WE LAND ON WRANGELL ISLAND
March 12 we got away again at dawn. McKinlay, Mamen, Kataktovick,
Kerdrillo and his family and I went ahead of the others, with lightly
loaded sledges, and, on account of improved ice conditions, made
such good progress that at one _P. M._ we landed on Icy Spit, on the
northeast side of Wrangell Island. It is perhaps easier to imagine
than to describe our feelings of relief at being once again on _terra
firma_, after two months of drifting and travelling on the ice. We had
had a hard road to travel much of the way from Shipwreck Camp, but
fortunately, since the big storm in the days following the departure
of the advance party, we had had continuously fine weather, with good
daylight and exhilarating temperatures in the minus forties and fifties.
As soon as we landed we began building an igloo. There was plenty of
driftwood scattered all about and Keruk gathered up a lot of it and
built a fire, so that by the time the first of our three igloos was
built she had some tea for us and the rest of the party who, coming
along easily with light loads over our trail, arrived an hour and
a half after we did. We were overjoyed to find the driftwood for,
although we were pretty sure of finding it, yet we were a little
dubious and it was a great relief to my mind to know that fuel was
assured.
We could see a good deal of the island from the spit, which made out
from land some distance into the ocean. Waring Point lay far to the
east of us and Evans Point to the west. The geographical names on
Wrangell Island are derived from the names of the officers of the U. S.
S. _Rodgers_ who explored the island in 1881. On a clear day like this
it was not unusual to be able to see for seventy miles. The northeast
side of the island, on which we now were, sent several low sandy spits
out from the land, thus forming lagoons which of course were covered
with ice. Near the coast were low mountains and valleys, with higher
peaks in the interior beyond. Here and there on the beach were dead
trees that had drifted ashore, with the roots sticking up into the air;
we also found planks and other lumber. Everything was snowclad and
white, only a degree less cheerless than the frozen ocean itself.
[Illustration: MAP OF WRANGELL ISLAND
“March 12 we got away again at dawn ... and made such good progress
that at one p. m. we landed on Icy Spit, on the northeast side of
Wrangell Island. It is perhaps easier to imagine than to describe our
feelings of relief at being once again on _terra firma_, after two
months of drifting and travelling on the ice.”
_See page 161_]
The next day Munro, Chafe, Breddy and Williams went back with all the
dogs and sledges to the last camp on the ice, fifteen miles from our
landing-place, and brought in all the supplies we had left there.
While they were gone I sent Kerdrillo nine miles across the lagoon to
Berry Spit, to see if he could find any traces of the mate’s party or
the Mackay party. He took his rifle with him to look for game. When
he came back at nightfall, he reported that he had seen no traces of
either party and only one bear track and one fox track. This was an
indication that there was small chance of getting a bear on or near
the island, because there were no seal holes within twenty-five miles
from land; we had seen some near the big rafter, about forty miles
out. Later in the season, as the ice broke up nearer the land, the
seal would work in shore and of course the bears would follow. I asked
Kerdrillo what he thought the chances were of there being any caribou
or reindeer on the island. It is not an uncommon thing to find caribou
on islands in Hudson Strait, which have drifted on the ice from the
mainland, and there were, I knew, both these animals in plenty on the
Siberian coast. I wondered, too, whether there might not be Arctic hare
on the island. Kerdrillo said he thought there was so much snow that
caribou and reindeer would be unlikely to stay where it would be so
difficult for them to get food and he did not believe any were to be
found.
The next day, to verify his opinion, I sent him out again, giving him
tea and pemmican, so that he could have a full day’s march and make a
reconnaissance into the interior. About dark he returned and reported
that he had seen no traces of caribou, reindeer or hare and very few
signs of foxes. Later on, however, he thought ptarmigan would visit the
island. He had seen one bear track, which he thought was about three
days old, probably of the bear whose tracks he had seen on the previous
day.
The story is told of a student who, when asked to name five Arctic
animals, replied, “Three polar bears and two seal.” If these varieties
were to be all we should find on Wrangell Island, we should still be
able to sustain life, if only we could get enough of them. I should
have liked, however, to know that caribou and reindeer, too, could be
had for the shooting.
We now made a snow shelter and started in on the fourteenth to dry
out our boots and stockings; we had plenty of firewood. Keruk looked
after this work. Maurer’s and Malloch’s feet still troubled them and
Mamen’s knee was a constant cause of suffering, so that I was glad
that they could now have an opportunity to rest. From the moment of
our departure from Shipwreck Camp we had been constantly on the move
during every minute of the daylight. The weather, though cold, had
been exceptionally fine and clear; in fact we had not lost an hour on
account of bad weather and had been inconvenienced for only one night
by open water. As a consequence all hands were in need of a little
rest. The dogs, too, were in a reduced condition, for though they had
had plenty to eat they had worked very hard and I wanted them to get
what rest they could.
For the plan I had been evolving to make my way across Long Strait from
Wrangell Island to the coast of Siberia and seeking an opportunity of
getting help for the party here on the island was now about to be put
to the test. We were on land but were a long way from civilization;
we need not drown but we might starve or freeze to death if we could
not get help within a reasonable time. With the decline of the whaling
industry there was no chance that any ship would come so far out from
the mainland so that the only way to expect help to reach the party
was to go after it. I would take only Kataktovick with me. He was
sufficiently experienced in ice travel and inured to the hardships
of life in the Arctic to know how to take care of himself in the
constantly recurring emergencies that menace the traveller on the
ever-shifting surface of the sea-ice. On my trips with Peary I had
had plenty of leads of open water to negotiate at this time of year
but that was twelve or fifteen degrees north of where we now were.
