Observers' Field Reports 91 



the depth of a foot or two for many days. Portaging through this snow and through the 

 brush was very hard and even dangerous work, and the provisions and general outfit became 

 soaked and spoiled. The first part of this stretch is an almost continuous succession of 

 rapids up which one has to pole the canoes, and around the worst of which one has to port- 

 age. For poling, long light poles shod with a steel and iron pointed shoe are used, the men 

 standing up to the work. The man at the bow selects the way up through the midst of the 

 rocks and keeps the canoe headed right. Much of the heavy work falls on the man at the 

 stern. Poling is extremely cold work in wet and snowy weather. After the first two days, 

 stretches of quieter water occur where it is a relief to take to the paddle. The rapids become 

 shorter and more lakes intervene. 



At Fort Hope it was no longer possible to hire extra Indians, but the way was known 

 to one of our Indians and we proceeded onwards with three persons in one canoe and two 

 in the other. We learned of the ravages of an epidemic of measles among the Indians 

 between Osnaburgh, Lac Seul, and Hudson, many deaths having occurred, and our Indians 

 were in a hurry to get home. They therefore went up rapids that were usually portaged 

 around and sometimes carried Lnmiense loads on the portages. It is astonishing what 

 rapids can be ascended by poling. At Osnaburgh a couple of time sights were obtained 

 through haze, but it was found to be impossible to occupy Fawcett's post, the weather being 

 so cloudy and the station being so situated that a permanent azimuth mark is impossible. 

 After paying ofT our Osnaburgh Indians, we continued on our way with one Indian and 

 one canoe to Lac Seul. It had been the intention to cross over from either Osnaburgh or 

 from Fort Hope to Nipigon, but the lack of facilities in the way of guides, etc., prevented 

 it. The companies themselves could not get Indians for their own work, and at places 

 tried to get our men from us the moment they were free. At Osnaburgh we found some 

 persons still sick and all others scattered in groups so as better to take care of the sick and 

 yet obtain game and furs. 



From Osnaburgh to Lac Seul the weather was very stormy and the travel dangerous. 

 Sometimes we were held up in camp and at other times we flew before the wind or struggled 

 as best we could against the winds and waves. We arrived at Lac Seul post on a verj' 

 stormy day, which proved, however, to be the only one for several days on which we could 

 have traveled on the lake at all. Here we took repeat observations, and paid off our only 

 remaining Indian. We were again the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Patterson at the post. We 

 found that there had been about 20 deaths among the Indians during the summer and that 

 they had had two doctors at the post. 



The continued winds and cloudy weather prevented any further observations at other 

 points of the lake, so we proceeded to Hudson and then to Fort William, where we settled 

 all our accounts with the Hudson's Bay Company. Observations were taken at the Cana- 

 dian station of 1910, and then we proceeded to Ottawa to compare instruments with those 

 of the Canadian Magnetic Survey. The observer of this service still being in the field, 

 the comparison had to be made by observations by ourselves at the magnetic hut of the 

 Dominion Observatory with our own instruments and with the Observatory earth inductor, 

 to be followed later by observations by the Canadian observer with his own instruments; 

 the variation observatory at Agincourt was to serve as the base of comparison. After the 

 completion of this work we returned to Washington, arriving in the evening of October 25. 



FACILITIES OF TRAVEL AND WORK. 



Along the line of the railroad from Fort William to Graham and to Winnipeg there 

 are at this time hotel accommodations only at Graham and at Minaki. Elsewhere one must 

 either camp or trust to luck at the section-houses. On the construction lines to the east of 

 Graham one should camp. At the central and district posts of the Hudson's Bay Company 

 there is little knowledge of conditions and best means of travel outside the particular 



