Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-22
our sled factory were very good.

nv. 90.
our sled factory were very good.
For dog harness the Eskimo pattern
was adopted, but canine economy Is
such that when rations are reduced to
workable limits the leather strips dis
appear as food. To overcome this dis
aster the shoulder straps were made
Of folds of strong canvas, while the
traces were cut from cotton log line.
A boat is an important adjnnct to
every sledge expedition which hopes
to venture far from It's base Of oper-
ation. It Is a matter Of necessity even
when following the new coast line, as
Is shown by the mishap Of Mylius
Erickson, for II he had had boat he
would himself have returned to tell
the story Of the Danish expedition to
east Greenland.
Need for q boat comes with the
changed conditions Of the advancing
season. Things must be carried for
several months for chance use In the
last stages Of the return; but dnce
food supplies are necessarily limited.
delay Is fatal. Therefore when open
water prevents progress o boat be-
comes IN the nature Of q life pre-
server.
Foolish indeed Is the explorer who
ignores this detail Of the problem.
Transport of q boat, however, offers
many serious objections. Narsen In
troduced the kayak, and most explor-
ers since have adopted the same de-
vice. The Eskimo canoe serves the
purpose very well. but to carry It for
three months without hopeless destruc.
ton requires an amount Of energy
which stamps the polar vent-1re with
failure.
Selecting Q Best.
Sectional boats. aluminium boats,
skin floats and nther devices have been
tried. but to oil there Is the same fatal
objection OF impossible transportation.
It seems rather odd THAT the ordinary
folding canvas boat has not been press
ed into this service.
We found It to ct the situation ex-
actly, selecting twelve foot Eureka
shaped boat with wooden frame. The
Stats. spreaders and door pieces were
utilized as parts of sleds. The can
vas cover served as a hoor cloth for
our sleeping bags. Thus the boat did
useful service for q hundred days and
was never in evidence as cumber-
some device.
When at last the craft was spread
and covered. In It we carried the sled.
In 1t we camped. in 1t we sought game.
the meat Of which took the place OF
exhausted supplies. Without It we.
too, would not have returned.
Preparation of the staple food sup
ply is Of even greater importance than
means Of iocomotion. To the success
Of a prolonged arctic enterprise In
transit successive experience u bound
to dictate wise choice Of equipment.
but 1t does not often educate the
stomach.
From the published accounts Of arc
tic travellers 1t Is impossible to select
a satisfactory menn for fufure explors
ers, and hasten to add that perhaps
our experience win be equally unsatis-
factory. to subsequent victims
: Nor Is It safe to listen. to Gcientiac
advice, for the stomach Is the one or
gan Of the body which stands a. the
autocrat over every other human sense
and passion and will not easily yield
to foreign dictates.
The problem differs with every man.
1t differs with every expedition, and It
Is radically different with every na-
ton. Thus when De Gerlache forced
Norwegian food into French stomachs
he learned that there was a nationality
In gastronomics.
Depending on Eskimo Food.
In this respect, as In others, ! was
helped very much by the people who
were to line up my forces. The Eski-
mo Is ever hungry, but bis taste u
normal. Things Of doubtful value In
nutrition form no part In bis dietary.
Animal food. meat and fat, is entirely
satisfactory as a steady diet without
other adjuncts. His food requires nell
ther salt nor sugar. nor Is cooking q
matter of necessity.
Quantity Is important. but quality
applies only to the relative proportion
Of fat. With this key to the gostro-
nomics Of our lockers, pemmican was
selected as the staple food. which also
served equally well for the dogs.
We had an ample supply Of penn
mican, made by ArmU'r. Of pounded
dried beef. sprinkled with few
raisins, some currants and small
quantity of sugar. This mixture was
cemented together with heated beef
tallow and run into tin cans containing
six pounds each.
This combination was invented by
an American Indian. 1t has been used
before us part Of the long list Of food
stuffs in arctic products. but with US
1t was the whole bill Of fare when
away from game haunts.
Only a few palate surprises were
carried, and these will be indicated In
the narrative of camp Life The entire
winter and night were spent with busy
hands, Gnder direction of Eskimo and
Caucasian ingenuity, In working out
the clothing and camp comforts with
out which we could not invade thu for
bidden mystery Of the polar basin.
Although we did not follow closely
either the routes or methods Of our
we are nevertheless dou-
bly, indebted to them. for their expert.
ences. including their failures. were
our stepping stones to success.
ITO be Continued