ARCTIC TEMPERATURES AND EXPLORATION. 659 



The main exploring party should be composed of fifteen men 

 five white men and ten Indians. The white men would be made 

 up of three Canadian surveyors, for the scientific purposes of the 

 expedition ; one doctor, as a concession to popular prejudice; and 

 one journalist or reporter to work with pencil and camera. As 

 a journalist myself, I claim the right of the fourth estate to be 

 represented. The Indians should be picked voyageurs from the 

 Georgian Bay. These men are good canoemen, first-class sailors, 

 are used to ice traveling, and have walked on snowshoes since 

 they could walk at all. Above all, they are faithful workers and 

 reliable men. 



The main depot or base would probably be situated at the 

 mouth of Smith's Sound, in latitude 78. That point has been 

 reached more than once, and can be again. But it is not neces- 

 sary or expedient to push it farther than the ordinary head of 

 summer navigation, because it would become a permanent mete- 

 orological station, and would ultimately be connected with New- 

 foundland by cable, a distance of sixteen hundred and eighty 

 geographical miles. The buildings would be ordinary American 

 frame buildings, framed on two-by-six scantling, and sheeted 

 with four layers of matched boards, two outside and two in, with 

 heavy felt paper between the sheeting. With double windows 

 and double doors, such a building properly heated will defy the 

 cold of space. The heating would be accomplished with hard 

 coal and base-burners. The buildings of course would be taken 

 up all ready to put together, and, with the labor available from 

 the ship, ought to be ready for occupation in a fortnight. This 

 base would have a resident stafi; of officials, mechanics, and voy- 

 ageurs, whose duty it would be to take care of the supplies, 

 and back up the main exploring party by pushing forward pro- 

 visions and other necessaries as they advanced farther north. 

 Subsidiary depots should be established every hundred miles 

 until the pole or an open polar sea is reached. These minor 

 depots would be nothing but tents of stout duck, of the Northwest 

 tepee pattern, raised on light but strong poles of cedar, and 

 spiked to the ice with iron or copper spikes. They would contain 

 provisions, blankets, stoves, and fuel, and, as long as the main 

 party was out, would be connected with the head depot by regu- 

 lar dog service. Three or even four of these would probably be 

 located the first fall. 



About the middle of the following April (Kane abandoned his 

 ship on the 20th of May) the real work of the expedition would 

 commence. The problem presented to the surveyors would be to 

 overcome the seven hundred and twenty miles separating the 

 main depot from the pole. At the lowest estimate there would 

 be five months in which to do this, necessitating an average daily 



