CHAPTER VITT. 



WlNTKll NIGHT. NOVEMBER, 1869, TO NEW YEAr's DAY, 



1870.^ 



Storm and snow-drift. — Boisterous night. — Damage to the observatory. 

 — Snow-wall ou the ship. — The cold. — Tidings from East Green- 

 land. — Stormy weather again. — Increase of darkness. — Establish- 

 ment of a school of navigation. — Fresh storm. — The shortest day. 

 — Damage during the storm. — Force and velocity of the wind. 

 ' — Magnetic periods. — Celebration of Christmas. — Singing and 

 dancing on Christmas-eve. 



The sun, tliat source of all liglit and life, had left us. 

 The three months' Arctic night had begun. There was 

 enough daylight, however, to allow of our working in 

 the open air ; the cold too was not very great, so that 

 we did not feel the transition much. On the 7th and 

 8th a storm raged surpassing any that we had hitherto 

 felt ; but after our experience it did not terrify us. 



As the men seemed inclined~to treat this change in 

 our position too lightly, we, estimating the seriousness 

 of the case more justly, thought it our duty to notice it 

 in some way, and thus our entrance into this winter 

 night was made somewhat solemnly. An arrangement 

 was then made by Captain Koldewey settling the daily 

 order of things, and on some points giving more strin- 



^ By Dr. Pansch. 



B b 2 



