Evening journal., 1909-10-06

was given to the altitude Of uplifted and
submerged regularities.
Atmospheric. surface water and ice
temperatures were taken the barometer
was noted, the cloud formations, weather
conditions and ice drifts were tabulatod.
There was a continuous routine of work
which docs not appear here. II belongs to
the specific details Of the history Of the
exploration. which viii appear in the
later publication of scientific data.
This work, like the effort Of the foot Ia
the daily drive Of duty, became moro or
less automatic, and does not at any time
entcr as an active part Of the story. AS
we now ran along over seemingly endless
fields of ice the physical appearances
came under careful scrutiny. ] watched
daily for possible signs Of dangerous
failure in strength, for serious disability
now meant a fatal termination.
/ A disabled man could neither continue
nor return, but every examination gave
another reason to push human endurance
TO the limit Of the strain Of every fbre
and cell The hard work which followed,
under an occasional burst Of burning sun
beams, brought intense thirst.
Forcing the habit Of the camel we man.
aged 70 take enough water before start
ling to keep sufficient liquid in the veins
for the days march, but it was difficult
10 await the melting of the ice at camp
ing time
In two sittings gs-evening and morning
each took an average Of three quarts oi
water daily. This included the tea ant
also the luxury Of an occasional soup
There was water about everywhere in
heaps. but it was in crystals, and before
1.-THE thirst could be quenchcd several
ounces Of precious fuel which had been
carried thousands Of miles, must be used
And still this water. so expensive and so
lueccssary TO US, ultimately became the
greatest hane 10 comfort. IL escaped
through the pores Of the skin. saturated
the boots, formed band Of ice under the
knee aud a belt Of frost about the waist
while the face was nearly always encased
in mask Of iciclcs from the breath-a
necessary part of our hard lot in life ana
VIC learned TO take the torture philosophl-
lcaly. From ice il comes, 10 ice 1t goes,
like the other elements Of the body, when
the good preacher pronouuees the last
words from dust TO dust
From the eighty-seventh to the eighty
eighth parallel we passed for two days
q over old ice without pressure lines OF
hummocks. There was no discernioe line
lof demarkatioD for the fields, and It was
S quite impossible to determine if we were
: on land or sea ice. The barometer indi'
0 Gated no elevation, but the ice had the
q hard, waving surface Of glacial ice with
, only superficial crevasses. The water
+ obtained from this was not salty but all
e of the upper surface Of the ice Of the
e polar sea makes similar water. The
q nautical observations did not seem to IN
j ldicste a drift, but nevertheless the com
biued tabulations do not warrant the posi-
q tive assertion Of either land or sea FOL
p this area.
= An Air Line Course.
This ice gave a cheering prospect, {
plain purple and blue ran in easy undula
fions 10 the limits of vision without the
= usual barriers of uplifted blocks. Owe
I. II a direct air line course was possible
, Progress. however, was quite as dlfhcul
j as over the irregular pack. The snow
was crusted with large crystals An in