Crocker Land Relief

Crocker Land Relief.

Crocker Land Expedition Relief When the old Newfoundland sealer "Erik" came back after landing Mr. MacMillan and his party at Etah in August, 1913, from the Arctic in the fall of 1913, She brought letters from Mr. MacMillan and his staff telling of the safe landing of the party and their effects at the point where Peary had his headquarters at Etah in the winter of 1899-1900. They reported but few articles missing as a result of the grounding of the "Diana" in the Straits of Belle Isle and asked for certain supplies to be sent up the next year, if opportunity should offer. Although they had 500 tons of Sydney, N.S., coal, cook and [illegible] of the party, Jot Small said that that was scarcely enough for one winter, to say nothing of two long, cold years but he was figuring on the basis of the consumption of the store as the Cape Cod life-saving station where he had served for nine years and could not realize the ease of warming the tightly built, snow- banked house which the Expedition was to have for its headquarters. In May, June, 1914, The winter mail from Etah arrived and reassured us as to there being coal enough for the two years of [illegible] to the Expedition's life in the Arctic. Little did

any of us suppose then that the coal and the provisions supplied to the Expedition would be called upon for two four years of service or that they could answer the call, if made. Nevertheless, The American Museum got together barometers to take the place of those broken on the voyage to Etah, a box of scientific supplies to take to make good the deficiency caused by the failure of the original box to connect with the "Diana" at Boston on the way northward, other desired supplies and much mail matter to be sent to Etah Mr. Mac Millan in the Summer of 1914, since several enterprises had been proposed as means of trans- portation. One after another these projects failed to materialize and finally even that of Henry Scott to visit his mineral prospects in the Jones Sound region, with a side trip to Etah, fell through, and thus we could not communicate with our men that year, except through the mail via Denmark. This goes by steamer to Upernavik and thence by dog sledge once a year over the remaining stretch of 400 miles of sea ice and glacier to the Danish trading and scientific station at North Star Bay and thence similarly by special conveyance 140 miles farther to Etah Great things were hoped for from the wireless tele.

graph outfit that was taken by the Expedition. When, however, the season of 1913 passed without the establishment by the Canadian government of a wireless station at Cape Wostenholme, we felt discouraged as to the probability of our receiving any messages through lack of power in our apparatus to reach the nearest active station. Nevertheless we felt that our men could receive messages from us and we sent out despatches in November (Thanksgiving Day) and at Christmas (Quote any of the messages?) But the letters which left Etah at Christmas time in 1913 arrived in NYT and reached us the following June informed us of the failure either to receive any work at the Bowf Lodge - as the Expedition Headquarters were named - from anywhere by wireless. Later we learned of the strenuous efforts that had been made to set up the apparatus and get into touch with the outside world, first free at the main house itself and the second free and the second fell at a little island - Starr Island 1 Dr. Hayes - two miles out at the entrance to the Fjord. It was in a more exposed situation where the outlook toward the south was not intercepted by near land of high altitude as it is at the Lodge. As has been related by Mr. Mac Millan, aerials were erected, transmitters and receivers were installed, the engine, did that dynamo and storage batteries did their appointed

work but no signals were received and none that were sent out reached any other stations. By arrangement with the Canadian Government and the Canadian Marconi Co. the operator at Fogo, Newfoundland, "stood by" on certain evenings every month listening in for signals from Etah but none reached his attention. The understanding with Mr. Mac Millan and his staff was that The Museum would provide for the return of the party in 1915, unless word were received that Crocker Land had been visited and that sufficient scientific work remained to be done to make a third year in its Far North desirable. In December, 1914, word reached me from Mr. Eckblaw that Messrs. Mac Millan and Green had returned from their journey on the ice of the Polar Sea and that "Crocker Land" did not exist there was no land in sight from the spot where "Crocker Land" was supposed to be. The storm that held Mr. Eckblaw at the place where he met Knud Rasmussen's motor boat and sent out this word prevented that boat from getting to Etah and bringing out Mr. Mac Millan's own report on the quest for Crocker Land, but we inferred that the Expedition would be ready to return in the summer of 1915. Hence early in the spring of 1915, while the writer was absent on an

