Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 2Parry, William Edward, Sir
History
Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 2
Parry, William Edward, Sir
Arctic regions; Northwest Passage; Parry, William Edward, Sir, 1790-1855
external atmosphere; but on one or two occasions in calm and warm
weather, it rose as high as 60° to 66°, obliging us to throw off a part
of our fur-dress. After we had slept seven hours, the man appointed to
boil the cocoa roused us when it was ready by the sound of a bugle, when
we commenced our day in the manner before described.
Our allowance of provisions for each man per day was as follows:
Biscuit 10 ounces.
Pemmican 9 ounces.
Sweetened Cocoa Powder 1 ounce, to make one pint.
Rum 1 gill.
Tobacco 3 ounces per week.
Our fuel consisted entirely of spirits of wine, of which two pints
formed our daily allowance, the cocoa being cooked in an iron boiler
over a shallow iron lamp, with seven wicks; a simple apparatus, which
answered our purpose remarkably well. We usually found one pint of the
spirits of wine sufficient for preparing our breakfast, that is, for
heating twenty-eight pints of water, though it always commenced from the
temperature of 32°. If the weather was calm and fair, this quantity of
fuel brought it to the boiling point in about an hour and a quarter; but
more generally the wicks began to go out before it had reached. 200°.
This, however, made a very comfortable meal to persons situated as we
were. Such, with very little variation, was our regular routine during
the whole of this excursion.
We set off on our first journey over the ice at ten P.M. on the 24th,
Table Island bearing S.S.W., and a fresh breeze blowing from W.S.W.,
with thick fog, which afterward changed to rain. The bags of pemmican
were placed upon the sledges, and the bread in the boats, with the
intention of securing the latter from wet; but this plan we were soon
obliged to relinquish. We now commenced upon very slow and laborious
travelling, the pieces of ice being of small extent and very rugged,
obliging us to make three journeys, and sometimes four, with the boats
and baggage, and to launch several times across narrow pools of water.
We stopped to dine at five A.M. on the 25th, having made, by our log
(which we kept very carefully, marking the courses by compass, and
estimating the distances), about two miles and a half of northing; and,
again setting forward, proceeded till eleven A.M., when we halted to
rest; our latitude, by observation at noon, being 81° 15' 13".
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