The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1884-10-15
FROZEN SOLID.
life in the Arctics with the Mercury
Sixty Degrees Below Zero.
The Amount OF Cold which Can Bc
Endured when tiic AtmOS-
phcrc IL at Hcst--EN-
prrImcnts.



Ii is stated in the diary left by Scrgt
Rice. of the GrcclN expedition. that the
mean temperature at thpt-CHmp during the
month of December 1881 wa, --32. OF de
grccs Enrly in January 1882 the pcudu
lum piers were CrCCtcd--so we lcarN from
The same somCc-and tho work of making
observations furnished arduous and exact
ing duty~to the astronomer who in add
ton to The tedious counting of the swings
of the pendulum hOuraitcr hour. wa, com
PEELED 10 make astronomical observations
for the determination of time These
pendulum observations were continued
fifteen days. and up TO Jan. lG, when the
station was swept 10y severe storm and
caused such q remarkable fall in the Their
mometcr that Lieut. Grccly had the range
of the instrument closely observed and rec
ordcd every fifteen minutes The read
ing showed o temperature Of only -l2h
which was rise of about Is degrees in q
few hours The wind blew at the rate Of
sixty miles an hour carrying with it clouds
of snow and spicular ice, which cut the
faces of the mcn like powdered glass or
sparks of fire, and prevented them from
reaching either the thermometer shelter
or the tide guagc. Everyone who was
out. we are told, came back more or less
bruised, and with their faces covered 10y u
mass of frozen snow The frosty particles
were also driven through the thickcSt
coats, forming white lining ON the in,
side. Tie velocity of the wind finally
increased 10 ScvCntytiyc miles an hour
and the thermometer ranged from p to
--32 l. 4 summing of january lcmpcra-
lurc shows Il mean of --3S.2i u minimum
of --jS2, and maximum of 81 degrees
February came in cold, the average tenn
pcraturc for the month being more than
80 degrees below zero. with the mercury
frozen solid all the time
On Feb II the standard thermometer
stood nj GO degrees below zero, the cor
rcctcd difference of temperature between
the inside and outside of quarters hcing
over 10 degrees. 1T is surprising. re.
marks the sergeant. the amount OF cold
that can be supported without injury
while the atmosphere is a' rest Comfort
ably clothed and no air stirring; We could
move about without risk of great incOn.
vcnicncc, taking care only of the
face which sometimes became touched
and required the application Of
II warm hand, which could safely
be withdrawn from warm cover
ing for u short time Give mo Gj
degrees and calm weather rather than 20
degrees and the wind moving ten miles an
hour. II is a mistake as stated y an emf
nGnt Arctic explorer, Payer that ucrspira-
ton ceases at 80 degrees This was di,
proved 10y the experience Of many of us
Swathcd in cumbrous clothing such uXcr.
else as pushing behind loaded ,lcdgc
would frequently produce perspiraton in
no mcagcr quantities, and at a lower tenn.
peraturc than that mentioned
During February experiments were made
with shotgunS aud chronograpli to ascGr-
tain the rapidity with which sound travels
through Arctic air II was asccrtuucd
that lubricating oil had To be removed
from the guns, aSil''would freeze solid
and not allow the machinery Of the weapon
TO work When, on Feb %. the sun had
begun to again show its light. member, Of
the party suffered with weak eyes and pre-
Senlcd "blcuchcd.Out appearance of
colntcnanCc like the potato vines that
grow in cellars An important record j.
made of the fact that February Of 1852
was the coolest month ever noted in the
Arctic region, and far in excess Of the
thcrmOmctriC range given by the discovery
party in 1876, rs the mean temperature was
-4G. Il and the minmum-G9 degrees
Although the sun Wa, to he >lrn for few
hours every day, the colony life had De
come so monotonou> that the return of
very hunter was the signal for questions,
and the smallest circumstance furnished a
topic for conversation