CHAPTER VI.
Precautions for the Security of the Ships and their Stores—And
for the Health and Comfort of the Crews.—Establishment of
Theatrical Entertainments and Schools.—Erection of an Observatory
and House on Shore.—State of Health at this Period.—Partial
Disruption of the Ice in the Bay.—Anchors and Cables taken to the
Shore.—Gradual Increase of Cold, Appearance of the Aurora
Borealis on several Occasions, and various other Meteorological
Phenomena to the Close of the Year 1821.
Our operations at sea being now at an end for the season, my chief attention was directed to the security of the ships, and to the various internal arrangements which experience suggested as necessary for the preservation of cleanliness, health, and comfort during the winter, as well as for the economical expenditure of provisions, fuel, and other stores.
The situation which circumstances obliged us to put up with for our winter-quarters was by no means as secure as could have been wished. The bay, though as fine a roadstead as could have been desired if situated in a more temperate climate, was still only a roadstead; and, being entirely open to the south, was exposed to a pressure from the ice in that direction, unless the solid floe now about to be formed round the ships should shortly become sufficient to guard them from external injury. There was some reason, however, to doubt the efficacy of this protection; for, as the spring-tides approached, the numerous grounded masses around the shores of the bay began to evince symptoms of instability, one or two having fallen over, and others turned round; so that these masses might be looked upon rather as dangerous neighbours, likely to create a premature disruption of the ice, than as the means of security, which, in seas not subject to any considerable rise of tide, they had so often proved to us on former occasions. To these circumstances was added our uncertainty whether very high tides during the winter might not crack the ice, thereby exposing the ships to the double danger of being "nipped" about their water-line, and of being drifted out of the bay by northerly gales. That which was, however, perhaps the most to be apprehended, was the possibility of the ships being forced into shoal water, without detaching themselves from the mass of ice cemented to their bends, the weight of which, hanging upon the sides of a ship left aground by the tide, could not but produce very serious injury.
About the time of our arrival in the bay, when the thermometer had fallen nearly to zero, the condensation of vapour upon the beams of the lower deck, and in the cabins near the hatchways, commenced just as it had done at a similar temperature before. To remedy this evil, no time was lost in lighting a fire in the warming-stove upon the orlop-deck, everything being previously moved from its neighbourhood that was likely to create danger. The iron tanks in the main hatchway were laid bare on the top, and the interstices between them filled with sand, to form a secure platform in front of the fire; and the sailroom, bulkheads, and stancheons covered with sheet copper. Four steady men, of whom one was a petty officer, were appointed to attend the fire in regular watches, being made responsible for the due expenditure of the fuel, and for the safety of everything about the stove. They had likewise particular charge of the fire-engine, buckets, and two tanks of water, all of which were kept in the hatchway in constant readiness in case of accidents. In addition to these precautions, some general regulations were established for stationing the officers and men in the event of fire; and a hole was directed to be kept open in the ice alongside each ship, to ensure at all times a sufficient supply of water. In twelve hours after lighting the stove not a drop of moisture remained.
The regulations for the maintenance of due cleanliness among the ships' companies were principally the same as those established on the preceding voyage. As a source of rational amusement to the men, soon after our arrival I proposed to Captain Lyon and the officers of both ships once more to set on foot a series of theatrical entertainments, from which so much benefit in this way had, on a former occasion, been derived. This proposal was immediately and unanimously acquiesced in; Captain Lyon obligingly undertook to be our, manager, and, some preparation having been made for this purpose previous to leaving England, everything was soon arranged for performing a play on board the Fury once a fortnight.
To furnish rational and useful occupation to the men on the other evenings, a school was also established for the instruction of such of the men as were willing to take advantage of this opportunity of learning to read and write, or of improving in those acquirements.
While these internal arrangements were making, the interests of science were not neglected. A day or two after our arrival, Mr. Fisher and myself selected a spot for the portable observatory, which was immediately erected for the purpose of making magnetic observations; and, as soon as the carpenters could be spared from the necessary duties of the ships, a house was built for the reception of the instruments requisite in conducting the other observations and experiments.
Soon after our arrival here, Captain Lyon expressed a wish that his officers and men, with himself, should attend divine service on board the Fury during the continuance of the ships in winter-quarters. This arrangement was accordingly made, and we formed one congregation for the rest of the winter. Our lower deck afforded abundance of accommodation in this respect; some psalm tunes, which had been purposely set upon an organ, were played at the proper intervals of the service, and our little church formed a pleasing and interesting scene to such as are disposed to be interested by scenes of this nature.
