Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1894 — THE NANSEN EXPEDITION. [ARTICLE]

THE NANSEN EXPEDITION.

It Will Probably Not bo Hoard From in a Long Timo. Dr. John Murray, the well-known authority on Arctic and Antartic exploration, has made the following statement with regard to Dr. Nansen’s expedition to the North Pole: “ In all probability we shall not hear any more of Nansen for a long time to come. The last news from him clearly indicates that he was able to push his way through the Kara Sea early in August By the time he arrived in the Nordenskjold Bea he most probably found the dogs an intolerable nuisance on board his small ship, and very likely he had made up his mind that they would be of little use to him, except in the improbable event of his finding a large stretch of land toward the North Pole. Supposing the expedition to be all well off Cape Chelyuskin, there seems to be no reason why it should go south to Olenek. Nansen had no intention of going as far east as the new Siberian Islands, supposing an opportunity offered of penetrating the ice to the north of Cape Chelynskin, and all reports tell of open water in this direction during the past season. The chances are that he is now fixed in the ice somewhere between the longitude 120 and 130 east and latitudes 78 and 80 north. If so, he is then in the most favorable position for progress next summer. During the winter it is not likely that any great advance will be made, but in the spring and summer months it is believed that the drainage from the Siberian rivers and the wind pressure on the surface of the ice floes combine to set the currents and ice from opposite the mouths of the Lena across the Pole and down into the Norwegian Sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland. If the Fram is carried through the Polar basin without being crushed among the ice floes, she will have an extraordinary run of good luck. It is possible, but not probable, for I have no great faith in her being lifted up on the ice, should she come in for a “nip.” But supposing the Fram be crushed, Nansen’s expedition is not at an end. In all probability he will be able to save his boats, transfer his stores to the ice floes, and there construct comfortable quarters. Should his supplies fall short, he will always be able to fish up from underneath the ice plenty of food in the form of minute crustaceans by means of tow nets let down through holes in the ice. Once when frozen in between Spitzbergen and Greenland, I procured enormous numbers of animals in this way which made an excellent soup. I presented the Nansen expedition with a large number of silk nets for this purpose. Nansen may be five or many more years in passing across the Arctic basin, he may fail altogether, but I shall be disappointed if he be not heard of to the north of Spitzbergen luring the summer after next.”