The Herald

Safe and Sound and All on Board Well

THE BALLOONATICS TRIP

Will Probably

Be

Postponed

Until

Next April

The Fram Still Carries Provisions for Three Years, but There Are No Applicants for Arctic Jobs

Associated Press Special Wire.

CHRISTIANIA, Aug. 20.-Nansen's exploring ship Fram, which he left behind in the ice early in January, 1896, in order to explore the sea north of the route he proposed to follow, arrived at Skjervo, in the province of Tromsoe, yesterday evening. Capt. Sverdrup, her commander, reports all well on board. The Fram called at Danes Island August 14 and saw Prof. Andree, who was still waiting for a favorable wind before he would attempt his balloon trip across the Arctic regions. Capt. Sverdrup sent the following telegram to Nansen:

"Fram arrived safely; all well on board; leave at once for Tromsoe. Welcome home."

Dr. Nansen replied as follows:

"Thousand times welcome to you all. Hurrah for Fram!"

The Fram left Skjervo this morning for Tromsoe, where Nansen will meet her.

Additional details received from Skjervo regarding Dr. Nansen's Arctic exploring ship are to the effect that the boat drifted to a point 85.95 degrees north. The greatest sea depth obtained by sounding was 2185 fathoms. The lowest temperature noted was 52 degrees below zero. F. H. Johansen, the stoker, it is reported, had a narrow escape from a terrible death. He was attacked by a polar bear, but was rescued by Dr. Nansen, who shot the animal. Dr. Nansen gained twenty-two pounds in weight on his journey to Vardo after leaving the Fram. King Oscar wired to Otto Neumann Sverdrup, expressing sentiments of the heartiest welcome and congratulating him on the honor won for Norway. There is great enthusiasm throughout the town, bunting being everywhere displayed. The decorations in the harbors are especially fine. A dispatch to the Aftenposten from Skjervo says the Fram reached open water August 13. A member of the expedition expresses the opinion that the Fram would have penetrated much further into the Arctic regions and perhaps the north pole would have been reached if the Fram had not been frozen in east of the New Siberian islands. In the highest latitude reached, 86.15 north, the members of the exploring party saw guillemots, fulmars and narwhals, but no other sign of organic life was apparent. Prof. Andree, according to reports received here, told Capt. Sverdrup, who visited the aeronaut, that it was now too late to make the proposed ascent, and that he would probably soon return to Spitzbergen and make another effort to reach the north pole in a balloon next April. The Fram, it is said, still has provisions capable of sustaining her crew in the Arctic regions for three years. Fearing that the crush of the ice would wreck the ship, Capt. Sverdrup and the crew were obliged, after Dr. Nansen left, to remove all the sledges, provisions, ammunition and light furniture.