The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-10-09
ARCTIC OBSERVATIONS.
Driving Blizzards-The Mercury Frozen
Solid for a 1Gonth-A Monotonous life.

Driving Blizzards-The Mercury Frozen
Solid for Month-A Monotouous life.
tits stated in the diary left by Sergt Rice,
of the Greedy Expedition, that the mean tenn
perature at their camp during the month Of
December, 1881, was-32. Oh degrees Early in
January, 1882, the pendulum piers were
erected-so we learn from the same source!
nissd ardGoas and e3aen g dutv to the as
tronomer, ''who, in addition to the tedious
counting of the wings of the pendulum hour,
was compelled to make astronomical observa-
tons for the determination Of time" These
teen days, and up to January e 10th,
when the station was swept by a &C.
we're storm and caused such q rennarka-
Bile fall of the themometors that, 'Lent
Greedy had the range of the instrument
closely observed and recorded every fifteen
minutes The reading showed a.: temperature
of only 1914, which was arise Of about IL de-
grees in a few hours, The wind blew al
the rate of sixty miles an hour, carrying with
it clouds of snow and spicular ice, which cut
the faces of the men like powdered glass or
sparks of fire, and prevented them from reach
ing :either the. Thermometer shelter or the;
tide-gauge." "Every one who was out" we are
told, '"came back more rless bruised, and
with their faces covered by mass Of frozen
snow. The frosty particles were also driven
lining on the inside" The velocity 81 the wind
finally increased to seventy-fv miles an hour,
and the thermometer ranged from 9.5 to-
32.1. Asumming of January temperature shows
a mean of -3S q, "a minimum Of $50, tand.a
maximum of-9N, degrees: February came in
ssbeing, more than 81, degrees below zero"
with the mercury frozen solid all the time.
On February 18th the standard thermometer
stood 60 degrees below zero, tho corrected diff
ference of temperature between theinbide' and
outside of quarters being over Ito degrees.
'sFt is surprising" remarks The sergeant, ''the'
amount of cold that can xbe supported without
injury while the atmosphere is at rest Com
fortably clothed and no air stirring; we could
eye eh9at without 9ut risk or great iaeonvsn-
times became touched and required the appi-
cation of warm hand, which could safely be
withdrawn from a WARM covering for short
time Give me IS degrees and calm weather
rather than 20 degrees and the wind moving
ten miles an hour. i is mistake las stated ,
by an eminent Arctic explorer, Payer that
perspiration ceases at So degrees This was.
disproYed by the experience Of many of u.s.
Swathed in cumbrods clothing, such exercise
as pushing behind a loaded sledge would fire.
quantities, and at : lower temperature than
During February !, experiments were made
with shotguns and chronograph to ascertain
The rapldlty with which sound travels through
Arctic air. I>was ascertained that lubricating
oirhad to be removed from the gums, sas ii
would freeze solid and not allow the machinery
Of tie weapon to work, i! When on February
23d the sun had begun 10 again,showits light, 4
members of the party suffered with weak eyes
and presented a?:b1eaehed-out appearance Of |
countenance, like the potato vines that grow
in cellars. ." An important record is made OF
the fact't that February 1882 was the coolest
month ever noted in the Arctic region, and far
in excess ofStthe thernonaetric' range given by
the discovery party in 1876, as the mean, tenn
perature was as II and the minimum
Degrees +; Although the sun was to be seen for
a.few hours every day the colony life had be-
come SO Ilonotoious that ssthe return Of every
hunter was the signal, for questions, and the
smallest circumstance furnished topic for
conversation. IN. u Tribune. ,'.i' : 'i'~'-