WINTER QUARTERS AT FULLERTON.
The _Neptune_ had safely arrived at Fullerton harbour on the 23rd
September, and had dropped anchor close alongside the _Era_. Major
Moodie, after looking over the ground, decided to erect a Police Post on
the large island at the rear of the harbour. The lumber for the building
was immediately landed, and before the ship left for Chesterfield inlet
the frame of the dwelling had been erected and its sides partly boarded.
The harbour of Fullerton is formed by a number of small islands,
situated on the east side at the mouth of a long bay, and about five
miles from Cape Fullerton, at the entrance to Roes Welcome. The harbour
is quite small, with room for about three ships, and is fully protected
by the islands and reefs surrounding it. The usual entrance is from the
westward, where the channel is not above fifty yards wide, and the water
at high tide is only five fathoms deep. The eastern entrance is
narrower, and a ship is obliged to make several sharp turns when passing
through it. Owing to the low even coast, without any landmark in the
vicinity, the position of the harbour is difficult to locate without
entering the wide danger-zone of shoals. The wide fringe of islands to
the westward practically ends at Fullerton, so that a ship making the
coast may know the position by the presence or absence of islands; but
as the islands are very low it is hard to distinguish them from the
mainland at a safe distance away, as the shoals and reefs extend more
than five miles beyond the harbour. The surveys made in the spring of
1904 show that a fairly safe channel will be found by keeping well to
the eastward of the harbour, and by then following a northwest course,
keeping in line the beacons on a small island about a mile outside the
harbour. When the Beacon island is reached the ship should pass in
mid-channel between it and the adjoining island to the westward; passing
these, the outer harbour island should be given a wide berth, until the
entrance to the harbour is opened fully, a long shoal extending from the
western point of the island.
On the return of the _Neptune_ to Fullerton, immediate preparations were
made for the coming winter. The first undertaking was the cutting of a
large quantity of ice, from a fresh-water pond close to the house and
about a mile distant from the ship. The ice was about nine inches thick,
and one day’s work, by the entire crew, sufficed to cut and to store
enough to supply the ship with fresh water until the ponds melted again
in the spring. The detachment of Mounted Police, assisted by some of the
crew of the _Era_, were busily engaged in finishing their house and
shed. Floating ice soon hampered landing operations. On the 17th October
the ice in the harbour set fast and, soon after, the work of
transporting materials to and from the shore was done with sleds.
By the end of the month, the ship had been placed in a north-and-south
position, so that her bow faced north into the prevailing cold winds.
The decks were covered with a temporary roof, made from a part of the
lumber intended for the police buildings. This housing kept the snow
from the decks, and greatly increased the inclosed space on the ship. It
later proved so comfortable that the carpenter worked in it, almost
without interruption, throughout the winter, at the repairs to the
launch. The house and shed were made weather-proof, and a supply of
provisions and outfit, sufficient to keep the ship’s company until the
following summer, was stored in them, as a precaution against the
destruction of the ship by fire. The galley was moved from the deck to
between-decks, and the range connected with two large copper tanks, in
which the daily supply of ice was melted; at the same time all the
provisions likely to be injured by frost were stored alongside the
range. All the oil and powder were stored on an island away from the
provisions, and the boats placed either on shore, or on the ice
alongside the ship.
Shortly after our arrival the natives congregated about the ships, and
to avoid misunderstanding, an agreement was made with Captain Comer,
that he should care for the Aivillik tribe, while the Kenipitu tribe
would belong to the _Neptune_. By this arrangement, about a dozen
able-bodied men and their families fell to our portion, and about double
that number to the _Era_. The men were employed, during our stay at
Fullerton, in banking the ship with snow, hauling ice and other
necessary outside work. Several of them hunted continuously, and at
small cost kept the ship in fresh caribou meat throughout the winter.
They received little pay beyond their food, which consisted chiefly of
the scraps left from the meals.
Dr. Faribault had shown signs of mild insanity, almost from the time of
leaving Halifax. On the 1st of November he became violently insane,
when, on the advice of Dr. Borden, he was placed in charge of the police
as a dangerous lunatic. The poor man had to be confined in a cell, and
watched continuously. His condition became worse and worse, until he was
happily released by death on the 27th of April following.
As soon as the ice became sufficiently thick to bear the load, a wall of
snow about three feet thick was erected around the ship, and raised to
the top of the temporary decking. Sails, spread on the roof, were
covered with about a foot of snow. By these means all draughts were
effectually kept out of the ship, and the temperature of the interior
was raised several degrees. Holes were cut in the banking to allow light
to enter the ports and windows, and snow porches were erected over the
exits on each side; the deep holes at the ports resembled embrasures,
and the general appearance of the ship was that of a floating fort.
When the labour for preparing for the winter was finished, the ordinary
work about the ship was hardly enough to keep the crew in health, and
all were encouraged to hunt or attend lines of fox-traps for exercise.
This proved much better than formal exercise at stated times, and the
general health remained good throughout this long period of enforced
idleness.
Only two meals were cooked daily during the short days of mid-winter,
breakfast being at ten and dinner at four, an informal supper being
provided in the evening.
