Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-30
LONG POLAR NIGHTS.


mess Upon Mem and Dogs. 49,
The doubtful fate of the Polaris recalls
some interesting "reminiscences in the two
Arctic voyages of DIR. Kane, as commander
Of the Grinnell expedition, sent out to fiud
Sir John franklin. An equal heFoism now
will bring back the voysgers for whose re-
turn soIneeanxiety will be felt four or five
months hence, ifnot sooner. In the second
voyage DR.. Kane and bis party encountered
cold never before endured, the thermotneter
indicating sometimes from 6Qto IS 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 inkliDgso of twilight. For 124
days the sun was below the horizon, and
140 passed before his rays reached the rocky
shaoowings of the brig. With the in-
creasing darkness came increasing disease.
Animal life is described as languishing,
not for want of sIfficien exercise,
for their whole life was one continuous
round Of exertion when disease did not
preyent-not for want of pure and unsdul-
terated air, but for life-giving inaueoces of
the sun. Remarks scattered through the
pages of both DR.. Kane's Journals indicate
that the continued darkness influenced the
physiological state of the system, and gave
rise to the various diseases suffered by him
self and companions. In his narrative of
the First Grinnell Expenition he notices
the peculiar paleness which was produced
by the perpetual night. Under date of
Dec. q, the day preceding their sssolsticial
day of darkness" }" be writes, after noticing
the bloodless appearance of himself and
"In truth, we were all of us at this time
undergoing changes unconscioasly. The
hazy obscurity of the nights we had gone
through made them darker than the cores
pondiDg nights of Parry. The compilations
of my comrades and my own, too, were
toned down to peculiar waxy paleness.
Our eyes were more recessed, and strange
ly clear. Complaints of shortness of breath
became general; our appetite was almost
ludicrously changed, 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" Again, January 22d
al long for day. The anomalous host of
evils that hang about this vegetation in dark
ness are showing themselves in all their
forms. Ny scuvy patients, those l mean on
the sick list, with all the care it is possible
to give 'hem,are perhaps no worse;but pains
in the joints, rheumatism, coughs, loss Of
appetite, and general debility, extend even
to the whole company. . We are
a CHASTITY set of pale faces, and none paler
than myself"
In his "Arctic Expedition" be enumera-
ted other signs of disease, and refers to its
influence ON thu brain and to an epilep.ic
tendency which was observed in some In
stances. Even the dogs, which he had
taken to participate in his explorations,
were particularly affected by it. "The in
fuence," says he, ''of this long, intense
darkness was most depressing. Even
our dogs, although 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 dis
ease, to which am satisfied the absence of
light contributed as much as the extreme
cold. | may recur to the influence
which the long winter night eXerted on the
heslth Of the much valued animals. The
subject has some interesting bearings, but
content myself for the present with tran
scribing passage for my Journal.
To-day 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 functions of the poor
brutes go on without interruption; they eat
voraciously, retain their strength, and sleep
well. But all the indications beyond this so
to prove that the original epilepsy which was
the first indication Of brain disease among
them has heen followed by a true lunacy.
They bark prodigiously at nothing and walk
in straight and curved lines with anxious
and upwearying perseverance. They fawn
upon you without seeming to appreciate
the notice you give them in return, push
ing their heads against your person or os-
cillsting with q strange pantomime of fear.
Sometimes they remain for hours in moody
silence, and then start off bowling as if pur
sued, and run up and down Tor hours.
Generally they perish with symptoms re-
semblng 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 these ice-bound voysgers, in
this dark and cherries region, it is not
singular that they should hail, with ex-
ceeding great joy, the approach of light.
Says DR.. Kane: "The day is beginning
to glow with the approaching sun. The
sun, at noon, has an almost orange tinge.
In ten days his direct rays will reach
our hill-tops, and in week after he will
be dispensing his blessed medicine among
our sufferers. The coming sun will open
appliances of moral help to the sick,
and give energy to the hygienic resorts
which an arranging at the moment.
For the last ten days we have been watch
ing the growing warmth of the landscape,
as it emerged from buried shadows through
all the stages of distinctness of an India-ink
washing, step by step, into the sharp, bold
definition of a desolate hsrbor scene. We
have myrked every dash of color, which
the Great Painter in His benevolence vouch-
safed US; aud now empurpled hues-clesr,
unmistakable-the spreading lake, the
Aickering yellow peering at all these poor
wretches!-everything seemed superlative
lustre and unspeakable glory.
'T saw him (tbe sun) oncs MORE" says
he, and upon projecting crag nestled in
the sunshine. 1t was like bathing in per-
fumed water"