Read Ebook: The Christian View of the Old Testament by Eiselen Frederick Carl

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SHIP'S COMPANY.

SCIENTIFIC STAFF.

A. P. Low, Commander and Geologist. L. E. Borden, M.D., Surgeon and Botanist. G. B. Faribault, M.D., Assistant-Surgeon. A. Halkett, Naturalist. C. F. King, Topographer and Meteorologist. G. F. Caldwell, Photographer.

OFFICERS AND CREW.

S. W. Bartlett, Master. W. Babstock, Seaman. J. Hearn, First Mate. F. Kearny, " M. Bartlett, Second Mate. W. Crossman, First Engineer. L. Guay, Third Mate. J. Crossman, Second Engineer. W. Aldred, Cook. S. Bruchett, Third Engineer. J. Harding, Second Cook. J. Killey, Fireman. H. Borgle, Steward. A. Romaine, " D. Tierney, Second Steward. M. Baldwin, " M. Ross, Purser. F. Froude, " M. Ryan, Carpenter. G. Willis, " C. King, Boatswain. J. Rousseau, Boy. J. Clark, Seaman. L. Deschesneau, " J. Murphy, " E. Bourque, " C. Pomeroy, " J. Gouin, " F. Wells, " F. O'Connell, "

NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE.

Major J. D. Moodie, Acting Commissioner. Staff Sergeant Dee. Constable Tremaine. " Jarvis. " Connelly. " Donaldson.

GEOLOGICAL MAP of the NORTHEASTERN PART of the DOMINION OF CANADA

The appendices contain the meteorological observations taken on the voyage, interesting notes on the thickness and growth of the ice; also lists of the birds, plants and fossils collected in these northern regions. All the collections, except that of the marine invertebrates, have been fully determined. The amount of new material in the latter required greater time for study than could be given before the publication of this report, and the results will be included in a future publication.

Special mention is here made of the indebtedness of the author to the valuable information contained in the works of Richardson, McClintock, Dawson, Bell and Sverdrup.

The accompanying map has been compiled by Mr. C. Frank King. It contains all the corrections to coastline made from his surveys. The ship's track marked on the map will be found convenient in following the text of the narrative.

All bearings mentioned in the text refer to the true North, on account of the confusion arising from the great change in the variation of the compass at different localities included in the area covered by the report. For example, at Chesterfield inlet the compass points true North; while at Beechey island, in Lancaster sound, the variation amounts to 160 degrees, so that the north end of the needle points south-southwest.

The writer gratefully acknowledges a large amount of interesting details relating to the natives, whaling industry, geography and natural history obtained from the Rev. Mr. Peck, and from the Scottish whaling Captains Milne, Adams, Guy and Murray.

PRELIMINARIES TO AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE.

The Dominion government, in the spring of 1903, decided to send a cruiser to patrol the waters of Hudson bay and those adjacent to the eastern Arctic islands; also to aid in the establishment, on the adjoining shores, of permanent stations for the collection of customs, the administration of justice and the enforcement of the law as in other parts of the Dominion.

To perform these last duties, Major J. D. Moodie, of the Northwest Mounted Police, was appointed Acting Commissioner of the unorganized Northeastern Territories. Under his command were placed a non-commissioned officer and four constables of the Northwest Mounted Police, as a nucleus of the force that in the future would reside at these stations.

The ship--which only had accommodation for a small crew--was in the same state in which she had returned from the spring sealing voyage. After a thorough cleaning, carpenters and machinists were put aboard, and the work of alteration rushed day and night. A bridge-deck, covering the boiler and engine, was erected, with a small chart-house upon it. Alterations were made to the after cabin, and a new saloon and staterooms, for the use of the scientific staff, were made between-decks, forward of the main hatch. The remainder of the between-decks forward was converted into storerooms and sleeping quarters for the petty officers and the Mounted Police detachment. The upper forecastle was fitted up for the crew and firemen. All the sleeping quarters were arranged so that a small air space separated the sides of the ship from the berths, and all ironwork was covered with wood. The value of these preparations was appreciated during the ensuing winter, when no frozen moisture was found in any part of the ship so treated, while elsewhere the bare sides had a thick coating of frost.

All these additions and alterations were made in a month's time, during which the stores and provisions were purchased and delivered on board, together with materials for the stations on shore.

THE CRUISE TO WINTER QUARTERS IN HUDSON BAY.

