Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-05-10
In How Cold Weather Can Animal Life
be Sustained

While we are waiting for DR.. Kane's official
| report OF his last expedition to the Arctic
ocean, there are some scientific results, the
publication OF which we may be permitted to
| anticipate. The first of these is the condition
| OF animal and vegetable life in high northern
| latitude
DIR. kane's party succeeded in reaching lati-
| tude 80 degrees higher northern point upon
the coast of Greenland than had yet been at
tanned by any previous navigator He found
inhabiting this inhoSpitable region the Esqui-
maux Indian, the reindeer, and many varieties
of the floral world, principally of the Alpine
species. The latter were numerous, but di-
minutiye. How far north the human race and
animals exist, is not known /; but Dr. Kane's
observations clearly establish the fact, that the
extreme cold latitude so degrees is not the lim-
it to their northern navigation.
The habits OF the ESquimaux are peculiar.
They are essentially migratory people, and,
with sledgcs drawn by dogs, undertake jour
neys OF hundreds of miles in extent, depending
for their subsistence upon such nourishment as
chance throws in their way. This the party
| under DIR. Kane found to be sufficiently abun-
dant to meet their own wants.
During the whole cruise they were never Sc
rlously in want of food but one occasion. which
was on their return-they were nearing Mel
vile bay. Here fortunately fine fat seal pre-
sented itself-stretched at length on the ice A
boat was manned to go in pursuit of it, and DIR
Kane describes the excitement of the chase as
so intense, that one of the most experienced
guuners of the party could hardly command
himself sufficiently to fire at it until it was in
the very act of escaping.
The temperature at which the explorations
were conducted, was between 10 and so de-
grees below zero. So intense was this cold,
that the alcoholic thermometers failed to indi-
cate accurately the temperature, snd even
chloroform and the essential oils which resist
low temperatures, became thick and turbid.-
1t was only by careful observation and COM
parlson OF many instruments, that they were
enabled to attain to any accuracy in regard to
the extent of the cold
An opportunity has been thus given to test
the ability of the human body to resist tenn
perature of seventy degrees below zero, for Sc
veral months together The Doctor and his
party were enabled to do this by an immense
consumption of animal food, the ordinary daily
allowance to each man being six or eigh ducks,
or an equivalent in several pounds of the fat
of SEAL
Shortly after the discovery of the compound
nature of the atmosphere by Priesty, Craw-
ford broached the theory that animal heat of
the body is maintained at an uniform temper
ature of SO degrees, by means of liberal con-
sumption OF food, containing carbon in excess,
as animal food where the cold is severe The
most beautiful and brilliant series of expert
ments prosecuted by Liebig, were those intend
ed to establish this theory, which they do most
successfully.
In this connection, the experiment of DR..
Kane and his party, showing the kind and
amount of food required to enable the human
body to resist the depressing influence of con-
tnued low temperature, for period of time
longer than any other recorded, is of tho high
est practical value.
We have in physical geography, as the re-
suits of this cruise, newly discovered land
fanked by lofty mountain ranges, wide and
iceless open sea, pointing to an undiscovered
region of large extent towards the north pole,
and immense glaciers, before which those of
Cyr and Chamouni dwindle into insgnfcance