368 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



The Baxter boiler is now used exclusively for distil- 

 ling. As the temperature of the air now is at such 

 comfortable heights, more heat is radiated in the en- 

 gine-room than is needed to make the man on watch 

 comfortable, and Melville proposes to have the coil for- 

 ward on the berth deck to heat that deck instead of 

 using a stove. The idea is an excellent one, and it only 

 remains to be seen whether we can put it into practical 

 execution. So anxious are we becoming on the ques- 

 tion of fuel, that we commenced yesterday going with- 

 out a fire in the cabin and berth deck from nine A. m. 

 to five p. M., and we find that we are not so very un- 

 comfortnble. The heat remains in the cabin for several 

 hours after the fire goes out, keeping up a temperature 

 above 40°, and as we are always out knocking around 

 on deck, or on the ice, where the temperature is pleas- 

 ant enough in the middle of the day, we find we can 

 very well dispense with fire until supper time. 



The amount of water leaking into the shaft alley 

 seems to have diminished, and 1 am more inclined to 

 think that it (the leak) was only the melting of the ice 

 accumulations among the frames. 



May 2Sth, Friday. — An uneventful day. We are 

 at a stand-still, and must .wait for the development of 

 some strong wind to shove us along again. 



May 2dih, Saturday. — One more day nearer the end 

 of May, and I hope one day nearer the end of our im- 

 prisonment. A gloomy and dull day makes one moody 

 and dispirited under these circumstances. If our lati- 

 tude were only 84° instead of 74°, I don't think any- 

 body would mind the weather, but we make a very 

 poor showing for one season's work. However, the 

 darkest hour is just before the dawn, and who knows 

 how bright our dawn may be when it comes. In the 



