When Dr. Nansen went north it was his hope to get his ship, the _Fram_, into the pack, or rough ice that was being carried along in this current, and drift with it across the Pole. He did not succeed in reaching the Pole, but his ship did drift across the Polar Sea exactly as he had supposed it would do. It is Mr. Peary's belief that if Andrée gets on to the pack-ice, he may drift southward as Nansen did. Mr. Peary does not believe that any of the pigeons carried by Andrée could live in the Arctic cold, and be able to fly southward with a message. * * * * * The fastest ocean voyage on record has just been made by the magnificent North German Lloyd steamer, _Kaiser Wilhelm the Great_. The speed record has hitherto been held by the _Lucania_, which made the trip from Queenstown to Sandy Hook in five days and seven hours, but that great record has now been beaten. At the rate at which the new German steamer travels, she can make the trip in four days and twenty-one hours. The _Kaiser Wilhelm_ does not, however, travel over the shorter route from Queenstown, but comes the longer way, from Southampton. She made this trip in five days and twenty hours, beating the _St. Paul_ by two hours all but five minutes, and on her return trip beat her own record by thirteen hours. Boat-builders are very enthusiastic over the speed of the new steamer, and declare that it is only a matter of time when boats will be built which will make the trip across the ocean in four days. The _Kaiser Wilhelm_, besides being such a fleet vessel, is beautifully arranged for the comfort of passengers, and is considered a model ship in every respect. The New York agents were so proud of their fine ship, that on her arrival here after her first trip, they issued numbers of invitations to people to visit her at her dock in Hoboken. The people responded in such vast numbers that the docks were thronged, and the assistance of the police had to be called in to prevent accidents. At the time of the great naval review at Spithead, in celebration of the Queen's jubilee, the _Teutonic_, of the White Star line, was called on to take part in the review as one of the naval reserve. We told you about it on page 1,086. Our country is also taking active steps to secure a good naval reserve. At the present time there are forty-two vessels on the navy list which could be used for war purposes in time of need. To make the number yet larger, the Government has called upon all owners of large steamers and steam yachts to give information of the size and strength of their vessels, so that they can be added to the reserve list. There should be a good many available vessels among the many fine yachts that sail our waters. We are as a nation extremely fond of yachting, and almost every wealthy man we have possesses a craft of some kind. Many of these yachts are models of build and speed, and should make excellent gunboats.