Games and cards were provided for the use of all; musical instruments,
including a piano, were in frequent use, while a weekly lecture, dance
and newspaper went far to agreeably pass away the long winter evenings,
which were further relieved by visits between the ships, and to the
snowhouses of the natives built on the ice close alongside.
[Illustration: SNOWHOUSES ON ICE, NEAR THE ‘NEPTUNE.’]
On the night of the 11th of December a second sad occurrence happened.
When everybody was busy preparing letters for the mail about to be sent
to Churchill by a couple of Eskimos from Baker lake, James O’Connel, a
cabin-boy of weak mind, left the ship to go to the snowhouses, and
wandered away in a snowstorm, which commenced shortly after his
departure. He had been in the habit of hiding behind the launch, or in
other places about the decks, where he would remain for hours, and, in
consequence, his absence was unnoticed by his mess mates until the
following morning. Immediately upon the alarm being given, the crews of
both ships and all the natives turned out and searched systematically,
in all directions from the ship, but, owing to the blizzard, without
success. The storm continued to rage during the next two days, so that
it was only on the 15th that definite information concerning his fate
was obtained by the natives, who traced his track in the snow to the
open water in the southwest some three miles from the ship, where the
poor fellow had gone before the strong wind. There is no doubt that
death came quickly, and we were relieved of the thoughts of his possible
sufferings had he continued to wander about the country and finally died
of exhaustion and cold.
The short days of mid-winter and the excessive cold of the early spring
practically rendered impossible any surveying or other outside
scientific work until the month of April, when preparations were made
for exploratory and surveying work. During the winter Mr. Crossman made
a very efficient ice-boring machine, which worked admirably in making
holes for sounding through the thick ice. Weather observations were
taken five times daily during our stay at Fullerton, and these, together
with the readings taken on the voyage, are printed in Appendix No. I.,
where also will be found a summary of the climatic conditions, prepared
from the observations by Mr. Stupart, Superintendent of the Canadian
Meteorological Service. A list giving the thickness, week by week, of
the ice in the harbour, will also be found in that appendix, and is
interesting as showing to what a late date the ice continues to
increase, the maximum thickness of seventy-four inches having been
obtained on the 25th April.
SPRING EXPLORATIONS.
On the 11th April Mr. Caldwell left the ship, accompanied by five
natives, with instructions to explore the coast northward to Wager
inlet; and if the conditions of weather, food and dog-food would permit,
to continue his work to Repulse bay, returning before the ice along the
coast broke up. His outfit and provisions were carried upon two dog
sleds, one of which was to return after helping him over the rough ice
of the shore of Roes Welcome. He succeeded in the exploration of Wager
inlet, but, owing to the delays caused by bad weather, was unable to
reach Repulse bay. Mr. Caldwell on his trip did a large amount of
excellent work in surveying the coast-line and examining the rocks met
with along the route.
At the same time Mr. King was engaged, when the weather permitted, in
making an accurate plan of Fullerton harbour, the channel of approach
and the environments within a radius of thirty miles of the ship.
Several hundred soundings were made with the aid of the boring machine,
the soundings being under the charge of Mr. Ross. As a result an
accurate chart of the harbour and channel has been prepared for the use
of the ships calling there.
Owing to the serious illness of Dr. Faribault, whose death was expected
daily, and to other causes, I could not leave the ship on any long trips
at this time, and my out-door work was confined to the superintendence
of the surveys, and to such geological work as could be accomplished
within a day’s journey of the ship.
[Illustration: HAULING THE WINTER WATER SUPPLY.]
On the 4th of May, accompanied by two Eskimos, I left for an exploratory
trip along the coast to the mouth of Chesterfield inlet, in order to
connect the work of Caldwell with that of Tyrrell. This work was
accomplished in ten days, during part of which we were confined to our
tent, and almost buried by the heaviest snowstorm of the year. A sketch
survey was carried to the mouth of the inlet, and all rock exposures on
the way were examined. The rocks met with were chiefly granite, with
masses of dark schists inclosed in the granite areas. Some of the
schists were cut by quartz veins, which carried small quantities of
pyrite, but nowhere sufficiently concentrated to be of value. The most
promising locality seen was on the islands a few miles to the westward
of Fullerton, where the veins were numerous, and where the natives
report some veins well mineralized.
On the return journey the country about Winchester inlet was examined
inland for a distance of forty miles. A description of its physical
character has already been given.
Mr. Caldwell arrived back safely on the 30th of May. The first rain fell
on the 21st, after which the weather gradually lost its wintry
character, and although by no means warm, was sufficiently moderate to
allow the surveying work to go on without much discomfort.
From the first week in June all hands were busy removing the winter
coverings, and getting the ship in order for the coming summer.
WHALEBOAT TRIP TO SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND.
