South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-05-16

Exploration Work.
John Zieman and I arrived al
Fort Norman July 3. 1919. on a
Royal Northwest Mounted Police
boat We left the motorboat eC
miles north Of Fort Norman and
commenced geological work in a
canoe.
We ascended creeks. climbed
mountains and reached points never
seen by white men before.
Black flies and mosquitoes made
our lives almost unbearable The
windfall and muskeg swamps made
! progress almost Impossible. The
I blazing heat Of the sun drained my
vitality so that 1 was twice forced
TO drop from exhaustion and bury
/ my head in the cool moss.
Examinations and prospecting of
that sort we carried on to a point
| Ito miles inside the Attic Circle.
Battling Mosquitoes.
After returning TO Fort Norman
we assembled the Great Bear River,
80 miles Here we encountered a
swarm Of mosquitoes so thick that
they seemed 10 be fighting for space
on our faces.
We made a trip of 16 miles over
mountains 5000 high.
We arrived back at our camp on
the Great Bear River near its con-
huence with the Mackenzie. after AS
hours Of tramping, at a. m. Aug.
g. hungry, but too tired to eat
boat with the drilling crew and the
rig. but it had not arrived. although
it was already two days overdue.
At noon we had regained enough
interest in life TO prepare our last
meager meal We fried some moldy
hammock and made soup from an odd
bone from the remains of our bacon.
No fish could be caught. and so
we just lay amidst an attack of bull
dog flies.
On March Again.
At II that night we decided that
il was matter Of not eating. or
walking TO Fort Norman. We start
ed on a trip up the Mackenzie River
with enough porridge for one meal
and five pieces of bareback.
1t was a long and dreary trudge.
with the dancing Of the Northern
Lights overhead seeming 10 empha-
size our misery.
We ate our remaining rations at
8 a. m. slept ! . minutes and resumed
the march. Ii was very cold during
the few hours the sun was behind
the mountains. but soon after sun
rise it became very warm again.
We reached an Indians camp and
borrowed his canoe.
Lo, the steamer Northland Trader
appeared and took Us aboard We
had walked 8 3 miles with nothing to
eat,
Sleep was out Of the question be-
cause 1 was needed 10 point out the
landing place for the machinery We
finally arrived at oil Creek at mid
night. Aug. z.
After a great deal OF anxiety on
our part. the motor boat bringing
down the remaining part of the
drilling rig arrived Sept. IS. But we
had given UP all hopes OF its arrival
and had reached Fort Norman on
our way to walk back 10 civilization.
We left a crew Of six to winter at
Oil Creek, so they could commence
drilling in early spring. and started
back 10 Edmonton. arriving Oct. 81.
We set out for Fort Norman the
18th OF the following May with p
tons Of freight. The outfit on two
scows We're pushed down Peace
River by mOtorboat
At Vermilion Chutes a four-mile
portage had 70 be made. The scows
had TO be run through the rapids and
let down with ropes 20 feet over
limestone ledge The largest scow
was wrecked. Only through heroic
efforts were the contents saved.
Hair-raising thrills and narrow
escapes in running tho Is miles OF
Smith Rapids, will ever remain in
my memory We ran one rapids
which had never been shot before
and were the first "all white" crew
&C. take a scow through Smith Rap
ids.
We crossed Great Slave Lake in a
leaky scow carrying seven tons more
flight than 1t sould have had. We