192 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



felt or canvas, or carpet over these forward and after 

 berths and watch the effect. 



We are beginning to appreciate other discomforts. 

 Our distilUng with the Baxter boiler is not successful, 

 the resulting water being too salt for healthful use. 

 The salt is due to two causes : first, the boiler receives 

 its water from a tank which is filled from the top of the 

 deck-house by drawing water in a bucket from a hole 

 cut in the ice alongside the ship. If greatest care be 

 not exercised (and what sailor will exercise it with the 

 thermometer 25° below zero ?) water is slopped over the 

 distilling coil, also on top of the house, and trickles 

 down into the water barrel. A very little salt-water 

 trickling down spoils a half day's distilling, and as we 

 are able to distill only enough to meet our daily wants 

 (say forty gallons), it is a serious matter. It has taken 

 us some days to discover that trouble, and now we will 

 remedy it by rigging a pan to catch drip. Second, the 

 boiler is so shallow that when the pump is started to 

 feed it, if the pump by accident be started quickly, the 

 pressure in the steam space is so suddenly relieved that 

 the water bubbles up and goes over salt to the water 

 barrel through the coil. The same effect is caused by 

 admitting too much steam into the coil ; and if we do 

 not admit enough, the coil freezes up and bursts, as it 

 has done several times. If we bring the coil down 

 inside the deck-house, the temperature will not be low 

 enough to condense enough steam for our daily use, 

 and there we are. We have almost scraped the floes 

 bare to get snow enough to melt for washing purposes. 

 The resulting water is very salt, and it was the use of 

 that water which brought on diarrhoea. However, Mel- 

 ville has set to work to improve the distiller, and he 

 rarely misses a complete success. 