expedition to the Lesser Antilles, the Museum began to look about for a vessel to send to Etah for the mem- bers of the staff, their collections and the Expedition pro- perty that was to come back. Principally in ac- count of the accident to the "Diana", which entailed unexpected expenditure amounting to about $11,000, the funds of the Crocker Land Expedition were exhaust- ed, and it seemed necessary to employ the cheapest means that could do the accomplish the task. A steamer being considered out of the question, a good auxiliary schooner was suggested as being the next best thing as being perfectly competent for the enter- prise. Captain George Corner, a well-known whaling captain of long experience in Arctic waters, was engaged to report upon the several vessels that were available and he reported that the "George B. Clutt" belonging to the Wilfred J. Greatful, [illegible], fisherman of Labrador seemed to meet requirements. Inasmuch as the Carnegie Institution of Washing- ton gave a favorable report upon the work which this vessel had done for it in Hudson Bay in 1914, she was engaged for the relief of the Crocker Land Expedition. The "Clutt" is well known to the American

public through belonging to the W[illegible] T. Grenfell Association and being engaged in promoting Dr. Gren- fell's medical missionary work among the fisher- men of northern Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a three-masted schooner of graceful lines, one hundred thirty five feet long overall and one hun- dred fifty five tons register. Her equipment includes a seventy-five horsepower Wolverine gasoline-kar- osene engine as auxiliary. Her master was Captain Harris C. Pickels, a deep sea master-mariner of many years' experience. With his approval, Cap- tain Comer was engaged as ice pilot for the voyage. The vessel was to be delivered to the Museum's use at St. Anthony, N.F., or Battle Harbor, Labrador, on 1 July, and everything looked favorable for the accomplish- ment of our desires. The writer was instructed to accompany the vessel as the representative of the Museum in charge of the relief work. Delayed by her work for the mission the "George B. Ellett" was not freed at St. Anthony for the Crocker Land Expedition work until noon of 10 July and then it was necessary for her to come to Sydney, N.S., for kero- sene and gasoline and for the supplies which the Museum wished to send to Etah, it being Mr. on account of

Mac Millan's desire to spend a third year in the arctic to carry on some studies which he had not been able to make, while so much of his time and energy were employed in caring for the administrative work of the large enterprise under his charge. As matters even- tuated, it was fortunate that these supplies were taken north, though they were not used for the purpose for which they were procured and forwarded. Six days were con- sumed by the schooner in making the voyage from St An- thony to Sydney, so that she was not ready to receive our cargo of coal and provisions until the afternoon of Friday the 16th. Thanks to the energetic assistance of Captain A. J. Morrison of the Dingraham Supply Co., repairs to the windlass of the schooner, and the terosene and gasoline that she needed were gotten on board in spite so that the vessel was ready to leave by the afternoon of the 19th, in spite of the intervention of the Saturday afternoon holiday and Sunday when no one in Nova Scotia works if he can avoid doing so. Meanwhile Captain Pickels had gotten Together an almost entirely new crew, only three of the men who brought the vessel around from Boston to Sydney remaining on board for the voyage to Etah. Then we set out from Sydney at 6 o'clock. The men upon whom depended the success of our enter-

prise were, in addition to the captain, as follows: In the afternoon of Monday, 19 July, there were on board besides Captain Pickels, Captain Comer and myself, the following as crew. Michael Davis, first mate, Dan Norman, second mate, William Fiander (or Frander), Ralph Parsons, William Mac Dougall, David Taylor and William Mendore, seaman, except Mac Dougall, who was a Nova Scotian, all natives of Newfoundland, Melrose Cotton of Melrose, Mass., engineer, Nathan Hiltz, of Mahone Bay, N.S., cook, and Charles F. Murphy, of Mt. Sinai (L.I.) N.Y., cabin boy and steward. The two mates, Fiander, Parsons and the cook were the only members of this crew who had ever seen service at sea or who knew the difference between a sheet and a block, but all were willing enough to work. The three Williams were distinguished as "Uncle Billy", "Mac" and "French Ben", while the cook's sobriquet was "Yankee Nathan" in spite of his German origin. Captain Pickels's home is Mahone Bay, N.S., but he is of American birth and retains American citizenship. All except Norman, the engineer and the cook were the holdovers from the crew that brought the "Cluett" to Sydney, the others being wholly new to the vessel. Mate Davis had had experience as a fisherman on the Grand Banks and elsewhere and as a sailor in coasting vessels, Second mate Norman had seen service as a Jackie in the United States navy and on coasters, Parsons had been sealing from St. John's

