AUGUST IS TO JANUARY /, i8g6 651 



tion on the ice. With that quantity, therefore, we filled butts, 

 casks, and sacks, and took it out on the ice, together with 1400 

 pounds of tinned potatoes, about 45 gallons of petroleum, about 

 80 gallons of gas-oil, and about 34 gallons of coal-oil. 



As the ship was still deeply laden, I wished to lighten her as 

 much as possible, if only it could be managed without exposing 

 to risk any of the stores which had to be unloaded. After the 

 windmill was worn out and taken away we had, of course, no use 

 for the battery and dynamo, so we took the whole concern to 

 pieces and packed it up, with lamps, globes, and everything be- 

 longing to it. The same was done with the petroleum motor. The 

 "horse-mill" was also taken down and put out on the ice, with 

 a lot of heavy materials. One long-boat had been put out earlier, 

 and now we took the other down from the davits and took it up 

 to the great hummock. But as the hummock shortly afterwards 

 drifted a good way off from us, the boat, with everything else 

 that lay there, was brought back again and placed upon the great 

 ice-floe to which we were moored — our " estate,"' as we used to 

 call it. On top of the davits, and right aft to the half-deck, we 

 ran a platform of planks, on which the sledges, kayaks, and 

 other things were to be laid up in the winter. 



On July 22d we continued our deep-sea soundings, taking 

 two on that day, the first to 1354 fathoms (2500 metres) and 

 the second to 1625 fathoms (3000 metres), without touching 

 bottom either time. In order to make sure that the lead should 

 sink, we lowered away the line very slowly, so that it took two 

 hours and a quarter to reach a depth of 3000 metres. On the 23d 

 we again took two soundings, one of 1840 fathoms (3400 metres), 

 without finding bottom, and then one in which we found bottom 

 at 2056 fathoms (3S00 metres). It took two hours and a half to 

 lower the leaci to the latter depth. Finally, on July 24th we 

 again took a sounding of 3600 metres without finding bottom, 

 and therefore concluded the depth to be from 3700 to 3800 

 metres. 



On July 7th the doctor rowed out in the "pram" in search 

 of algae, but came back empty-handed. There were remarkably 

 few algae to be found this summer, nor did there seem to be 



