GREELY'S EXPEDITION (1882) 179 



with the addition of steel runners so arranged as to be 

 attached or detached at pleasure. The Hudson Bay sledges, 

 with lashings and coverings complete, weighed only 35 lb. 

 The Greenland sledge was adopted as the pattern for the 

 dog-sledge. The lashings of this sledge being of seal-skin 

 permit rough handling without the sledge being materially 

 injured. Its only drawback is the liability of the runners 

 to split longitudinally through the row of holes bored to 

 receive the lashings. Greely strengthened the upstanders 

 and runners of his sledges by setting in plates of wrought 

 iron. The pine slats commonly in use in Greenland 

 were replaced by the best American ash, hickory, or oak. 

 The weight of the sledge used was 105 lb. 



The sledging ration in 1882 was 39 oz., but it was 

 increased in 1883 to about 42 oz., consisting of 22 oz. 

 meat, 2 of butter, 4 of vegetables, 10 of bread, 2 of 

 sugar, I oz. of milk, 1 oz. of tea and chocolate, salt \ and 

 pepper -fa of an oz. The meat consisted of pemmican, 

 bacon, musk-meat, canned sausage, and corned beef. 

 Limejuice pemmican was found to be very unpalatable, 

 and was only eaten under press of hunger. Greely 's 

 parties generally complained that chocolate taken in the 

 field made them thirsty. No rum was ever sent as a 

 sledge-ration, but it was furnished as medicine to be used 

 under extraordinary occasions at the discretion of the 

 officer in charge. The alcohol allowance of fuel for a 

 party of three or four, at first 5 oz., was increased to 

 6 oz., as being the smallest amount on which the food 

 could be cooked. As the result of his experience, Greely 

 recommended that the vegetable-ration should be 3 oz. 

 preserved potatoes, and that the other ounce should be 

 replaced by half an ounce each of milk and of extract of 

 beef. Of the meat, only half should be of pemmican, 

 the balance to be divided between bacon and fresh meat ; 

 the latter to be sliced fine and frozen. In case fresh 



