THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF i8g4 459 



then 1.75 metres. On October 12th the aggregate thick- 

 ness was 2,08 metres, while the old ice was 1.8 metres. 

 On November loth it was still about the same, with only 

 a slight tendency to increase. Further on, in November 

 and in December, it increased quite slowly. On Decem- 

 ber I ith the aggregate thickness reached 2.1 1 metres. 

 On January 3d, 1S95, 2.32 metres; January loth, 2.48 me- 

 tres ; February 6th, 2.59 metres. Hence it will be seen 

 that the ice does not attain any enormous thickness by 

 direct freezing. The packing caused by pressure can, 

 however, produce blocks and floes of a very different 

 size. It often happens that the floes get shoved in 

 under each other in several layers, and are frozen to- 

 gether so as to appear like one originally continuous 

 mass of ice. Thus the Fram had got a good bed un- 

 der her. 



Juell and Peter had often disputed together during the 

 winter as to the thickness of ice the Fram had under 

 her. Peter, who had seen a good deal of the ice before, 

 maintained that it must at least be 20 feet thick, while 

 Juell would not believe it, and betted 20 kroner that it 

 was not as thick as that. On April 19th this dispute 

 again broke out, and I say of it in my diary: "Juell has 

 undertaken to make a bore, but unfortunately our borer 

 reaches no farther than 16 feet down. Peter, however, 

 has undertaken to cut away the 4 feet that are lacking. 

 There has been a lot of talk about this wager during 

 the whole winter, but they could never agree about it. 



