My Northern Exposure: The Kawa at the PoleChappell, George S. (George Shepard)
General
My Northern Exposure: The Kawa at the Pole
Chappell, George S. (George Shepard)
Arctic regions -- Fiction; Burlesque (Literature)
You may be sure I utilized Whinney's scientific ingenuity and it
is to him I owe two innovations which contributed greatly to our
success. One of these was the magnetic bowsprit, highly sensitized by
induction-coils run from the exhaust of our 20 h.p. Tutbury engine;
the other was the thermal water-line, the temperature of which could
be raised to 180 degrees by turning a switch which connected with our
storage batteries. Both of these inventions worked perfectly.
Thanks to the bowsprit the problem of steering our svelte craft, about
which Triplett had expressed some doubts, became a simple matter. Left
to herself she invariably came up into the north and as that was the
direction we wished to go all was well. The thermal water-line made
passage through all but the thickest ice comfortable and easy. For many
years the Kawa had had no water-line whatever so that we were uncertain
how she would behave. The new one consisted of a thin layer of copper
fastened to the elm siding, underneath the seal skin. I like to think
that the little Kawa behaved so nobly because she knew her water-line
was not visible.
Thus we arrived at a type of construction which gave us the strength
and elasticity of a water-tight basket. What we had lost in rigidity
we gained in feather-like lightness. Before her engines were installed
the Kawa floated on the surface like a toy balloon. When loaded, as she
usually was, she drew two-feet-six. The installation of the engine and
stowing of stores also had a tendency to stabilize the hull and keep
her masts pointing upward which was a distinct advantage.
In addition to these marine features it was necessary to consider the
eventuality of encountering solid, impenetrable ice in the region of
the pole, ice through which even the thermal water-line would not make
it possible for us to melt our way. Authorities agree that such ice may
be expected north of eighty-six, even though we planned to time our
arrival in that vicinity for mid-summer when, as is well known, the
weather is extremely hot. This is the fascination of Arctic travel; one
never knows what to expect. Our problem, then, was to make the Kawa
equally at home on the floe or in the open leads, a glorified sea-sled.
My previous experience with the various types of sledges convinced me
that for my purpose they were useless. My object was to take the Kawa
to the Pole. Then why not make the Kawa herself a sled?
I recognized instantly the feasibility of my scheme, which consisted of
folding guide-runners framed of carefully selected greenheart. When not
in use these runners extended horizontally along the counter, giving
my little craft a singularly bird-like appearance. Incidentally they
formed convenient luggage carriers similar to those attached to the
running boards of automobiles and, in fair weather, could be used as
piazzas or sleeping porches covered with a high pile of bear-skins to
make occupancy easy.
WHAT THE WELL-DRESSED EXPLORER WILL WEAR
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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