The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1881-02-10

run In between the mems legs. Pres.
emily, however, all tho party have Ar
rived at the place appointed. There
tho chief Of the entire expedition care
fully examines their several cqnipm eht-
and addresses them in appropriate terms,
pointing out what each has to do. The
several sledges are named, and have
flags with certain notices selected by
the officers attached to them. Many oil
those notices bear upon the subject Of
the search, and several Of the flags nre
cherished Oh account Fl the seit hands
at home---scme bjster, or some one still
dearcr--who lovingly made them. Every
sledge has an officer, and from six to
eight men. All the officers desire to 60;
but the post Of honor is given first IL
the highest-eyen to the Captains OF
ships-thcn to the humhlest i'll turn.
And now all have received their orders,
and been addressed Ms to their respective
duties; and, after few kind and some.
times tender partings between old com.
rades, the hardy explorers buckle to
their work, and shortly separate, each
bnnd on its way to traverse hundreds oi
miles Of frozen ocean or Of bleak, in.
liospitable coast.
Away they gol Over miles and miles
of dreary wsn.es. Frying and seeking
and examining wherever nught presents
itself that would seem to have been
placed there BY others than themselves.
Weary, footsore, snow-blind, lame, weak,
s,rong again, often frozen nearly stiff,
and battling with wind and sleet and icy
particles TINT cut the face as though
with keen razor. Still they trudge on,
through barren and hitherto unknown
places. Occasionally they break out
into a song, and thus rouse themselves
again, and perforce renew their tagging
strength.
The slcdge, when loaded with pro-
visions, tents, spare clothing, instru.
ments, firearms, and spirits Of wine for
fuel, generally weighs 1900 pounds, or
say 100 pounds per man. This weight,
then, the men have 10 pull along over
the ice, smooth or rough, aud oitener
among thrown-up ridges, rs best they
can. A belt round each man is then at
tached to tho sledge. and thus should it
happen, rs il sometimes the case, that
one Of the party falls through broken
bit Of ice, he is speedily pulled out
again. In such cases some rapid exer-
else is necessary to prevent the serious
consequences that might otherwise en-.
sue.
Whec dinner hcnr arrives, the party
halts for short time 10 eat the allow
ance previously made up for each per-
son. Then they drink their small guam
tum Of grog, proceeding which is usu-
ally accomplished while running up and
down the ice to keep up the circulation
and escape being frost-bitten. The pork
which has been cooked on board is a.
most always 40 hard that it breaks like
biscuit, and the drinking utensils are
usually covered with non.conlucting
substance to prevent the cold from talk
ing the skin of the lips.
But night is the worst part OF the
time-that il, the sleeping period for
we should mention that sometimes the
party travels by night and sleeps by
day, on account Of the greater advant-
age from the absence Of glare, etc.
When the days march Of perhaps ten
miles is ended, the tent is pitched on rs
comfortable bit Of ice rs can be found.
This tent is generally fourteen feet long
by eight feet broad and eight feet high.
There is a flap at the bottom, made 10
pull outward and be covered with snow.
The door is made Of double curtains like
porch, to keep out the snow-drift, aud
afford shelter to the cook or lookout
man. Generally, the tent has four small
holes in the top to permit
the escape Of steam and Ir nth,
which otherwise. condenses md falls
in shower OF fine snow. The tent
is no pitched as to have the door on the
opposite side Of the prevailing wind.
The cooking apparatus is just within
the porch. When the tent is put up
and made secure waterproof floorcloth
is laid upon the ice, and upon this is
placed another Of canvas. The whole
party, officers aud all, then make them
selves rs comfortable rs they can togeth-
er. The provisions are served ont, and,
dofing their fur boots, they wrap their
benumbed feet in moccasins or fiannels,
and, without undressing, get into bags
made Of stout blankets and about seven
feet long. 20 Us to cover head ard MI.
Then, throwing themselves down on the
covered floor. packed like herrings in a
barrel, they seek in slumber a forgetful.
ness Of their strange and far from envi-
able position.
What they endure may he gathered
from the following quotations. In one
official report it is stated that 1.-THE men
agreed in voting noses nuisance in this
country from their prominent position
they are usually the first part frcst-bit-
ten; also, whiskers and mustaches
were sentenced as not only being use
less hut very inconvenient, the former
catching the snow-drift, and ones
breath freezing on the latter forms an
icicle not easily removed"
april 30.-Near l o'clock a. m.
lunched. At these low temperatures
no to 20 degrees below zerol the fat Of
salt pork becomes hard and breaks like
suet and Us the temperature falls below
minus % degrees, our rum becomes
thick. To drink out Of a pannikin.
without leaving the skin of ones lips
attached to II. requires considerable *.
perience and caution. The bottles Of
water carried in the mems pockets were
generally frozen after an hour or two;
and after repeated trials it was found
that inside the trousers waistbaad was
the best place to carry them, and ~
tain their contents in fluid state"
Another officer has said that che found
the brandy CONCEALED. though placed
next the skin"
With reference to their sleeping ac-
commOdation, Capt. McClintock said
Lately our fur blankets and sleeping
bags have been rapidly getting more
filletl with frost. The latter are quite
wet when thawed at night. Nor have We
been able to prevent their getting into
this state the greatest care has been
taken to protect them from the snow
the mems clothes brushed before COM
ing into the tent. and the tent and the
doorcloth repeatedly brushed. 1t is
chiefly caused by the condensation Of
vapor from our warm meals. and our
breath, which falls in minute frozen
particles. We have holes cut in the top
Of the tent 10 permit the escape az VA