We had before
this time banked the snow up against the sides; but it was now
thrown higher, and its thickness at the bottom increased to about
four feet. Besides this, a bed of snow, three feet deep, was
subsequently laid on the deck over my cabin, and also on the
forecastle over the sick-bay, to assist in retaining the warmth in
those parts of the ship; an office which it seemed to perform very
effectually. It was impossible, however, as the cold increased, to
keep up a tolerably comfortable temperature in the cabin if the
fire was suffered to go out for several hours: for instance, the
night after the above arrangements had been made, the fire was out
for only six hours; and the consequence was, that the thermometer
fell to 27 deg., and could be got no higher on the following day, in
the after part of the cabin, though only nine feet from the stove,
than 33 deg. This was, indeed, a most inclement day, the temperature
of the atmosphere having for the first time fallen to -27 deg.,
accompanied by a fresh wind from the northward and westward.
A great squeezing of the young floes took place at the S.E. point
of the island on the 12th. The noise it makes when heard at a
distance very much resembles that of a heavy wagon labouring over
a deep gravelly road; but, when a nearer approach is made, it is
more like the growling of wild animals, for which it was in one or
two instances mistaken.
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