The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1897-12-11
SEVERE CLIMATES.
Limits Of Mans Endurance Of Extreme
Heat and Cold.

:, Limits of Mans Endurance of Extreme
Heat and Cold.
Not the least interesting of the
many results of Nansen's expedi-
ton r the records OF meteorolog-
;, ical observations that we're contin-
:. Jed almost Cninterfuptedly for the
( better part of three years and which
!, throw distinct light upon the eli
E-atic conditi@Ea Of the far north.
These show what had already been
we'll supported by scientists-that,
80 far Us a minimum temperature is
concerned, the highest northern lat
:itudes T ~favorably situated
than many regions lying fully Is de-
grees or 20 degrees-approximately
/ 1000 to 1, 400 miles-farther to tho
| south. The lowest reading of Nan
sens thermometer, registered on
board the Fran, was 61.5 degrees
f., or some IL to IS degrees higher
than the minimum noted by the
British polar expedition of 1876
and s degrees above the minimum
Of Kane. Tho lowest winter tenn
perature recorded by Mr.. Peary was
So degrees F. In strange contrast to
this, in itself sufficiently severe tenn
pcrature, ere the rigors of certain
less favored localities lying to tho
south. Thus. in the Kara sea, which
lies between Nova Zembla and ST.
IBERIA and whose center is approx
mately crossed by tho seventy third
parallel of latitude, q temperature
of GO degrees is by no means un-
common. and the sea, partly from
this aus and partly from the fact
,hat it is so largely choked with ice,
has justly received the name of the
lice CELLAR Of Eurasia.
at Yakutsk, in Siberia, a we'll
known government post, lying con.
%siderably southwark or outside of
the arctic circle, a temperature of
from &c degrees to 50 degrees below
is reported almost annually, and at
VerEhojansk, which is situated al
most within the same broad region,
but somewhat on the polar side Of
the circle, there is a registry Of So
degrees for the month Of January,
Professor Mohn, tho distin-
C1ished Norwegian scientist, asserts,
moreover, that at the Russian sta
ton at tho mouth of the Lena river,
Siberia, the extraordinarily low tom
.erature OF y4 degrees f. he's been
ye:crded.
That man should be able to en-
lure, one might say almost with
r-lpunity, such excessive severity Of
climate is not a little remarkable.
md it lis more surprising when it is
considered in connection with his
Of thoopposite extreme
j. e., the highest summer tempera-
5ura. We have as yet perhaps nc
absolutely reliable data for the high
,kt sun temperature o II the earth's .
surface, but it may be safely as
to be in the neiyhborhood Of
IT eve beyond $50 degrees. 1t IS
.laimel by Alexander Won Hum :
,oldt that Ritchie observed near
.Mourzouk, in northern Africa, a
elIyerature-in q measure reflected
rom the desert sands--of 1856 de-
III the shade. which is prohl-
lily the highest that comes authori-
ativcly from the records CT travel
Ii this is true, t,,,on there can be
..t!e doubt that the sun tcnpera-
was fully Is degrees higher.
With tho two extremes before us,
ilea, we have for the human SUBJ
Il climatic resistance Of at least :
"a degrees, or 81 degrees more than
> found in the range between gao
nd the boiling point of water. How
zach more than this man could en-
it is difficult to say, but dcnbt-
".i many degrees could yet tie add
d to either side of tho thernn,1net-
ic scale without materially or nee
sfecting his system. His :
10 the temperature of
rooms, as is evidenced in ;
lie work of the stokers On board
he transatlantic liners, is an indi- y
:sion of this, and yet, more. the re- h
aarkable experiments recently con-
ucted by the eminent physicist, i
saoul Pictet, upon his own person, f.:
'hen by artificial processes he sub
ected his body to a temperature of
G5 dcgrees.-Irdianapolis News.