Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-09-01

The Bowdoin carries wireless telegraph out
fit. She has also a complete apparatus for her
scientific work. Two motion picture cameras and
four miles of film, with which Doctor Macmillan
plans to record the events of the trip as well as
the animal and bird life, form an important part
of the expeditions equipment The explorer also
expects to be able to the cameras, which are
furnished with special high-speed lenses, in max
ing photographs of the aurora borealis, and he
will attempt, through photographs taken at diff
ferent points, to measure the height of the north
ern lights.
And here's something clever. There's a motion
picture machine and several reels of film for the
benefit of the natives. These reels include films
which Macmillan made on previous trip to the
North SO, when the Eskimo see themselves pro
jected against the side of iceberg, they will be
more likely to believe what the films show them
of the white mans country And maybe they will
not consider Macmillan magician!
The explorers carry 20 rifles and shotguns and
10000 rounds of ammunition. These, of course
are for the securing of specimen animals and for
the killing of game These firearms may also
save their lives, since if they have to desert the
BOWdoin and make their way to civilization on
foot they will have to live off the country This
can be done, as Stefanson, AmundSen and others
have proved to the world. Sir John Franklin's
two crews persisted to a man on such a retreat to
west passage. The men brave, but appar
emily inadaptable They persisted in the midst
." of plenty.
OF course the Macmillan party have no expec-
tations of footing it home across the ice. They
hope to navigate the Bowdoin clear around .Batln
Land.
zone hundred years ago Parry left England on
the Fury and the Heca to negotiate Northwest
passage" said Macmillan. "IIe went into Hudson
bay south of Southampton island and followed the
mainland of Canada northward till he reached
Fury and Hecla straits. Here he stayed two
years and found he was baked by ice and
strong rapid southwark current. AS fast as he
sailed up he was driven back and he became dis
couraged and quit Never since has ship at
tempted this trip. That's why | had the little
schooner BOwdoin built. Experience has shown
that the small hardy craft with small crew
works better than large vessel and extern
Sive expedition. The Bowdoin's 45-horsepOwer
oil engine should give-us cruising radius of near
ly 1000 miles just with the fuel in our tanks, to-
say nothing of whale oil. We also can depend
on our sails. l see reason why we can't get
home all right"
Incidentally as may be imagined, Wiscasset
had the time of its whole existence in the de-
parture of the Bowdoin The event brought an
influx of visitors such as the town has never seen
before. The entire local population, together
with summer residents from surrounding resorts,
and relatives and friends of the crew, thronged
the wharves along the water front
Mingled with their cheers was the screech Of
whistles on harbor craft, the below Of the fire
siren and the peal of church bells. The harbor
was dotted with launches, dories and other pleas.
ure craft,
To this spontaneous demonstration on the part
of the popuace was added the official valedlctory
of the state pronounced by Gov Percival P. Bax.
ter, personal friend of the explorer just before
the schooner left the dock.
Under her full speed of eight and a half knots
an hour the schooner, for the benefit of the spec
tators, made complete circle around the harbor
before heading down Sheepscot bay. The crowd
remained on the docks and watched her until she
passed Davis island and finally disappeared around
Westport point.