132 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



The measurements taken by the doctor to determine 

 the cubic air space per capita show that we are defi- 

 cient in that respect also. The berth deck is only 78 

 cubic feet, the ward-room 180, the cabin rooms 333, 

 and the entire cubic air space of the cabin amounts to 

 1,500 feet. In the Alert the cubic air space per man 

 was 107, and in the Discovery 140. The comparison 

 is again unfavorable. The cubic air space will be in- 

 creased for the men when we come to build our deck-, 

 house, and I liope the carbonic acid gas will largely 

 disappear in that edifice. 



All these things, and the disappointment at having 

 accomplished so little the first season, give me enough 

 to think about. There is nothing, however, but pa- 

 tience and earnest effort to improve matters that will 

 avail me anything, and to these two things I must 

 devote myself. 



The result of the S. E. blow and the mild tempera- 

 ture has been to open lanes in our immediate neighbor- 

 hood, but none of them are of any great extent, and 

 the heavy pack shows across the openings which are 

 not more than fifty feet wide. If we were not securely 

 held between two floes, I would move into one of these 

 leads, even if we advanced only half a mile. (We 

 would have moved at all events and have broken the 

 monotony.) But we are securely held as in a vice, 

 and heeling 5° to starboard. Soundings at noon in 

 forty fathoms blue mud. We are now increasing our 

 depth as we increase our distance from Herald Island. 

 Brought up some new specimens with the dredge. 



Sej^tember 2lst, Sunday. — At the usual Sunday in- 

 spection held by me to-day, I concluded to make some 

 changes in the internal arrangements of the berth deck. 

 The order of yesterday about keeping the doors open 



