Evening star., 1935-06-23
Arctic Tour
Offered on
Ice Breaker
Hudson Bay Ship to
Ia k e Passengers
on Annual Trip.
BY GAEL RENFREW.

SUMMER tour on an Arctic ice
" breakerl This Is the privi-
~ Iege reserved for the 40 pas
4 n sengers the Royal Mail
Steamer Nascopie sails on her annual
voyage with mail and supplies for the
few white inhabitants Of Canada's s
Eastern Arctic.
The ship is scheduled to leave Mon
treal July 13 and return September 26,
although the trip may be broken at
Churchill, Manitoba, when the Ma
scopie reaches here August IL. The
Hudson Bay Co. lists the arrival and
departure dates as approximate" and
subject to possible change.
This is the 266th successive year
that such a romantic mission has been
undertaken by a Hudson Bay Co.'S
boat, but it is only within the past few
years that passengers have been per-
mitted to go along. They travel in
the complete comfort. represented by
soft beds and excellent food, and know
that they are in constant radio COM
munication with land.
RY MAY the midnight sun has risen
in the regions of the North, and
it does not set until the end Of August.
Four months daylight, four months
dusk and four months darkness-this
is the Arctic cycle. When the Ma
scopie drops her anchor for a brief
space at the points scattered along her
route. the men who have waited
through the long Winter night for her
coming have been shading the win
dows of their little cabins in order to
sleep.
The arrival of the ship is the event
of the year. The men who represent
the Hudson Bay Co. and the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police in these dis
tant outposts of empire collect their
12-month contingent of mail and
crowd round the captain and his
crew for news from outside" That is
how the men Of the North speak Of the
country south of parallel 60. Chances
are they have heard little of civiliza-
tons doingS since the boat sailed
away the Summer before, for as one
nears the North Pole radio reception
becomes more difficult.
Every year since 1868 the Hud-
son Bay Co. has sent one Of its boats
to re-enact Henry HudSon'S drama
of discovery in the region that bears
his name, but it was not until 1884
that governor of the famous or
ganization made the historic voyage.
Last July P. Ashley Cooper, the pres
ent head Of THE Bay" Co., and
his wife went on the NaScopie's an
nual supply trip, thus affording the
other passengers some special
sights.
The governors visiting party went
ashore at the various ports Of call in
the Nascopie's launch, a killed figure
of a Black Watch piper playing in
the PROV. At each post Gov. Cooper
read the round-eyed natives a mes
sage from his majesty, which was in
terpreted by one of the Hudson Bay
factors. A motion picture film,
brought from London, showing strik-
ing incidents in the career of this
far-of King, was also shown to the
ESkimoS, and they were presented
with hunting knives inscribed lin
their own language) with the words
Hunt well and live happily"
ONCE beyond the Straits of Belle
Isle the Nascopie continues on
to Cartwright, the well-known port
of call in Labrador. AS she is due at
the height of the salmon fishing sea-
son, the Arctic tourist may cast fly
or two on his own or inspect the in
teresting packing operations.
The boat then feels her way through
extensive ice fields, making Port Bur-
we'll at the eastern entrance to storied
Hudson Strait about the end of July.
After calls at Lake Harbour, Stuparts
Bay, Sugluk and Westenholme, the
Nascopie is in Hudson Bay. The next