180 THE JKANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



ing would start from the beams, showing the unpainted wood 

 for more than half an inch. This, together with the sharp 

 cracking of the ship's fastenings, like the report of a distant 

 charge of rifles, would wake us at night. Each man kept 

 his knapsack by him ready for an instant move, and prepa- 

 rations were made for leaving the ship with sleds and boats 

 if necessary. 



Several gales, the heaviest being about fifty miles an hour, 

 occurred in the fall of 1879. The long night commenced 

 about the 10th of November, and lasted till the 25th of Jan- 

 uary, 1880. On November 1st the winter routine com- 

 menced. At seven, call all hands and start fires in the 

 galleys ; at nine, breakfast ; from eleven to one, guns given 

 to all hands to hunt and for exercise on the ice ; at three 

 p. M., dinner ; then galley fires put out to save coal ; between 

 seven and eight, tea, made from the Baxter boiler, which 

 was used constantly to condense water, we having found that 

 the floe ice was too salt for use, and the doctor insisted on 

 using condensed water. This boiler was originally intended 

 for the electric light, but it was found that we could not af- 

 ford to run the light, so we used the coal in condensing 

 water. Twenty-five pounds of coal per day was allowed for 

 heating the cabin, twenty-five pounds for the forecastle, and 

 ninety pounds for ship's galley for cooking purposes. 



We lived on canned goods, with bear and seal twice a 

 week, pork-and-beans and salt beef once a week ; no rum or 

 spirits, except on festive occasions, two or three times a year. 

 The discipline of the ship was excellent, and during the whole 

 twenty-one months in the pack there was but one punishment 

 given, and that was for profanity. The crew were well 

 quartered in berths, and were comparatively happy; had 

 navigation class and theatricals. The health of all was 

 excellent, and there was a special medical examination the 

 first of every month. 



Things went on in this fashion until the middle of Janua- 

 ry, when there were tremendous pressures, and the floes ac- 

 tually backed up into mounds under the strain, the ice 



