Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-22
w yITH basty farewell to Mr..
" Bradley and the officers and
" encouraged with cheer


the motherly Yacht for our new home
and mission. The yacht stood of to
avoid drifting ice and await the re-
turn Of the motorboat.
When we were set ashore we sat
dowr and watched with saddened eyes
the denart'lre Of our friends and the
severing of the bond which lad held
Ms to the known world Of life and
happiness.
The village Of AnnOotok is placed In
small bay just inside of Cape lngle-
field. Its population changes much
from year to year, according to the
known luck of the chase or the ambi-
ton Of the men to obtain new bear
skin trousers.
Scattered about It were twelve seal
skin tents. which served as summer
shelter for an equal number Of vigor-
GUS families. In other places nearer
the sea were seven stone igloos. Upon
these the work of reconstruction for
winter shelter had already begun.
ln the immediate vicinity there were
some turf and moss. but everywhere
else within a few hundred feet Of the
sea the land rose abruptly in steep
slopes Of barren rock.
To the westward across Smith
sound In a blue haze were seen Cape
Sabine. Bache peninsula and some OF
the land beyond which we hoped to
cross in our prospective venture.
The construction Of winter house
and Workshop called for immediate at
tentiou after the wind subsided. Men,
women and children offered strong
hands to gather the stones strewn
along the shore. .......
When the cargo Is packed in this
manner the things can be quickly
tossed on deck and transported to
floating ice or land. Later 1t Is posi-
ble.. with packing boxes of uniform
size as building material. to erect eff
cient shelter wherein the calamities
Of arctic disaster can be avoided.
Building Winter Quarters.
This precaution against ultimate mis-
hap now served q very useful purpose.
lnclosing a space 13 by 16 feet, the
cases were quickly piled In. The walls
were held together by strips Of wood
or the joints sealed with pasted paper
With the addition Of rev long boards.
A really good roof was made by
using the covers Of the boxes as shin
giles. A blanket Of turf over this con-
fined the heat and permitted at the
same time healthful circulation Of air.
We slept under our own roof at the
end Of the first day. and our new house
had the very great advantage Of con-
tanning within its walls all our posses
sions within easy reach at all times.
As the winter advanced with its
stormy ferocity and frightful darkness
1t was not necessary to venture out
and dig up supplies from great depths
Of snowdrift. Meat and blubber were
stored in large quantities about the
camp.
Much Work In Sight.
But our expedition was in need Of
skins and furs. Furthermore. as men
engaged for the northern venture would
be away during the spring months, the
best hunting season Of the year, It was
necessary to make provision for house
needs later. There was therefore much
work before us. for we had not only to
prepare our equipment. but to provide
Tor the families Of the workers.
In the polar cycle Of the seasons
there are peculiar conditions Which ap-
p,y to circumstances and movements.
As the word seasons Is ordinarily un-
derstood there are but two. winter
season and q summer seasonal winter
season of nine months and summer
Of three months.
But for more convenient division of
the yearly periods 1t Is best to retain
the usual cycle Of four seasons. Eski-
lhos call the winter ookiah, which also
means year. and the summer onsah.
Days are sleeps" The months are
moons. and the periods are named 10
accord with the movements of various
creatures of the chase.
In early September at Annootok the
sun dips considerably under the north
ern horizon. There is no night. At
sunset and at sunrise storm clouds
hide the bursts of color which are the
glory of twilight, and the electric after
glow is generally lost In the dull gray
which bespeaks the torment Of the
storms of the setting sun.
The gloom of the coming winter
night now thickens. The splendor Of
the summer day has gone. A day Of
six months and night Of six months
are often ascribed to the polar regions
as a whole, but this Is only true Of
very small area about the mole.
As we come south the sun slips un-
der the horizon for an ever increasing
part Of each twenty-four hours. Pre-
ceding and following the night as we
come from the pole there IS q period
Of day and night which lengthens with
the descent of latitude.
1t is this period which enables us to
retain the names Of the usual seasons
summer for the double days. fall for
the period of the setting sun. This
season begins when the sun first djDs
under the ice at midnight for a few
moments.
The Arctic Night.
These moments increase rapidly. yet
one hardly appreciates that the sun is
departing until day and night are of
equal length, for the night remains
light, though not cheerful Then thr
day rapidly shortens and darkens, and
the sun sinks until at least there is
but mere glimmer of the glory of
day.
Winter is limited to the long night,
and spring applies to the days Of the
rising sun, period corresponding to
the autumn days Of the setting sun.
At Annootok the midnight sun Is first
seen over the sea horizon on April %.
1t dips In the sea on Aug. 19 It thus