DRIFTING IN ICE OFF HERALD ISLAND. 131 



(true), and is very distant. The changes in appearance 

 of this island have been slowly panoramic. We have 

 crossed its face from east to west until its western end 

 bore south, and have then steadily drifted away from 

 it to the northward, so that from a panoramic view we 

 have come to a dissolving view. 



September 20th, Saturday. — The doctor informs me 

 this morning that he has made during the night ex- 

 periments on the berth deck, to determine the amount 

 of carbonic acid while the men were asleep and breath- 

 ing the atmosphere of the deck. The experiments 

 were made with what is known as the " wet jar," and 

 the result was as follows : In every thousand vol- 

 umes of air there were two and thirty-two hundredths 

 (2.3246) volumes of carbonic acid, which, reduced to a 

 percentage, shows .23246 per cent. The records of the 

 expedition of the Alert and Discovery show .436 per 

 cent, on the berth deck of the Alert on February 29, 

 1876, and .482 per cent, in the ward-room on Jan- 

 uary 18, 1879, both observations being made under the 

 very worst circumstances of housing and confinement. 

 While, therefore, our showing is a very favorable one 

 in comparison, still it is a bad one, for we are only in 

 September, with a temperature mild enough to leave 

 open every access to the fresh air. 



To experiment still further in this matter, and to 

 prevent the willful or accidental closing of any doors 

 or the sky-light of the berth deck, and to endeavor to 

 prevent any serious amount of carbonic acid in the 

 ward-room and cabin, I issued to-day orders in regard 

 to the ventilation of these apartments. While these 

 orders are being carried into effect, experiments will 

 determine their efficiency in accomplishing the desired 

 result. 



