The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1899-04-27
AMID ARCTIC SHOWS.
How Explorer Penry Subsisted While
ON His Trip to the Frozen North.

How Explorer Peary Subsisted While
on His Trip to the Fro.en North.
Lieut. Peary, whose brilliant exploits
in the far north have only been eclipsed
thus far by DR.. Nansen, has impaired
a few of his ideas in housekeeping in
the arctic regions. OF course the main
stay Of the larder is supply of canned
articles, such ~ preserves, jams, bis
cults. vegetables, butter, tea, coffee,
chocolate, cocoon and. in short, every
variety of food that is capable of being
preserved in n canister. Such supplies
are, Of course, most useful ON board the
ship; during sledge journeys it is, how
ever. different. ION these" said Peary,
there must be the sternest simplicity
i'll the matter Of food. The changes
which I should make in another rN-
petitions sledge equipment would be-
all in the direction OF cutting down
the variety of food supplies. Their
are just four things in the way of pro
visions that should take, and those
are pemmican, ships biscuit, tea and
condensed milk. A fifth article would
he furnished in the shape of fresh meat
of any kind that we might kill on the
wny. On my previous Journey took
- great many thing, that were not only
useless. but worse, because they mere
ly added weight to the sledges and thus
wasted our strength unnecessarily. II
a man cannot get along with pemmican
and biscuit with tea to drink, the arcti
regions are no place for him. He
mustn't expect the Injuries of n hotel
dinner.
"Pemmican is beef mixed with n coil-
siderable quantity of suet. 1t is the
staple arctic food, and is not at all dis
agreeable to the taste. 1t is much com
pressed. One pound of it is equal To
four pounds of ordinary meat, so that
the carrying of it reduces the sledge
weight very much. One pound of it IS
the daily ration for a man. OF tie
lard ship biscuit one pound is also 4
days allowance, and of tea about 4
quart. These rations are consumed al
most always in two meals, which are
all we have time to stop for on sledgc
Journeys.
The tea is in compressed, quarter
pound cakes, which are further marked
Oll, bOUlcW uUt Inc Cdhc VI Sup'otaNN'
into little divisions of n quarter-ounce
each. One of these makes pint Of
tea, and it is stronger than one general
ly drinks at home. The condensed 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 only drink for sledge
journeys. Coffee is not satisfactory,
nor is chocolate or cocoa, which pro-
duces thirst. Lime juice have no faith
in at all, and / nhall never try it again.
1t has always been thought necessar!
to counterfeit u tendency to scuy!,
from the consumption of 80 much salt
and fatty food. But never had any
indications of scurvy in any OF my
party.
Dried vegetables have been carried
by some explorers, and while they are
well enough to have at the headquar-
hrs, where, as l aaid, there may be
any variety one chooses, they are on
tirely superfuous while sledgiug. y
man can get along perfectly well with
out vegetables; in fact, l never eat
them, even at home, and there isn't
much nourishment in them for arctic
work. There is only one thing besides
those l have mentioned which / consid
er good. and that Is compressed pea
soup. 1t has great deal of nutriment
in it and is especially palatable. But it
can be dispensed with II reduction OF
weight becomes a highly important
point, for the pemmican and biscuit
are trustworthy stand-bya"-N. y. Tel
egram.