The voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe; with a historical review of previous journeys along the north coast of the Old World . er ends were sunk in pits, which, with great trouble, wereexcavated in the frozen ground, and then, when the blocksupports were placed, were filled with sand mixed with water. The ice-house was a spacious observatory, well-fitted for its X.] FIRING WITH OIL ABANDONED. 385 purpose in every respect. It had but one defect, the tempera-ture was always at an uncomfortably low point. As no ironcould be used in the building, and we had no copper-stove withus, we could n
The voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe; with a historical review of previous journeys along the north coast of the Old World . er ends were sunk in pits, which, with great trouble, wereexcavated in the frozen ground, and then, when the blocksupports were placed, were filled with sand mixed with water. The ice-house was a spacious observatory, well-fitted for its X.] FIRING WITH OIL ABANDONED. 385 purpose in every respect. It had but one defect, the tempera-ture was always at an uncomfortably low point. As no ironcould be used in the building, and we had no copper-stove withus, we could not have any fireplace there. We endeavoured,indeed, to use a copper fireplace, that had been intended forsledge journeys, for heating, but only with the result that theobservatory was like to have gone to pieces. We succeededlittle better when we discovered farther on in the winter, whiletrimming the hold, a forgotten cask of bears oil. We con-sidered this find a clear indication that instead of a stove firedwith wood we should, according to the custom of the Polarraces, use oil-lamps to mitigate the severe cold which deprived. THE OBSERVATORY AT PITLEKAJ. (After a drawing by O. Nordquist.) our stay in Tintinyaranga of part of its pleasure. Bvit this modeof firing proved altogether impracticable. The fumes of theoil smelled worse than those of the charcoal, and the result ofthis experiment was none other than that the splendid crystalsof ice, with which the roof and walls of the ice-house weregradually clothed, were covered with black soot. Firing withoil was abandoned, and the oil presented to our friends atYinretlen, who just then were complaining loudly that theyhad no other fuel than wood. Besides the nine scientific men and ofiicers of the Vega, the C G 386 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [cuap. engineer Nordstrom and the seaman Lundgren took part in themagnetical and meteorological observations. Every one had hiswatch of six hours, five of which were commonly passed in theice-hou
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidvoyageofvega, bookyear1882
