1875 ICE HINGE. 205 



proximity of the land I was unable to move farther 

 away from our disturbing neighbour. 



' However cold the temperature may be, the ice 

 which is subject to the rise and fall of the tide, must 

 always remain separate from any fixed object such as 

 the shore or a piece of stranded ice. The sea surface 

 being greater at high than at low- water, the ice frozen 

 during the rising tide acts as a wedge to force objects 

 apart during the falling tide. The ship is thus being 

 steadily forced away from the floeberg, the pressure 

 causing her to heel over, away from the berg. The 

 ice has lately cracked within a few feet of the ship and 

 formed a hinge-piece which alters its angle as the 

 tide rises and falls. Consequently the snow embank- 

 ment on that side of the ship falls away during the 

 spring-tides and requires constant repairs. 



6 6th. — Owing to the extraordinary rise in tempera- 

 ture a few days ago, the air, being warmer than the 

 wood and ironwork of the ship, congealed into soft 

 feathery snow-crystals, forming a beautiful efflorescence 

 attached to the ship's side and on the bolt-heads. 

 Until the ship itself became of an equal temperature to 

 the air, these grew in length, without turning into pure 

 ice, as the similar formation does which at other times 

 occurs inside of the ship, but which is affected by a 

 temperature of about 50°. 



'Yesterday, when the temperature fell to minus 20° 

 the efflorescence gradually evaporated, and to-day the 

 surface of the ship's side is perfectly clean again. 

 Owing to the thick embankment of snow outside of the 

 ship and that on the upper- deck, the temperature of 