Captain Comer had kindly invited me to accompany his boats on a whaling
trip to Southampton island, and for this purpose had lent me two boats
fitted with covers for the trip. Accompanied by Dr. Borden, two seamen
and six Eskimos, we left the ship on the morning of the 15th June, being
transported to Cape Fullerton over the shore-ice by dog-teams to where
the boats were found hauled out on the ice close to its edge. The
morning was quite cold and boisterous, and not at all pleasant for a
boat cruise. Our boats and the four belonging to the _Era_ were soon
loaded and launched. A fair wind allowed us to sail northward through a
narrow lead of open water between the shore-ice and the moving pack,
which completely covered the sea outside. Early in the afternoon we
reached the other boats, manned by natives, hauled out on the ice and
covered in for cooking operations. A cup of hot coffee soon reduced the
chill received in the boats. The journey was then resumed, but in a
short time the ice closed in on the shore, obliging us to haul our boats
on to the solid ice, where they were propped upright, and soon roofed
with cotton covers stretched over light wooden frames. This turned each
boat into commodious and comfortable sleeping quarters, and soon the
evening meal was being cooked over the oil stoves. The ice remained
tight on the coast, and it was only with great difficulty that the boats
were forced through it a few miles to Whale point, where we remained
hemmed in the next day.
At Whale point a small house was erected some years ago as a station by
one of the American whalers. It is situated on the summit of the point,
and a ladder leads to the roof, where a small platform served as a
lookout station for whales swimming in the ice-laden waters of Roes
Welcome. This is a favourite camping ground for the Aivillik natives in
the early summer, whales, seals and walrus being then plentiful in the
adjoining waters, and the barren-ground caribou numerous within a short
distance of the coast.
According to Captain Comer, more whales have been killed within sight of
Whale point than in all the rest of Hudson bay; on this account, and
from the ease with which it might be supplied, it would probably prove
an excellent place for a post from which to control the whale fishery.
The water supply, obtained from small pools in the rocks, is rather bad,
owing to the number of dogs and natives about.
[Illustration: MR. CALDWELL STARTING NORTH.]
Two days were occupied in crossing from Whale point to Southampton
island, and as Roes Welcome was full of floating ice, several exciting
moments were experienced when the ice came together with each change of
tide, threatening to crush the boats if not quickly hauled out on a
convenient heavy pan. The monotony was also broken by the capture of a
bear and several large seals. We remained in company with the whalers
for two days after reaching the island, and coasted southward to Cape
Kendall without seeing any sign of a whale. As our work was chiefly on
land, we then determined to part company, they continuing southward
while we made inland excursions. The ice was still fast to the shore,
from which it extended seaward from two to six miles. The boats were of
necessity at the edge of the ice, and the long tramp through deep slush
and water to and from the shore was fatiguing and cold. Only the ridges
on the land were free of snow, which was still deep in all the hollows.
The weather was now sufficiently warm to keep the snow soft and wet, and
to make a passage from one ridge to another necessitated wading waist
deep through the snow. Under these conditions extensive journeys inland
were impossible, and we were confined to the shores of the island. Good
collections of fossils from the limestones of the island were obtained,
and a large number of bird skins and eggs were collected. It was
unfortunately too early in the season for plants.
The western shores of Southampton are low. The land behind rises in a
succession of ridges each a few feet higher than the one immediately in
front. These ridges are formed of broken limestone, evidently the
surface portion of underlying ledges. Very little vegetation grows on
the ridges, but in the wide depressions between them there is a
profusion of grasses and other Arctic plants on the wet ground
surrounding the many ponds and lakes found there. The shores and islands
of these lakes are the breeding grounds of a number of rare birds, among
which may be mentioned Sabine’s Gull, Arctic Tern, Whistling Swan,
Hutchen’s Goose, Snow Goose, Jager, Little Blue Crane and Red Phalarope.
The water is usually very shallow for two or three miles from the land,
and reefs of limestone extend much farther out. About Cape Kendall
dangerous reefs are found at least eight miles from the land.
We remained on the island a week, gradually working northward, until we
were about ten miles to the north of our original landing place, or some
forty miles beyond Cape Kendall. Advantage was taken of a fine evening
to re-cross Roes Welcome, and we started at midnight in broad daylight.
Shortly after leaving, a large whale came to the surface close to the
boats and remained in the vicinity for upwards of thirty minutes. The
crossing was safely made during the day, the only incident being the
meeting in mid-channel of an extensive mass of very heavy ice, some of
its pinnacles being upwards of thirty feet above the water; the natives
said it was a large floe from Fox channel. We were obliged to sail
several miles to the northward in order to pass this floe, and so
reached the mainland a few miles south of the mouth of Wager inlet, and
a like distance from Yellow bluff, where the Aivilliks spend the late
summer. Nothing of note occurred on the passage down the coast, and the
ship was again reached on the 2nd of July.
Little change was apparent in the condition of the ice since our
departure, and the solid floe, extending a couple of miles beyond the
harbour, gave little hope of the ship being released by the approaching
high tides. The ship was now ready to leave as soon as the ice would
permit, but this did not happen until the 18th, a marvellous change
taking place daily in the condition of the ice for a week previous to
that date.
[Illustration: AMERICAN WHALEBOATS IN ROES WELCOME.]
[Illustration: A GREENLAND ICEBERG.]