180 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



meat cannot be obtained, Greely recommended that of 

 the 11 oz. meat, 4 oz. should consist of bacon and the 

 balance of sausage and canned fresh meat. The limejuice 

 was frozen into small squares, each of which represented 

 a ration. It thaws at a temperature of 14° F. 



Greely recommends alcohol of great strength for fuel 

 in the field, and that it should be carried in tightly sealed 

 vessels of about 2 gallons. This enables caches to be 

 frequently made for the return journey. The lamp and 

 all the cooking vessels were fireproof, made as far as 

 practicable of single pieces of heavy tin without solder. 

 A lamp with five wicks was used, and at a temperature 

 of — 20° melted enough snow in sixteen minutes to produce 

 2^ quarts of water, and in ten minutes more, raised it to 

 the boiling-point. At the same time, in an open vessel, 

 there was melted 1J quart of water. The amount of 

 alcohol expended was 4 oz. 



On 19th February 1882, Lieutenant Lockwood with 

 two men and a dog-sledge left the station to visit Depot 

 " B," near Cape Beechy, and to examine the ice in 

 Robeson Channel with a view of selecting the best route 

 to be followed in a later trip to Thank-God Harbour. 

 The party returned on the 22nd, having found the ice 

 favourable. 



On the 1st March, Lockwood with three men set out 

 for Thank -God Harbour. Other two men with a second 

 dog-team were to support him as far as possible. The 

 distance of 28 miles to Depot " B " was travelled in five 

 hours and twenty minutes. The night was spent in the 

 snow -house there, and next day the whole party set out 

 across Robeson Channel. When the bad ice near the 

 shore had been crossed, the supporting sledge-party 

 returned. Lockwood reached the Greenland coast the 

 same day as he left Cape Beechy. On the '3rd March 

 he travelled south along the coast, and arrived at the 