I have before mentioned the myriads of small shrimps (cancer nugax) which for some weeks past had been observed near the surface of the sea. These insects were found to be still as numerous as ever in any hole we made in the ice; and such was the extreme avidity with which they immediately seized upon any meat put overboard, to thaw or soak for the sake of freshness, that Captain Lyon to-day sent me a goose to look at, belonging to the officers of the Hecla, that had been thus deposited within their reach only eight and forty hours, and from which they had eaten every ounce of meat, leaving only a skeleton most delicately cleaned. Our men had before remarked that their meat suffered unusual loss of substance by soaking, but did not know to what cause to attribute the deficiency. We took advantage, however, of the hunger of these depredators to procure complete skeletons of small animals, for preservation as anatomical specimens, enclosing them in a net or bag with holes, to which the shrimps could have access, but which prevented the loss of any of the limbs, should the cartilage of the joints be eaten. For want of this latter precaution some specimens were at first rendered imperfect.
A pair of snow-boots were now issued gratis to each individual in the expedition, being part of a stock of extra warm clothing liberally furnished by government, to be supplied to the officers and men at my discretion, as occasion should require. These boots were made of strong drab cloth, with thick soles of cork, the slowly conducting property of which substance, together with their large size, allowing a free circulation to the blood, afforded the utmost comfort that could be desired. Boots or shoes of leather never retain the warmth long, under circumstances of very severe exposure.
The wind veering to the S.E. on the 24th and 25th, the thermometer gradually rose to +23°. I may possibly incur the charge of affectation in stating that this temperature was much too high to be agreeable to us; but it is nevertheless the fact, that everybody felt and complained of the change. We had often before remarked, that considerable alterations in the temperature of the atmosphere are as sensibly felt by the human frame at a very low part of the scale, as in the higher. The difference consists only in this, that a change from -40° upward to about zero is usually a very welcome one, while from zero to the freezing point, as in the instance just alluded to, it becomes, to persons in our situation, rather an inconvenience than otherwise. This may be more readily imagined by considering that our clothing, bedding, fires, and other precautions against the severity of the climate having been once adapted to a low degree of cold, an increase of temperature renders them oppressive and inconvenient; while any reduction (of the first two, at least) is impracticable with safety. To this must be added, that at this temperature the snow becomes too soft for convenient walking, and the accumulation of ice in the crevices and linings of the officers' cabins is converted into a source of extreme annoyance, which, while it continues solid, is never experienced. It is true that these inconveniences occur in a much greater degree in the spring; but being then hailed as the harbingers of the return of permanent warmth, it is easy to obviate some, and would be hard to complain of any of them.
Nov. 6.—For several days about this period the weather continued remarkably mild, the thermometer generally rising as high as from +20° to +28° in the course of the day, from the 6th to the 16th. Most of our necessary arrangements for the security of the ships and stores during the winter being now completed, the people were employed in what they called "rigging the theatre," and on the evening of the 9th the officers performed the play of the "Rivals," to the infinite amusement of both ships' companies.
On the 1st of December there was a space of many miles in which none of the "old ice" was visible. The sea was here for the most part covered with a very thin sheet of "young" ice, probably the formation of a single day, since the westerly wind had driven the 'floes' off the land. The whole of this was in motion with the tide, which, breaking the thin floes, left several spaces of clear water. It was observable that, though a considerable frost-smoke arose from the young ice, it was not so dense as that from the clear water, immediately over every pool of which a little thick cloud floated, corresponding as well in size as in situation with the pond from whence it issued. A number of dovekies were swimming about the point; and it being desirable, if possible, to obtain some of them for the sake of ascertaining their plumage at this season, we hauled the small boat over and launched her. Mr. Ross succeeded in killing one of the birds, which was preserved as a specimen, but it was with great difficulty that the boat avoided being carried away from the shore by the young ice. I was, on this account, afraid of repeating the attempt during the rest of the winter. One grouse was seen on shore; it appeared entirely white, except having its tail black near the tip.
I was this day under the necessity of closing in my stern dead-lights, and fixing cork shutters between the double window-frames of my cabin, the temperature having lately fallen rather low at night; in consequence of which, one of the chronometers had stopped on the 26th of November. We had before this time banked the snow up against the sides; but it was now thrown higher, and its thickness at the bottom increased to about four feet. Besides this, a bed of snow, three feet deep, was subsequently laid on the deck over my cabin, and also on the forecastle over the sick-bay, to assist in retaining the warmth in those parts of the ship; an office which it seemed to perform very effectually. It was impossible, however, as the cold increased, to keep up a tolerably comfortable temperature in the cabin if the fire was suffered to go out for several hours: for instance, the night after the above arrangements had been made, the fire was out for only six hours; and the consequence was, that the thermometer fell to 27°, and could be got no higher on the following day, in the after part of the cabin, though only nine feet from the stove, than 33°. This was, indeed, a most inclement day, the temperature of the atmosphere having for the first time fallen to -27°, accompanied by a fresh wind from the northward and westward.