The cooke had been all over the world in all kinds of vessels for nearly fifty years, though he did not look his sixty. Newfoundland. Captain Pickels ran away to sea when he was thirteen years old and had been master of sailing and visiting steam vessels on all parts of the world for more than twenty years a century when, in 1911, he entered the service of the Gren- fell Medical Mission and began to make frequent trips to St. Anthony, Newfoundland and the "George B. Elliott", minis- tering to the needs of the various stations. At precisely six o'clock of the beautiful afternoon of Mon- day the nineteenth of July, lines were cast off from Ingraham's Wharf, the motor was started and we got under way for the Far North, full of anticipations of an exceable and interesting voyage to a rarely visited portion of the globe and a safe return to civilization and home in the early autumn. Like many deep-water ship masters Captain Pickels and Captain Coven are great story tellers, and the first evening of our long voyage was made memorable to me by their narration of some of their varied experiences. At 8 o'clock there were indications of a breeze and we hoisted sail. as we were. Soon afterward the engine refused to work, but the wind freshened a bit and we made fair progress during the night. The wind died out late the next afternoon, but our run for the first 24 hours was 1.35 knots - a rate that would if main.

trained put us at Etah in three weeks time. After supper we unpacked the victrola, which Admiral Peary was sending by us to Ootah, who was one of his four Eskimos at the North Pole, and started a concert on the quarterdeck. The behavior of "Chirm", Captain Pickel's year-old full-blooded Newfoundland dog was comical in the extreme. He had never seen or heard such a thing before and he did not know what to make of it. He looked at it with amazed interest and curiosity, cocked his head first to one side and then to the other, cast inquiring looks around the group of men standing about, and then came around to each of us in turn and sniffed and listened. Satisfied at length as to the source of the music, he curled up beside the machine and settled down to enjoy himself. The performance was a good reproduction of the well-known advertising picture entitled "His Master's Voice". Calm weather or light winds were our lot for the next four days and we did little more than drift along northward. The engine had been overhauled by its builders in preparation for this voyage and had been declared by them to be in perfect order when it left the shop in June, but trouble had developed on the schooner's voyage from Boston to St. Anthony

and now it became more acute. The flywheel persisted in working loose on the crankshaft despite all the engineer's efforts at tightening it inplace, and on Friday we learned that a crack had appeared in the hub of the wheel, caused by driving home the key as often as was necessary to keep the engine running at all. The cracked flywheel put the engine entirely out of commission for the time being, but the winds improved and about eight o'clock Saturday evening Captain Pickels announced that we had passed Cape Rich and were therefore in the Strait of Belle Isle. Sunday morning we could see Red Bay in the distance and a few miles northeast of there the place where the steam-ship "Diana", miles out of her course, went aground on Barge Rocks on 16 July, 1913, with the Crocker Land Expedition party and supplies on board, nearly wrecking the whole enterprise. On our way through the strait we passed many ice bergs, some of which were imposing in dimensions and beautiful in appearance and I got up a good deal of enthusiasm over them, never before having been close to any of those dangerous derelicts of the sea. Later experiences in Davis

Struck Disco Sound and farther north took the edge off these first impressions. Sunday afternoon at six o'clock we cast anchor off the fishing village # Battle Harbor, having used up six days in making a trip that should have been accomplished in three and one-half days at most. Monday was spent by the Captain Pickels and the engineers in the primitive blacksmith shop of the little fishing hamlet improvising as best they could a yoke of oak and iron to prevent the fly wheel from going to pieces in service, tools and materials for making better repairs being lacking. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon we got under way again for the north. Right here is where like a great mistake was made, which cost dearly to all con- cerned. The relief expedition in the "George B. Cluett" should have been abandoned as being inadvisable, but Captain Pickels said that the engine would run all right when needed and the vessel could make the trip successfully, Captain Corner, ar- guing from his own extensive experience in sailing vessels without auxiliary power, said that the schoo- er ought to be competent for the voyage and I was anxious to deliver to Mr. MacMillan the supplies which he was supposed to be in absolute [to bring back to civilization the returning members of the C.S.R. Staff and

