She had pursued her monotonous drift to her highest point to the west-northwest, 85° 57´ N., 60° E., changing to a south-southeast direction, to 84° 09´ N., 15° E., where she remained nearly stationary from February until June, 1896. The open summer permitted Captain Sverdrup to push through her ice barrier, and, by the judicious use of explosives, blast her way to the open water, August 13, 1896, north of Spitzbergen.
CHAPTER XXI
Journeys of Dr. A. Bunge and Baron E. von Toll.—Exploration in Spitzbergen.—Sir Martin Conway.—Dr. A. G. Nathorst.—Professor J. H. Gore.—Andrée’s balloon expedition to the North Pole.—Search for Andrée by Theodor Lerner.—J. Stadling, Dr. A. G. Nathorst.—Captain Bade.—Walter Wellman’s plan to reach the Pole from Spitzbergen.—Italian expedition under Duke of Abruzzi.—Loss of the Stella Polare.—Captain Umberto Cagni’s journey.—Breaks the record.—Retreat.—Home.—Baldwin-Ziegler expedition of 1900.—Complete equipment.—Return of expedition in autumn.—Ziegler expedition under Anthony Fiala.—The America reaches high northing.—Winters in Triplitz Bay.—Is destroyed.—Failure of sledge journeys.—Relief ship does not come.—Second winter.—Return of party by Terra Nova in 1903.
The voyage of the Jeannette, among other valuable scientific results, had proved Wrangell Land to be an island of moderate size. The drift of the Fram had demonstrated the theory of a polar ocean of vast dimensions and great depth. The interest, therefore, in Arctic exploration for the next few years was centred in numerous scientific parties which thoroughly examined, surveyed, and explored the unknown sections of lands bordering on the Polar Basin.
DR. BUNGE AND BARON VON TOLL JOURNEYS
As early as 1885, an expedition was fitted out under the auspices of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, and placed in charge of Dr. A. Bunge and Baron E. von Toll for scientific and geographical work in the Siberian Island. Toll visited Nova Sibir and traversed the entire coast of Kotelnoi; in the meantime, Dr. Bunge explored Great Liachof, where he secured a valuable collection of fossils.
Toll returned again to the Arctic in 1893, visiting the northeast of Jana, for the purpose of securing a well-preserved mammoth. Afterward, in company with Lieutenant Schileiko, he again visited the New Siberian Island, and with dog-sledges travelled on the west coast of Kotelnoi, as far as 75° 37´ north latitude, establishing two depots of provisions for Nansen’s possible use. Among other important results of this expedition was the discovery of evidence that in the mammoth periods trees grew no less than 3° north of their present limit. Toll returned to the mainland and followed the Lena, reporting impassable tundras from Sviatoi Nos to Dudinka,—and reached Yeniseisk the 4th of December. Later geological researches were made on Great Liachof Island.
Baron Toll determined upon another voyage to the Arctic for the purpose of supplementing the geological knowledge of Bennett and other islands and to complete a journey of exploration to Sannikof Land, first seen by him in 1886.