6/8 APPENDIX 



On March 4th we saw the sun for the first time. It should 

 have been visible the day before, but then it was too cloudy. By 

 way of compensation it was now a double festival day, as we 

 could celebrate both the return of the sun and Nordahl's birth- 

 day in one. 



On March 14th it was one year since Nansen and Johansen 

 commenced their long ice-journey. The day was celebrated by 

 a better dinner, with coffee afterwards and a punch-bowl in the 

 evening. 



Besides the usual scientific observations, which were con- 

 tinued without any interruptions worth mentioning, we also 

 took soundings during the winter, but did not reach bottom 

 with a 3000-metre line (1625 fathoms). 



On April 13th Scott-Hansen and I took an observation with 

 the theodolite, and Nordahl an observation with the sextant, 

 on the natural horizon. According to the theodolite, the 

 latitude was 84° 11.5', and by the sextant 84° 13'. We had 

 previously ascertained that there was a difference of about two 

 minutes between the artificial and natural horizons. In using 

 the natural horizon a smaller latitude is obtained, even though 

 there is no mirage. The deviation will, however, under favor- 

 able circumstances, seldom exceed two minutes. But if there 

 is much mirage, it becomes almost impossible to obtain a fairly 

 correct result. As a rule, therefore, in taking observations in 

 the drift-ice, one has to use the artificial horizon or theodolite, 

 if a very exact result is desired. 



As the time passed on towards spring the days became 

 longer, and more rifts and channels were formed round the 

 ship. It was time to think of beginning preparations for forc- 

 ing the Frani ahead as soon as sufficiently large openings 

 should appear in the ice. The things stored on the ice had 

 been frequently shifted about in the course of the winter, but 

 as the ice became more broken up, it was of little use to shift 

 them. So in the middle of April we took the winter depot on 

 board and stowed it away in the main hold. We also took on 

 board the sacks from the coal depot, while the barrels and 

 hogsheads, together with the dog-biscuits, kayaks, and sledges, 



