The summit was 8250 ft. above the sea, and from September 17th there was a pronounced fall to the westward. Sail was now set on the sledges, portions of the tent being used for that purpose. This day a snow bunting was seen. The crevasses and fissures again began to appear, and on the 20th the summits of the western Greenland mountains were in sight. The sermik suak or inland ice thus proved to be a vast extent of smooth level snow with a margin of broken and fissured ice. The head of the Ameralik-fjord was at length reached after 40 days on the inland ice.
The explorers were still sixty miles from the Danish settlement of Godthaab, and it was decided that while Nansen and Sverdrup constructed a boat and went down the fjord the rest should proceed by land. The framework of the boat consisted of two bamboos and a ski staff. The difficulty was the ribs, which were made of the branches of the dwarf willows growing on the banks of the fjord, and the canvas covering them entailed much labour in sewing with a sailmaker’s needle as they were without a “palm.” The oars were bamboos with forked willow-branches with canvas stretched across. It was a fairly good boat, and only required baling every ten minutes. After a great feast on cranberries the two explorers started and managed to make their way in her to Godthaab. The others also arrived safely, and all were very hospitably received for the winter, returning to Norway in the following year.
It was a splendid achievement. The central water-parting was found to be 125 miles from the east, and 226 from the west side, the greatest elevation measured being 8970 ft. Supposing the average land surface under the ice to rise to 2000 ft., the thickness of the ice-cap would be nearly 7000 ft. The excavating power of the glaciers is enormous, and the pressure causing the melting of the snow and the discharge of an enormous quantity of water into the sea, counteracts any increase above caused by the excessive precipitation occurring from the warm winds blowing from the sea. Nansen found the moisture to be so great as to be near saturation. Out of 40 days on the inland ice there were 16 days of snow and 4 of rain. The meteorological results were the most important outcome of the expedition, because the deductions from them apply to regions far beyond the limits of Greenland. It was a fine piece of exploring work, and the name of Nansen will for all time be coupled with the first crossing of Greenland.
Peary, who, as already mentioned, had made an attempt at crossing with Maigaard in 1886, succeeded in raising funds for another expedition in 1891. His design was to traverse the inland ice from Whale Sound in the north of Baffin’s Bay, where he would find the tribe of Arctic Highlanders. Here a steamer landed him, accompanied by Mrs Peary, Dr Frederick Cook, aged 26, a hunter named Gibson, a young Norwegian aged 20 named Eivind Astrup, a meteorologist named Vershoef, and Henson, a coloured man from Virginia, aged 23. Some short sledge and boat trips were made; the house, taken out in pieces, was built; and the winter was passed in preparations for the journey over the inland ice.
Peary, a man of great energy and indomitable resolution, claimed to have inaugurated a new departure in Arctic exploration. He held that only small parties can do effective work; that fur clothing is better than woollen, and indeed absolutely essential; that tents and sleeping bags are unnecessary luxuries; and finally that all traction should be by dogs, and that by killing a portion of the dogs for dogs’ food the original load will last longer. But, at all events as regards the latter, few humane Englishmen will agree with him. Dogs are invaluable for keeping open communications, and for depôt work; but they ought to be well fed, well treated, and not overworked. There is a fine passage in Captain Scott’s Voyage of the Discovery on this subject:—
“To pretend that dogs can be made greatly to increase the radius of action without pain, suffering, and death, is futile, and this sordid necessity robs sledge-travelling of much of its glory. In my mind no journey ever made with dogs can approach the height of that fine conception which is realised when a party of men go forth to face hardships, dangers, and difficulties by their own unaided efforts, and by days and weeks of hard physical labour succeed in solving some problem of the great journey.”
Peary started with Astrup, Cook, and Gibson in April, 1892. By May 24th the true inland ice had been reached, and the supporting party with Cook and Gibson returned. Already the number of dogs had been reduced to 13. Peary and Astrup continued over the inland ice, reaching an elevation of 6000 ft. On June 26th they came in sight of the sea, and from July 1st they were travelling over mountainous crests and ridges until they reached a summit whence they had a view of a great bay. Musk oxen were seen and one was secured. By July 7th they were back on the inland ice, and returned on August 6th. Only five dogs had survived. Peary claims to have travelled a distance of 1400 miles in 80 days—about 17 miles a day.
Dr Cook had been getting through some useful anthropological work in the meantime, making a census of the Arctic Highlanders, taking measurements of both sexes at different ages, and recording their habits and customs.
In 1893 Peary undertook another expedition. Accompanied by Mrs Peary, with Captain Bartlett in command of his steamer Falcon, he made, as before, for Whale Sound. Fourteen persons were landed and the Falcon returned. A winter house was built and on September 12th Mrs Peary gave birth to a daughter. On March 8th, 1894, the start was made for the inland ice journey. On the 13th eight dogs were killed as food for the others. Astrup and another man broke down, and had to be sent back on sledges. The rest went on, but were stopped by a gale on March 22nd, and when it subsided two dogs were found dead, and two more men were obliged to return. In this journey tents and sleeping bags were taken, in spite of their being previously held to be “unnecessary luxuries,” The party got 128 miles from Whale Sound, where a large depôt was left, at 5500 ft. above the sea, a smaller one having been deposited earlier. Here they were forced to return.
Later, Astrup made a reconnaissance of Melville Bay, and the recesses of Whale Sound were explored.