304 FARTHEST NORTH 



noise is heard, which dies slowly away ; the moment at 

 which it stops must be exactly ascertained. 



" I find remarkably little salt all the way to the bottom 

 in the water here ; it must be mixed with fresh water 

 from the Siberian river, 



" There was some pressure this morning, going on till 

 nearly noon, and we heard the noise of it in several direc- 

 tions. In the afternoon the ice was quite slack, with a 

 large opening alongside the port side of the ship. At 

 half -past seven pretty strong pressure began, the ice 

 crashing and grinding along the ship's side. Ab -.^ 

 midnight the roar of packing was heard to the south. 



" Saturday, November nth. There has been some 

 pressure in the course of the day. The newly formed ice 

 is about 15 inches thick. It is hard on the top, but looser 

 and porous below. This particular piece of ice began 

 to form upon a large opening in the night between the 

 27th and 2Sth October, so it has frozen 15 inches in 15 

 days. I observed that it froze 3 inches the first night,, 

 and 5 inches altogether during the three first nights ; so 

 that it has taken 12 days to the last 10 inches." 



Even this small observation serves to show that the 

 formation of ice goes on most easily where the crust is 

 thin, becoming more and more difficult as the thickness 

 increases, until at a certain thickness, as we observed 

 later, it stops altogether. " It is curious that the pressure 

 has gone on almost all day — no slackening such as we 

 have usually observed." 



