Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-06-19
Long Polar Nights.
The Arctic Regions.-Eneot Of Darkness
Upon Men and Dogs. q


The doubtful fate Of the Polaris re-
calls some interesting "reminiscences in
the'two Arctic voyages of Dr. Kane, as
commander of the Grinnell expedition,
sent out to find Sir John Franklin. An
equal heroism now will bring back the
voyagers for whose return such anxiety
will be felt four or five months hence,
if not sooner. In the second voyage
DR.. Kane and his party encountered
cold never before endured, the ther-
mometer indicating sometimes from 60
to 75 degrees below zero, with hunger,
thirst and disease added. More than
two months of each year they existed in
total darkness-then came the first ink
lings of twilight. For 124 days the sun
was below the horizon, and l40 passed
before his rays reached the rocky
shadowings Of the brig. With the in
creasing darkness came increasing dis
ease. Animal life is described as Ian
gushing, not for want of sufficient e1-
ercise, for their whole life was one con-
tinuous round of exertion when disease
did not prevent-not for want of pure
and unadulterated air, but for life-giv-
ing influences of the sun. Remarks
scattered through the pages of both of
DR.. Kane's journals indicate that the
cuntinued darkness influenced thephysi-
illogical state of the system, and gave
rise to the various diseases suffered by
himself and companions. In his narra-
tive of the first Grinnell Expedition he
notices the peculiar paleness which was
produced by the perpetual night. Un-
der date of December 21st, the day pre-
ceding their "solstical day of darkness, "
he writes, after noticing the bloodless
appearance of himself and companions:
sIn truth, we were all of us at this
time undergoing changes unconscious
ly. The hazy obscurity of the nights
we had gone through made them darker
than the corresponding nights of Parry.
The complexions of my comrades and
my own, too, were toned down to a
peculiar waxy .paleness. Our eyes were
more recessed, and strangely clear.
Complaints of shortness of breath be-
came general our appetite was almost
ludicrously changed, y and
our inclination for food was at best very
slight. More than this, our complete
solitude, combined with the permanent
darkness, began to effect our morale. J"
Again, January 22d-"1 long for day.
The anomalous host of evils that hang
about this vegetation in darkness are
showing themselves in all their forms.
Ny scurvy patients, those I mean on
the sick list, with all the care it is pos
sible to give them, are perhaps no
worse but pains in the joints, rheuma-
tism, coughs, loss of appetite, and gen.
eral debility, extend even to the whole
company. We are a ghastly
set Of pale faces, and none paler than
myself"
In his "Arctic Expedition he emu
merated other signs of disease, and re-
fers to its influence on the brain and to
an epileptic tendency which was observed
in some instances. Even the dogs,
which he had taken to participate in
his explorations, were particularly af-
fected by it. "The influence" says he,
"of this long intense darkness was
most depressing. Even our dogs, al
though the greater part of them were
natives of the Arctic Circle, were unable
to withstand it-most of them died
from an anomalous form of disease, to
which I am satisfied the absence of
light contributed as much as the ex-
treme cold. = = y may recur to
the influence which the long winter
night exerted on the health of these
much valued animals. The subject has
some interesting bearings.but I content
myself for the present with transcribing
a passage from my journal.
To-dayI give up the last hope of saving
them (the dogs). Their disease is as
clearly mortal as in the case of any
human being. The more material func-
tions of the poor brutes 60 on without
interruption !; they eat voraciously, re-
tain their strength, and sleep we'll. But
all the indications beyond this go to
prove that the original epilepsy which
was the first indication of brain disease
among them has been followed by
true lunacy. They bark prodigiously
at nothing, and walk in straight and
curved lines with anxious and unweary-
ing perseverance. They fawn upon you
without seeming to appreciate the no
tice you give them in return, pushing
their heads against your person or
oscillating with strange pantomime of
fear. Sometimes they remain for hours
in moody silence, and then start off
bowling as if pursued, and run up and
down for hours. = Generally
they perish with symptoms resembling
locked jaw, in less than thirty-six hours
after the attack"
With all this untold amount of bodily
and mental suffering, and desolation
and disease, endured by theseice-bound
voyagers, in this dark and cheerless re-
gion, it is not singular that they should
hail, with exceeding great Joy, the ap-
proach of light. Says DIR. Kane, '"The
day is beginning to glow with the ap-
preaching sun. The sun, at noon, has
an almost orange tinge. In ten days
his direct rays will reach our hill-tops,
and in aweek after he will be dispensing
his blessed medicine among our suffer
ers. The coming sun will open appli-
ances of moral help to the sick, and
give energy to the hygienic resorts
which am arranging at the moment.
For the last ten days we have
been watching the growing warmth of
the landscape, asst emerged from buried
shadows through all the stages of dis
tinctness of an India-ink washing, step
by step, into the sharp, bold definition
of desolate harbor scene. We have
marked every dash of color, which the
Great Painter. in His bQneYolence,