The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-21
KEEPING HOUSE AMID ARC
TIC SHOWS.
CFrorn the New York Telegram.l

CFrom the New York Telegram.)
Lieutenant Peary. whose brilliant ex-
ploits in the far north have only been
eclipsed thus far by DR.. Nansen, has
impaired a few of his ideas in house
keeping in the artic regions. OF course
the mainstay of the 1arder is supply of
canned articles, such as preserves, jams
biscuits, vegetables. butter. tea. coffee.
chocolate, cocoa, and, IN snort, every
variety of food that is capable of be-
ing preserved in a canister Such sup
plies are, of course, most useful on
board the ship; during the sledge jour
neys it is, however, different "On
these said Peary, there must be the
sternest simplicity in the matter of
food. The changes which I should
make in another expeditions sledge
equipment would be all in the direction
of cutting down the variety of food
supplies. There are just four things in
the way of provisions that I should take
and those are pemmican, ships bis
cult, tea and condensed milk hfth
article would be furnished in the shape
of fresh meat of any kind that we
might kill on the way On my previous
journey 1 took a great many things
that were not only useless, but worse,
because they merely added weight to
the sledges and thus wasted our
strength unnecessarily. If man can
not get along with pemmican and bis
cult, with tea to drink, the afct1c re-
gfons are no place for him. He must
not expect the luxuries of hotel din
ner.
"Pemmfcan is beef mixed with a con
siderable quantity of Suet. 1t IS the
staple arctic food and is not at all dis
agreeable to the taste. It is much com
pressed. One pound of 1t IS equal 70 4
pounds of ordinary meat, SO that the
carrying of it reduces the Sledge weight
very much. One pound OF II IS the
daily ration for a man. OF the hard
ship biscuit one pound also is day
allowance, and of tea about a quart
These ration are consumed almost al
ways in two meals, which are all We
have time to stop for on sledge Jour-
neys-
The tea is in compressed quarter
pound cakes, which are further marked
off some what like q cake of chocolate
into little divisions Of a quarter-ounce
each One of these makes pint OF
tea, and it is stronger than one genef-
aIlv likes to drink at home. The con-
densed milk is the ordinary article
which you see everywhere 1t freezes
of course, often perfectly solid, but that
does not impair it. Tea IS the ohly
drink for sledge journeys. Coffee IS not
satisfactory, nor is chocolate or cocoa
which produces thirst Lime juice
have 20 faith in at all, and ShalI never
try it again. 1t has always peeA
thought necessary to cOuntefact a ten
dency to scurVy, from the consumption
of so much salt and fatty food But l
never had any indications OF ScurVy IN
any of my party.
Dried vegetables have been carried
by some explorers, and While they are
wen enough to have at the headquar-
tiers, where, as I said, there may be
any variety one chooses, they are en-
tireIv suDerfluOuS while Sledg1ng- a
man can get along perfectly we'll with
out vegetables; in fact, I never eat
them, even at home, and there ism
much nourishment in them for arctlc
work. There is only one thing besides
those I have mentioned which 1 con-
slider good. and that is compressed pea
SOUP. 1t has a great deal Of nutrinent
in it, and is especially palataple. But
it can be dispensed with II reductlon OF
1[-aieb+ becomes a highly important
point. for the pemmican and biscuit are
Trustworthy stand-bys."