Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-08-21
THE DIARY or SERGEANT RICE
How the Gree1y Party Amused Them
selves in the Arctic Region.

selves in the Arctic Region.
One of the saddest incidents in Ham
let is that where the young Prince ad-
dresses the ghastly, musty skull Of Yor-
ick, and recalls the fellow of infinite jest,
with his quips and quiddities that kept
the table in roar. The contrasts of con-
dition are more affecting than their ex-
tremes in the moment of sorrow; and
nothing more touchingly present to
the imagination the sufferings of the
Arctic explorers than the recorded, half
merry first experiences of the men who
finally succumbed to the horrors that
took the lives of the historians. There is
some such impression enforced by the
reading Of the diary Of Sergeant Rice, of
the Greedy expedition, one Of the too
many victims Of that long isolation from
the world; and the story is the more dis
tressing for the bright, graceful, CHEEKY
style of the writer
He begins with the departure of the
Proteus on its homeward voyage, sever,
ing the last link between them and civil
ization, leaving the men with peculiar
sadness, "perhaps nostalgia" and, with
but cursory glance at the hardships and
privations endured, describes some of
the pleasanter events and incidents and
personal experiences that fell along the
way of the next two years. We get from
this record the one consoling reflection
that life in the Arctics would not be so
intolerable or perilous as we now imagine
were it possible often to dispatch relief
supplies to the various stations or caches.
The party, when well stocked with pro-
visions and supplies, found little difficult
ty in weathering the severest winter ever
known in that region, so far as has been
observed by the various explorers who
pierced into the latitudes in which OBJ
servations were taken Some of the
men, it is true, were severely frost-bit-
ten, but that appears to have been when
they were caught considerable distance
from camp in especial employments
where exposure was unavoidable. If
this conclusion is accurate the finding is
valuable, as it will to degree lessen the
very great anxiety with which people in
general discourage these dangerous ad-
ventures of science.
From August 25, 1881, to May % of
the following year the temperature was
comparatively warm, the thermometer
standing at zero, and that time was in
dustriously and enthusiastically devoted
to exploration, the warmest part of the
day being devoted to sleep. The diff
Guilty of travelling was very great, as may
well be imagined, and one of the most
distressing features was the length of
time 1t was often necessary to go with
out water, drink being as hard to
obtain as though the journey had been
over the desert Of Sahara Eating snow
was the recourse, but that afforded small
relief, and only occasionally, and then
generally by cutting through two or
three feet of ice, were they enabled to
get good, inyigorating draught of
pure water. Another unpleasantness
attended the attempt to dress the feet,
the stockings being the only articles of
clothing changed The biting air took
such hold upon the moisture Of the boots
that they had to be sat upon for some
time before they were made flexible
enough to be again drawn upon the
feet. The wet stockings, were, curiously
enough, dried out by the natural heat of
the body, being placed undert the clothes,
next to the skin of the owner, for laun-
dry.
The party pushed northward, having
the tolls of the march in a manner re-
warded by the extraordinary beauty Of
the sun effects occasionally produced,
but they did not attain the higher prize
of discovering the ''open polar sea- of
enthusiastic nayigators, which they were
constrained to believe is a myth. The
chief perils encountered seem to have
been in the endeavor to escape the ever
changing ice-foes that threatened at any
moment to close in on the party, and
finally they were compelled to abandon
the boat and the return journey was
made by land. In October they assembled
Mount Ovitus, which has an elevation
above the snow valley of 1900 feet.
From that eminecce it seemed to Rice
"there was something awful in the i'm
pressive scene of desolation spread
around. am sure that ordinary quiet
would have been an uproar compared to
that which surrounds u.s." The sun was
making preparations for departure, and
by the 14th was quite ready to say fare
well. His goodbye was one of the few
glorious pictures of the region The
change occurred at noon ssOld Sol
only showed part of his disk for few
moments. sprinkling the ice and snow
with crystals, and then sank lazily back
in beautiful glow Of warm, rosy colors, !"
and was gone for 1876 days A soft,
mlsty, pearly twilight succeeded, merg-
ing few hours later into darkness, the
twilight decreasing each succeeding day,
though sufficient light remained to enable
them to take short trips.
The presence of the moon during a
part of this season is prime blessing.
I'm addition to her splendid illumina-
tions she sometimes treated us to the
beautiful phenomena of mock moons,
only to be seen in the Arctic regions.