next air-tight linoleum, and last of all
an inner panelling. The ceiling of the saloon and cabins consisted
of many different layers: air, felt, deal panelling, reindeer-hair
stuffing, deal panelling, linoleum, air and deal panelling, which,
with the 4-inch deck planks, gave a total thickness of about 15
inches. To form the floor of the saloon, cork padding, 6 or 7 inches
thick, was laid on the deck planks, on this a thick wooden floor, and
above all linoleum. The skylight which was most exposed to the cold
was protected by three panes of glass, one within the other, and in
various other ways. One of the greatest difficulties of life on board
ship which former Arctic expeditions had had to contend with was that
moisture collecting on the cold outside walls either froze at once or
ran down in streams into the berths and on to the floor. Thus it was
not unusual to find the mattresses converted into more or less solid
masses of ice. We, however, by these arrangements, entirely avoided
such an unpleasant state of things, and when the fire was lighted in
the saloon there was not a trace of moisture on the walls, even in
the sleeping-cabins. In front of the saloon lay the cook's galley,
on either side of which was a companion leading to the deck.

As a protection against the cold, each of these companion-ways was
fitted with four small solid doors consisting of several layers of
wood with felt between, all of which had to be passed through on going
out. And the more completely to exclude the cold air the thresholds
of the doors were made more than ordinarily high. On the half-deck
over the cook's galley, between the mainmast and the funnel, was a
chart-room facing the bow, and a smaller work-room abaft.

In order to secure the safety of the ship in case of a leak,
the hold was divided into three compartments by water-tight
bulkheads. Besides the usual pumps, we had a powerful centrifugal
pump driven by the engine, which could be connected with each of
the three compartments. It may be mentioned as an improvement on
former expeditions that the Fram was furnished with an electric light
installation. The dynamo was to be driven by the engine while we were
under steam; while the intention was to drive it partly by means of
the wind, partly by hand power, during our sojourn in the ice. For
this purpose we took a windmill with us, and also a "horse-mill"
to be worked by ourselves. I had anticipated that this latter might
have be