THE PARRY ARCHIPELAGO--SVERDRUP
The very important voyage of Captain Sverdrup may be looked upon as a
sequel to the voyage of Nansen. The same generous patrons of Arctic
enterprise, Axel Heiberg and the brothers Ringnes, resolved to equip
another Arctic expedition and, by the advice of Nansen, the command
was offered to Sverdrup, the selection of the route being left to the
commander.
Sverdrup accepted; the _Fram_ was lent by the Government, and a crew
of sixteen selected. Victor Braumann, a first lieutenant in the Royal
Norwegian Navy, aged 28, was Sverdrup’s second. The cartographer was a
lieutenant of cavalry named Gunnerius Ingvald Isachsen, and the mate
Olaf Roanes of the Lofoten Islands. A Swede named Simmons went as
botanist, Edward Buy as biologist, and Schei as geologist.
The _Fram_ sailed from Laurvik (where Colin Archer had made some
repairs) on the 25th June 1898, obtained dogs at Lievely, and proceeded
to Smith Channel, where she was stopped by impenetrable ice just
north of Cape Sabine. On August 18th she anchored in Rice Strait,
which became her winter quarters. A visit was received from an Arctic
Highlander named Kolotangva. Excellent exploring work was done during
the spring of 1899. Sverdrup himself crossed an isthmus rich in musk
oxen and other game, and discovered the western shore of Ellesmere
Island. Isachsen was on the inland ice, and Schei did some excellent
geological work.
In the summer Sverdrup found the ice in Sir Thomas Smith’s Channel
closely packed, and therefore resolved to attempt discoveries up the
channel named by Baffin after Sir Francis Jones, taking with him an
abundant supply of walrus meat. Jones Sound had previously been visited
by whalers, and in August 1851 Captain Austin had entered it with the
_Pioneer_ and _Intrepid_ and proceeded up it until he was stopped by
ice extending from shore to shore. Captain Inglefield had the same
experience in 1852. Sverdrup was more fortunate, and on September 3rd
found winter quarters on the northern shore, at a place which was named
Havnfjord.
The autumn travelling during October was devoted to laying out depôts.
Sverdrup had two-man tents, double-lined, 6 ft. by 5 ft. and 5 ft.
high in the middle, the lower part of the sides being vertical for
a foot. There was just room for two men and the cooking apparatus.
They had a capital smith and metal-worker on board, named Olsen, who
made odometers for the sledges. The diet for travelling was unusually
varied. Besides pemmican, biscuit, cocoa, and sugar, which are
necessaries, there were coffee, butter, pea-soup, vegetables, dried
fruit, egg powder, groats, potatoes, meat fat, golden syrup, and fish
flour.
The main depôt was at a place which was named Björnberg. The spring
travelling parties, with 55 dogs in splendid condition, started in
March, limited parties accompanying them to Björnberg and beyond.
There were three extended parties, Sverdrup and Fosheim; Isachsen and
Hassel; and the geologist Schei and Hendricksen, who had been in the
_Fram_ with Nansen. Very interesting discoveries were made. The west
coast of Ellesmere Island was found to be indented with deep winding
fjords, afterwards explored by the scientific staff. The great island
named after Consul Axel Heiberg was discovered, and as islands were
seen to the westward, the two extended parties separated, Sverdrup
going north and Isachsen west. Axel Heiberg Island consists of high
precipitous cliffs, and there were pressed-up hummocks off the coast of
extraordinary height. The two islands discovered by Isachsen and named
after the brothers Ringnes were of low altitude. The extended parties
made very fine journeys, resulting in important discoveries. Sverdrup
was 76 days away, Isachsen 92 days, and the scientific party 78 days.
When the _Fram_ got out of her winter quarters Sverdrup proceeded
westward up Jones Sound. Its western end is blocked by land with two
narrow channels leading to the Polar Sea. Some of the names are those
of Sir Edward Belcher, who made a journey in 1853 along the north coast
of Grinnell Peninsula, from the winter quarters of the _Assistance_ in
Northumberland Inlet. The coast of North Devon turns north, forming the
Colin Archer Peninsula, followed by North Kent Island with Cardigan
Strait on the North Devon side, and what Sverdrup called Hell Gate on
the Ellesmere Island side. Both these straits lead north and south.
The _Fram_ entered Cardigan Strait and reached the north end against
a strong current. She was ultimately drifted out of the strait, and
excellent winter quarters were found near Hell Gate on the north
side of Jones Sound, a long narrow inlet free of ice which was named
Gaasefjord. Around it there were grassy stretches with small tarns and
a lake three miles long, and the country abounded in game. The third
winter passed with all in good health. As many as 20 walrus and 18 musk
oxen had been obtained.
The travellers started on the 1st April to continue their very
important discoveries. This time Sverdrup had Schei the geologist
with him as a companion, while Isachsen again took Hassel. Sverdrup
discovered the whole west coast of Ellesmere Island to within a
short distance of Aldrich’s furthest on the north coast, naming the
north-west point Lands Lowk. He also discovered the whole east coast of
Axel Heiberg Island, and the northern point facing the Polar Sea was
named Svartevæg. The channel between these two points was named after
Fridtjof Nansen. Isachsen explored Ellef Ringnes and Asmund Ringnes
Islands, as well as the west coast of Axel Heiberg Island.
The travelling parties returned in June, but the ice blocked up the
Gaasefjord and the _Fram_ was far up. A few months hard work blasting
and cutting enabled them to get the ship several miles nearer the
water, but six miles still remained when they realised that their work
was in vain. The boats were accordingly sent away for walrus meat, and
a fourth winter had to be faced.
When the spring once more returned, Captain Sverdrup decided upon
sending a party down Wellington Channel to examine the state of the
depôts at Beechey Island. They found the house in ruins, old Sir John
Ross’s boat wantonly injured, and the depôt robbed. Isachsen and Buy
meanwhile explored the south coast of Jones Sound, and all the parties
had returned to the ship by July.
This year the ice cleared out of the fjord and the _Fram_ was soon
beyond Gaasefjord on her return home, after four winters. The explorers
arrived in Christiania in September 1902. Captain Sverdrup had very
ably conducted a most successful expedition, Lieut. Isachsen had
specially distinguished himself as a sledge traveller. Meteorological,
magnetic, and tidal observations were regularly taken throughout the
long period, and the biological and geological collections were of
quite exceptional interest.
The discoveries of Sverdrup and Isachsen complete the delineation of
the great Parry Archipelago, for Axel Heiberg and the Ringnes Islands
must be included in it, especially from a geological point of view.
Ellesmere Island, North Devon, and Baffin Island stand apart as more
allied to Greenland in character. The Parry Archipelago presents quite
a different aspect, both geologically and physiographically, and is
fairly uniform in structure, with similar strata representing different
geological periods, when wanting in one place supplemented in another.
Thus the indications of the has formations discovered by M’Clintock
on Prince Patrick Island, and by Sherard Osborn on the north point
of Bathurst Island, were repeated in the discoveries of Sverdrup’s
expedition. On the other hand in Baumann Sound, on the west coast of
Ellesmere Island, there was a coal field and impressions of tertiary
plants such as are found on Disco Island and the Noursoak Peninsula in
Greenland.
On the whole it may be said that the Sverdrup expedition made the
largest addition to our Arctic knowledge of any other since the return
of the Franklin search expeditions.
Captain Gunnar Isachsen continued his affection for Arctic work, and
took special interest in bathymetrical researches. He made further
valuable oceanographical investigations during his Spitsbergen
expedition in 1910.