The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1911-03-24

l afterward placed 1t. 1t was useless TO Try u
get nearer, as there was no cover, and fret
at the bull and could see he was hit by the wa!
he staggered as he jumped up and tried to run
The cow jumped up also and stood still, broad
side on and when 1 fired at her l could heal
the bullet strike very plainly. Though it did
not knock her down, she seemed unable to run
and another shot put her out of her misery.
While still at this pond the two Eskimo hunt
ers with whom Whitney started out chased a
cow and calf on the run right past us. l hit the
COW in the side at the third shot and the cali
stopped and was killed by one Of the Eskimo.
We now had six caribou-a fair supply OF
meat-and two extra men to help carry it in
as the other party had had no luck So left
them TO bring in what they could and started
for camp alone On the way killed the biggest
bull of all. He was alone on hillside and
got within range without much difficulty. Whit
ney was in camp and said he had seen no carl
bou and Norton came in a couple OF hours later
tired and disguised, having shot calf.
Our second attempt at walrus hunting in
Whale sound was practically a failure, the
weather being unfavorable. The Erik was head.
ed for Etah, where we found the Roosevelt. AT
Etah the shore rises abruptly on both sides of
the harbor and the sharp, rocky hills were dot
ted with Arctic hares. They are white with
black-tipped ears all the year around and have
extremely long and powerful hind legs, often
distances. They were very shy when we ar
rived, having been hunted for some days by
men from the Roosevelt.
During the ten days spent at Etah the Roose-
welt was making ready for her dash northward
The two ships dashed together, transferred sup
plies, coal and the vile-smelling whale meat
which we had carried for so long aboard the
Erik. Coal and provisions were landed and the
day before the Roosevelt sailed was spent in
transferring some $50 dogs from island,
where they had been put ashore, to the Roose-
velts deck.
Early in the afternoon of the eighteenth OF
August the Roosevelt showed by signal that she
was ready to start north. At the time the Erik
was tied to the rocks, landing coal, and the
Roosevelt anchored further up the bay. The
captain, Norton, Whitney and 1 rowed over to
her and Commander Peary invited us into his
cabin, where we drank glass of brandy to the
health of all on board and to the success of the
expedition, shook hands with everyone we could
find amid the hustle and preparation OF starting
and rowed back to the Erik Whitney had de-
cided to winter at Etah, and we left him there
on the twenty-first, dropping him astern in his
rowboat about hours run out.
Here were homeward bound and not
sight had we had Of the greatest and most de-
ly a month later before we did see one We
killed a few more walrus, arctic hares and
birds on our way south, visited the Greenland
Danish settlements at Upernavik Disco and
Holstenberg and crossed Davis strait, striking
the coast, on the west side near the mouth OF
Cumberland gulf.
On the twenty-second of September, off the
Labrador coast, we ran into an iceberg, the
shock breaking open the old Erik pretty well
back to the pavement. Fortunately the damage
was about two feet above the water line; very
fortunately, as none of the boats happened to
be in condition that would permit quick
launching. The crash came about eight O'Clock
on bright, starlight evening, with the northern
lights shifting across the sky and probably blot
ting out the berg until it was too late to escape
collision. This accident seemed to take the life
right out Of the old ship, though she had with
stood so many dangers in the past, and it was
crippled old Erik with badly smashed nose
that finally dropped anchor in Brgus harbor.