524 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Nov. 23, iS 



that not less than twelve days were spent on the ice be- 

 fore they reached terra firnta, and it will most likely 

 turn out that this part of the expedition was the most 

 trying and the most dangerous. The landing was 

 effected some 300 miles more to the south than ori- 

 ginally intended, and this proves that strong southernly 

 currents must have carried the ice floes along the shore 

 and away from it. How they managed to climb the 

 steep glaciers in order to get upon the real inland ice we 

 are not as yet told, but the actual journey across, begin- 

 ning on August 15th, took forty-six days. The distance 

 being about 400 miles, this gives a daily average of less 

 than ten miles, but it appears that when the party had 

 reached an altitude of some 7,500 feet a northern 

 snow-storm compelled them to deviate from their 

 intended course, whereby the actual distance traversed 

 has evidently been much increased. The highest 

 altitude registered was over 10,000 ft., and here they 

 found a temperature of from —40 deg. to —50 deg. C. 

 At the end of September the descent, the last but not least 

 dangerous portion of the trip, was made, not at the 

 colony of Christianshaab, as first intended, but in a 

 small bay not far from Godthaab. Dr. Nansen and Mr. 

 Sverdrup here built a kind of boat or floating raft 

 with their sleeping-bags and some drift timber, and 

 leaving behind the four others, managed to reach God- 

 thaab. Here they found that the last vessel for this 

 season had left, but they heard that there might be some 

 chance of there still being a steamer ready for starting 

 at Ivigtut, the Cryolith shipping-place, and so they hired 

 two kajak-men to bring letters to Ivigtut. The Fox had 

 then gone, but some mishap to the engine had compelled 

 the steamer to return for repairs, and it was only half 

 an hour before its second starting that the kajak-men, 

 paddling with all speed from the north, were observed. 

 Dr. Nansen's letter to the captain of the steamer pleaded 

 hard for himself and his followers to be waited for some 

 days — he ventured even to say only for four days — and 

 expressed in touching terms his and their longings for 

 home after so many dangers and fatigues. It seems to 

 all a great pity that the captain did not feel competent to 

 meet this fervent wish, even if it should have taken a 

 longer time, but peremptory orders from home, where 

 this incident had not been foreseen, bound his hands, and 

 the advanced season did, in fact, expose his steamer, 

 already crowded with passengers, to the danger of being 

 frozen in if he had tarried longer, and he felt sure that 

 the whole party could not have reached him in less than 

 a month. So Dr. Nansen and his followers will be 

 compelled to stay over the winter at Godthaab, but as 

 this colony is, relatively speaking, quite a big place, they 

 will have every comfort that civilisation and human 

 company can afford until next spring brings them home 

 to receive the reward of praise and admiration to which 

 their courage, pluck, and endurance so fully entitle them. 

 It is hoped that the letter from Dr. Nansen which the 

 Fox is announced to bring for Mr. Gamel will contain 

 some continuous and succinct report of the various stages 

 of the expedition. If that proves so I shall forward you 

 a translation of it. 



In a subsequent issue of the Times the folio wingappeared : 

 The short letter from Dr. Nansen to Mr. Augustin 



Gamel, in Copenhagen, the defrayer of the expenses of 



the expedition, is as follows : — 



Godthaab, Oct. 4th. 

 I have at last the great joy to report to you that Greenland 



has been successfully crossed from east to west. I regret 



that the very short time left to me before despatching my 

 messengers will not permit any detailed account. I can just 

 jot down a few words to be forwarded by the kajak-men I 

 am sending southwards in the hope of stopping the Fox at 

 Ivigtut, and getting her to wait for us and take us home this 

 autumn. But in case the kajak messenger should catch the 

 steamer without inducing her to wait for us, I write these few 

 lines just to inform you that we are all alive and well. 



As you will know, we left the Jason, the Norwegian 

 sealer, on July 17th, and expected to reach the shore the next 

 day. But in this we were sadly disappointed. Screwing ice, 

 maelstroms, impassable ice, where it was alike impossible to 

 row or to drag the two boats, stopped us. One of the boats 

 was stove in, but we got it repaired again. We drifted sea- 

 wards at a speed of 30 sea miles in the 24 hours. Drifted in 

 the ice for 12 days. Strove hard to get to the shore, were 

 three times on the point of succeeding, but were as often 

 carried out to sea again by a current stronger than our power 

 of rowing. Were once, for a whole day and night, very near 

 perishing in tremendous breakers of the sea against the ice- 

 rim. After 12 days drifting about, we managed at last to get 

 ashore near Andretok, north of Cape Farewell, at 61 degrees 

 and some minutes of northern latitude. We rowed again 

 northwards, reaching Uminik, from which point the crossing 

 of the inland ice began on August 15th.* 



We directed our course for Christianshaab on the western 

 coast. Encountered severe snowstorms and had heavy ground. 

 Estimating that it would be too late to reach Christianshaab 

 in time for this autumn's vessel, we altered our course and 

 steered for Godthaab, the ice-fields in that direction having, 

 besides, been hitherto trodden by no one. After altering course 

 reached height of 10,000 ft., with temperature of 40 degs. to 

 50 degs. C. below zero. For several weeks we remained at 

 an altitude of over 9,000 ft. Tremendous storms, loose, new- 

 fallen snow, enormously difficult passage. Towards end of 

 September we reached at last the western side above God- 

 thaab. Had a perilous descent on ugly and very uneven ice, 

 but got safely down to Ameralik Fjord. Managed to build a 

 kind of boat from floor of tent, bags, bamboo reeds, and 

 willow branches. In that frail craft Sverdrup and I rowed 

 away, and arrived here on October 3rd. The four men are 

 left at Ameralsk, living there on short rations fare, but will be 

 sent for as soon as possible. 



There you have in short outline our Saga. We are all 

 perfectly well, and everything has been in the best order. I 

 hope that we may catch this steamer, and that instead of this 

 letter you may see our sunburnt faces. — With many greetings, 

 yours ever devotedly, Frithiof Nansen. 



P.S. — Just now the kajak-men must leave, profiting by the 

 favourable weather. They have 300 miles to make before 

 getting to Ivigtut. 



At the same time is published a letter from Mr- 

 Sverdrup to his father, and as this gives certain supple- 

 mentary details, I give a translation also of that : — 



Godthaab, Oct. 4th, 1S8S. 

 We arrived safely here yesterday after forty-six days' wan- 

 dering from east to west. It did not prove so easy to get on 

 shore from the Jason as we had expected. We got into for- 

 midable ice-screwings, and the current took us southwards 

 and out from the shore, so that we had twelve days' very 

 hard work before getting to land, and that 300 miles more to 

 the south than we had intended. We began at once to work 

 back along the coast, and this took us another twelve days, 

 so that we did not begin our crossing of the ice before August 

 1 5th. The ascent was very fortunate, as we chanced to find 

 comparatively easy ice to climb up. We shaped our course 

 for Christianshaab, but after getting up to 7,500 ft. we were 

 attacked by a northern snowstorm. We resolved, therefore, 

 to set our course for Godthaab, the distance being shorter, 

 and there being a better chance of favourable winds. I may 



* It appears that after getting into the shore the party found a 

 line of open water between the land and the ice rim. It must have 

 taken them even more than twelve days to regain the ground they 

 had lost by drifting to the south, since the crossing did not begin 

 before August 15th. 



