210 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



January Sd, Saturday. — Early daylight at eight 

 A. M. At noon good clear daylight illuminating the 

 floe, and showing everything about the ship distinctly. 

 Anemometer read clearly without lantern for the first 

 time in many days. The southern sky showed bright 

 red. The loom of land was descried to the S. S. W^ 

 At one A. M. the ice was again in motion to southward. 



January ^th, Sunday. — At 12.30 a very brilliant 

 meteor shot in a curved line from S. to S. E. and ex- 

 ploded like a rocket, showing red, yellow, and blue 

 colors. At eleven inspected the ship. The berth deck 

 at the forward and after ends is again beaded with 

 moisture. The experiment of laying old mattresses on 

 deck on the forecastle and covering them with snow 

 worked to a charm for a day or two, the berth deck 

 being dry and comfortable, but it has broken out again 

 as bad as ever. The fore store-room is dry, and, as far 

 as we can see, entirely free from frost; but this is ex- 

 plained by its being covered by the deck-house. The 

 after store-room is full of frost, and will have to be 

 thoroughly broken out in the spring. The ward-room is 

 dry and free from frost except the side bulkheads of the 

 forward rooms (Danenhower's and Collins') ; the forward 

 bulkheads being felted are quite free from frost. Sev- 

 eral of the officers discovered during the week that 

 their mattress covers (ticking) had commenced to mil- 

 dew and rot, moisture having collected between their 

 mattresses and the berth bottoms. This has been rem- 

 edied by each one turning up his mattress to air in the 

 morning upon getting up, and airing it on Saturdays 

 w^hen the fire is lighted in the ward-room to heat water 

 for bathing purposes. The cabin is dry, warm, and com- 

 fortable. During our two hours' walking exercise on 

 the floe from eleven a. m. to one r. m., it is opened and 



