Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-26
az. extra line and lashings. 8 personal

Ak. extra line and lashings. 8 personal
bags,
The sled equipment was sleds
weighing SO pounds each. II foot fold
ing canvas boat, "a pounds; silk tent,
2 canvas sled covers. 2 sleeping bags
(reindeer skim. floor furs. extra wood
for sled repairs, screws, nails and riv-
cts.
The instruments were as follows:
Three compasses. ! sextant, artificial
horizon (glass), pedometer. 3 pocket
chronometers. ! watch. charts. map
making material and instruments. 8
thermometers. ! aneroid barometer. l
camera and films. notebooks and pen
cils.
The personal bags contained four ex-
ira pairs Of kamiks. with fur stockings,
a woolen shirt, three pairs of sealskin
mittens. two pairs Of fur mittens. q
piece of blanket. a sealskin coat (net-
shaJ, a repair kit for mending clothing
and dog harness. ira fox tails.
On the march we wore snow goggles.
blue fox coats (kapitahsD, birdskin
shirts. wooden dra wers. bearskin pants.
kamiks and hareskin stockings. We
fastened band Of fox tails under the
knee and about the waist.
On the morning Of March 1S prepara-
tions were made to divide the party.
The advance must be helped over the
.uugh ice of the pack edge. and for
this purpose koolootingwah and Inu-
gitu were selected. The other six Es-
kimos prepared to return. One sled
was left with the cache to insure q
good vehicle for our return In case the
two sleds were badly broken en- route.
A half gale was blowing into Nam
sen sound from the northwest. but this
did not Interfere with the starting of
those home going Eskimos. With
abundant game for the return they re-
quired little but ammunition to SUP
ply their wants.
When the word was given to start,
the dogs were gathered and the sleds
were spanned with a jump. Soon they
disappeared In the rush of driving
snow. The crack Of the whips and
the rebound of cheering voices were
the last which we heard Of the faithful
savage supporters. They had followed
not for pay, but for real desire to
be helpful, from the dark days Of the
ending Of night to the bright nights
of the coming double days, and their
parting enforced a pang Of loneliness.
Another Sleep Before the Start.
With a snow charged blast In our
faces 1t was quite impossible for US
to start. so we withdrew to the snow
igloo. entered our bags and slept a few
hours longer. At noon the horizon
cleared. The wind veered to the south
west and came with an endurable
force. The dogs had been doubly fed
the night before. They were not to
be fed again for two days. The 1000
pounds Of freight were packed on our
sleds. and quickly we slipped around
deep grooves in the great poliocrystic
foes
The snow had been swept from the
ice by the force Of the preceding
storms. and the speed attained by the
dogs through even rough Ice was sr"h
that II was difficult to keep far enough
ahead to get n good course.
The crevasses and pressure lines gave
little trouble at first. but the nard IT.
regularity Of the barred ice offered
dangerous surface for the life OF our
sleds. passing through blue gorges
among miniature mountains Of sea
Ice. On course slightly west OF
north we soon sank the bold headland
which raises the northern point of
Heiberg island.