The later the season grew the greater became the danger of the ice
breaking up and making our escape from Wrangell Island possible only
through the almost miraculous appearance of a chance ship, which was
unlikely so far away from the coast where the trading was carried
on. From now on the leads would be opening with greater and greater
frequency. It behooved me to travel light and fast and get across
before the southerly winds should come and set the ice moving. To
attempt to get such a large number as the entire party over to Siberia
at the speed that was absolutely necessary for crossing before the ice
broke up was obviously out of the question. The journey from Shipwreck
Camp to Wrangell Island had already been a nerve-racking experience for
us all and the trip to Siberia would in many respects be harder and
more dangerous than the road we had already traversed.
The great essential was time. I must make all speed to the mainland
and then along the coast to East Cape, to get transportation across to
Alaska, where I could send word to the Canadian Government. We had now
been out of touch with civilization for months. We had brought food
enough with us to the island to last the men eighty days, full rations;
this would take them into June and the caches along the trail from
Shipwreck Camp could be drawn on while the ice was suitable for travel.
By June the birds would be back again, and always the polar bear and
the seal were reliable sources of supply.
One curious thing about the Siberian journey which Kataktovick and I
now had before us was that apart from the meagre information in the
“American Coast Pilot,” which was much of it based on reports many
years old, I knew about as much about Siberia as I knew about Mars. I
felt quite certain, however, that there were natives dwelling along the
coast on whom we could if necessary depend for food for our dogs and
ourselves.
The weather continued fine and clear nearly all day on the fourteenth,
as it had been for so many days past, but towards night clouds began to
come up from the south and I felt that some change in the weather was
likely to take place. The wind began to blow and by the next morning
had become a gale. We devoted the time to drying out our clothes,
mending them and making what alterations might be necessary.
We had three igloos, the Munro-Hadley parties in one, Kerdrillo and
his party in another and McKinlay, Mamen, Kataktovick and myself in
the third. We were all busy, for we were getting a party ready to go
back over the trail to Shipwreck Camp to pick up supplies. Drying out
clothing, too, takes time and so does the constant mending of clothes
and harness which went forward vigorously. The canvas, in which we had
sewed up our pemmican tins before starting on the march, now proved
its usefulness by furnishing us with the material necessary for making
repairs in dog harness. Mamen dislocated his knee again, poor fellow,
and I had a job getting it back in place; it was extremely painful for
him.
On March 16 a howling northwest gale sprang up in the early morning,
continuing all day long, with blinding snowdrift. On account of the
storm, the party for Shipwreck Camp was unable to leave. The next
morning, however, the wind had died down to a gentle breeze and at
eight A. M. the men got away. We parted for journeys in opposite
directions, for I planned to leave on the following day for Siberia
and would have gone on the seventeenth only that I wanted to see the
others safely off. Munro, Breddy and Willams, with sixteen dogs and one
sledge, were the ones chosen for the work. They were to go out over the
trail to Shipwreck Camp and sledge supplies in two trips across the big
pressure ridge in to the still ice about twenty-five miles from land
and thence to the shore itself, their first load to consist chiefly of
biscuit and their second of pemmican.
After my departure Munro would be in general charge of the men on
Wrangell Island, as, in the absence of the mate, he was by rank second
in command and was, moreover, well fitted for the post. On seeing
him off I went over my instructions to him, which I told him I would
also write out and leave with McKinlay when I got away the next day.
I had had McKinlay make an inventory of the supplies and apportion
them among the party, each to be responsible for his own share. There
would be eighty days’ full rations apiece, even if they got no game or
any further supplies from the caches along the trail and at Shipwreck
Camp. During my absence I directed that the party be divided into three
detachments, living far enough apart from one another to insure as wide
a hunting area as possible for each.
The next morning the weather was not altogether propitious but I felt
that to delay any longer was unwise. I went over the supplies with
McKinlay, wrote out my instructions to Munro and told the men to keep
up their courage, live peacefully and do the best they could. They all
wrote letters home which I took to mail in Alaska.
My letter of instructions to Munro was as follows:
SHORE CAMP, ICY SPIT, WRANGELL ISLAND,
March 18th, 1914.
_My dear Mr. Munro_:
I am leaving this morning with seven dogs, one sledge and Kataktovick
to get the news of our disaster before the authorities at Ottawa.
During my absence you will be in charge.
I have already allocated supplies to the different parties. McKinley
has four men, Hadley is with the Eskimo Kerdrillo which makes four
people, Mr. Williamson three men and yourself three men.
McKinlay kindly made out a list for me and I will ask him to give a
copy to you when you get back from your trip to Shipwreck Camp.
You will make a trip to Herald Island to search for traces of mate’s
party. On my way I will cover the coast as far as Rodgers Harbor.
The great thing of course is the procuring of game. In this Kerdrillo
will be of great assistance. Let him have his dogs and the two others
so he can cover a good deal of ground; and our own parties, scatter
them around so that they will be able to hunt and while away the time.
Give each party enough dogs, if you can spare them so that they can
better cover the ground.
As we talked about distributing supplies that you bring back; give
each one their proportional share. As it stands now there are 80 days’
pemmican and oil for each person.
Please do all you can to promote good feeling in camp. You will
assemble at Rodgers Harbor about the middle of July where I hope to
meet you with a ship.
Sincerely yours,
R. A. BARTLETT,
Captain, C. G. S.