THE WINTER NIGHT 279 



The theory of the ice - pressure being caused to a 

 considerable extent by the tidal wave has been ad- 

 vanced repeatedly by Arctic explorers. During the 

 Franis drifting we had better opportunity than most 

 of them to study this phenomenon, and our experience 

 seems to leave no doubt that over a wide reQ:ion the 

 tide produces movement and pressure of the ice. It 

 occurs especially at the time of the spring- tides, and 

 more at new moon than at full moon. During: the in- 

 tervening periods there was, as a rule, little or no trace 

 of pressure. But these tidal pressures did not occur 

 during the whole time of our drifting. We noticed 

 them especially the first autumn, while we were in the 

 neighborhood of the open sea north of Siberia, and 

 the last year, when the Frani was drawing near the 

 open Atlantic Ocean ; they w^ere less noticeable while 

 we were in the polar basin. Pressure occurs here more 

 irregularly, and is mainly caused by the wind driv- 

 ing the ice. When one pictures to one's self these 

 enormous ice -masses, drifting in a certain direction, 

 suddenly meeting hinderances — for example, ice-masses 

 drifting from the opposite direction, owing to a change 

 of wind in some more or less distant quarter — it is 

 easy to understand the tremendous pressure that must 

 result. 



Such an ice conflict is undeniably a stupendous 

 spectacle. One feels one's self to be in the presence 

 of titanic forces, and it is easy to understand how 