All hands were busy during the morning of the 23rd of August, in securing the heavy deck-load, consisting of lumber for the stations, which was piled high on the afterdeck, and on both sides of the bridge. Oil barrels and tins completely covered the quarterdeck, while potatoes and other vegetables were stowed in all corners, even the rigging having its load of fresh meat.

At noon the anchor was lifted, and we steamed out of the harbour of Halifax, not to return until the middle of October of the following year. A favouring breeze helped the ship along, and in the evening we were well on our way eastward along the southern coast of Nova Scotia. The following evening the eastern end of Cape Breton was passed, and we stood northward to cross Cabot strait to Newfoundland. A strong breeze from the northwest sprang up in the night, when, owing to our heavy deck-load, the ship had to take shelter under St. Paul island, where we remained until the morning of the 26th. Fine weather favoured the passage across the gulf, and through the Strait of Belle Isle. Our first stop on the Labrador coast was made at Dominoe, where it was expected that a supply of codfish would be obtained. Unfortunately the season was very backward, and no dry fish had yet been made on the coast; a few pairs of sealskin boots were, however, obtained there. Continuing, with fine weather, northward along this grandly picturesque coast, Nachvak bay was reached on the 31st.

Our interpreter was supposed to reside here, but on reaching the small Hudson's Bay post, it was found that he was at Port Burwell, at the mouth of Hudson strait. More sealskin boots and a couple of barrels of trout were purchased from the agent; then, as our tanks were low, we steamed some ten miles to the head of the bay, to a small river of excellent water. The scenery about the bay is very grand; cliffs of 3,000 feet present their rugged barren faces on both sides, rising directly from the water and terminating skywards in lofty mountains with sharp peaks. Large patches of snow fill the upper valleys, where they accentuate the rocky desolation of the peaks.

Another clear, calm day brought us to Port Burwell, a few miles inside Cape Chidley, the northern point of the Atlantic coast, where the division line is drawn between the territory to the eastward, under the jurisdiction of Newfoundland, and that of the Dominion to the westward. Between Nachvak and the cape, the mountains of the coast reach their highest elevations, some of the peaks rising to upwards of 6,000 feet. The outline is extremely rough, the land rises abruptly from the coast and the scenery is very grand. As Cape Chidley is approached, the general elevation becomes lower; the land finally sinks into the sea with the Button islands, which form a group extending some miles beyond the cape. The heavy tides of Ungava bay exhaust themselves in the passages between the islands, and, in doing so, cause very dangerous currents. Gray strait, lying between the cape and the inner islands, would form an excellent ship canal, if it were not for these strong currents, which cause a dangerous sea when the tide is running against the wind, especially when the wind is eastward and the Atlantic swell heaves into the strait.

Port Burwell is an excellent harbour, sheltered from all but the southwest winds, and, even with these, distant capes break the force of the wind and sea. The harbour lies on the western side of Gray strait, and about fifteen miles from Cape Chidley. It was originally discovered by Commander Gordon, who erected one of the Observation Stations there in 1885. The surrounding country, although low in comparison with that to the southward, is rugged, with steep rocky cliffs, that rise from 100 to 500 feet above the water of the harbour. There is little level ground in the neighbourhood, and the trading post established there is situated on a small inside harbour, which cannot be seen from the anchorage. Trade is carried on with some dozen families of Eskimos living on the coast, and this is supplemented by the seals caught by the agent.

This is probably the most convenient and safest place for the establishment of a customs station for the regulation of the shipping trade, entering or leaving Hudson strait, and a small expenditure for lights would make it a safe port of entry at all times. The south side of the mouth of Hudson strait, during the season of ice, is much less embarrassed than the northern side; as a rule, Port Burwell is free of ice early and late in the season.

Some little trouble occurred in securing the services of Ford as interpreter, he being under employment at the station; but the matter was finally satisfactorily arranged with the agent.

PORT BURWELL TO CUMBERLAND GULF.

On the following day the voyage was continued northward from Port Burwell. A fog came on shortly after we left, and continued for three days, during which land was only sighted twice. When the fog partly lifted, on the evening of the 4th, we found ourselves close to the shore of Cumberland gulf, and about twenty miles east of Blacklead island. The ship anchored in one of the many bays of the high rugged islands that fringe the coast.

A landing was made near the anchorage, and a few hours spent in climbing over the steep, high hills of gneiss and granite, which rise from 500 to 1,000 feet above the sea, while the summits of the hills on the mainland behind often attain an elevation of 2,000 feet. Almost continuous inland navigation is afforded by the channels, behind the islands, lying along the entire southern coast of the gulf. The hills are very rugged, and show signs of glaciation, though much less marked than those on the hills of the Labrador coast. The higher valleys are filled with snow, but there are no real glaciers.

