APPENDIX 755 



Chipman's party again on May 21. There was much water on the ice 

 around Cape Barrow May 21, and much slushy snow and water until we 

 got back to Tree River. We remained at the island at the entrance of 

 the harbor from May 25 until May 27 putting the umiak in shape 

 and getting some dog pack-saddles made for Chipman. Chipman had 

 met Mr. D'Arcy Arden from Great Bear Lake near the mouth of the 

 Coppermine River early in the month, and had arranged to go back to 

 Great Bear Lake overland with him. Chipman wanted to go out by 

 the overland route because his work here was finished, and the prospect 

 was good that he would get out a little sooner by Fort Norman and 

 the Mackenzie River, and it was desirable to have news of the Southern 

 party's condition and welfare get outside, in case the remainder of the 

 party on the Alaska should be prevented by shipwreck or ice conditions 

 from getting out by way of Point Barrow and Nome, Alaska. Chipman 

 reached the end of the telegraph line at Peace River Crossing on August 

 18, and Ottawa about the end of the month. 



Sending one large sled-load of specimens with some of our Eskimos 

 directly from Port Epworth to Bernard Harbor via Cape Krusenstern, 

 we started west May 27. We found that most of the melted snow water had 

 drained oil through cracks in the sea ice, making sled travel much better. 



The united sledge parties returned together along the coast as far 

 as the mouth of the Coppermine River, which was reached on the 

 morning of May 31. The river was open to its mouth, and was flooding 

 the ice for about half a mile outside of its mouth. About 125 Eskimos 

 were encamped a little west of the mouth of the river, on the southeast 

 shore of Richardson Bay. Most of them were preparing to start packing 

 overland to Dismal Lake and Dease River, although two or three 

 families were intending to spend the summer hunting caribou around 

 the Rae River, and three or four of the least enterprising families and 

 some older people were intending to spend the summer spearing fish 

 at the rapids of Bloody Fall, about nine miles from the mouth of the 

 river. Chipman and Mr. Arden left the mouth of the Coppermine 

 River on June 1, to pack across country to Great Bear Lake with some 

 good pack dogs,* while the rest of our party started at the same time 

 traveling over the ice along the coast to the station at Bernard Harbor. 

 Considerable stretches of open water were seen south and west of 

 Lamhert Island June 5 and 6. The ice is said to be very thin there 

 even in winter and opens up very early in the spring. Great numbers 

 of Pacific and King Eider ducks were seen in the water and on the 

 ice at the water's edge. We reached Bernard Harbor June 6. 



Wilkins, with the Eskimo Palaiyak, reached Bernard Harbor on 

 June 15, 1916, having come by sled from the headquarters of the North- 

 ern division of the expedition, near the Princess Royal Islands, Prince 

 of Wales Strait; he brought news of the safety of the three vessels 



* For an account of traveling with pack dogs in summer from Coronation 

 Gulf to Great Bear Lake, see "My Life With the Eskimo," Chapter XIII. 



