traversed 260 m. of glacier. Nansen discovered that in that
latitude the inland ice of Greenland has the form of a huge shield
rising rather rapidly but regularly from the east coast to
nearly 9000 ft., flat and even in the middle and falling again
regularly toward the western side, completely enveloping the
land An important principle acted on for the first time in
Arctic travel on this journey was that of starting from the less
accessible side and pushing straight through with no possibility
of turning back, and thus with no necessity for forming a base
or traversing the same route twice over.
Peary spent the winter of 1891–1892 at Inglefield Gulf on the north-west coast of Greenland, Mrs Peary, Dr F. A. Cook, Eivind Astrup and a coloured servant Matthew Henson being in his party, and a large number of the Etah Eskimo in the vicinity. In April 1892 he set out for a journey across the inland ice to the north-eastward in the hope of reaching the east coast and also the northern extremity of the land After getting well up on the ice-covered plateau a supporting party returned to winter quarters, while Peary and Astrup, with two companions and sixteen dogs, entered on the serious part of their work. The highest part of the inland ice was found to be about 5700 ft., and as usual after the first part of the descent, towards the north-east in this case, the surface was broken by numerous dangerous crevasses, progress amongst which was very slow. Great hardships were experienced from cold, insufficiency of food and the wearing out of sledges and clothes, but on the 4th of July, having left the ice and got on bare land in 81° 37′ N., where musk oxen and other game were found and flowers were growing, Peary was rewarded by a glimpse of the sea to the north-eastward, and named it from the date Independence Bay. He also traced a channel to the north beyond which lay a new land largely free from snow, no doubt the southern part of the island along the north of which Markham and Lockwood had travelled to their farthest north. The return journey to Inglefield Gulf was a wonderful feat of endurance, which was completed on the 4th of August, the total distance marched on the whole journey out and home was 1300 m. Peary returned to northern Greenland in 1893, having spent the whole time between the two expeditions in writing and lecturing in order to raise funds, for he travelled at his own charges He landed on the shore of Inglefield Gulf on the 3rd of August and wintered there with a party of thirteen, including Mrs Peary, and there their daughter was born Astrup was taken ill after starting on the great journey in March 1804, which was to have extended the explorations of the previous year, and had to return, others were severely frost-bitten, disease broke out amongst the dogs, and a month after the start Peary was only 130 m from his base and had to return. Peary with two of his party, Hugh J. Lee and Matthew Henson, remained at Inglefield Gulf for another winter, and on the 1st of April 1895, with deer and walrus meat in place of pemmican, the supply of which had been lost, set out for Independence Bay. They reached the ice-free land when their food was exhausted and fortunately fell in with a herd of musk oxen, the meat from which made it possible to get back to Inglefield Gulf, though without adding anything material to the results of 1892. The experience of ice-travel and of Eskimo nature gained in the four years’ almost continuous residence in northern Greenland were however destined to bear rich fruit.
Dr Nansen, after making an exhaustive study of the winds
and currents of the Arctic Sea, and influenced largely by the
occurrence of driftwood on the shores past which the
ice-laden waters flowed southward between Greenland
and Spitsbergen, satisfied himself that there was
a general drift across the polar basin and perhaps across the PoleNansen;
Drift of the “Fram.”
He planned an expedition to take advantage of this drift on the
principle which guided his crossing of Greenland, that of entering
at the least accessible point and not turning back, thus having
no line of retreat and making a relief expedition impossible He
planned a ship, the “Fram,” which was immensely strong, to
resist crushing, and of such a section that if nipped in the ice the
opposing ice-masses would pass under her and lift her on to the
surface The plan of the expedition was based on scientific
reasoning, but the methods were totally at variance with those
of previous explorers. Otto Sverdrup, who had been one of
Nansen’s party in crossing Greenland, was captain of the
“Fram,” and the party included eleven others, the whole ship’s
company of thirteen living together on terms of social equality.
Nansen paid the greatest possible attention to the provisions,
and all the arrangements for the health and happiness of those
on board were carefully thought out. The clothing of the
expedition was as original in design as the ship, instead of having
furs, thick woollen underclothing was adopted, with a light
wind-proof material for the outer dress The “Fram” left
Christiania in the summer of 1893 and made her way through the
Kara Sea and along the north coast of Asia until on the 20th of
September she was run into the ice in 77° 30′ N., off the New
Siberia Islands, and the great drift commenced. As anticipated,
she rose to the pressure of the ice and was borne on an even
keel high above the water for the whole duration of the drift
The movement of the ice was irregular, and on the 7th of
November the “Fram” was back at her starting-point, but on
the whole the movement was north-westward until the 15th of
November 1895, when the highest latitude of the ship was
attained, 85° 55′ N. in 66° 31′ E., the meridian of the east of
Novaya Zemlya, then it was westward and finally southward
until the ice was broken by blasting round the ship in June in
83° N. lat; and after being afloat, though unable to make much
progress until the middle of July, the “Fram” broke out of
the ice off the north coast of Spitsbergen on the 13th of August
1896 No ship before or since has reached so high a latitude
In all her drift the “Fram” came in sight of no new land, but
the soundings made through the ice proved that the Arctic Sea
was of great depth, increasing towards the Pole, the greatest
depth exceeding 2000 fathoms. The great mass of water filling
the polar basin was comparatively warm, indicating free circulation
with the Atlantic. It was established that the ice formed
off the coast of Asia drifted across the polar basin in a period of
from three to five years, and the hypothesis on the truth of which
Nansen risked his success was abundantly verified by facts. The
ship’s company all returned in perfect health After the second
winter on the “Fram” at a time when the northward movement
of the drift seemed to be checked, Nansen, accompanied by
Lieut. Hjalmar Johansen, left the ship in order to explore
the regions towards the Pole by travelling on ski with dog
sledges carrying kayaks. It was obviously hopeless to attempt
to find the drifting ship on their return, and Nansen intended to
make for Spitsbergen in the hope of meeting one of the tourist
steamers there. A more daring plan was never formed, and it
was justified by success. Leaving the ship on the 14th of March
1895 in 84° N. 102° E, they made a fairly rapid march
northward, reaching a latitude of 86° 5′ N. on the 8th of April,
the nearest approach to the Pole so far achieved Turning
south-westwards they travelled with much difficulty, sometimes
on the ice, sometimes in kayaks in the open lanes of water, incurring
great danger from the attacks of bears and walrus, but at
length reaching a group of new islands east of Franz Josef
Land They travelled westward through this archipelago until
the 28th of August, when they built a small stone hut roofed
with their light silk tent, in which they passed the winter on a
land since called Frederick Jackson Island There they lived
like Eskimo on bear and walrus meat cooked over a blubber
lamp The journey southward was resumed in the spring of
1896, and on the 15th of June they met Mr F. G. Jackson, in
whose relief ship, the “Windward,” they returned to Norway.
Nansen and Johansen reached Vardo on the 13th of August
1896 full of anxiety for the fate of their old comrades, when
by a coincidence unparalleled in the history of exploration, the
“Fram” was on that very day breaking out of the ice off
Spitsbergen and the original party of thirteen was reunited at
Tromso the following week and returned together to Christiania.
On this remarkable expedition no life was lost and the ship
came back undamaged under the skilled guidance of Sverdrup
with a great harvest of scientific results.
Mr Frederick George Jackson planned an exploring expedition
