THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 31 May 1880, Page 2

THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA.

Tbe Naples correspondent of tbe Daily News sends the following interesting letter respecting tbe Arctic .voyage of the Vega, which has just returned to Naples Bay:— An unexpectedly five day tempted me to go and make the closer acquaintance of the Vega, She is a whaler of 500 tons, painted black, and bare of ornament, sava for a gilded line below her bulwarks. She is fitted up with a sqaall engine that enables her, without sails, to move at tbe slow rate of five miles an hour. As she lay, so black and unpretending, on the water, I fancied wbat a dark little nut* shell she must bave looked wben jammed among tbe ice-fields off the East Cape. Just now sbe was enjoying very different conditions. Jammed she was, but it was by hundreds of little boats full of in» quisitive Neapolitans, who had come across the harb&r to see what thing this Vega could be whose name is in every* one's moutb. On her deck in a temporary room, the ceiling of which was a tent cloth, and the walls a row of flags of all nations sus* pended by ropes, her crew of eighteen picked men were enjoying a feast given them by some Italian association, which I could not learn. Ihe curious throng of visitors swarmed all over the little vessel, and climbed upon tbe heaps of spare spars and masts wbich lay along (he sides of tbe deck, to stare over the flimsy screen at the crew of handsome stalwart blue-eyed men. wbo almost without exception wore loog fair beards. They seemingly did not allow themselves to be disturbed by tbis rather impertinent curiosity, for shouts pf ' Hip. hip. hurrah !' repeatedly rang from behind the partition in response to some toast. The officer in command, being alone, as his men were at dinner, was almost overwhelmed by his visitors, to whom he could give no directions, as they did not understand bim, hut he hy no means lost his temper, and found time to take us down into the little saloon, scarcely as 'ar__e as tbe state cabin of some Atlantic steamer, where the scientific men of the expedition had passed the long days of their voyaee. At each side of this tiny saloon is a row of still smaller cabins, each with its narrow bed with coverlet and curtains of green damask, curtains of the same material screening tbe doors. Every available space is utilised, and no doubt numbers of curiosities were stored away in snug corners. The obliging officer (whose name I did not learn, as he bad no time to fetch me his. card from his cabin) showed us tbe track of the vessel on the chart, and the point at which she stuck fast a little to the southswest ofthe East Cape, wben one day more of open water would bave carried ber safely round and spared the ten months waiting. Here, Bttacbed by ropps to large pieces oi ice about 6000 feet distant from tb« Siberian coast, the stout little vessel waited, and ber inhabitants did not suffei too much from tbe cold of winter, for the sides of the sbip are composed of twe strata of wood, between which is a lining of felt ; and on the stern, besides this there is a vacant space between wood and felt, through which passed hot air. Thus a temperature of 20 and more degree, above zero was maintained in the saloor and cabins, wben outside it showed §0 degrees below zero. Five stoves were kept constantly heated in different parls of the vessel, and yet the ceilings were lined with strips of ice. tbe result of condensation. During this time of waiting tbe scientific members of tbe expeditioc caused an observatory to be erected on the adjacent coast of Siberia. At the end of the month of November. 1878, it was finished. Tbe sailors had sawed pieces of ice, and with these Artie bricks built a little house. First came a little ante-room, about four or five feet square, from which one asc3nded by steps cut in the ice to the observat or f « a room not more than six or seven feet square. From tbe roof bung a never extinguished lamp ; in the middle was a little table, on eacb side of which was an air mattress of gutta percha, on a sack filled wilh straw. In the angles of the chamber were tbe magnetic instruments, stearine candles in primitive candlesticks of wood gave additional ligbt when needed, and books, newspapers, and diaries were not wanting. At one oorner a litttle stove was ready to heat tbe coffVe which refreshed and warmed tbe enterprising students. The whole building was covered with reindeer skins and woollen blankets when the gold became too intense. Magnetic ai.d meteorological experiments were commenced on November 2?th, 1878, and sarried on without interruption until April Ist, 1879. From January ISth to April 15'h observations were made on the Ist and 15th of every month every fivp »mutes; at otber tipies in divisions of six hours' duration, and all the members >f the Expedition took part in the work, rhe results of tbese observations, so valuable to science, will shortly be pub* ished. Sometimes tbe fog was so dense tbat it vould bave been very possible to lose me-s way on passing from the ship to the >bservafory. To prevent this a long ivenue of JI7 ice pillars was made from ihore to vessel, apd a rope stretched from .iliar to pillar, so that it was impossible o step unawares from the track. The sold was not the yoyagers' worst enemy, md they suffered but little from it, Cut it was impossible to face |he terriblg i

storms of wind, which drove the snow along at the rate of thirtypfive miles an hour ; and during sucbjftimes of storm, Which repeatedly occurred until the i ! month of May, the illustrious explorer" I shut themselves up as hermetically as the i Tuchutski, the Esqnimax, and otb<r ' Arctic populations. Until the increasing depth of the snow prevented such exer--1 cisc, skating and games of ball assisted in ' keeping up the health and spirits of the * crew, not a man of which was lost or ■ even seriously ill. ! On arriving in port Professor Nordenskjold received from the King of Italy ! the Grand Order of the Crown of Italy, and from the King of Sweden that of the ' Polar Star through the bands of the ; Italian admiral and Swedish Ambassador. The news is now confirmed that the ' Nordenskjold, tbe steamer that was sent in search of the Vega, and which stranded r<fi one of the Japanese islands, is now afloat again, and, if possible, will be newly fitted out, and nest year attempt the north«east passage in tbe contrary direction to that so successfully taken by tbe Vega.