Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-11-27
PeriIs Near the Pole.

cent FRANKLIN search expedition
were presented by Lieut.. Schwatka
at meeting of the Academy G
Sciences.
Beginning with the use of alco
hol, Lieut.. Schwatka emphasize
the fact that not a drop of arden
spirits of any kind was used i'm hi
sled journey of 3, PSI miles. In shor
journeys and hunting expedition
| where there was ample room fo
baggage it was considered that alco
hol might be carried, and, if used il
moderation, would raise the tenn
perature of the body slightly, anC
tend, as elsewhere, to increased
comfort. But on long journeys ar
dent spirits could not be used il
bulk without displacing other indis
pensable articles. Alcohol was no
regarded as necessary and was no
considered a good heating agent
The injurious effects of intense cold
however, had sometimes beer
wrongly ascribed 70 the use O
liquor. On shipboard the general
use of alcoholic stimUlants was con
/ sidered bad, and snly allowable
when every possible chance o.
scurvy was removed by the char
acter of the food.
| In regard to temperature, Lieut.
Schwatka said that his party had
encountered the most intense cold
ever recorded by white men-71 de-
grees Farenheit, or 103 degrees
below the freezing point. On
that day the camp was moved ten
miles, and no unusual inconveni-
ence was felt. 1t was not the in
tensity of the cold that was unpleas-
ant. All suffering was caused by the
direction and violence of the wind.
With the thermometer at go de-
grees Fahrenheit, no especial trouble
was met with, but at temperature
fifteen degrees higher, with a wind
blowing straight in the faces of the
men, frost-Dites and great suffering
were common. The white men
would freeze their cheeks. The cold
est days were perfectly calm; on
warmer days, with the exception of
a few days in midsummer, the wind
blew constantly. But it was con-
sidered that to men clad in warm
clothing temperature was not ma
terial, and the longest journeys
could be undertaken without fear.
When the thermometer sank TO
I'll deg. Fahrenheit, the sky was
of leaden hue, varied with brown
ish red near the sun. Clouds of
vapor rolled from everything ami
NAL. When the expedition stop
ped it was enVelOped in steam.
Musk oxen and deer could be de-
tected at a distance of five or six
miles by the vapor about them, and
the Esquimaux claimed to be able
to distinguish the kind of animals
peeuliarities in this vapor. Water
poured on ice caused crack
ing like miniature fre-crackers, and
the surface OF sheets of ice was gray
and opaque from the unequal eX-
pansion. The sound of the runners
was like that caused by resined
bow or tuning fork, and heard at
distance, resembled an 1E0lean harp.
In the most extreme cold the accli-
nation of the white men proved as
perfect as that of natives. AT very
low temperature the beard became
a block of ice, and the lips and nos
trils were nearly glued together.
Exercise, though important, was not
so essential as has been stated, there
never being a necessity for exercis-
ing to the point of fatigue. For
Arctic explorers have a strong cir
culatiOn and a tendency not to per-
spire profusely are desirable. The
common theories regarding the
danger in using snow were at vari-
ance with Lieut.. Schwatka's expert
ence. AT 80 degrees Fair. the
snow freezes temporarily, the mucus
membrane of the mouth causes a
burning sensation. If this be often
and rapidly repeated it is highly in
furious, but snow and ice taken in
moderation at long intervals are of
great service in quenching thirst.
Drowsiness was not experienced in
connection with great cold, and it
was considered as resulting usually
from a sudden change from ship
board to out of door life, or from an
insufficient acclimatization.
Near EightednesS, though attend
ed with some discomforts, gave GER
tain important advantages. The
glasses became readily covered with
CONCEALED moisture from the heat,
but with the squirting common to
near-sighted persons were an effici-
ent protection against the glare Of
the sun upon thesnow No one who
was near-sighted suffered from snow
blindness, while the EsquimauX
were troubled with this more than
the white man. They also suffered
from chronic opthalmia and the de-
posits caused by cataracts. In very
cold weather the huts were buried
two or three feet deep in snow. 1t
was advisable to change these huts
as often as possible, because the con-
stant freezing and thawing made
them a mass of transient ice, and
exhalations from the breath, bodies
and fires became CONCEALED upon the
walls, and, continually falling off,
caused little snow storm in the in
terror.