Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-14
BY e. w. Thomson.

Ottawa, JAN 1S-The beginning of
this week ended an ottawa cold snap
of uncommon length, during which
house windows were heavily trimmed
waterpipes 4umerously burst, some
ears and noses froze, and even con-
firmed Canadians felt quite brave in
walking about outdoors with fur-lined
oVercoats, chin muffiers. and caps
which sheltered their ears Yet the
thermometer seldom fell to 80 below
zero, and was mostly above 20 below.
During this period no Canadian read
er OF the latest report of the Royal
Northwest Mounted Police could fail
TO appreciate accurately the stolcism
of it's winter patrols, and moro par
ticularly the feartbreaking true story,
related in matter-of-fact official
tone, of the patrol which never ar
rived
II was captained by Inspector r. ).
Fitzgerald, young officer yet one
long experienced in Arctic travel, who
had been promoted early in 1910 to
command of the most northerly out
post of the force on Herschel Island
in the Arctic Ocean. Thence he tray
elled by dog train some two hundred
miles southeasterly. to Fort Macpher-
son near the discharge of the Peel
River into the Mackenzie. in the lat
ter part. of November, 1910, the tenn
perature being always far below that
of the lowest of our late cold snap. At
Macpherson he rested from the Bird to
the 21sts of. December. then left for
Dawson City, on the Yukon, some 20
miles southeastward as the crow
flies, nearly 300 by the circuitous dog
train route.
The Confident Start.
He took teams of five dogs each.
Constables Kinney and Taylor. and
Ex-Constable Carter as a guide Car
ter had been once over the trail from
Dawson to Macpherson; he believed
he could find the way back; he wished
TO get home to civilization; he had no
means TO travel at his own charges;
Fitzgerald took him as paid guide,
partly from kindness, and partly be-
cause the hardy inspector felt conf
dence in his own fortune. AS he wish
ed to make trip of notable speed he
provisicned his party with what he
thought barely sufficient, lest weight
on the toboggans, trains-de- glace, or
"traineaus," should cause delay in his
duty of delivering the Macpherson
mail and getting into Geographic COM
munication with his commander, Com
missioner Perry, in headquarters of
the force at Regina. Saskatchewan 1t
was assumed as a matter of course by
all concerned that no extreme of Arc
tic rigor should or could prevent n pa
troll starting and travelling steadily;
ii being so humanity important that
out posted men, missionaries. traders.
and prospectors shall get their letters
and papers as soon as possible, even
if these be six months old. Moreover.
the flag and the uniform must be
shown in regions mostly of utter soli-
tude lest nomadic Indians fail from
their impression of the ubiquity of
the r. N. w M p, and therefore re-
vert to sundry evil practices, long ia
booed through fear of the force In
short, a midwinter Arctic dog-train
Journey of over 800 miles was Treated
as call in the days work" That il
was far from an uneommonly- risky
one is Nshown by reporting Commits
sioner Perry's specification of nGmer-
Gus patrols of last winter and Prevf-
Gus years He remarks that patrols
had journeyed from Dawson to Mae
pherson, carrying mail. every miawin-
ter since 190i-05, without mishap.
with such certainty that the trip be-
came one of the ordinary duties OF the
Force" This patrol was going the re-
verse way first, meaning to return.
We have now Fitzgerald's official