ch. xxxn] Franz Josef Land and its Explorers 291 
No less than ten days of ice navigation, towards the end 
of July, were required to reach the coast, the floes being 
closely packed together. Gun-cotton was found to be 
very useful in blasting the ice. Franz Josef Land was 
sighted on the 23rd July, and the Eira reached a point 
further west than was possible in the previous year, 
Cape Lofley being the extreme western point discovered. 
Some days were then spent at Cape Flora dredging and 
collecting plants and fossils. 
On the 21st August the pack ice came in with the 
tide, and the Eira, caught and crushed between it and 
the ground floe, at once filled and went down. Her 
yards, catching on the ice, held her for a few seconds, 
but they soon broke in the slings with a loud crash as she 
settled. She sank in 11 fathoms, and looking down from 
the ice, she could be seen quite distinctly. All hands 
had been employed getting provisions out on the ice 
and saving everything that could be got at until just 
before she sank. Some spars and planking floated up 
and were secured. During the rest of August the men 
were busily engaged in building a hut of turf and stones, 
collecting drift-wood, and shooting walrus, bears, and 
looms, for their existence depended on obtaining sufficient 
fresh animal food. During the autumn 21 walrus, 
13 bears, and 1200 looms were shot. They had saved 
from the vessel 1500 lb. of flour, 400 lb. of bread, a barrel 
of salt meat, 1000 lb. of preserved meat, 800 tins of soups, 
besides preserved vegetables, tobacco, some cases of 
whisky and brandy, and 7 cwt. of coal. All hands kept 
in perfect health throughout the winter, a fact which 
reflects great credit on Dr Neale. 
On the 21st June, 1884, Leigh Smith and his party 
set out on their perilous voyage in four boats, and after 
42 days the shipwrecked sailors sighted the coast of 
Novaya Zemlya on August 2nd. Near the entrance to 
the Matyushin Shar they met the Hope, under the com- 
mand of Sir Allen Young, who had come out to search 
for the missing crew, and all returned home in safety. 
There was an interval of ten years before the inves- 
tigation of Franz Josef Land was resumed. Its next 
explorer, Frederick G. Jackson, was destined to do good 
work there. He began by a preliminary journey in the 
19 — 2 
