The record-union., 1899-07-16
LIEUT.. PEARY'S
EXPEDITION. !.
CONTINUED from First Page,

was very hard and unbroken, and every
indication pointed to it's not breaking
up at all this season. The acute ma
tives, foreseeing this, had deserted the
settlement completely early in the
spring, an unprecedented occurrence.
''ETAH, August 13, 1898.
North. of Cape York the North
Water though full of bergs and pan
ice, offered unimpeded progress to the
Hope. and we steamed along close un-
der the Crimson Cliffs to the next set
tlement, in Parker Snow Bay, behind
Conical Rook. Here, too, the place was
deserted, and the ice in the bay still
unbroken. At Saunders Island, seven
ty miles from Cape York, I found the
first natives, five tents on the usual
site. From these I learned that the
winter had been long and cold one,
and since the return of the sun 1T nad
been showing incessantly; that the
spring catch of walrus at Peterahwik
had been a complete failure and the
tribe had suffered not only with hun
ger, but cold from lack of blubber to
warm their huts. They had been l1v-
ing recently on birds, and only just
now had the summer hunting COM
menced with the capture of two or
three walrus. Fortunately l found an
abundant supply of dogs. The only
other settlement in the vicinity was at
North Star Bay. Forcing a passage
to this harbor, the ice in Wolstenheim
Sound not having yet gone out,
found some ten tents, but the people
lacking in all the material I needed ex-
A. saa
unbroken for walrus hunting, I decid-
ed to run north to Whale Sound, locate
the natives there, secure my dogs, and
reconnoiter the ice: then return to
Saunders Island and endeavor to Sc
cure some walrus outside the island.
This program being carried out, found
the ice in the inner part of Whale
Sound not yet gone out, and the outer
part full of bergs and loose ice. Plenty
of walruS were seen, but there was
too much ice to allow q boat to ap-
proach them. The outer settlements
were all deserted, the natives having
been forced to assemble at a few
places up Inglefield Gulf, where seals
and deer were to be obtained. Know
ing that there they were secure from
interference, and that my supply of
dogs was secure, I returned to VOL
stenholm Sound. The season was still
too early for walrus, and only one was
secured. On the arrival of the Wind
ward I took on board some forty odd
dogs and a number Of Eskimos from
the two settlements in Wolstenholm
Sound, and then came north in COM
pany with the Windward to Whale
Sound.
Leaving the Windward at Hakluyt
Island to secure some looms, if posi-
BILE, I went on in the Hope to the wal
rus grounds north of the islands. Here
tive days hunting, conducted entirely
with line and harpoon, in order not
to render the animals shy. resulted in
putting twenty-three walrus on the
Hopes deck Several losses of har-
poons, line and floats made it impera-
tive for me to obtain more gear. Re-
joining the Windward at Hakluyt, l
sent her to attempt the entrance of
Olriks Bay, for a two or three days
deer hunt, while in the Hope I ap-
preached the settlement of Karnah as
near as the ice permitted, and sending
messenger over the ice to land,
brought out all the able-bodied men
with their gear. Returning to the wal
rus grounds the hunt was resumed un-
til fifty-two of the animals were on
board.
Sunday morning, August Ith.-The
Hope and Windward rendezvoused
again at Hakluyt and lay at anchor
Sunday. At midnight the Hope got
under way to try and force passage
to the settlements in the gulf and
complete my complement of natives
and material of various kinds. The
Windward had instructions to devote
a day to the waIrus, then proceed to
Littleton Island, select a place for the
Hope to land coal, and await my ar
rival. The weather, which had beer
generally clear during the. week
changed Saturday night to .sain and
fog and continued so during Sunday
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,. AS
a result, the round of the settlements
though accomplished. took a day longer
than it should, owing to the impossi-
bility of seeing where lay the best
route through the ice.
"Wednesday morning the Hope start
ed for Littlejohn Island, and at 8 p. m
jointed the Windward, anchored off the
deserted settlement of Etch, in Foulke
Fjord. Both ships are now here, the
Hope landing some eighty tons of coal
for the Windward's use on her return
This coal is being landed on. the point
just west of the igloos of Etah on the
north shore of the Fjord. Tomorrow
the Hope will start south and the Win
ward north. In passing north I shall
land some provisions on Littleton ISL
and for use in case the Windward is
crushed going up. have on board now
| ten Eskimos Give couples) with their
! sic Gges, tents, kayaks and belongin ss.
| about sixty dogs, sixty walrus and a
fair supply of extra clothing.
81 send to the President of the club
| in care Of the American Museum OF
Natural History, one barrel containing
a bearskin and skeleton, three walrus
heads and several tusks. Also send te
the same address two bundles of mar.
whal horns, seventeen in all. These
and the walrus tusks I should like te
have distributed among the members
| Of the club as souvenirs. The two
broken horns can be cut up by an ivory
worker and made into napkin rings, etc
Both walrus and narwhal ivory polishe:
beautifully.
"In conclusion wish to thank the
club. collectively and individually. fol
its interest and assistance in my work
and feel confident that the desired OBJ.
ject will be gained, and the worlds last
| great geographical prize won for the
Stars and Stripes. Very sincerely,
'sR. .. PEARY."