II 



give the Norwegian Nation and the noble contributors the best reward that 

 we can bring them. 



The expedition in the Fram must, to some extent, be regarded as a 

 pioneer undertaking. It was trying a new mode of travelhng for penetrating 

 into the unknown region of the sea surrounding the North Pole. It was not 

 easy beforehand to calculate what difficulties might there be met with, or what 

 struggles for life the members of the expedition might have to go through. 



Certainly, with the best of my knowledge, I could come to no other 

 conclusion than that a ship like the Fram should, according to all proba- 

 bility, be carried by the ice, unharmed and safe, along its untrodden track 

 across an unknown sea; but nevertheless I could not hide from myself the 

 fact that this was contrary to the expectations of most authorities on the 

 subject. It may, therefore, be considered a pardonable weakness, if I not 

 only admitted the possibility of losing the ship, but also constantly kept this 

 possibility in view, while preparing and equipping the expedition. 



Nor could I say with certainty how long the voyage would last. Accor- 

 ding to my calculations, the probability was that it would not last longer 

 than three years, but no one could be certain that this period might not be 

 doubled or more, and I thought it my duty to equip accordingly. 



The whole preparation of the expedition was therefore based on the 

 possibility that it might last a long series of years, and that the ship might 

 be lost, the members having to return a long distance across the drifting 

 polar ice, or in boats, without being able to carry much in the way of scien- 

 tific collections and instruments, or even scientific journals. For the planning 

 of the scientific work, these considerations were, therefore, decisive. 



The ship was made as small and as strong as possible; and in order to 

 save space, as well as fuel for heating and light, it was thought imperative to 

 reduce the accommodation for the members and the scientific work as much 

 as possible. As the ship was nearly filled by the necessary provisions, 

 coal, equipment, etc., nothing could be taken which was not considered quite 

 essential. There was thus no room for special laboratories, which would have 



