Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-12
SEVERE CLIMATE.
Limits Of Mans Endurance OF Ex-
treme Heat and Cold.
indianapolis News)

indianapolis NeWS)
Not the least interesting OF the many
results of Nansens expedition are the
records of meteorological observations
that were continued almost uninterrupt-
edly for the better part Of three years,
and which throw distinct light upon
the climatic conditions OF the far North.
These show what had already been we'll
suspected by scientists-that, so far as
a minimum temperature is concerned.
the highest northern ATTITUDES are more
favoraby situated than many regions
lying full Is or 20 degrees (appro-
priately 1OOo-l. 400 miles, further to
the South. The lowest reading of
Nansen's thermometer. registered on
board the Fran, was 6l.5 degrees F., or
some 12-l5 degrees higher than the
minimum noted by the British Polar ex-
pedition of 1S75'76. and degrees above
the minimum Of Kane. The lowest
winter temperature recorded by Mr..
Peary was 81 degrees f. In strange
contrast to this In itself sufficiently Sc
we're temperature are the rigors of GER
tain less favored localities lying to the
South. Thus, i'm the Kara Sea, which
lies between Nova Zembla and Siberia,
and whose centre Is approximately
crossed by the seventy-third parallel of
latitude a temperature Of 63 degrees Is
by no means uncommon, and the sea,
partly from this cause, and partly from
the fact that IL is so largely choked
with ice, has justly received the name
of the "ice cellar" of Eurasa.
At Yakutsh, I'm Siberia, wel-known
governmental post. lying considerably
southwark, or outside Of the arctic cir
Gle a temperature of from 20 TO
50 degrees below is reported almost an
nually: and at Verkhojansk. which is
situated almost within the same broad
region. but somewhat on the polar side
of the circle, there Is a registry OF
% degrees for the month Of January,
1885, Professor Mohn, the distinguished
Norwegian scientist. asserts. moreover,
that the Russian station at the mouth
Of the Lena river, Siberia, the extraor-
binary low temperature of "a degrees +.
has been recorded.
That man should be able to endure,
one might say almost with impunity,
such excessive severity of climate is not
a little remarkable, and ii is more sur
prising when 1t is considered in connec-
ton with his endurance Of the opposite
extreme-i. e., the highest summer tenn
perature. We have as yet, perhaps, no
absolutely reliable data for the highest
sun temperature on the earths surface,
but 1t may be safely assumed to be In
the neighborhood OF, or even beyond,
| $50 degrees. 1t is claimed by Alexander
Won Humboldt that Richie observed
near Mourzouk, in Northern Africa, a
temperature On a measure reflected from
the desert sands) of 1856 degrees In the
| shade. which is probably the highest
| that comes authoritatively from the
records Of travellers; II this is true
then there can be little doubt that the
sun temperature was fully 10 degrees
higher. With the two extremes before
Us. then we have for the human sub
ject a climatic resistance OF at least
pa degrees, or 81 degrees more than
is found in the range between zero and
| the boiling point of water. How much
more than this man could endure 1t
is difficult to say; but, doubtless, many
| degrees could yet be added TO either
side of the thermometric scale without
materially or necessarily affecting his
system. His resistance to the tempera-
ture Of furnace-rooms. as is evidenced
| In the work of the stokers on board
| the transatlantic liners, is an indica-
| lion Of this; and yet more, the remark
able experiments recently conducted by
the eminent physicist. Raoul Pictet, upon
his own person, when, by artificial pro-
cesses, he subjected his body TO tenn
perature of 16j degrees.