ARCTIC PATROL

Evening Star, Issue 20167, 6 May 1929, Page 6

ARCTIC PATROL

REVICTUALLING POSTS CANADA’S ANNUAL TASK A BIG UNDERTAKING. The future of the Eskimo race in Canada’s Eastern Arctic islands will to a large extent depend upon the continued healthful vigour of those Eskimos on Baffin Island. Tins is the opinion of members of the dominion s 1928 expedition to the posts in the northern archipelago which returned on board the s.s. Beothic to Noith Sydney, Nova Scotia, recently, says a writer in Canadian Resources. 1 The situation among the I,BOU native inhabitants of Baffin Island is reported as most gratifying. Their health generally ia very good. The few cases of destitution in which relief had to be provided during tho past winter were entirely those of old people. Practically all the native settlements on Baffin Island were nsited bv members of the various Royal Canadian Mounted police detachments during their patrols, and the natives are reported as being of a uniformly fine type, well nourished, generall.v free from disease, and contented, i ood animals were plentiful, seal and wall us abounding. The fur catch was reported as small, but this did not appear to have any detrimental etteet upon the well-being of the natives, although there was -naturally a diminution in the business of the traders An epidemic among children had occurred during tho winter in the "ativo settlement around Frobisher Bay. Thi.tyfivo deaths resulted, mostly of childicn under five years of age At thc Cino tho Beothic called at Lake Haihour, the nearest post, the outbreak had entirely passed and the natives were in excellent health and spirits. PATROL SETS OUT. Last year’s patrol to the northern islands left North Sydney on July Id, with Air George P. Mackenzie, of tho North-west Territories and *ukoi Branch Department oi Hi- Intend again the officer in charge. loathe* conditions during the voyncro of the Beothic were very much better than those prevailing timing tho 190? patrol. Fog was encountered, hut in the main the weather was desrat bright, with manv days rn allm,-, m warmth midsummer days 1!1 . '"h™ Eoutlierlv latitude. Attar leaii-iw North Sydney, tho terefl heavy seas in the Gull of ht. Lawrence and the Strait of Belle Isle. In Baffin Strait and Bay ico retarded the progress of tho ship, but the. on.y serious trouble vas experienced when the expedition was in. the vinmtyof the post of Bache Peninsula, Canada s farthest north detachment l.r„vim t Xorth Srtim'v, **»•*» headed across the Gulf of *-;• renee. A rough sea was during the night and the ship had to heave'to to allow the fipcc cargo to be relashed Fog off the Labrador coast necessitated slo v pryeress but the expedition arrived safely at Godhaven. Greenland, early on the motmng Jt ron Trv popularity of •.ne.se “goodwill” visits of the Beothic was seen in the enthusiastic welcome given to Mr Mackenzie and the members ot the expedition. The local larliament, which was in session, was adjourned, and in tho absent of the Governor oil official business in Denmark, die visitors wer- the guests of the ActingGovernor and other Danish officials. In the afternoon the officer in charge of the Canadi.t expedition was the host on board the Beothic. over 200 attending the moving picture show given on deck. The Beothic continued her vovage at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, reach in it Pond Inlet, Baffin Island, on July 30 Supplies and relief personnel were landed, and Inspector C. E. A\dcox. of the Roy I Canadian Mounted Police, hoarded the ship to ayeompp.ny the expedition on the round of the posts in order, with Inspector Joy, to make the annual inspection AMONGST ICE PACK.

