470 THE VOYAGE OF THE JE ANNETTE. 



goes, and finds and leaves us in the same situation as 

 ever. 



The new location of the deck-house gives daily more 

 and more satisfaction with respect to dryness, for it is 

 marvelously clear from all moisture. But we must 

 now watch for a new enemy, carbonic acid. The doctor 

 tests it regularly every Sunday night, and his last ex- 

 periment shows too large a quantity for perfect health. 

 It will be by our constant efforts only that we can ac- 

 complish a proper condition of things, in spite of these 

 two great enemies, — moisture and carbonic acid. 

 Sailors, as a rule, confound ventilation with draft, and 

 though they will unhesitatingly and without noticing it, 

 live, eat, and sleep in an evidently impure atmosphere, 

 they promptly complain of cold when a change of air is 

 permitted. With a stove on our berth deck lighted 

 during the day, and the one in the galley-room lighted 

 during the night, with the deck-house covering the 

 entire deck, there can be no question of a proper amount 

 of heat being distributed. By keeping the forward 

 skylight always uncovered, and the occasional opening 

 of the berth deck doors during the day for ingress and 

 egress (not to speak of the deck being cleared for in- 

 spection), the accumulation of moisture in the air of the 

 deck is carried up into the deck-house and deposited on 

 its cold roof and sides. So far, we are fortunate. But 

 a fresh supply of air must be given the berth deck from 

 time to time, and we find that the occasional opening of 

 the deck-house door does not accomplish this. There- 

 fore I have directed the trap-door in the roof of the 

 deck-house over the skylight to be kept open six inches 

 or so whenever a snow-storm is not raging, and in order 

 that the carbonic acid may not bank up on the after 

 part of the berth deck, the berth deck doors are ordered 



