191S] ETAH 29 



him southward in 1902. In 1905 the S.S. Roosevelt en- 

 tered upon the scene. More strongly built than all the 

 others, she plowed her way through the heavy ice of the 

 Smith Sound route, steaming farther north than any 

 ship has ever steamed and reaching her winter quarters 

 on the northern shores of Grant Land. In 1906 she 

 crept into Etah Harbor, a battered hulk. In 1907 

 Doctor Cook arrived in the John R. Bradley and pro- 

 ceeded on toward Annoritok. The year 1908 beheld 

 the Roosevelt again, with her consort, the Erik, steaming 

 proudly into Etah, loaded to the rail with dogs and 

 Eskimos, in her last and successful attempt to reach the 

 North Pole. Here again, in 1909, she steamed south 

 with colors flying, to announce the attainment of the 

 three-hundred-year prize. In 1910 the Beothic, char- 

 tered by Rainey, under the command of Bartlett, 

 steamed into Etah, crossed the Sound, and disappeared 

 southward. In 1913 the Crocker Land Expedition en- 

 tered upon the stage. The old Erik landed her supplies, 

 as I have said, blew her whistle, and disappeared around 

 Cape Alexander. 



As soon as we had landed, my first thought was that 

 the game supply might prove inadequate for the needs 

 of the expedition party and our Eskimo recruits; there- 

 fore I decided to send them all south again to their 

 homes, with the exception of old Panikpa and his fam- 

 ily and E-took-a-shoo, with orders to report to me the 

 following February. 



I remembered Peary's experience here in 1899-1900 

 with strong winds which swept down off the Greenland 

 ice-cap and across the harbor out to sea; this induced 

 me to build our house in the vicinity of the centuries-old 

 rock igloos of the natives, trusting to their judgment 



