Report on the Danmark expedition to the north-east coast. 63 



row passage into a clearing of open water, from which all exits were 

 closed by dense pack-ice. The ice consisted of fields seл^eral miles 

 long and 5 to 6 meters thick with heavy screw-ice along the borders. 

 It was not until 8 in the evening, that the ice began to slacken and 

 advance could again be made in a north-westerly direction. 



From midnight until noon of August 7th the advance was ex- 

 ceedingly slow, often through narrow channels between ice-fields 

 several miles in length. Sometimes the channels were just broad 

 enough to let the ship pass through. At noon the ice became denser 

 and all advance was stopped; but at 7.30 p. m. the ship could again 

 move on. At 11.30 p. m. the east coast of Greenland came in sight, 

 to the great joy of every one onboard. Now they saw stretched out 

 in front of them the land, which was the goal of the most ardent wishes 

 of all onboard. The flag had been flying at the top all day in honour 

 of Mrs. Marie Mylius-Erichsen, whose birthday it was. Thus, 

 we were fated to see the promised land on Marie's birthday", writes 

 Mylius-Erichsen in his diary. 



On August Sth good progress was made until 2 p. m., when the 

 ship had to be moored owing to the impassable ice. 



The ship now lay fast in the ice practically the whole time until 

 2 a. m. on August 10th, partly owing to the impenetrable ice, partly 

 to dense fog. At this time the fog lifted and advance could again be 

 made, with a few stoppages, until 7 p. m., when impenetrable ice was 

 again met with. A bear was shot in the course of the day. 



The ship wsls fast in the ice again until August the 12th at 7.15 

 a. m. These were days of anxiety and uncertainty. Would the Ex- 

 pedition ever reach the coast or not ? On the 11th Mylius-Erichsen 

 writes in his diary: 



"A veritable Tycho Brahe day ! The Avhole day we lay enclosed 

 between two large fields with floes and small hummocks in between, 

 which, though they swirled round and round constantly with the cur- 

 rent, had not enough room to drift away. Had we been able to slip 

 out — move only 500 meters; had there been but 12 miles advance to- 

 wards the north-west ! From the look-out station in the crow's nest 

 we saw slack ice and clearings as far as the eye could reach in the 

 north-west .... Only 30 miles from the south point of the Koldewey 

 Island — and yet so far ! One day, a half day only or perhaps 8 — 

 or perhaps never ! Capricious, fateful ice !". 



Fortunately, however, the vessel came free on the 12th at 7.15 

 a. m. and the anxiety which all onboard had felt was forgotten in 

 joyful expectation. Mylius-Erichsen writes: 



"A happy day. Was roused at 6.30 лvith the news, that an at- 

 tempt could now be made to break out. Came up into the look-out 

 at 7. Ring was working the ship out along the large ice-field between 

 the small floes, which filled the channel and swirled round in a most 



