CRUISE OF STEAMER COKWIN 1>T THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 1 1 



on thd army ration. He regards the .syinptoiiis to arise from inanition, and as the ones that nsnally 

 precede an outbreaii of scurvy. 



A few cases of return of iiitciinit»eiit fever lyroufjht about Ity wet anil fatigue, and of rheuma- 

 tism — which seenuid to l)e the pre\ ailing aihneut — the usual cpiota of headaches, constipation, and 

 i'olic. with several cases of minor surgery, aud a few cases of venereal contracted at Ounalaaka. 

 make uj) the sick-list so far as the crew i>roper is concerned. 



It may not be foreign to tlie subject tx) remark that the sanitary condition of the Corwin, and 

 indeed of other vessels in the revenue service, might be greatly improved l)y covering the berth-deck 

 with a coating of shellac; and better ventilation might be secureil by an arrangement similar to 

 that found on the latest English naval vessels, where a tlue passes up through the side of the ship 

 until it opens just beneath the hammock-rail on the inside of the bulwarks, and is covered with a 

 Venetian blind. Further advantage, especially in the way of lighting, would result from larger 

 air-ports having a glass, convex externally and prismoidal on its inner surface, in oider to facilitate 

 the disper.siou of light when the port is closed. The galley situated on the berth-deck of the 

 (Jorwin was the source of ex(;essive condensation and ilrip, which was always inci'eased in the 

 morning by shutting a small skylight when washing down decks; a proceeding seemingly incon- 

 sistent with enlightened common sense, especially when the docks have been wet the whole 

 previous twenty-four hours from rain or the seas washing over them. The nuisance was in a 

 measure abated by wiping the beams overhead and lighting a tire in a drying stove. 



The facilities for warming were good throughout the ship, and the water sui)i)ly was perhaps 

 better than usual, owing to the fact that the water in the Arctic contains l)ut a small percentage 

 of organic or earthy iini)urities. At Ounalaska water was obtained from a small reservoir in an 

 adjacent hill, bnt it had an unpleasant earthy taste. Better water was had at Saint Michael's 

 Here a s|)ring wells up amid some rocks on the sea beach, and at low tide water may be obtained 

 with great facility, (iood water was procured nearly everywhere in the Arctic, notably at 

 ("hamisso Island and Choris Peninsula, and it was of unusual excellence at Cape Thomi)son. 

 also at Herald and Wrangel Islands. Distilled water, supplied by the engineers, was occasionally 

 used during the cruise, but as it was condensed from the main boiler without filtration it had 

 that peculiar nauseating, oily tiavor which rendered it unfit for potable pnrpo.ses. 



The articles of food, consisting of the regular rations, to which had been added ])emmican and 

 tln^ usual antiscorbutics, such as potatoes, desiccated onions, sauerkraut, and cranberries, were of 

 good ([lalify and kept leniarkably well, some butter iu barrels being as good on (nir return as on 

 the day we left. Frequent o])i)ortuuities also occurred to get fish and game, the ration being varied 

 from time to time with salmon and coregonus, auks, eider-dncks. geese, eggs (of which great (pian- 

 tities were found on the Diomede Islands), seal, bear, and reimleer. The.se supplementary articles 

 proved not only an ai)petizing change from the regular ration, but their use was followed by a sense 

 of well-being and by imi>ro\e<l nutrition. 



The ordinary clothing was supi)lemented with a hooded coat of reindeer skin, .seal skin trousers, 

 and a foot covering similar to that worn by the Eskimo. Over an ordinary pair of stockings were 

 drawn a pair of reindeer socks, with the hair turned in, the foot being next thrust into an Bskimo 

 boot of seal skin, iutt) the bottom of which a small quantity of straw was jilaccd as a non-conductor, 

 ami the whole secure<l by thongs after the manner of a sandal. This rig answered the purposes 

 of warmth an<l t-omfort : bnt the effect was anything but picturesque, as the foot resembled a 

 disabled extremity that some bungling hospital nurse had endeavored to inclose in a poultice. 



Beyond the mcte<n'ologi(ral summary obtained from the signal station at Saint Michael's, there 

 are no extended weather observations to repcu't in regard to any fixed geograi)hicaI ])oint, for the 

 reason that the shij) seldom remained longer than a few days at a time in any one place, and it was 

 im|>ossible to get any definite information from the natives, whose knowledge in this respect does 

 not extend beyond noticing wlu^thei- the snowfall is gr<!at or little during the winter. 



As regartls the weather during the i)ast season there is a marked contrast when contpared to 

 that experienced on the Corwin's former voyage. The sea was freer from ice, a fact doubtless 

 owing to the preceding mild winter aud other (loncurrent causes, but the number of fine days was 

 con)i)aratively few. and a series of gales and snow storms continued throughout the summer. lOven 

 as late as July is ||ii- ilecks were coveretl wnth snow and hail, and a bitter cold wind penetrated 



