The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-10-17
Arctic OBSERVATIONS
Driving Blizzards-The Mercury Frosss
sofia for q 1Gonth-A Monotonous life.

Driving BI~tzzards-The Mercury Frozen
ao,,a for a Month-A Monotonous life.
tits stated in the diary left by Sergt Rice,
Of the Greedy Expedition, that the mean tenn
p~erature at their camp during the month of
December, 1881, was--3a.0l degrees. Early in
January, 1882, the pendulum piers were
erected-so we learn from the same scarce,
and the work of making observations fur-
nished arduous and exactng duty to the as
tronomer. awho, in addition to the tedious
counting Of the wings of the pendulum hour
was compelled to make astronomical observa-
tons for the determination OF tune. These
pendulum observations we're continued fif-
teen days, and up to JaaTuary lah,
when tho station was sweps by a so
we're storm and caused such . remarka-
BILE fall Of the thermometer that Lieut.,
Greedy had the range OF the instrument
closely observed and recorded every fifteen
minutes. The reading showed : Temperature
of only Es1S, which was q rise Of abotit ~ do
frees in a few hours. The win blew at
he rate Of sixty miles an hour, carrying. with
il clouds of snow and spicular ice, whteh cut
tho faces Of the men like powdered Biass or
sparks of fire, and prevented them from reach
ing, either the thermometer shelter or tho
tids-gauge." everyone who was out, we are
told. "came back more or less bruised, and
with their fases covered by a MACS of fraHen
snow The frosty PARTICLES were also driven
through the sl.ickest coats, forming q white
lining on the inside The velocity of the wind
finally increased to segnnty-tiye miles an hoHrs,
and tire th~ermameter ranged from 30 to-
52.l. Assnmming o fJanaary temperature shows'
8 mean Of -3S21, aminirrnm OF ~, and D,
maximum of degrees. February came In
cold, the average temperature for the month";
"being more than, 50 degrees below Zero"
with the mercury frozen seaid all the time.
On February l1th the standard thermometer ?
stood so degrees below zero, the corrected diff
ference of temperature between the inside and
outside of quarters being over ITO degrees.
at is surprising" remarks the sergeant, 'the
amount of cold that can be supported without
injury whilethe atmosphere is ut rest. Com.
fortably clobhed and moan stirring, we could
move about without risk or great lnconven-
fence, taking eare only5ef %thefsce, which some
times became touched and required the appii-
cation of a warm hand, which could safely be
withdrawn from a warm covering for a short
time. Give me 65 degrees and calm weather
rather than 20 degrees and the wind moving
ten miles an kour. 1t is a mistake las stated
by an eminent Arctic explorer, Payer) that
perspiration ceases at 80 degrees. This WAS
%disproved by the experience OF many of us.
Swathed in cumbrous clothing, such exercise
as pushing behind a loaded sledge would fire.
quently produce perspirahon in no meager
quantities., and at a. lowen temperature than
that mentioned.
During February experiments were made
with shotguns and chronograph to ascertain
the rapidity with which sound travels through
Arctic air. 1t was ascertainod that lubricating
oil had to be removed from the guns, as it
would freeze solid and not allow the machinery
of the weapon to work. When on February
Esd the sun had begun to again show its light,
members of'the party suffered with weak eyes
and presented a 'bleached-out appearance of
countenance, like the potatosvines that grow
in cellars" An important record is made of
the fact that February1lSS2 wss the coolest
month ever noted in tho Arctic region, and far
in excess Of the themometric range given by
the discovery party in 1876, as the mean tenn
perature was-46.47 and the m~inimnm-G21
degrees. Although the sun was to, be seen for
a few hours every day the colony, life had be-
come 30 n.onotonous that ''the return of every
hunter was the signal for questions, and the
smallest circumstance furnished a topic for
conversation IN. Y. Tribune.