UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN. 311 



is somewhat improved during the past week. The 

 deck-house, having been reUeved of much of the load 

 of provisions stowed therein, seems hke a spacious 

 apartment emptied of its furniture. By the end of 

 this month the house will be for this season, at all 

 events, a thing of the past, for I hope the temperature 

 will have so far comfortably increased that we may re- 

 move it entirely. The forward and after store-rooms 

 having been cleaned and restowed are again in good 

 oixler and condition, though I fear the low tempera- 

 ture we are now experiencing may cause condensation 

 again, and, later on, result in thaw and wet. The ward- 

 room and cabin are as usual dry and comfortable. 



Ajjril ^)fh, Mo7iday. — And now one would imagine 

 that we had arrived at the end of our resources for 

 saving coal without resorting to hand power. But it 

 is not so. Some days ago, in thinking matters over, I 

 recollected having seen pumps run by windmills, and 

 upon consulting Melville as to the practicability of mak- 

 ing the necessary machinery on board ship I was grati- 

 fied, but (knowing his genius and unfailing readiness to 

 adapt the means to the end) not surprised, to have him 

 say, " Can do it." He thought out all the details, and 

 has immediately commenced working drawings for the 

 construction of the windmill bilge-pump. He calcu- 

 lates that with a wind of velocity equal to five miles an 

 hour, we can have a mill that will do the woi-k now 

 done by the altered main engine bilge-pump run by 

 the steam-cutter's engine. Of course when we have no 

 wind we must pump by hand if we wish to save coal, 

 but the number of hours of calm in a month has been 

 so small that I think we can safely take the chances for 

 the future. 



Sounded at noon in thirty-three fathoms, muddy bot- 



