Page 225

$5. Reward!

223

Pay to the finder of this Book Five Dollars upon
delivery to you.

Thomas L. Kane

Charles F. Heazlitt Esquire
Fifth St. below Chestnut

Dec. 23.

With all my care I cannot make
our quarters comfortable. Under this
accession of numbers our little room is
so crowded as to be barely wholesome.
I am subject to guard its purity and
ventilation with the severity of a surgical
ward at Blockly Hospital. The use of
the Esquimaux lamp as an accessory to our
stove has become absolutely necessary, by
its aid I cook our entire "[biled?] beans"
and so eke out the drinking water as to
preserve inviolable our wood allowance.
But the odour of pork fat our only oil we
have found to be injurious in a high degree
and was therefore obliged to place our
lamps outside the [tossut?] in a small room
bulkheaded off for their use.

[Among many lamentable instances
of the untrustworthy condition of this returned party
I had this evening one] They gave rise to a disaster which had nearly
proved fatal to us all. A watch had
been stationed in charge of the lamp and
the usual order of "no uncovered lights
allowed" been duly passed to him, he
deserted his post. [At 7. P.M.] Soon afterwards Hans ascending to the deck for his observations, found
the cooking room on fire, and at once
reported the fact.

[I believe that what was
done was well conceived and answered
It was a horrible crisis for no less than eight
of our party were so absolutely nailed to their beds and must have roasted alive for a mere
bulkhead separated them from the fire. I gave short but instant orders stationing