Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-03-24

EXTREME NORTH.
miles from Collinson Point. Our two
parties spent the night together In the
trapping camp of one of vi engi-
neers, Crawford of the Sachs. about
twenty miles east Of Collinson Point,
after which | continued east with
Louis Olsen for companion. Olsen
had been with Anderson's party, and
nov. returned east with me. while
Captain Beneard went back with DR..
Anderson to Collinson Point.
On arrival at the winter quarters Of
the schooner Polar Bear at Humphrey
Point, some ten miles west OF the Eel.
vedere, we learned that the mail had
already left the Bclvedere, and we
would therefore have TO go on to
Herschel to catch it. The Polar Bear
was caught in the ice about half a
mile from the beach near Humphrey
Point, but, is apparently safe for the.
winter because Of some big cakes Of
ice that have gone around off shore
from her, and protect her from ice
pressure generated by any ordinary
winter gale. In the spring, however,
the schOOler will pc IN some danger
when tho ice begins moving, us there
is no shcltcring land.
The Polar Fear had not been pro-
visiOned nor otherwise suitably equip.
ped for wintering, hut the schooler
Elvira had been abandoned by her
crew, and later crushed by the ice
near the Polar Bear. The Elvira her.
self had been too short Of provisions
for Wintering her crew, but they saved
what food there was and gave 1t to
the Polar Bear, thus providing her.
with enough to winter on, while tho
crew of tho Elvira retreated on the
Belvedere, which fortunately could
take care of them.
Had these provisions Of the Elvira
not luckily happened to be saved, and
had the Belvedere not been at hand,
these men would have had to retreat
to the mounted police station at
Hcrschel Island, which is not stocked
with provisions to meet such an e1er-
gency, and a tragedy would in all
probability have cnsued, for Il large
part of the crew Of any trading vessel
are likely to be men by age or other.
wise united for looking out for them
selves il cast away In an artic eli
mate. The Eskimo could have given
no help Of consequence, for the reck-
less slaughter Of the last few years
! hos vt0r,rnip,aio tl,n p,nut H 1,,,sNp' -
caribou upon which the natives dc.
pended largely for food and clothing
lp to some four or five years ago.
Now the natives find it hard to get
food for themselves, and can dress
only in skins purchased from traders.
Christmas on lce.bound Vessel.
The people of the Polar Bear were
living on shore in a comfortable house
there is abundant drjftWOOd for
house building and fuel on the coast
anywhere within 400 miles either side
the mouth of the Mackenzie. They
are well provided with everything one
except dogs and dog s}eds.t The men
had therefore been unable to move
around much, and were apparently
very glad to accept my invitation for
two of them to accompany us to Her
schel Island. w. s. Brooks and John
Heard, Jr., accordingly accompanied
us on to the Belvedere, where we
spent Christmas. day as guests of Cap
tain and Mrs. Cottle.
The Belvedere is q mile OffshOre in
the open ocean, as Is tile Polar Bear,
and, like her, Is protected from pres
sure for the winter by grounded ice,
but is in the same danger as the other
vessel in the spring. The Belvedere
has on board some seventy.ive tons
of freight belonging TO- our expedition.
Between the Belvedere and Herself
ell Island we found, safely hauled out
on the beach, the small trading gas0-
line schO0ncrs Anna Olga and North
Star, both so1ne five miles within
Canadian territory, while west Of
them, III American territory, ten miles
away is the trader Duffy" O'Connor,
who has no ship of his own. We spent
a blizzard day with Mr.. O'Connor and
q night with Captain Martin Anderson
Of the North Star and reached Her.
schel Island the evening of Dec. 81.
We were most Hospitality received
at the Royal Northwest Mounted Pol.
Ice barracks by Inspector J. w. Phil
lips and the men under his command.
They, like everybody else along the
coast, were extremely surprised to
see us turn up, for the common Opin.
ion among the whalcrs was that the
Karluk must have been sunk In the
summer and that her men had been
lost, seeing they had not long ago
come ashore. /
On the Mackenzie Delta.
After spending a few days as tie
guest OF the police at tho Hersclef
Island barracks. we started Jan. 6 for
the Mackenzie delta, accompanying III:
spector Phillips, Constable Parsons,