478 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIII. No. 333 



inland ice. At this place the ice reaches the sea. Only a few 

 nuna/aks (summits of mountains) emerge from the ice, while there 

 are no extensive stretches of land. A few days were spent in ne- 

 cessary preparations. Our boats were hauled on shore, turned 

 upside down, and in one of them our spare ammunition was stored, 

 in case we should be compelled to retrace our steps and winter on 

 the east coast. 



" On Aug. 15 we started inland. Our baggage was packed on 

 five sledges, of which Sverdrup and myself dragged the heaviest 

 one, while the others dragged one each. Every one had to drag a 

 load of two hundred pounds, — a task which was made very diffi- 

 cult by the comparatively steep ascent of the ice, which was crossed 

 by numerous deep fissures. During the first and second days we 

 made fair progress, particularly as we slept during the day-time, 

 and travelled at night on harder and better ice. On the third day 

 we were overtaken by a terrible rain-storm, which detained us for 

 three days. Then we proceeded in regular marches without meet- 

 ing with any serious obstacles. The ground rose continually. 

 The snow was hard but uneven. Thus we had proceeded for nine 

 days in the direction of Christianshaab, the colony on the west coast 

 which we tried to reach. Then, all of a sudden, a strong and con- 

 tinuous snow-storm set in. The road began to be bad, and we 

 made slow progress. I saw, that, under these circumstances, it 

 Vi^ould take a long time to reach Christianshaab. It was near the 

 end of August, and I expected that it would be extremely difficult 

 to travel on the inland ice as late as September. On Aug. 27 I 

 resolved to change my course, and to attempt to reach Godhaab. 

 Thus we shortened the distance to be traversed ; and the snow- 

 storm, which for several days had blown right into our teeth, was 

 more favorable to us, and helped us to drag our sledges. On the 

 other hand, I knew that the descent from the inland ice to God- 

 haab would be much more difficult than at Christianshaab ; but 

 we resolved to make a boat, in case the land near Godhaab should 

 prove too difficult. 



" We were in about 67° 50' north latitude, and about forty miles 

 distant from Godhaab Fiord, when we changed our course. Our 

 sledges were provided with sails, for which purpose we used 

 pieces of cloth. For three days we travelled on in this way ; then 

 the wind calmed down. Travelling became very difficult, and we 

 had to use snow-shoes in order to prevent sinking into the snow. 

 The surface was level and without fissures, but the ground was 

 rising continually. It was not until the beginning of September, 

 when we had reached a height of nine thousand or ten thousand 

 feet, that we had reached the top of the plateau. We were on an 

 enormous plain, level as a floor, and like a vast frozen sea. The 

 snow was loose and fine. Small needles of ice were falling con- 

 tinually, and the temperature was so low that the mercury became 

 solid. Unfortunately, I had no alcohol thermometer to show the 

 lowest temperature, which must have been between 40° and 50° 

 below zero. One night the minimum next to my pillow was — 31° 

 F. We did not suiter, however, with the cold, except during a 

 snow-storm. 



"At last, on Sept. 19, a favorable easterly wind began to blow. 

 We tied the sledges together, set sail, and made rapid progress west- 

 ward. We were descending at the same time. In the afternoon we 

 discovered the first mountain of the west coast. At night I suddenly 

 discovered through the falling snow a dark spot, which we ap- 

 proached without fear of any danger. When we were at only a 

 few steps distance, I discovered that the dark spot was a fissure. 

 We succeeded in stopping the sledges at a few feet distance, but 

 thereafter we proceeded more cautiously. 



" The ice grew more impassable the more closely we approached 

 the coast. Besides this, we had to change our course, as we had 

 entered the great glacier emptying into Godhaab Fiord. On Sept. 

 24, at a small lake south of Kangersunek, we finally reached the 

 land. Here we left part of our sledges and provisions, and went 

 along the river Kukasik toward Ameragola, where we arrived on 

 Sept. 26. 



" Thus the inland ice was crossed ; but we had to reach an in- 

 habited place as soon as possible, as our provisions began to be 

 exhausted. Besides this, our throats and mouths were swollen and 

 sore by the long-continued use of pemmican. It was impossible 

 to reach Godhaab by land, and we turned to building a small boat. 



