316 THE VOYAGE OF THE .JE ANNETTE. 



have been dry ; and if we had not been obhged to use 

 our Baxter boiler for distilhng, and afterwards for 

 pumping, so largely increasing' the moisture which was 

 carried to the berth deck as to use up all the cold space 

 presented by the sheet-iron ventilating cover, and air 

 port frames, and demand more, the deck would have 

 been drier than we have found it. As a rule for my 

 future guidance I will say, Provide the coldest sur- 

 faces in the desired places, and then the dampness and 

 condensation will be under control. This cold-surface 

 method annoys me in one way, namely, by fogging up 

 the glasses of the roof of the artificial horizon. I have 

 generally placed the horizon on the small table on the 

 floe, but the table, having been moved the other day 

 for some purpose or other, has not been refastened 

 thoroughly enough to keep the mercury still in any 

 wind. I therefore place the horizon trough in the thin 

 snow on the floe, and grind down the roof into the 

 snow to keep out all wind. In a few moments the heat 

 of the sun through the glass next to it raises the tem- 

 perature within ; moisture arises from the warming 

 snow, and immediately flies to the cold surface, first 

 to the glass in the roof away from the sun, and there 

 deposits, becoming a film of ice as soon as the roof is 

 lifted from the snow. 



By an accident or carelessness our Avater supply for 

 the day was spoiled this morning by Boyd, the fireman 

 on watch. Our steam-cutter boiler is fed from the sea 

 always, but on this occasion the feed was taken from 

 the bilge. The result was that the distilled water was 

 so bad in taste as to be nauseating. The water-barrel 

 will need several scourings and cleanings before it loses 

 the bad taste, and for a day or so we must fall back 

 upon snow-water. 



