The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-02-18

rived at the place appointed. Ihere,
the chief of the entire expedition care
fully examines their several equipments,
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 Of
those notices bear upon the subject of
the search, and several of the flags are
cherished on account Of the fair hands
at home-some sister, or some one still
dearer-who lovingly made them. Every
sledge has an officer, and from six to
eight men. All the officers desire to go;
but the post of honor is given first to
the highest-even to the Captains Of
ships-then to the humblest IN turn.
And now all have received their orders,
and been addressed as 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
band on its way to traverse hundreds of
miles of frozen ocean or of bleak, in
hospitable coast.
Away they go Over miles and miles
Of dreary wastes. Frying and seeking
and examining wherever aught presents
itself that would seem to have been
placed there by others than themselves.
Weary, footsore, now-blind, lame, weak,
strong again, often frozen nearly stiff,
and battling with wind and sleet and icy
particles that cut the face as though
with a keen razor. Still they trudge on,
through barren and hitherto-unknown
places. Occasionally they break out
into song, and thus rouse themselves
again, and perforce renew their tagging
strength.
The sledge, 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 to pull along over
the ice, smooth or rough, and oftener
among thrown-up ridges, as best they
can. A belt round each man is then at
tached to the sledge, and thus should it
| happen, as is 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.
When dinner hour arrives, the party
halts for short time to 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 al
most always SO hard that it breaks like
biscuit, and the drinking utensils are
usually covered with non conducting
substance to prevent the cold from TAX
ing the skin off the lips.
But night is the worst part of the
time--that is, 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 as
comfortable bit Of ice as can be found.
This tent is generally fourteen feet long
by eight feet broad and eight feet high.
There is q flap at the bottom, made to
| pull outward and be covered with snow.
| The door is made of double curtains like
a porch, to keep out the snow-drift, and
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 breath,
which otherwise condenses and falls
in a shower OF fine snow. The tent
is so 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 a waterproof foorcloth
is laid upon the ice, and upon this is
placed another of canvas. The whole
party, officers and all, then make them
selves as comfortable as they can togeth-
er. The provisions are served out, and,
dofing their fur boots, they wrap their
benumbed feet in raoccasins or flannels,
and, without undressing, get into bags
made of stout blankets and about seven
feet long, so as to cover head ard all.
Then, throwing themselves down on the
covered floor, packed like herrings in o
barrel, they seek In slumber forgetful-
ness of their strange and far from envi-
able position.
What they endure may be gathered
from the following quotations. In one
official report it is stated that "the men
agreed in voting noses nuisance in this
country from their prominent position
they are usually the first part frost-bit-
ten also, whiskers and mustaches
were sentenced as not only being use
less but very announcement, the former
catching the snow-drift, and ones
breath freezing on the latter forms an
icicle not easily removed. F."
"Aprl 30.-Near l o'clock q. IN.
lunched. At these low temperatures
no to 20 degrees below zero the fat o.
salt pork becomes hard and breaks like
suet and as the temperature falls below
minus 25 degrees, our rum becomes
thick. To drink out of a pannikin
without leaving the skin of ones lips
attached to it, requires considerable ex
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 waistband was
the best place to carry them, and re-
tain their contents in a fluid state
Another officer has said that "he founC
the brandy CONCEALED, though placed
next the skin"
With reference to their sleeping &C
commodation, Capt. McClintock said
"Lately our fur blankets and sleeping
bags have been rapidly getting more
filled with frost. The latter are quite
wet when thawed at night. Nor have we
been able to prevent their getting int
this state; the greatest care has beer
taken to protect them from the snow
the mems clothes brushed before com
ing into the tent. and the tent and th,
fioorcloth repeatedly brushed. 1t i
chiefly caused by the condensation o
vapor from our warm meals, and ou
breath, which falls in minute frozel
particles. We have holes cut in the to,
of the tent to permit the escape of va
por, but the temperature inside is Away
low enough to condense it before 1t cal
ascend so high. The quantity OF moist
ure from ones breath is surprising; tn,
very small aperture we usually leave a
tho month ~ O,1r no c.c "a 1,roo4I,.