Evening journal., 1921-05-12
Br THEoDORE A. LINK.

EDMONTON, Can.-Any attempt
TO predict what lies in the future for
the Fort Norman oil field Is purely
speculative. The first well. which
gave results far greater than were
expected, does not prove that a large
oil field has been tapped.
A great deal Of time. money and
hard work must he expended before
an oil field I'm that frozen north
country is to be established. Thou
sands and thousands Of dollars will
be spent and few fortunate in
vestors may become rich Many
more. however. will never get hack
the money spent even IL an oil field
is developed.
To drill the first test we'll at Fort
Norman cost the Imperial OH. Ltd.
$3.50, The drill was not landed
completely at oil Creek until seven
months had elapsed-and a great
deal OF luck and risk were con-
nected with the transportation OF
that rig.
John Zieman and arrived at Fort
Norman July 3. 1919. on a Royal
Northwest Mounted Police boat. We
left the motorboat 80 miles north OF
Fort Norman and commenced geo
logical work In a canoe.
We ascended creeks. climbed
mountains and reachru points never
seen by white man before.
Black flies and mosquitoes made
our lives almost unbearable. The
windfall and muskeg swamps made
progress almost impossible. The
blazing heat Of the sun drained my
vitality so that / was twice forced
20 drop from exhaustion and bury
my head in the cool moss.
Examinations and prospecting OF
that sort we carried on 10 a point
110 miles inside the Arctic Circle.
After returning TO Fort Norman
we ascended the Great Bear River.
so miles Here we encountered a
swarm Of mosquitoes so thick that
they seemed to be lighting for space
on our faces.
We made trip Of 16 miles over
mountains 1000 feet high.
We arrived back at our camp on
| the Great Bear Fiver, near its con-
huence with the Mackenzie. after
As hours OF trampling. at 2 a. m.
August 9, hungry, but too tired to
eat
We expected TO find there steam
boat with the drilling crew and the
rig. but IL had not arrived, although
ii 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 he caught, and so
we just lay amidst an attack Of bull
dog flies
On March Again.
At IL that night We decided that
il was a 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 hardtack
Il was a long and dreary trudge,
with the dancing OF the Northern
Lights overhead seeming 70 empha-
size our misery.
We ate our remaining rations at
IL a. m, slept IS minutes and re-
sumed the march. IL was very cold
during the few hours the sun was
behind the mountains, but soon after
sun rise II became very warm again
We reached the Indians camp and
borrowed his canoe.
Lot the steamer Northland Trader
appeared and took us aboard. We
had walked SIS miles with nothing Il
eati
sleep was out OF the question be-
cause 1 was needed TO point out tho
landing place for the machinery
We finally arrived at oil Creek al
; midnight. August Z.
J After a great deal OF anxiety OF
! our part, the motor boat bringing
E down the remaining part Of th'
% drilling rig arrived September 26
J But we had given up all hopes OF IL