118 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 34 



ores on the southeast shores of the Great Bear Lake to the north of 

 us led to a " rush " of prospectors and miners to stake claims, so that, 

 whereas up to that year Rae had been one of the most isolated trad- 

 ing posts of the Hudson's Bay Co., in 1930 it suddenly developed into 

 a fueling station for aeroplanes passing from the south to the Great 

 Bear Lake mining camps. By the time we left there was a fairly 

 regular mail service during the months when planes could use either 

 skis or floats, so that we had the very questionable benefit of frequent 

 contacts with the outside world. During the summer months, and at 

 Christmas and Easter too, the Fort is a meeting-place of the Indians 

 of the Dog Rib, Bear Lake, and Yellow Ivnife tribes. These come in 

 from their hunt to barter the fox, martin, muskrat, and other fine 

 grades of fur for their crude necessities of existence. Though at 

 times it was annoying to see these Indians gather round when our 

 balloons were being inflated, and gloat with glee, so it seemed, with 

 the prospect of seeing them burst, they were a wholly inoffensive set 

 of people, simple and contented with their lot, wistfully sympathetic 

 with, if not openly amused at, our activities. 



We continued our observations at Fort Rae till early September 

 1933, so that we could have data covering very completely and con- 

 tinuously the main elements in meteorology, terrestrial magnetism, 

 atmospheric electricity, and aurora for the full Polar Year. And 

 now the less exciting, but none the less valuable part of the work 

 remains to be done — the reduction of the data brought home and their 

 adequate interpretation and discussion. This must be a matter of 

 years. For it will not be till the corresponding material from all the 

 other cooperating stations in the network functioning along similar 

 lines during the Polar Year is available that the true significance of 

 events at any one station can even be partially appreciated. Not till 

 this is done will it be possible to say whether our work at Rae was 

 successful. But whatever the verdict of the future may be, I, as 

 the person privileged to lead the party, would like to take this oppor- 

 tunity of expressing my thanks publicly to my colleagues. On such 

 a purely scientific expedition, with the numbers cut to a minimum 

 and with such a full program of activities, every man had to pull 

 his full weight, and at Rae every one did so. That the observational 

 material and records we gathered are as complete as they have turned 

 out to be is due entirely to the splendid support given me throughout 

 the period of our stay in Canada. 



