midday
When he found that he had the confidence of his crew , he did not spare fuel , and in spite of the desperate efforts of Tudor Brown , he could not increase the distance between them . The sun had scarcely set when the electric light of the `` Alaska '' was brought to bear unpityingly upon the `` Albatross , '' and continued in this position during the night . At day-break the distance between them was still the same , and they were flying toward the pole . At midday they made a solar observation , and found that they were in 78 , 21 ' , 14 '' of latitude north , by 90 of longitude east . Floating ice , which they had not encountered for ten or fifteen days , now became very frequent . It was necessary to ward it off , as they had been compelled to do in Baffin 's Bay . Erik , feeling sure that they would soon reach fields of ice , was careful to steer obliquely to the right of the `` Albatross '' so as to bar the way toward the east if she should attempt to change her course , finding her path toward the north obstructed .