The weather cleared about noon next day, and towards evening the mission and whaling stations at Blacklead island were reached. A series of photographs of the place and of its natives was taken while Major Moodie was explaining the intentions of the Government to the missionaries and to the agent of the whaling establishment.

The settlement consists of a dozen small, one-storied, wooden buildings, comprising the house and storehouses of the whaling station, the church, hospital, dwelling house and outbuildings of the missionaries. All are located at the southeast end of the island, a few feet above tide water. The surface is rock, or very moist boulder clay, without drainage, and the refuse from the native encampment makes the surroundings very filthy. The water supply is obtained from small ponds, in hollows of the rocks on the hill behind the houses. As the neighbourhood is overrun with dogs, and as the natives often build their snow houses directly over the ponds, the quality of the water is very bad, and probably accounts for much of the sickness prevalent here.

The mission is under the charge of the Rev. Mr. Peck, who for many years has devoted his life to the instruction and welfare of the Eskimo about Hudson bay, and, of late years, on Baffin island. He is ably assisted by two younger men, both of whom have had medical training. The headquarters of the mission are at Blacklead, from which place the missionaries travel, several times a year, to Kekerten, on the north side of the gulf, and to Cape Haven, on Cyrus Field bay, to the south. In this manner all the natives of the southeastern part of Baffin island are reached. The work of combating ancient superstitions has been hard and slow, but the results of the mission are beginning to tell, and the natives are now taking rapidly to the teaching and precept of the missionaries. The total number of Eskimos reached is about five hundred, and they are all connected with, and depend upon, the whaling stations of Blacklead, Kekerten and Cape Haven.

During the summer months all the able-bodied men, with some of the women and children, proceed to the head of the bays, and thence far inland, to hunt the barren-ground caribou, to secure a supply of skins for winter clothing and bedding. They are absent until September. On their return they are employed at the whale fishery until the gulf freezes fast, usually early in December. During the remainder of the winter, they maintain themselves by harpooning seal through breathing-holes in the solid ice, or by killing them in the open water, at the edge of the floe. Whaling is resumed in March and continues until the ice breaks up; then the seal hunt begins and ends only when the time arrives to go inland again.

The whaling operations are carried on in a similar manner at all of the stations. At each, there are one to three white men in charge, but the actual work is done by the natives. The whales are taken by harpooning them from boats cruising among the broken ice, at the edge of the solid floe. Each station has from four to six boats; consequently nearly every able-bodied native is employed in them during the whaling season. They and their families, at such times, are fed with biscuit, coffee and molasses from the supplies of the station, but supply their own animal food. The men are paid irregularly for their work, usually in tobacco, ammunition and clothing, and they receive extra pay when a whale is captured. Of course the pay alone does not at all represent the value of the whale, but the expense of the station, and the few whales killed prohibit a large expenditure. On the whole, the whalers may be taken as beneficial to the Eskimos, and now that the latter have long been dependent upon the whalers for guns, ammunition and other articles of civilization, there is no doubt that many would perish should the whaling stations be closed without other provision being made for the accustomed supplies.

Having obtained a pilot at Blacklead, we crossed, the next morning, to Kekerten, which is situated on one of a group of small islands forming a harbour a few miles from the mainland of the north side of the gulf. Owing to the rocks, cargo can only be landed here at high water; the harbour is open to the south, so that the anchorage is not safe during the continuation of winds from that quarter.

A three-masted Norwegian schooner was found at anchor, discharging supplies, and loading the oil, whalebone and skins taken during the past year. The captain of the schooner and Mr. Noble, the son of the owner of the station, from Aberdeen, boarded us shortly after arriving; from Mr. Noble we learned that two whales had been taken in Cumberland gulf during the past year. The oil and bone from these, together with the oil and pelts of 3,000 seals, and some bear, wolf, fox and walrus skins would realize a handsome profit, and lend encouragement to the continuation of the stations, which, for several years previous, had not cleared expenses.

Mr. Noble informed us that white whales are abundant at the head of the gulf during the summer, where they frequent the flat, muddy mouth of a river. They are driven by whaleboats up the river, on the rising tide, and kept there until the tide falls, when they become stranded upon the mud flats and are easily killed. This fishery has only been prosecuted in a desultory manner, and would probably pay if handled with judgment.

