The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-01
Severe Climates.
Indianapolis News }

Not the least interesting of the many
results Of NAnsens expedition are the
records of meteorological observations
that were continued almost uninterrupt.
eddy for the better part of three years.
anu which throw distinct light upon the
climatic conditions of the far north.
These show what had already been well
suspected by seientists-that, so far as a
minimum temperature is concerned, the
highest northern ATTITUDES are more IA
vorably situated than many regions ly-
ing full IS degrees or 90 degrees (approx-
imately /, 900 or /, 400 miles further to the
south. The lowest reading Of Nansen' S
thermometer registered on board the
Bram was 81. 5 degrees 3. or SEINE - to 10
degrees higher than the minimum OF
Kane. The lowest winter temperature
recorded by Mr.. Peary was So degrees r..
In strange contrast to this in itself
sufficiently severe temperature are the
rigors of certain less favored localities ~
ing to the south. Thus i'll the Kara sea
which lies between Nova Zembla and ST.
IBERIA and whose center is approximately
= crossed ny Uu0 seventy -tHAIu ps1Idll0l Va
latitude, Il temperature of 81 degrees 1s
by no means Uncommon and the sea,
partly from this cause and partly from
the fact that it is SO largely choked with
ice, has Justly received the name OF the
ssice cellar OF fGurasia.
AT Yakutsh, in Siberia, well known
governmental post, lying considerably
snuthward or outside of the Arctic circle.
a Temperature nf from 10 degrees to so
degrees below is reported almost annu-
ally; and at Verkh0jansk, which is sit
usted almest within the same broad re-
gion, but somewhat on the polar side of
the circle, there is a registry of 90 de-
grees for the month OF January, 1894
Prof Mohn. the distinguished Norwe-
gian scientist, asserts, however, that at
russian station at the mouth of the Lee
ma river, Siberia, the extraordinary low
ten, psratEre of "a degrees Z. has been
recorded.
That a man should be able to endure,
one might say almost with IMMUNITY,
such excessive severity of climate is not a
little remarkable, and 1t is more sur
prising when 1t is considered in ooDneG-
finn With his endurance of the opposite
extreme---i. e., the highest summer tenn
parntuFe We have as yet. perhaDs, no
absolutely reliable data for the highest
SUB temperature on the earth's surface,
but it may be safely assumed to be in
the neighberhcod of, or even beyond, 150
degrees. Il is claimed by Alexander Won
Humboldt that Ritchie observed near
Mourzouk, in Northern Africa, a tenn
perature lin measure reflected from the
desert sands) of 1875 degrees in the shade,
which is probably the highest that comes
authoritatively from the records of tray
eiers; If this be true, then there can be
little doubt that the sun temperature was
fully fifteen degrees higher. With the
two extremes before us then we have fol
the human subject climatic resistaDo &c
Of at least 244 degrees, or thirty two de-
gress more than is found in the range
between zero and the boiling point Of
water. How much more than this man
could endure it is difficult to say, Sut
doubtless many degrees could yet be ed
ded to either side of the theriuometrio
scale without materially or necessarily
affecting his system. His resistance tx
the temperature of furnace rooms as i:
evidence in the work of the stoBers OF
board the transatlantic liners is az
indication of this; and yet more, til,
remarkable experiments recently con
Quoted By the eminent physicist Raou
Pictet, upon his own person, when b,
artificial processes he subjected his body
to temperature of 1e5 ueGree7.