A TEMPEST IN THE POLAR REGIONS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1437, 29 August 1884, Page 2

A TEMPEST IN THE POLAR REGIONS.

It is impossible to form an idea of a tempest in the Polar fctoas. The icebergs are like floating rocks whirled along a rapid current. The hugo crystal mountains dash against each other backward and forward,, bursting with a roar lik« thunder, and returning to the charge until, losing their equilibrium, they tumble over in a cloud of spray, un heaving the icefields, which fall afterwards like the crack of a whip lash on the boiling sea. The sea-gulls fly away scveaimng, and often and often a black, shining wave comes for an instant puffing to the surface. When the midnight sun grazes the surface.

the floating mountains and the rocks seemed immersed in a wave of beautiful purple light. The cold is by no means so insupportable as is supposed. We passed from a heated cabin at 80---deg. above zoro to 47deg. below zero in the open air withoufc inconvenieuce. A much higher degree becomes, however insufferable if there is wind. At Isdeg below zero a steam, as if from a boiling kettle, rises from the water, and once frozen by the wind, it falls in a fine powder. This phenomenon is called sea smoke. At 40deg. the snow and human bodies also smoke, which smoke changes at once into millions of thin particles, like needles of ice, which till the air and make a light continuous noise, like the rustle of a stiff silk. At this temperature the trunks of trees burst with a load report, the rocks break up, and the earth opens and vomits smoking water. Knives break in cutting butter. Cigars go out by contact with the ice on the beard. To talk is fatiguing. At night the eyelids are covered with a crust of ice, which must be carefully removed before one can open them.