye on the vast dazzling 

 snow-fields, and it may be separated into five pieces, 

 each forming a sail for the boats. Naturally it was 

 absolutely necessary that the baggage of the Expedition 

 should be as small as possible, consequently only what 

 is absolutely required has been included, such as the usual 

 scientific apparatus, a camera, cooking utensils, and pro- 

 visions, the latter consisting chiefly of pemmican, meat 

 cakes and biscuits, preserves, tea, chocolate, &c. Every 

 article carried has been specially prepared, some in 

 Christiania, and others in Copenhagen, London, and 

 Paris. One article which previous Greenland Expedi- 

 tions have been much in want of are Alpine ropes for use 

 in climbing, and these have been specially made for 

 Dr. Nansen in London. 



Having reached the inland ice plateau, Dr. Nansen 

 purposes travelling in a north-westerly direction, with 

 Disco Bay on the west coast for his goal, as further 

 south the land is intersected by deep fjords and moun- 

 tains, which may cause difficulties in crossing. The 

 distance from coast to coast is estimated at 425 miles, 

 and allowing for a rate of progress of only fifteen miles a 

 day, the whole journey should be accomplished in about 

 thirty days. The leader considers it a great advantage to 

 cross from east to west, and not vice versa as previously 

 attempted, as in the former case provisions need only be 

 carried for one journey, the west coast being well pro- 

 vided in this respect. The most serious obstacles expected 

 by Dr. Nansen on the inland ice are crevices in the ice, 

 which are formed by the water from the melting snow, 

 and wet snow. The former he intends to attempt evading 

 by sending the Lapps forward as scouts, and on the 

 latter Canadian snow-shoes will be used, as in wet 

 snow the Ski are of little use, the snow clogging to them 

 and retarding progress. It is, however, expected that at 

 this season the snow will be crisp and dry. It should 

 also be mentioned that by crossing from east to west the 

 Expedition will have the advantage of travelling continually 

 down an incline, as the country slopes gradually down 

 from a height of 6000 feet on the east coast to only a few 

 hundred on the west coast, whilst the wind also nearly 

 always blows from that quarter. 



Dr. Nansen further anticipates that the curious lofty 

 basalt rocks of Disco Island will be seen a good way 

 inland, and serve as a landmark. 



As regards the scientific aspects of the expedition, not 

 too great results may be expected, although Dr. Nansen 

 has especially qualified for his task, and visited Green- 

 land some years ago ; as with the means at his disposal, 

 and in view of the mode of travelling, the number of 

 members and the weight of the baggage had to be scrictly 

 limited. However, the leader feels confident that it will 

 contribute in some degree to solve the scientific problems 

 facing us in that continent, which has always had such 



