452 THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



Sunday brings around another inspection. The deck- 

 house being finished, except its entering porch, and the 

 wing porches to the galley-house being completed, I am 

 able to form some idea of how our coming winter is 

 prepared for. I am convinced that the changed deck- 

 house is an improvement. The berth deck is, of course, 

 somewhat darker, but it is also much dryer, and I think 

 will remain so. This morning's inspection reveals the 

 fact that the two rooms opening off the berth deck 

 (and occupied on the starboard side by Lee and Bart- 

 lett, on the port side by Cole and Sweetman) are acting 

 as the condensing chambers for the whole deck. This 

 is bad ; but Chipp suggests placing a stove on the old 

 galley platform, and by heating that portion of the 

 ship prevent the condensation, and force it to the cold 

 roof of the deck-house above. This involves moving 

 Alexey's berth, but as his trouble generally consists in 

 finding his sleeping-place too warm, he will be improved 

 by building his berth up in the deck-house. I therefore 

 approve of the stove being placed there, and during 

 the coming week the change will be made. I think we 

 might burn all the coal in the ship this winter with- 

 out making the house as comfortable as the berth deck 

 (because the heat would melt the frost and cause it to 

 drip without drying it and making it disappear), while 

 with a fire on the berth deck, and another on the old 

 galley platform, a steady heat will be maintained, and 

 its ascending columns will carry up the moisture to the 

 roof of the deck-house, where it will be condensed and 

 will remain. By this means the two decks should be 

 kept dry : for although the temperature of the deck- 

 house will be comparatively comfortable, it will not be 

 high enough to cause dripping ; and the berth deck, 

 being uniformly warm, will present no cold surface (ex- 



