I must not omit to mention the duty of keeping open the “fire hole”—a very necessary and important precaution, that must be taken, in order to be able to obtain a supply of water in case of fire breaking out on board. As a rule, in all ships that have wintered in the Arctic Regions, the water has frozen below the suction valves of the pumps, thus rendering them totally useless. In order, therefore, to obtain water, a hole was invariably cut through the ice near the ship, which was generally placed in charge of the quarter-master of the watch, whose duty it was from time to time to clear off the young ice from its surface, so that at any moment water might be obtained in buckets. In the “Alert,” in consequence of our valves being much lower, our pumps were never incapacitated from this cause; still they were liable to be rendered useless by the water in the pipes becoming frozen. We therefore always kept our fire-hole in working order. It was close to the bow of the vessel, and was inclosed by a snow hut, so as to guard against the danger of anybody falling in whilst walking about in the dark. By fixing a tide-pole in the hole, and by devising a self-registering apparatus with a line leading from the tide-pole to the forecastle of the “Alert,” we were able to obtain a very complete and valuable series of tidal observations. From having the registering-gauge on board the ship, these observations were continued uninterruptedly, and were unaffected by gales of wind or bad weather, that would otherwise have prevented any one from going outside the vessel in order to note them.
Thermometric observations were, as may be imagined, very carefully attended to, and the temperatures both inside and outside the ship duly registered. Maximum and minimum thermometers, by which the greatest heat and the greatest cold for each consecutive twenty-four hours were recorded, were established in different places, and were noted every day at noon by an officer especially appointed for that duty.
Each compartment in the ship was supplied with one of these thermometers, and on the living deck the temperatures at three different heights—namely, at the deck, about half-way up, and at the beams—were daily registered. For the outside air one of the ice-saw triangles was erected on the floe, sufficiently distant from the ship to neutralize any influence that might be derived from her presence, and on this, at the height of about twelve feet, were placed several thermometers. In addition to these, there were other thermometers on the hill about a quarter of a mile from the ship, and about one hundred yards above the level of the sea, so that we were able to obtain a correct mean of the true temperature of the air. We were also able to ascertain the temperature of the snow, and the ground at different depths; and also, by means of solar radiation thermometers, we succeeded, on the return of the sun, in getting the temperature due to its rays at various altitudes.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE ROYAL ARCTIC THEATRE.
| “Haste thee, Nymph, and bring with thee Jest and youthful jollity, Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles, Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles, Sport that wrinkled Care derides, And Laughter holding both his sides.” Milton. |
Sir Edward Parry, during his first and subsequent winters in the Arctic Regions, fully recognized the importance of not only exercising and improving the minds of those under his command, during the long period of enforced inaction, but also of amusing them, and letting them feel that they also were assisting in the amusement of their shipmates. To do this he instituted an evening school on the lower deck, the officers acting as teachers; and he established periodicals, dramatic and other entertainments, in which he himself joined and took a conspicuous part.