need of to enable him to spend another year of study in the Smith Sound region We ran out of Battle Harbor under power, but, the wind being fair, the engine was shut down as soon as we cleared the land and we bowed along under sail in fine style. He had however scarcely settled down to enjoying this method of progress than great excitement arose near Churn 1) Copy from Guadeloupe 1915 notable beginning on p. 9 of "Cruelt Voyage" & continuing through Martinique 1915 note ble & St Vincent do. — About midnight of the ninth of July I was a- coused from a good sleep and summoned from my boat to welcome Knud Rasmussen, who had arrived by the ice-cap route from North Star Bay, accompanied by Peter Freuchen, Lange Koch and three Eskimos, Nebita Loko, Lango and Tobias. I was particularly glad to see Mr. Rasmussen on account of his international re- putation as the sympathetic student and portrayal of the character and customs of the Greenland Eskimos and on account of the many courtesies he had shown to the Crocker Land Expedition through his scientific and trading station at Thule, North Star Bay.

Mr. Koch is a young Danish geologist, nephew of Captain Koch who made the Traverse of the Greenland Ice cap in 1913 (?), whom Mr. Rasmussen brought with him to map the coast line of Melville Bay and to map and study the geology of Peary Land, it having been Mr. R.'s intention to visit the northernmost land on the globe in the summer of 1916. Tobias Gabrielsen is a south Greenlanders of note, having been a valuable member of the important Danish expedition that explored and mapped a large portion of the east coast of Greenland in (?). There was much to talk about, but we broke off our conversation about 2 a.m. and turned in again, though the excitement of the meeting kept sleep from my eyes for several hours. Influenced by Mr. Rasmussen's opinion regarding the unsafe position situation of the "Cluett" in Parker Snow Bay and the supposed certainty of the coming of the new relief ship for the Crocker Land Expedition, I decided to embrace the opportunity offered by his presence with six empty kahmooties to transfer Captain Corner and myself and our most important effects to Thule. Furthermore Mr. Rasmussen assured me that his little schooner "Kap York" would be at North Star Bay at the end of August or the beginning

7 September, and that, if both the Expedition relief ship and the "Kap York" failed to come, I could have his strong motorboat "Inger Lis" to transport myself and the members of the Expedition party to South Greenland for the purpose of connecting with one of the last ships of the season for Denmark. Events, however, proved the uncertainty of plans made for travel in the Arctic, for the "Cluett" reached America safely in September and while the other means of exit to civilization failed to accomplish their purpose,-but that anticipates my story. Preparations were hastily made and at about mid- night of 11 July the fleet of kahmootits got under way for the journey to North Star Bay, Captain Corner riding on Peter Grauchen's sledge while Knud Rasmussen took care of me. It was not with- out misgivings that I deserted the schooner, though I was glad to leave the vessel that had been mental the source of so much distress to me and had been my home for a year. The ride over the ice caps was comfortable and enjoyable, although the sky was clouded over so that- the surface of the snow was not frozen so much as it would have been, had the night been clear. The highest part of the route is 1800 or 2000 feet above the sea, and from

along it many points we had extended views over the famous "North Water" of Baffin Bay. Its comparative freedom from ice raised our hopes for the early arrival of a relief ship. As we crossed the extreme head of the Peter- with glacier and looked down the length of that great ice-stream and across the rugged country lying between its lower reaches and North Star Bay, I was impressed more deeply than before with the foolhardiness of the attempt to walk from the schooner to Thule that was made by Norman and Taylor in February. Had they persisted in following the route that they were taking, they would surely have lost their way amid the mountains and gorges and have died of cold and hunger in the long nights of the season that was upon them. Our long descent of the ice cap to the head of the valley lead- ing to North Star Bay was an exhilarating slide, the dogs having to maintain full gallop to keep out of the way of the rushing sledges, and the last plunge of fifty yards to the base ground was made on the rear points of the runners, myself sitting as far back as the sled as possible, Mr. Rasmussen holding back on the upstanders and digging his heels into the snow and the dogs trailing on behind. It being now about six o'clock half of an hour a hut was made in the lee of a big boulder for rest and breakfast.