Two rivers on the north side, and one at the head of the gulf, are famous for their large Arctic trout, or salmon, which abound in the mouths of these streams during August. There is no doubt that a profitable fishery could be prosecuted in all these streams, as well as in many others along the coast to the northward and southward of Cumberland gulf, but as yet no attempt has been made to fish them for export.

The station at Kekerten consists of the usual half-dozen small buildings, all nicely painted, with the whaleboats ranged on skids, and barrels and tanks alongside clean and ready for use.

The same evening a return was made to Blacklead, where, taking on board Captain Jackson, the new master of Cape Haven station, and his boat's crew of natives, we left again, under a brilliant moon, for Cape Haven. The south shore of the gulf was closely followed, past innumerable bays and narrow channels formed by the islands and deeply indented shores of that side.

Cyrus Field bay was reached late the next afternoon, with a strong northwesterly breeze. As the approach to Cape Haven is filled with dangerous shoals, it was thought unadvisable to attempt to enter it so late in the day, and the ship was headed up the bay, for a harbour known as Frenchman cove. We arrived at dusk, to find the narrow entrance blocked by a large iceberg, and the water too deep to anchor outside. A boat was sent off, and soon returned, reporting a narrow passage between the ice and rocks; with some danger this was passed, and the ship anchored safely in the small bay. Two small deserted houses perched on a narrow ledge of rock, close to the water, with a number of oil barrels in the rear, represent the remains of a former small trading station. The diminutive harbour is surrounded by sharply ragged hills of granite, whose summits are splotched with patches of snow; the valleys between are narrow and irregular, and are so thickly strewn with boulders and broken rock that nearly every trace of soil is hidden. The scant Arctic vegetation and the deserted houses enhance the desolation of the scene.

Having taken on board the casks of oil and a supply of fresh water, the ship was headed for Cape Haven, where a station, similar to those already described, was found on a snug harbour, behind a large island, near the end of the cape. This station belongs to Potter and Wrightington, of Boston, United States. For several years past it has been unlucky, and the few whales taken have paid neither the expenses of maintaining the station nor the cost of supplying it by a special vessel. Natives sufficient to man four whaleboats live about this station.

The general aspect of the country about Cyrus Field bay is somewhat similar to that of Cumberland gulf: high, rugged hills of gneiss and granite rise from 500 feet to 1,000 feet above the sea. The land on the northern side of the bay is lower, and the waters of this portion are broken by low islands and reefs, many of which become connected at low tide.

A long chain of islands separates this bay from Frobisher bay to the southward. These islands are all high and rocky; strong tides rush through the channels between them, and although several of the channels are reported to be safe for large ships, they are only used by the natives as short cuts to Frobisher bay.

Cape Haven was left late on the afternoon of the 8th, and Hall island, at the eastern extremity of the chain separating the bays, was passed in the early evening. The course was then laid across the mouth of Frobisher bay, to pass to the eastward of the great island of Resolution, lying on the north side of the entrance to Hudson strait.

Monumental and Lady Franklin islands lie some twenty miles off the mouth of Cyrus Field bay, and are about ten miles apart. A continuous string of large icebergs stretched in a line between the islands, and continued for some miles beyond them, both north and south. They showed that the islands were but the exposed portions of a long dangerous bank, upon which the bergs had grounded. A similar line of bergs was observed about ten miles inside and parallel to the outer line. As this is the only knowledge possessed of these reefs, ships crossing them should use caution, although, in most places, sufficient water will probably be found.

HUDSON STRAIT.

The bold, rocky shores of Resolution were passed during the night and early morning, and during the afternoon we steamed westward along the southern shores of Baffin island.

The channel between Resolution and Baffin islands is some miles wide, but is obstructed by a number of smaller islands. Very strong tides rush backwards and forwards through the channel, rendering dangerous an otherwise good passage.

The southern shore of Baffin island is indented with many bays, and no doubt when this coast is surveyed excellent harbours will be found along it. The land rises rapidly from the coast, to an elevation of upwards of 2,500 feet; far inland is seen the glistening white surface of the great Grinnel glacier, which flows northward into Frobisher bay. Not being very active, it does not discharge icebergs.

The Saddle-back islands were passed in the evening; they number at least twenty, or double the number laid down on the chart. There are indications of good harbours between them. Soundings taken in the vicinity of the supposed Gripper shoal did not indicate any such obstruction to navigation. A large number of icebergs were passed during the day, having been apparently drifted into the strait by the westerly current of its north side, probably aided by favouring easterly winds. They were not very numerous to the westward of Big island.

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