The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-20

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be Kept In the heated under the tables the
stoves, under the berths To prepare chemical
vino during the expedition could be bat dreary
makeshift. Even the beer which the English expedi
ton brewed ship board FROM malt and hops would
% sh Of
and during extreme cold II will be iourd impossible 10
produce fermentation.
The most careful soiictude should be bestowed upon
the selection OF preventves OF scorDutic diseases
rauon OF me-juce should BIO issued daily and all anti
scorbuic kinds food should provided in abundant
Quantities. In Itself the Arctic air IS not unhealthy
The contrary catarrh OF every description grows less
and less and even tho exposures to cold such as are
caused by the rigid temperature and the sudden
changes OF the temperature, pass by without danger
Whether this favorable condition 10 owing to change
in the contents OF the air remains be seen.
But even without climate there will be many dis.
perhaps, also, The depressing effect OF dsappont-
mcnts and sometimes even insufficient oppor-
tunity Tor physical exercise Polar expedi-
tons are dangerous frequently
fatal those In the tropics but infinitely ardu-
The vital powers however are lesscned year by
year by tho distractions TO the formation OF blood
through the unavoidable conditions OF life, by the
less unwholesunie because waertight clothes,
which rcpress perspiraton, by tho lack OF fresh AMI
mai and vegetable 1901, the want OF light and warmth,
&c. THIS dimnution OF the vital forces will require
now TO sCURyY.
In spite OF all care however, equipping tho cxpe-
dition land small library should be ncIcded Tor men,
tai occupation) ! do not doubt that II VIII be
produced by severe cold the Polar traveller
is not exposed to any form OF disease as
much as he is 10 scurvy and its appearance has the
most dismal effect When IL spreads 10 any extent
the usefulness OF the expedition Is ended Parry TOOK
the moisture in the bedding tho principal cause OF
scurvy and while Melville Island he used sorrcl
against with great advantage. He considered beer
as the greatest ant.scorbutic OF all drinks During !.
Ross second expedition became manifest hat vege-
table food, especially hour, was oil no avail IN
battling against scurvy The consumption OF fish,
semo ab Senca Ia' rrotaSy Without reason il mas
been assumed that chewing tobacco has an
anti-scorbuslc tendency IN seamen, while the IN
sumption OF salt picked meat, the unccanllness.
the long and cold and the constituencies TO
have been deemed favorable TO It's development Ex.
cepting the tropics the experience has been that
scurvy appears most generally in the winter aud
spring, and 1t is, doubtless, encouraged by poor living
Nevertheless even abundant animal and vegetable iood
form perfect preventive Of scurvy.
In the absence fresh vege table ood and OF seals
the colony Will DO compelled 10 hunt land animals.
Lime JUICE, raw potatoes, sour fruit mot mineral
acd fresh vegetables wine beer lees exercise IN the
open air and cheeriulncss, important as they az
are In preventing scurvy, do not after all,
tako the place OF fresh meat in the Arctic regions.
evon remember of men who neglected all these
precautions and yet by eating plenty Of fresh meat,
saved themselves from scurvy. AS lime juice, Is
excellent preventive but when the disease has once
broken out Is OF little curative value Temperature Is
OF great I'M portance. During wet and chilly weather
tho patient will grow worse but in dry weather he Will
improve In scorbutc affections of the mouth is nd
visabe take or the with scissors and to
pencil them over with muriatic acid. As an additional
preventive OF scurvy | should recommend that the
crew sleep In swinging hammocks instead OF oerans,
thus escaping the danger o moist bedding The
patients board the Tegethof recovered at once as
soon as they transferred to dry cabin, while
the occupants Of damp cabins sunercd more or less
from scurvy all the time.
ABOUT sLEDGEs AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION.
