The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XII, No. 2 [‎272v] (47/154)

138 AN EXPLORATION IN 1897 OF SOME OF THE GLACIERS OF SPITSBERGEN.
the world, known to me, can this evolution he so plainly traced as in
Spitsbergen.
The expedition of 1897 was made by Mr. E. J. Garwood and myself,
with the assistance of two Norwegian seamen, one of whom, Nielsen
by name, was as serviceable to ns as his fellow was obstructive. Our
object was to investigate the interior of parts of the country believed to
be covered by so-called “ inland ice ; that is to say, by ice-sheets of
the Greenland character. We accordingly chose two areas, to which, for
convenience’ sake, I have been obliged to give names. The first is the
area bounded on the north by the bottom of Wijde bay and the
Chydenius range of hills, on the east by the sea, on the south by Ice
fjord and a line running from Temple bay across to Wiche bay, and
on the west by Dickson bay; I have called this region Garwood Land,
after my excellent travelling-companion. The second area is bounded
by Ice fjord and Dickson bay on the east, by Foreland sound on the
west. Its northern limit is approximately a line from the head of Cross
bay to West fjord of Wijde bay. To this region, reviving the old
English whalers’ name for Spitsbergen, I have applied the designa
tion King James Land. For the area between Ice fjord and Bell
sound, explored in 1896, the name Adventure Land* is perhaps as
suitable as any.
We landed at Advent bay on July 9. The little steamer that was
to have met us had not arrived from Norway, so that we seemed to be
stranded; but Dr. Lerner, who had taken tire Expres for the summer,
kindly offered to carry us across to Klass Billen bay. On the 10th we
visited Skans bay. On the 11th, a fine day with a strong south wind,
we rowed up Klaas Billen bay, little thinking that just then Andree was
ascending in his balloon from Danes gat. We landed at the foot of the
Nordenskiold glacier, dragged up our whale-boat, and pitched camp.
Next day was wet; Are spent it in making final preparations for an expe
dition up the glacier. Two sledges were loaded and dragged over a
boggy and stony flat, and up a high steep moraine on to the ice. On the
morning of the 13th we started up the glacier. It proved to be very
much crevassed. Progress was slow and difficult. Camp was pitched
about 700 feet above sea-level 3 miles inland, in the midst of a laby
rinth of crevasses. On the 14th we completed the ascent of the crevassed
area, and tugged on up steadily inclined snow-slopes. Fog enveloped us
all the latter half of the march, and we had to steer by compass. Camp
was pitched about 1500 feet above sea-level, on a little plateau at the east
foot of a peak climbed by Baron de Geer in 1882. A howling storm
* In this case, as in others where new names are required, I endeavour to supply
them, when possible, by reviving old names fallen into disuse or oblivion. Advent
bay is a senseless abbreviation of the former name, Adventure bay. It was called
Klaas Billen bay by the old Dutch whalers, but this name has been moved across Ice
sound to another bay, to which it is now firmly attached.