Page 137

134

The Therm is again below zero. Bear
sickness continues. Mr. Wilson's
scurvy shows symptoms of a relapse.

Tuesday 10

The cold intense and the atmosphere
of that peculiar cleaness which
makes me often in this Artic region
think that I can see the cold.
The Therm is already below zero
while but two days ago, (Saturday
at [blank space]) it stood at [blank space].
We have thus undergone a change of
atmospheric temperature of [blank] degrees
in [blank] hours. It is a mistake to
suppose that sudden and extreme
alterations of temperature do not
occur in these high latitudes. "The warm
S.E." as it is called, sometimes raised the
mercury from -40° to + 7° in three hours.
[blank] minus [blank] is not cold
in a true winter sense, that is as comared
with our -62°, and continued
daily means of -50° & 40° but to us
gauging from an almost summer warmth
(I mean water hardly freezing) it is hard to
stand. The operations of cutting [?]
forging bolts & so on work badly.

I reared to day my long
spirit standard, with a full convition
that it will record the greatest criti-
=cally determined extreme of low
temperature ever experienced - (reported).
The Therm is placed on the terrace
thoroughly exposed but protected from
wind and sun. A series of compared
Therms, mercurial & spirit, are placed
along side to determine the relation
of this outside temperature to that
observed from our main rigging, and

134

The Therm is again below zero. Bear
sickness continues. Mr. Wilson's
scurvy shows symptoms of a relapse.

Tuesday 10

The cold intense and the atmosphere
of that peculiar cleaness which
makes me often in this Artic region
think that I can see the cold.
The Therm is already below zero
while but two days ago, (Saturday
at [blank space]) it stood at [blank space].
We have thus undergone a change of
atmospheric temperature of [blank] degrees
in [blank] hours. It is a mistake to
suppose that sudden and extreme
alterations of temperature do not
occur in these high latitudes. "The warm
S.E." as it is called, sometimes raised the
mercury from -40° to + 7° in three hours.
[blank] minus [blank] is not cold
in a true winter sense, that is as comared
with our -62°, and continued
daily means of -50° & 40° but to us
gauging from an almost summer warmth
(I mean water hardly freezing) it is hard to
stand. The operations of cutting [?]
forging bolts & so on work badly.

I reared to day my long
spirit standard, with a full convition
that it will record the greatest criti-
=cally determined extreme of low
temperature ever experienced - (reported).
The Therm is placed on the terrace
thoroughly exposed but protected from
wind and sun. A series of compared
Therms, mercurial & spirit, are placed
along side to determine the relation
of this outside temperature to that
observed from our main rigging, and