The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-12-11

A'DNAOh A@NpCdAbiOn WtI6 DrH-
sented by Lieut.. Schwatka, at a meet
ing of the Academy of Sciences.
Beginning with the use of alcohol.
Lieut. Schawtka emphasizes the fac,
that not drop of ardent spirit of any
kind was used in his sled Journey of s.
251 miles. In short journeys and hunt
ing expeditions where there was ample
room for baggage, twas considered that
alcohol might be carried, and, if used in
moderation, would raise the tempera-
ture of the body slightly, and tend, as
elsewhere, to increased comfort. But on
long journeys ardent spirits could not
be carried in bulk without displacino
other indispensable articles. Alcohol
was not regarded as necessary, and was
not considered a good heating agent. The
injurious effects of intense cold, how
ever, had sometimes been wrongly as
cribed to the use of liquor. On ship
board the general use of alcoholic slim
ulants was considered bad, and only al
lowable when every possible chance of
scurvy was removed by the character of
the food.
In regard to temperature, Lieut..
Schwatka said that his party had en-
countered the most intense cold ever re-
corded by white men-71 degrees Fab
renheit, or 103 degrees below the freez-
ing point. On that day the camp was
moved ten miles, and no unusual incon--
venience was felt. 1t was not the in
tensity of the cold that was unpleasant.
All suffering was caused by the drec-
ton and violence of the wind. With the
thermometer at 60 degrees Fahrnheit,
no especial trouble was met with, but at
a temperature fifteen degrees higher,
with wind blowing straight in tie faces
of the men, frost-bites and grea suffer-
ing were common. The white men
would freeze their noses or the exposed
portions of their cheeks. The coolest days
were perfectly calm on warner days,
summer, the wind blew constantly. But
it was considered that to men clad in
warm clothing temperature vas not ma
terial, and the longest journeys could be
undertaken without fear. When the
thermometer sank to II deg. Fahren-
heit, the sky was of leaden hue, varied |
with brownish red near The sun. Clouds
of vapor rolled from every thing animal.
When the expedition stopped it was en-
veloped IN steam. Musk-oxen and deer
could be detected at distance of five |
or six miles by the vapor about them,
and the Esquimaux claimed to be able
to distinguish the kind of animals by |
peculiarities in the vapor. Water poured |
on ice caused cracking like miniature |
fire-crackers, and the surface of sheets
of ice was gray and opaque from the un-
equal expansion. The sound of.the run
ners was like that caused by a resined
bow or tuning fork, and, heard at a dis
lance, resembled an Eolean harp. In |
the most extreme cold the acclimatiza-
ton of the white men proved as perfect
as that of the natives. At a very low
temperature the beard became block |
of ice, and the lips and nostrils were
nearly glued together. Exercise, though
important, was not so essential as has
been stated, there never being neces-
sity for exercising to the point of fatigue.
For Arctic explorers Il strong circulation
and a tendency not to perspire profusely
are desirable. The common theories
regarding the danger in using snow
were at a variance with Lieut.. Schwat-
ka's experience. At 80 deg. Fahren-
heit the snow freezes temporarily, the
mucus membrane of the mouth causing
a burning sensation. If this be often
and rapidly repeated it is highly in
furious, but snow and ice taken in mod
Grafton at long intervals are of great
service in quenching thirst. Drowsiness
was not experienced in connection with
great cold, and it was considered as re-
sulting usually from sudden change
from ship-board to out-of-door life, or
from an insufficient acclimatization.
Near sightedness, though attended
with some discomforts, gave certain inn
portant advantages. The glasses be-
came readily covered with CONCEALED
moisture from the heat, but with the
squirting common to near-sighted per-
sons were an efficient protection against
the glare of the sun upon the snow. No
one who was near-sighted suffered from
snow-blindness, while the Esquimaux
were troubled with this more than the
white men. They also suffered from
chronic ophthalmia and the deposits
caused by cataracts. In very cold
weather the huts were buried two or
three feet deep in snow. 1t was advisa-
BILE to change these huts as often as pos
sible, because the constant freezing and
thawing made them a mass of translu-
cent ice, and exhalations from the
breath, bodies and fires became con-
gealed upon the walls, and continually
falling off, caused little snow storm in
the interior.
The effect produced by the darkness
of the long Arctic night upon human
beings was considered to be much more
real than the discomforts occasioned by
loneliness and homesickness. Accord
ing to physicians, it has been found
that darkness decreases the respiratory
movements in proportion to its propen-
sity. 1t was therefore held that in the
long dark Arctic winter, the respiratory
movements would become much retard.
ed, and a consequent injurious effect
would be exerted, the circulation being
slow and the blood imperfectly oxidized.
To prevent this, crews should be ex-
posed as much as possible to the light
NeW York Tribune.
A Too-ZEALoUs detective officer in
Paris has been made to suffer severely
for his mania for arresting innocent cit
liens. This official, who is endowed
with herculean strength, is in the habit