The ship left Pond Inlet on the same day and reached Dundas H»p hour, Devon Island, on July ,Jl Altu reprovisioning this post, the Jieotluo was headed northward for the daslt to Bacho Peninsula on Lilesmerc island. She arrived in Smith Sound on August 8, and met with considerable heavy ice. In fact, ice condition* were the worst encountered for years Great pans of ice, miles in extent, of exceptional thickness, and ’piled mountain high with snow, filled Buchanan and Flagler Bays, closing all avenues of approach to the pest of Baclic Peninsula. The Beothic attempted v> enter Buchanan Bay through Rice Strait, but this also was temporarilv closed by ice, and Captain Falk, the ship’s master, bad to line! a vav thron'd) the field to the east around Pirn Island. In this he was successful, and the ship proceeded about iivo miles into the bay before it was again held up bv ice. Members oi the Koynl Canadian Mounted Police detachment at Bacho Peninsula who had been hunting walrus in the open water m tho lower reaches of Buchanan Bay. met the ship at Rice Strait, and wont aboard. On the second day after the arrival of the Beothic in Buchanan Bay there was little change in the ice conditions and it was deemed advisable to lUuu the inspection of the post made, Hie mails exchanged, and changes in the personnel effected so that in tho event of the }*ist not being readied, supplies could be left at Fra in Havn and the patrol continued. _ Inspector Joy with a party proceeded to the post by motor boat,'which was able to navigate tho comparatively open water between Dm pack and the shore, and carried out these duties, the trip requiring twciuv-cigbt hours. The expedition, on the return of the party, took refuge in Fram Havn and remained ther; until the morning of the hitn day, when, witli conditions tinchanged, the supplies were landed ami the Beothic prepared to continue her voyage. The stores could be moved to the post by deg Team, or if the ice conditions improved, by the jwlice power boat. BATTERING THROUGH.

Little difficulty was experienced in getting the ship out of Rice Strait, which had cleared ot ice in tlic interval, However., in Smith Sound, about ten .miles from the south end of the strait, the further progress ol the ship was barred by huge ice-pans, miles in extent. Captain Falk repeatedly sent the ship against the barrier, but with out much success tor a time, but finally a change in the wind and the action of the tide brought about a swinging movement of the ice, and,. I akin"- advantage of this, the Beothic was forced in between the milling : edges of the pans, and alter several anxious hours was steaming clear ot the ice. .. I The ship continued southward, I touching at Nerk settlement on tiie const of Greenland, where two native families who had been on duty witn j the police at Dundas Harbour aeic returned to their homes, Craig Hai'* , hour, Filesmero Island, was the next point of call, and considerable supplies stored there were taken aboard between August 8 and August. 11 foi

distribution to other posts. The Hoethio crossed Lancaster Hound to Capo Sparbo, Devon Island, where moving pictures of a herd of musk ox were secured. A second call was paid to Dundas Harbour, Devon Island, on August 10,, and Inspector Joy left Hie ship to make his temporary headquarters at this post. Continuing up Lancaster Sound to Jieechey Island, the expedition established a cache lor Iho u>o of Inspector Joy during Ins patrols next spring, lieturning, I’oml Inlet was again visited on August .15. being approached through Navy Hoard, Inlet. The ship continued south along) the coast of Baffin Island and touched j at the Hudson's Bay Company’s trading post and native settlement oi Clyde Fiver. Pangniitung, on Cumberland Sound, was readied on the morning of August 2U. Dr L. D. Livingstone disembarked at this point to establish • headquarters here for his year’s work | among the natives of Bafiin Island. Before the shy> sailed on the evening, of the 2-'3rd the framework of Dr Livingstone’s house had been erected, to | he completed with the aid oi the other residents at this post. HOMEWARD BOUND. The nest port of call was Lake Harbour, on the southern coast of Bafiin Island, which was reached on the j afternoon of August 25. Crossing Hudson Strait the Beothic touched at. Port Harwell, after which the run, down the Labrador coast was begun. | Without further incident the expedition arrived in the port of North Syd- j ney on September 2, 1923, forty-five days after sailing on the northern patrol. I The 1928 patrol of the Arctic is- \ lands posts was a successful one, and i the reports brought back from the j north were satisfactory. All of the posts were visited, reprovisicned, and considerable scientific and other data were collected during the voyage.