90 Land Magnetic Observations, 1911-13 



.Arrived at Attawapiskat, we were able to replenish our larder. We found an entirely 

 different character of river and scenery from what we had been accustomed to see. After 

 taking observations at the post, we left for Fort Albany. It was desirable if possible to 

 make at least one station on Akimiski Island. Learning from the factor of the Hudson's 

 Bay Company that a York boat would be leaving immediately for Albany and that there 

 might be a possibility of making a landing on the island, we took advantage of the 

 opportunity. The Indians are very careful in their selection of time in crossing. They 

 generally go by night, when the weather is usually better than in the daj'time. They start 

 out if possible on a high tide and get there on a high tide. Otherwise there are miles of 

 mud and extremely shallow water and adverse, impossible tides. Both tides and weather 

 were unfavorable to us for canoe work, even at the nearest point of the island to Atta- 

 wapiskat, a few miles away, and the further point of the island would have been too danger- 

 ous for anything but a York boat. The weather being unsuitable for observations, no 

 attempt was made to reach the island and, after reaching Fort Albany, no further oppor- 

 tunity presented itself. Any further attempt would have invloved a possible delay of one 

 to two weeks and would have cost from .$200 to $400. 



At Fort Albany it seemed best to make the trip up the river in one canoe, and we 

 traded thei'efore for a larger canoe. We soon found that we lost much time by not having 

 an Indian who knew the river and the one canoe proved too weak for the strain at the low 

 stage of the river. It soon had so many holes in the bottom that we put ashore in a swamped 

 condition and hastily landed all our outfit and made quick repairs to the canoe. Leaving 

 a man in charge of the greater part of the outfit, we returned the same day to Fort Albany 

 and traded back to the original canoes. We spent a couple of days in overhauling the 

 canoes and engaged a local man to accompany us as far as Martin's Falls. 



On September 5 we made our final start up the .Albany River, tracking most of the way. 

 We were able to make our observations about 50 miles apart in straight lines, sometimes, 

 however, getting sun observations for only a fraction of a moment that had to be instantly 

 utilized. The only places where we did not track was where we had to go far out into the 

 stream to avoid shallows and bars. An attempt was made one day to sail up the river, but 

 it proved to be time wasted. In tracking, one man sat at the stern of each canoe to keep 

 it off the rocks and shallows, while 2 men were on the line. Every hour, or oftener, the 

 canoeman was changed. A peculiar footgear called a shoepack is worn, but the tracking 

 is such rough work that a pair of these shoepacks may be worn out in a day. LTnless they are 

 heavily packed inside, the wearer may have his feet out of commission in a few hours. 



The current of the river is very swift and there are at low stages of the water innumer- 

 able shallows and bars that would make it impossible of navigation for even a very light- 

 draft river steamer. The lower part of the river has many islands; above these the river 

 is generally well defined. Most of the way the actual path of previous trackers can be 

 followed, as it is well used by the Hudson's Bay Company, which tracks up all supplies for 

 the river posts as far as Martin's Falls. On a part of this stretch, the walking is very easy 

 and fairly level. There are, however, many miles where there is no room for a path and the 

 trackers have to cling, as best they can, to the sides of the cliffs or force a way through the 

 brush and small trees, or wade out into the stream. Where the snow hides the inequalities 

 of the ground or conceals the edges of the banks, one goes stumbling along, often falling 

 flat on the slopes, and the work then becomes very exhausting, but we made very good time 

 as far as Martin's Falls. At this point the character of the river changes entirely and there 

 is no more tracking. 



At Martin's Falls we found only 2 Indians, servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, 

 but managed to obtain one of these as a guide in place of the one from Fort Albany. Up to 

 this point we had had only one light fall of snow, namely, on September 13, but on the 21st, 

 after very heavy rains and storms, we had a heavy fall of snow, which lay on the ground to 