As IL is tho task Of the colony to reach the Pole by
means OF boats and slodges will give herewith my
experiences Ia regard to their use
TO plish the journey TO the Pole with sledges
alone would require coast along whose solid ice they
could proceed and which would terminate in q mer-
dionfi direction. AS there is no mainland north OF
Grant Land the boat and not the sedge must DO the
only 10 bring boats and provisions over tho
obstructive Ice barriers The success Of the exped
tion however, depends entirely en- the frequency with
which such passages be Effected and with which
the boats be sailed or rowcd
As to the construction OF the sledges would suggest
tho following:-The runners should be eleven feet
long and throcquarer inches wide, ono and half
feet high and capable OF supporting at least 1000
pounds They should be made Ut ash shod with steel
and terminated vt both ends In soft curves The
ends should be high, as to be visible above decp
snow. Al the back there 10 contrvance for steering
too soidly. The cooking machine SHOULD be made OF
one piece, and soldering is permissible. as II should
be capable OF developing the inteusest heat and pro-
vent its escape and 81 course little alcohol pos
sible should be burned For holding the alcohol
ltuo kegs Of twenty quarts will DO best As
in the tent or sleeping sack lschlaisack is
necessary but will be sufficient cover the boats ut
for bullets and small shot and copper cartridges should
form the armament Biscuit should be transported in
bags. the other supplies IN TIN DOxeA
boats AND THEIR EQUIPMENT
The boats should be nude neither OF TIN. metal nor
leather Indiarubber watcrtgnt linen. but OF wood
They should be large enough 10 contain the whole
crew with the sledges placed across them The boats
used by tho Norwcgians IN tho Arctic Sea e'Fang-
boote') we'll available except That their hold is
TOO small They accommodate seven or eight men,
but on account Of their sharp keel they can only
be drawn with difficulty over the deep snow
TO draw boats Tor any considerable distances over the
ice without sledgcs To use runners Tor the ranspor-
taton OF The boats Is not advisable because they are
soon worn out. The boats should be about 20 feet
long, 5a feet WIDE and ia feet high. The mast yard
should be made OF bamboo cane Seven men would,
according to the experience OF the Tegethon expedl-
ton, require the iolowng SUPPLIES apart from the
results OF probable hunting, TOR three months:-
remican, 2l5 pounds; pea sausage, 400 pounds
$50 pounds; chocolate, 80 pounds; salt 10 pounds
meat entrail, ~ pounds; tea, pounds. 10 this
total, without the boats and their invsn-
tory, OF 800 pounds The personal equipment OF the
travellers should consist OF two woolien Shirts one
woollen pair oil drawers three pairs OF wooen stock
ings, leather water boots and caps, and light iur
coat to sleep in
Newfoundland dogs OF extraordinary strength would
be very useful IN passing the Cakes but IN the
boats they would be In The way. Although Esqumaux
would be quite available IN the colony their appetite
OH the way north enough to forbid their en-
ploymenL As the expedition to the North Pole has
only chance oil success # tho sedges are used as
little as possible and the find nearly constant
tree passage 1t is self evident that their should
consist almost entirely OF OF unusual ply
strength.
AS to the number OF the boats at least two three
should the journey to the Pole From fourteen to
twenty men are capable OF separating with poles
the obstructng ice barriers thus saving the
passage 10 lift heavy boats and place them upon he
siedges &c. smaller number would be nearly help
less the face Of the innumerabe difficulties that are
sure to present themselves.
SLIM CHANCES OF REACHING THE POLE.
In conclusion, few remarks TO the chances oil
reaching Pole from Grant Land. 10 accomplish in
summer SUI or vUU mics line 10 the IOle
and back in the Arctic sea boats-sledgcs being only
useful passing over obstrucions-the expedition
must lind pretty uninterrupted series OF opcn water
channels Ii they lind land they easily penetrate
along the coast to It's highest northern point while the
wind is favorable. Where there land the advance
will depend upon the most favorable conditions OF the
ice (unless the expedition should he unfortunate
enough to share the experience OF tho Austrian on iti
retreat which accomplished ouly Two German miles 10
two months). The most favorable moment Tor begin
ming the journey could easily be sisnaiized by an ad
vance post Ia the winter quarter OF the Alert but u
Will not be so easy TO seize II, because
by the time the expedition had reached the north
easterly corner OF Grant Land 1t may have already