The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-06-10
LEFT. sCHwATHAHs LECTURE.
-kinred An the NsFth or, HsRuHE in
the Areties.7

~kimFed In the ssrth; or, Haunting In
h Areties.r
Tie encouragement that Lieut.. Fred
eriek Schwatks, Sd cavalry, would
deliver q lecture at Fort d. A Russell
on Thursday evening. June 9th, at.
traeted a large audience. Besides the
officers and ladies of Fort Russell and
Cheyenne depot, a large number Of
ladies and gentlemen from the city
attended. The officers were attired in
full dress, while the ladies were all
arrayed in the height of fashion, and,
OF course, they lent a charm to the oc-
casion such as only ladies can lend.
The lecture was delivered in the
chapel. At S:15 O'Clock 1t. Schwatka
appeared, and was greeted with a hearty
round Of applause. Seated back of the
lecturers stand were Gen. A. G. Brack-
EFT, Adjutant Reynolds. Surgeon r. S.
Viekery and Governor j. W. Hoyt.
Adjutant Reynolds introduced the
lecturer in a few and well chosen e
marks.
The lecturer, without any waste of
time went into his lecture. He read
from manuscript, and read well.
After relating the sights he saw while
the voyage to North Hudson's bay.
he depicted the Esquimaux physically
and socially. The first peculiar thing
about them is their odor. They are
homely, short, squatty, fiat nosed and
rough yisaged. Esquimaux are in
veterate traders, but they always got
the worst of the bargain, by reason of
sharp white men.
One old man became astonished at
the lieutenant's fairness in trading, and
insisted upon doing him the honor of
rubbing noses In recognition, which
made the lieutenant repent of his gen.
erosity.
On the 9th Of August. 1873, the party
Of four white men and Joe, arrived and
landed at the point where they made
their headquarters. They engaged in
hunting LOT SOne time.
On the Goth of December, 1873, he
took a two weeks journey for the pur-
pose of securing dogs for the campaign
of the succeeding spring. and demon
strated that no Arctic expedition could
succeed without a supply of REIN
deer and maintaining a system of
igloos. During this trip the tempera-
ture averaged 50o below zero. The
furs of the temperate zone lie found to
be unsuited FOR Arctic use, and that
reindeer skins. are the only adequate
things for comfort.
In the spring OF 70 the exploring
party started northward with only one
months provisions. 1t consisted of
four white men and thirteen Esqui-
maux, including men and women; they
had also forty-four dogs. They took
fifteen guns and 10000 rounds of am
munition, intending to subsist npon the
country by hunting, Tolua being an al
most perfect hunter.
On the 10th Of June the party passed
over to King Williams land, and first
learned tidings of Sir John Franklin's
He read from his ORR
ginal journal, the notes being made
on each day of the search.
He then gave a resume of the expe-
1t was the longest sledge jour
ney ever made, they having been away
from their base Of supplies eleven
months and twenty days, and travelling
1921 miles. And all this during one
of the most severe winters of the Arctic
regions, the temperature being fire.
quently 76o below zero, or 1852 below
the freezing point. 1t was the first
expedition that aver attempted
to subsist upon the country.
And, what is very Important, Lieut..
S~chwatka's expedition settled the fate
of the records of Franklin's expedition
they are lost beyond recovery.
1t was to secure these records alone
that many expeditions started. And it
was Lieut.. Schwatka's party who
saw the graves of the members of Sir
John Franklin's party, and inferred
the bleached bones of the unburied,
and brought back to civilization the re-
mains of Lieut.. Irving.
Owing to the lateness Of the hour
and the crowded condition Of our col
umns, the writer is forced to %abbreviate
the extended notes of the lecture taken
during its delivery, and, of course, the
report suffers from that fact.