The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-04-22

A Frigid Convict Station Ii the
Northeast Of Siberia,
THE COOLEST SPOT ON EARTH

No Precautions Are Necessary Against
Escape at erhoyansl<-When The
Wind Blows Halt an Hour In the
Fierce, Biting Cold Means Death.
The coolest place in the world one
would naturally expect to be either
the north or the south pole, but, it is
not. It is a village In the northeast of
Siberia named verhoyansk.
There the average temperature of
the three worst winter months is So
degrees r. below zero, which means
So degrees Of frost. During January
the average temperature is Sc degrees
below zero. or So degrees OF frost. On
one occasion the thermometer regis
tered the remarkable figure Of 100 de-
grees Of frost! The average January
figure for London. on the other hand,
is degrees above freezing point.
But In verhoyansk most months are
winter months. July. curiously enough.
Is as hot there as in London, but the
shadow of the terrible winter hangs
over even the warmest months.
Even In midsummer the forests
which surround the desolate plain in
the center Of which verhoyansk
stands are withered and gray. The
grass is colorless. The few flowers
are odorIess. The bare soil Of the
plain itself refuses to produce vege-
tables Of any kind The ground is
frozen hard to an Incredible depth.
No farming. OF course, is possible
There are no cattle or poultry. All
food Is imported. Why. then, does this
little village exist? 1t Is convict sta
ton, and its population Of 400 is made
up Of officials and exiles.
No precautions against escapes are
needed Prisoners are known to have
gone mad with the loneliness of thf
place. But no one has ever been mad
enough to try to escape. verhoyansk.
strange though 1t sounds, is guarded
by the wind. A gale when the Their
mometer stands at 80 or more below
zero will destroy every living thing
that is notunder shelter.
One OF the many curious facts about
cold Is that intense cold is in itself
easy to bear provided the air is still.
One traveller has declared that he has
often felt colder in Piccadilly on
damp day in November than during
bis entire stay in Verhoyansk, where,
the thermometer sometimes showed 90
degrees of frost.
The reason is that at Verhoyansk.
the air is intensely dry. and dry cold
does not penetrate far. With tent.
at night and warm furs In the day.
time one can be quite comfortable.
however low the temperature.
But let a wind once rise and things.
are different AS verhoyansk is the,
coolest place In the world, the few
winds that come must bring warmth
But then all winds carry moisture
And SO we have the curious fact that.
though one may be quite comfortable.
with the thermometer showing 60 de-
grees Of frost. If a wind springs up
and adds 90 or 80 degrees of warmth
to the air one has to hy for dear
life 10 shelter.
Half an hour in that fierce, biting
cold means DEATH But the intense
dry cold that is verhoyansk's normal
weather is. If not SO dangerous, quite
as powerful in its effects In that icy
stiffness an iron ak head dropped ON
the ground smashes like glass. A.
board of unseasoned wood, on the
other hand. freezes hard as iron.
De Windt in his travels in this re-.
gion carried his milk in solid cubes.
In a net attached to his sleigh. His.
Thermometers all burst. for at the
Verhoyansk temperatures quicksilver
freezes and can be hammered like
copper. 1t has indeed been turned into.
bullets and shot through deal board.
All he could find Of case Of ciaret.
were few Jumps Of red ice and some.
splintered glass. But what troubled
him most was the discovery that it:
was impossible to smoke. At 40 de
grees below zero frozen nicotine blocks,
the stem Of the pipe. while cigarettes
or cigars freeze to the lips.
- --->@Ts ~ EtA4DSA A0cSAdS " uuOs 0H'
one does when the thermometer reach.
es 80 below. that ones very breath
falls at ones feet In fine white pow
der. mustache becomes q torture
q. heavy. solid lump Of ice. To lay q.
bare hand on metal means that ths
skin will stay where it touches. Al
careless traveller once witlessly left a.
shirt outside bis hut to dry. When he,
picked it up again it bent and almost:
broke. When swung through the air
It made noise like theatrical thun.
der.
At these temperatures many usually
trusty articles. such as combs and
razors and knife handles. shrivel or
bend or break.
Verhoyansk is a hubble Of mud plas--
tered huts along one struggling street.
The windows are OF ice. so that can
dies are needed both summer and win