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National Geographic : 1896 Sep
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THE RETURN OF DR NANSEN THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE rejoices in the safe return and in the extensive geographic explorations of Dr F. Nansen, Captain O. N. Svendrup, and their companions in the Fram. Nansen entered the pack in September, 1893, in 780 50' north, 134° east, to the northwest of the New Siberian islands. This drift was in the same general direction as that of De Long in the Jeannette. The Fram barely escaped destruction by the action of the ice, but it reached by March, 1895, 830 59' north, 1020 west. At this point Dr Nansen, with one companion, reached, April 7, i895, by dogs and sledge over the frozen sea. 86° 14' north and about 950 east, a point 20 51' farther north than was made by Lockwood and Brainard, of the Greely expedition. Nansen for some unexplained reason did not return to the Fram, which was left in command of Captain Svendrup, but started for Spitzbergen via Franz Josef land. He reached, August 6, 1895, in 810 38' north, 630 east, outlying ice-capped islands of the Franz Josef archipelago, and wintered in the vicinity. Subsisting on bear and walrus meat, he almost miraculously met the Jackson-Harms worth party wintering on Franz Josef land and was brought safely by them to VardS. Nansen's experiences were astound ing in character, and his safe return results from a combination of courage, endurance, and self-helpfulness, supplemented by good fortune, unequaled in the annals of Arctic exploration. Svendrup's return with the Fram happily ends the fears that were entertained for the safety of the vessel on Nansen's return. It would seem, in the absence of definite information, that the Fram drifted to the northward of Franz Josef land and Spitz bergen and came into open water to the northwest of the latter land. No land was discovered to the north of the eighty-second parallel, and the archipelago discovered by the Greely expedi tion remains the most northerly land known. The very deep water, 2,185 fathoms, found by Svendrup indicates an extension to the north and east of the great deep existent between Spitz bergen and Greenland, and renders it improbable that any ex tensive land lies to the north of Franz Josef land or Spitzbergen. Thus by boldness and energy, rivaling those qualities of their Scandinavian ancestors, have Nansen and Svendrup rolled back for admiring mankind, to an extent unequaled in this age, the Ultima Thule of the North.
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