The felt floor of our tent was used as a cover of afrail frame which 

 was built of willows and of a few poles. On Sept. 29, Sverdrup 

 and myself started for Godhaab, while the others went to fetch the 

 rest of our baggage from the edge of the inland ice. With great 

 difficulty we succeeded in reaching New Herrnhut, a missionary 

 station, on Oct. 3. After a visit to the missionary, we proceeded 

 to Godhaab, which lies a short distance off. We were received 

 very kindly. Two kayaks, with the necessary implements, were 

 despatched at once to Ameragola to fetch the rest of our party. 

 Unfortunately they were delayed by stormy weather, and we did 

 not meet at Godhaab until Oct. 12. An attempt to return to Nor- 

 way on the steamer ' Fox ' from Ivigtut failed ; but I must confess 

 that I do not regret the necessity of having wintered in Greenland, 

 as I had thus an opportunity to make a thorough acquaintance 

 with the Greenlanders." 



Thus Dr. Nansen concludes his preliminary report, which is 

 soon to be followed by a scientific report. On April 16 the ship 

 ' Hvidbjornen ' arrived at Godhaab, and on April 25 Dr. Nansen 

 and his party left this place. After a brief stay at Sukkertoppen, 

 which is situated a little more to the northward, and an unsuccess- 

 ful attempt to cross the ice-pack of Davis Strait, the ship returned 

 home. On May 19 the land of Norway was sighted, the next day 

 Cape Skagen was reached, and on May 21 the steamer arrived at 

 Copenhagen. 



SIXTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF 

 HEALTH OF NEW HAVEN. 



In this report the efficient health-officer. Dr. S. W. Williston, 

 presents in concise form the influences which have conspired to 

 bring about a comparatively high death-rate in the city, — higher 

 than in any year since 1881, though distinctly less than the average 

 in the preceding years. This increase has been chiefly due to 

 zymotic diseases, one-fourth of all the deaths being due to prevent- 

 able causes. The mortality from diphtheria and membranous 

 croup was nearly twice that of 1887 ; that from measles and diar- 

 rhoeal diseases was also high. From small-pox there were two 

 deaths during the year. The history of these cases is both inter ■ 

 esting and instructive, and emphasizes the necessity for a correct 

 diagnosis in this disease. The first case was that of an engineer 

 who contracted the disease in New York City. He had been vac- 

 cinated early in life, and thus escaped with varioloid, not more 

 than thirty or forty pustules appearing on his body. His wife, at- 

 tending him, was in due time taken with the same form of the 

 disease. Both cases were treated for measles, both had had measles 

 previously, and both had been vaccinated in childhood. The 

 family living on the floor below, consisting of Mr. D., his wife, and 

 child, had never been vaccinated, save Mr. D. The wife was first 

 to contract the disease, having nursed the second patient. She 

 died of confluent small-pox. The daughter, six years of age, con- 

 tracted the disease from her mother, but so soon that vaccination 

 after the recognition of the disease did not suffice to prevent its 

 occurrence, of which she died. A middle-aged lady, a relative, 

 called in to nurse Mrs. D., was vaccinated for the first time six 

 days after exposure. The vaccination formed a typical pustule, 

 but did not prevent the occurrence of the disease in a mild form. 

 The disease was confined to the one house ; and all those thrown 

 in contact with the cases, who had been properly vaccinated, 

 escaped. The two who had never been vaccinated died. One 

 who was first effectively vaccinated six days after exposure, had it 

 in a mild form. The two who had not been vaccinated since 

 childhood had a light varioloid. In commenting on this case, Dr. 

 Williston says, " And yet, I am sorry to say, in the light of such 

 evidence, that has been so often repeated, there are physicians in 

 New Haven to-day who do not believe in vaccination ! " 



The history of typhoid-fever in New Haven during the year is 

 of special interest with reference to the localities in which this dis- 

 ease appeared. In recent years in Brooklyn this fever has seemed 

 to be especially virulent in the better portions of the city, and to 

 be practically absent from those sections in which the sanitary con- 

 ditions are inferior ; so much so, that it has become a popular im- 

 pression in that city that typhoid-fever is a disease of the rich and 

 well-to-do, and not of the poor. This was not true of New Haven 