I was glad enough to stretch out for a time on some skins after the night's experience, since this was my first long kahmootik ride after coming back from Cape York six months before. About eight o'clock we got under way again for the ten-mile stretch still before us. The snow was gone from the valley for the most part, but here and there a patch helped us on our way though the dogs made good progress over moss and grass and even among stones, so that Rasmussen's promise that I might sit on the kahmootik from one end of the journey to the other was fulfilled. About ten o'clock we made our way across the bordering loose cakes of ice into the still firm ice of North Star Bay and a few minutes later were welcomed by Mr Ekelaw and Dr Hunt at the Headquarters of the southern substation of the Crocker Land Expedition. The change to North Star Bay was an agreeable and beneficial, and the time passed pleasantly and rapidly, especially at first before we began to complain about the arrival of the new relief ship. The weather was good and interesting, excursions in all directions were made on foot, by canoe and in the motorboat

Corner to excavate refuse heaps near Etah this summer supplementing valuable work done North Star Bay- last summer making botanical and ornithological studies this summer

by sledge twentyfourth) mac millan, Comersmall Left Etah 24 March. All well. Mac Millan starting next day with three Eskimos to map certain portions southeast coast Ellesmereland and make studies as far as Lancaster sound returning Etah with 24 June. My own sledge journey eleven hundred miles sixty days six days accomplished without serious accident — Arrived Godhavn twentyfifth May. Spent four days on barkentine "Dammark" frozen in near North Star Bay. Vessel and crew all right with coal enough for journey Etah and out to South Greenland. Knud Rasmussen and two assistants besides several Eskimos were leaving Northstarbay fifth april on trip Fort Conger and Pearyland. I left Capelfok eighth april and consumed twenty days crossing Melville Bay. Mostly good weather but deep snow on ice. Arrived Upernivik second May and left on sea ice three days later. Winter in Danish Greenland open warm little ice spring lake cold. Lean sea ice. Much snow down 5 Diskobay. Delayed eight days South Upernivik account fresh snow. Ekblaw there but coming to Godhavn July await Crockerland Expedition relief ship. I arrived Vaigat open boat. Sledges broke through rotten ice Mudderbay Disko Twenty-seventh May. Left Godhavn "Hans Egede" Tenth July.

Katdla, Ensomhedens Spil. Katdla 'Stod' i den for sin Øksgaard og jæs, - g dog gik hin skæ m. der var nort i Vejrets Tøgleslæse Kavere, der gjorde hendes Sind gorbo g holde hende Gast om neden i Stormen g Kildern hvis Trænele Sperne slog ind i den lille Vig, og bri'd mod Kløjperne, der bred dereo Trodsigt lod dem rende Pandecu mod i deres kvide Valde. Maw hørte Børg paa Børg g Bildr, g saa Broaddens her drevende Fraade slaa op i Arm - den som brefog i Hver Naveta Broplese afmærket saav om afi maglige Vrede m. mod Gælserne der stod tasse g stjåle g lod' Augnit goo kuu ever Li. Katdla 'Stode' gjæe daan huir saa Learshage Sølr komme vittelse mod kaud, men hendes Angst slo saaart hun ty over i velgøz rende Tølelse af Støberens hvor Kavere kniste

Left Etah twentyfourth March all well. Saw Ekblaw well South Upernivik Coming Godham await relief ship. Ann will expect any instructions Nyeboe Copenhagen Inform usual list plus Berkey Crampton Macmillan Comes Small South Upernivik All well Etah March also Ekblaw May Send me any instructions Nyeboe Copenhagen Home via Norway Inform usual list plus Berkey Crampton Macmillan Comes Small well Etah and March also Ekblaw South Upernivik middle May Ship Denmark all right April Cable me Nyeboe Copenhagen All well cable me Nyeboe Copenhagen