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

from another. We have now only ten
! pounds of flour, eight pounds of .ba-
con and some dried fish. My last hope
is gone. The only thing 1 can do is
return, and kill some OF the dogs to
feed the others and ourselves, uE.ess
we meet some Indians. We have now
been a week looking for a river to
take us over the divide, but there are
dozens of rivers, and am at loss.
should not have taken Carriers word
that he knew the way from Little
Wind River" Next morning they
turned back toward Macpherson.
The Back Track.
That day, Jan. Is, they travelled 90
miles at 13 degrees below on a small
ration of dried fish and oat hammock;
killed a dog for food to the others
few of which would eat the flesh. 1t
was 2S degrees below on the 18th; they
were frequently ankle deep in water;
made twenty miles: killed another
dog. Next day q degrees below, great
gale, could not leave camp, tent could
scarcely be Kept standing. Ate the
last of our flour and bacon; have row
left only dried fish and tea" Zero
weather, on Jan. 81, strong gale, glare
ice, bad going, twenty miles; killed
another dog. The agonizing diary con-
tinues for Il days more, temperature
varying between about zero and 60
degrees below: all the dogs except five
killed and eaten; men often in water,
sometimes to their waists, all growing
weak, frequently sick, sometimes be-
cause of eating dog liver. they sup
posed; their bodies showing eruptions
and skin peeling off Sometimes astray
in mist; all feeling the cold intensely
because ill-fed. they supposed; lips all
swollen and split; the physical condi-
ton officially noted. as in duty bound,
yet no word of lamentation or despair
on Feb. 8 Fitzgerald remarked. Men
and dogs very thin and weak, and
cannot travel far. We have travelled
about two hundred miles on dog meat,
and have still one hundred to go. but
] think we shall make it all right, but
with only three or four dogs left.
Fourteen miles today. Twenty-six be-
low" Feb 4, 50 degrees below; going
very bad; the cold severely felt: s
miles. Feb. s. as degrees below; dia-
rist broke through ice, had one foot
slightly frozen. must stop and make
fire; eight miles. There the diary
ends.
Patrol Attempts Rescue.
The Police detachment at Dawson
had expected Fitzgerald to arrive
about the end of January. Though
their anxiety for his patrol increased
daily thereafter, it was modified by
rejecting on his lengthy experience in
Arctic winter travel, on his hardihood,
courage and skill. Moreover. he might
have turned back, or been compelled
by sickness in his party, to go into
camp. perhaps with Indians. 1t was
not until Feb. 20, when the Indian dis
charged by Fitzgerald on Jan. l ar
rived in Dawson, that the worst was
there feared. He reported having left
the missing patrol fifty-one days earli-
err. within 20 DAYS easy travel of Daw-
son. Immediately the equipment of
a rescue patrol was prepared. Then
occurred a delay of seven days, due to
the military discipline of the force.
Telegraph wires We're down. The su-
perintendent at Dawson could not get
word to and from headquarters at Re-
gina, by the roundabout of some two
thousand miles. He dared not take
the responsibility for starting a de-
tachment on a dangerous trip, espec-
tally as headquarters might have
some special instructions to give! 1t
was not until Feb. IS that Corporal
Dempster two constables, an Indian
guide and three five-dog teams could
be started to aid men whose diary
closed on Feb 5. But when they
moved they went fast.
Dempster's official diary records ex-
periences scarcely less terrific than
Fitzgerald's in regard TO weather,
overhowed rivers, wading, frost bites,
frozen feet But they had abundance
Of appropriate food Hence they could
defy temperatures that ranged usually
from 80 TO 81 below zero, gales, frosty
mists. all Arctic weather horrors. 1t
was March y, ~ below. when they
found the first traces of the missing
patrol. ON March II. they judged,
from the short distance of some five
miles between relies of Fitzgerald's
night camps, that there We're two sets
thereof, whence the inference that he
had returned toward Macpherson. On
the sixteenth this became clear TO
them. since they found the bones of
dogs which had been cooked. On the
goth Dempster round the precious mail
OF fliSStIGltir anu HIS ttSpetNli bh7'
containing some thousands of his own
and other money, carefully cached in
the deserted cabin Of one Colin.
prospeetor or trapper. Next day they
came en- d toboggan and two sets OF
dog harness; then. in the bush. on the
bodies of Constables Kinney and
Taylor, the latter having shot himself
through the head. The diary reads
"Evidently starved to death. Found
camp kettle half-full of moose hide
cut in small pieces which had been
boiled for stew. Covered bodies be-
fore we proceeded on our Journey
Next day, March %, "Found indistinct
trail leading to the bank. While feel
ing for trail at foot of bank, found
pair of snowshoes. Climbed bank.
high-cut one, and in the bush little
way found the bodies of Inspector
Fitzgerald and E,x-Constable S. Car
ter. Latter had evidently died first,
as he had been laid out, hands crossed
over breast, and face covered with a
handkerchief Inspector Fitzgerald
was lying on his back, on the spot