1876 DIMENSIONS OF A FLOEBERG. 277 



its side. It was 120 feet long by 105 feet broad, and 

 80 feet in depth, the highest part being 63 feet above 

 the water-line. It was consequently about 25,000 

 tons in weight, a cubic foot of ice weighing 55*5 lbs. 

 Although this floeberg was the highest out of the 

 water, it was by no means the largest in our neigh- 

 bourhood. When ascending its side, so long as the 

 slope was at an angle of 30° from the horizon, and 

 covered with hard snow, we could climb up with the 

 help of an alpenstock, but it was slippery work 

 descending. When the angle increased to 35°, we 

 were obliged to kick steps with our boots ; at 40°, steps 

 had to be cut with an axe ; and at 50°, although we 

 could have ascended by means of steps cut in the ice, I 

 doubt if we could have descended without the help of 

 a rope. 



' For several days past there has been an animated 

 scene on the cleared part of the lower-deck. One or 

 other of the officers, and the leader amongst the crew 

 of his sledge — styled " captain of the sledge " — have 

 been alternately in possession of the weights and scales, 

 preparing the provisions for the spring journeys. As 

 Arctic sledge travellers are entirely dependent for sub- 

 sistence on what they drag, the preparation of the pro- 

 visions is a serious undertaking. Once started from 

 the ship on a journey lasting from eighty to upwards 

 of a hundred days, there is no means of rectifying a 

 mistake or neglect, for nothing can be obtained from 

 the ice but water, and to get that, fuel has to be 

 carried for melting it. Carrying too much entails 

 •more weight being added to the already heavily-laden 

 sledge ; I need not mention the consequences of taking 



