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came out when he playedthe violin, which he did pleasingly for others. Prior to coming on the Fram he had been a guard at the psychiatric hospital (“lunatic asylum” of that day) in Christiania, a position that, some wag remarked irreverently, might come in handy on that voyage.
FIGURE 18
Nansen in a dashing pose as the Fram pulls out of Bergen, on its way north along the coast of Norway, the first expedition, July 2, 1893. Photograph by Johan von der Fehr.
Thirty-three-year-old Adolf Juell, sporting a large, flowing, walrus-like mustache, came on as cook and steward, though his extensive maritime background did not include these duties. Instead, he learned on the job, with mixed results. In fact, later on Pettersen seemed to enjoy cooking and took over most of the duties, much to the crew’s delight as eating was one of the great, pleasurable diversions they looked forward to every day. Unfortunately, the normally chatty, affable Juell could turn sour and aggressive when consuming alcohol, which he did to excess at times (despite Nansen’s order to the contrary), leading to confrontations with other members of the crew.
Kristian Kristiansen, twenty-eight, had grown up on a farm near the sea, worked on both, and engaged in the usual outdoor activities of hunting, fishing, skiing, and boating. Otto Sverdrup, who knew him, had recommendedhim for the Greenland expedition, on which Kristiansen had been a valuable, steady, “quiet but nice” member. Because of this, Nansen had asked him to join the Fram , and he came on board with Sverdrup when he joined the ship near Trondheim.
FIGURE 19
Fram attended by small boats, here escorted out of Bergen. It would be greeted and cheered every place it came to, whether outbound or inbound, leaving on the expedition or coming back from it. Photograph by Johan von der Fehr.
››› The Fram worked its way north up the coast, stopping at various ports along the way in an extended national good-bye, always to warm receptions of curious, well-wishing throngs. It arrived in a snowstorm on July 12 in Tromsø, at northwestern Norway, almost 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where it was to take on coal, clothing, and other supplies. It was a busy time, with official ceremonies, last-minute preparations, and the crew’s boisterous departing celebrations in town. Scott-Hansen’s fiancée appeared, having made the long trip from Christiania by passenger ship to see him off, something sure to have drawn kindly jesting, underlain with some envy, by others on the ship.
But there was a glitch. Kristiansen, the Greenland veteran, changed his mind about going on the expedition and left the ship, to return home. In his official account, Farthest North , Nansen does not say anything about this. In fact, he doesnot even mention him at all. So one is left to wonder what was behind his change of heart, and how Nansen really felt about it. Kristiansen had been the target of some of Nansen’s imperious behavior in Greenland, which no doubt rankled him but he was able to put it aside then and go on. Now, perhaps having come face-to-face with it again on the trip from Trondheim to Tromsø, he may have realized he could not put up with him on a longer, more confined journey. Or maybe it was that, because his first child had recently been born, his thoughts turned more and more to home.
FIGURE 20
Bernt Bentsen signed on at the last minute in Tromsø. As the Fram was preparing to leave for the Arctic, one crewman departed and left an opening. Engaged to be married, he intended to go only as far as western Siberia and return home, but he stayed on for the entire three years of the expedition. Photograph by Sigurd Scott-Hansen.
But just as the Fram was about to leave Tromsø, a man appeared at the gangway, Bernt Bentsen, asking to be hired on; this was fortuitous timing, as Kristiansen’s slot had just been vacated. A bit pressed for time and manpower, and learning of Bentsen’s extensive
FIGURE 18
Nansen in a dashing pose as the Fram pulls out of Bergen, on its way north along the coast of Norway, the first expedition, July 2, 1893. Photograph by Johan von der Fehr.
Thirty-three-year-old Adolf Juell, sporting a large, flowing, walrus-like mustache, came on as cook and steward, though his extensive maritime background did not include these duties. Instead, he learned on the job, with mixed results. In fact, later on Pettersen seemed to enjoy cooking and took over most of the duties, much to the crew’s delight as eating was one of the great, pleasurable diversions they looked forward to every day. Unfortunately, the normally chatty, affable Juell could turn sour and aggressive when consuming alcohol, which he did to excess at times (despite Nansen’s order to the contrary), leading to confrontations with other members of the crew.
Kristian Kristiansen, twenty-eight, had grown up on a farm near the sea, worked on both, and engaged in the usual outdoor activities of hunting, fishing, skiing, and boating. Otto Sverdrup, who knew him, had recommendedhim for the Greenland expedition, on which Kristiansen had been a valuable, steady, “quiet but nice” member. Because of this, Nansen had asked him to join the Fram , and he came on board with Sverdrup when he joined the ship near Trondheim.
FIGURE 19
Fram attended by small boats, here escorted out of Bergen. It would be greeted and cheered every place it came to, whether outbound or inbound, leaving on the expedition or coming back from it. Photograph by Johan von der Fehr.
››› The Fram worked its way north up the coast, stopping at various ports along the way in an extended national good-bye, always to warm receptions of curious, well-wishing throngs. It arrived in a snowstorm on July 12 in Tromsø, at northwestern Norway, almost 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where it was to take on coal, clothing, and other supplies. It was a busy time, with official ceremonies, last-minute preparations, and the crew’s boisterous departing celebrations in town. Scott-Hansen’s fiancée appeared, having made the long trip from Christiania by passenger ship to see him off, something sure to have drawn kindly jesting, underlain with some envy, by others on the ship.
But there was a glitch. Kristiansen, the Greenland veteran, changed his mind about going on the expedition and left the ship, to return home. In his official account, Farthest North , Nansen does not say anything about this. In fact, he doesnot even mention him at all. So one is left to wonder what was behind his change of heart, and how Nansen really felt about it. Kristiansen had been the target of some of Nansen’s imperious behavior in Greenland, which no doubt rankled him but he was able to put it aside then and go on. Now, perhaps having come face-to-face with it again on the trip from Trondheim to Tromsø, he may have realized he could not put up with him on a longer, more confined journey. Or maybe it was that, because his first child had recently been born, his thoughts turned more and more to home.
FIGURE 20
Bernt Bentsen signed on at the last minute in Tromsø. As the Fram was preparing to leave for the Arctic, one crewman departed and left an opening. Engaged to be married, he intended to go only as far as western Siberia and return home, but he stayed on for the entire three years of the expedition. Photograph by Sigurd Scott-Hansen.
But just as the Fram was about to leave Tromsø, a man appeared at the gangway, Bernt Bentsen, asking to be hired on; this was fortuitous timing, as Kristiansen’s slot had just been vacated. A bit pressed for time and manpower, and learning of Bentsen’s extensive
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