A great squeezing of the young floes took place at the S.E. point of the island on the 12th. The noise it makes when heard at a distance very much resembles that of a heavy wagon labouring over a deep gravelly road; but, when a nearer approach is made, it is more like the growling of wild animals, for which it was in one or two instances mistaken. It was, however, rather useful than otherwise, to encourage the belief that bears were abroad, as, without some such idea, people are apt to become careless about going armed.
The thermometer rising to -5° in the course of the 17th, the weather appeared warm to our feelings. It proved favourable also for another play, which had been fixed for this night, and the "Poor Gentleman" was performed by the officers in so admirable and feeling a manner as to excite uncommon interest among the men, and to convince me more than ever of the utility of our theatrical amusements. The 18th was a remarkably clear day, without any of that cloudiness which usually hung about the southern horizon. The sun was therefore clearly visible at noon, when such was its oval shape that its horizontal diameter exceeded the vertical by 4' 07". We had light in the cabin for reading and writing for three hours and a quarter without candles, and about five hours for convenient walking.
On the evening of the 24th, being Christmas eve, the ships' companies were amused by the officers performing the two farces of "A Roland for an Oliver," and the "Mayor of Garratt." On Christmas day, divine service on board the Fury was attended by the officers and crews of both ships. A certain increase was also made in the allowance of provisions, to enable the people to partake of Christmas festivities to the utmost extent which our situation and means would allow; and the day was marked by the most cheerful hilarity, accompanied by the utmost regularity and good order. Among the luxuries which our Christmas dinner afforded was that of a joint of English roast beef, of which a few quarters had been preserved for such occasions by rubbing the outside with salt, and hanging it on deck covered with canvass. The low latitude in which our last summer's navigation was performed would have rendered its preservation doubtful without the salt.
On the arrival of the last day of the year, it was impossible not to experience very high gratification in observing the excellent health and spirits enjoyed by almost every officer and man in both ships. The only invalid in the expedition was Reid, our carpenter's mate, and even he was at this period so much improved, that very sanguine hopes were entertained of his continued amendment. In consequence of the effectual manner in which the men were clothed, particularly about the feet, not a single frostbite had occurred that required medical assistance even for a day; and, what was more important to us, not a scorbutic symptom had appeared.
To increase our ordinary issue of anti-scorbutics, liberal as it already was, we had from the commencement of the winter adopted a regular system of growing mustard and cress, which the superior warmth of the ships now enabled us to do on a larger scale than before. Each mess, both of the officers and ships' company, was for this purpose furnished with a shallow box filled with mould, in which a crop could generally be raised in from eight to ten days. The quantity thus procured on board the Fury now amounted to about fifty pounds' weight, and before the arrival of spring to nearly one hundred pounds; and, trifling as such a supply may appear to those who are in the habit of being more abundantly furnished, it will not be considered to have been without its use, when it is remembered how complete a specific for the scurvy fresh vegetable substance has invariably proved.
With respect to the occupations which engaged our time, during this season of unavoidable inactivity, I can add little or nothing to my former account of the manner in which we passed the winter at Melville Island; for the two situations were so nearly similar, and our resources necessarily so limited in this way, that it was not easy to produce much variety in the employment of them. It may be imagined, and was, indeed, anticipated by ourselves, that want of novelty was on the present occasion a disadvantage likely to render our confinement more tedious than before; but this by no means appeared to be the case: for the men, sufficient employment may always be found to prevent the possibility of their being idle; and I have already noticed the auxiliaries to which we had recourse to assist in promoting this end; while most officers have resources within themselves, of which scarcely any situation or circumstances can divest them. What with reading, writing, making and calculating observations, observing the various natural phenomena, and taking the exercise necessary to preserve our health, nobody, I believe, ever felt any symptoms of ennui during our continuance in winter-quarters.
Among the recreations which afforded the highest gratification to several among us, I may mention the musical parties we were enabled to muster, and which assembled on stated evenings throughout the winter, alternately in Captain Lyon's cabin and my own. More skilful amateurs in music might well have smiled at these our humble concerts; but it will not incline them to think less of the science they admire, to be assured that, in these remote and desolate regions of the globe, it has often furnished us with the most pleasurable sensations which our situation was capable of affording: for, independently of the mere gratification afforded to the ear by music, there is, perhaps, scarcely a person in the world really fond of it, in whose mind its sound is not more or less connected with "his far distant home."
With our time thus occupied, our comforts so abundant, and the prospect to seaward so enlivening, it would, indeed, have been our own faults had we felt anything but enjoyment in our present state, and the most lively hopes and expectations for the future.