New Releases by James Riley

Observations were made at 19 sites in and around the Fort Greely Military Reservation in Alaska during the winter of 1966-67 to obtain data on the depth and physical properties of the snow cover. Snowfall in 1966-67 totaled 245 cm, which was more than 2-1/2 times the seasonal normal. Maximum snow depths of 80 to 100 cm were observed in a major portion of the reservation. Measurements at nine sites showed that the snow density at Fort Greely was generally light; e.g., the average density in the forest did not exceed 0.24 g/cu cm. However, exceptions such as at Jarvis Creek, where the density averaged 0.33 g/cu cm, could be expected. On the average, less snow falls at Fort Greely than at other interior Alaskan locations; but the average density of the snow cover at all interior Alaska sites is quite light. Relationships between snow-cover properties and climate were tested using data collected at Fort Greely. The results substantiated the relationships between (1) snow hardness and snow density measurements and (2) average snow densities with average windspeed and air temperatures. Snow temperature measurements at Fort Greely showed that the snow in the forest was colder than at exposed sites, primarily because the average air temperature within the forest canopy was lower than that in the open area. (Author).

The Jennings family originally from England.

Shipwrecked off the western coast of North Africa in 1815, New England sea-captain James Riley and members of his crew were robbed of every possession and made slaves to a band of nomadic Arabs. Forced into servitude in the nearly unbearable heat of the Sahara, Riley survived weeks naked in the desert (his skin roasting in the sun and his legs and backside worn bloody from riding camels bareback), countless confrontations with various sheiks and bandits determined to profit either by his death or his ransom, on meager rations of water and often eating only the scrap''s from his master''s table (often only a little camel''s milk or the roasted entrails of a sheep or goat).