228 



THE VOYAGE OF THE JE ANNETTE. 



room is going all the time, and the steam-pump in the 

 engine-room about one half the time. Nindemann and 

 Sweetman (the only two men who can be trusted not to 

 break tools in this cold weather) stand watch and watch 

 day and night in the fore peak building the bulkhead. 

 By midnight all but the last upright plank is in place, 

 and strino-ers and braces are beinoj fitted abaft of it to 

 resist pressure when the water comes against it. Early 

 in the morning we broke out a barrel of plaster of Paris, 

 which had been provided for the naturalist's use, and 

 we shoved that down between the frames, hoping it would 

 mix with the water there and harden to a cement. We 

 also rammed down another lot of ashes and picked felt. 



The ship is 

 wretchedly wet 

 and uncomfortable. 

 The berth deck is 

 kept moist from 

 the endless travel 

 along it to the fore 

 peak ; the galley- 

 room is wet, of 

 course, from drip- 

 pings from auxili- 

 ary 23 u m p ; the 

 deck-house is Wet from the Baxter, and the quarter 

 deck is covered with ice or sludge from the fire-hose 

 discharge. The outlook is somewhat discouraging when 

 contrasted with the ambitious beginning of the voyage. 

 But as the darkest hour is just before the dawn, we 

 may have a bright spot in our future. 



January 26th, Sunday. — Pump, pump, pump — the 

 same old story. As fast as we pump out, the water 

 comes in. Nindemann and Sweetman, by hard work 



From Mr Newcor 



