The Hudson's Bay Expedition. 35 



Carpenters, 



William Yeodon, 

 Angus McNeill, 

 Robert Youill. 



The s.s. Neptune, one of the Newfoundland sealing fleet, owned by 

 Messrs. Job Bros., was chartered for the Expedition. She is a very 

 strongly-built vessel, barque-rigged, of Dundee build, 101H feet long, 

 29.8 feet beam, 18.4 feet in depth of hold, and engines of 110 

 nominal horse-power. She is 684 tons gross, 466 nett, and regis- 

 tered in St. John's, N.F., at 430 tons, but has often carried over 800 

 tons, and had on board 833 tons of freight when leaving Halifax on 

 the voyage to Hudson's Bay. She was built in 1873. Besides her 

 many sealing voyages, the Neptune had seen something of arctic 

 navigation, having been employed, commanded by Captain William 

 Sopp, in 1882, in the Greely Relief Expedition, on which occasion 

 she reached to within thirty miles of the 80th degree of north 

 latitude. 



She arrived in Ijjalifax on Tuesday, July 14th, in command of 

 Capt. Sopp, and reported ready for duty to Lieut. Gordon, who was 

 then in that city. The Neptune had been chartered by the Canadian 

 Government for three months from July 15th, for the sum of 

 $16,500, with the proviso that if the work of the Expedition could 

 not be completed, or the vessel returned to St. John's, N.F., from any 

 cause, until November 1st, the amount was to be $17,500. In the 

 event of her being detained out after that, the Government was to 

 purchase her outright for the sum of £15,000 sterling, which sum 

 was to be inclusive of her charter. Aside from her charter price of 

 $16,500, the Neptune received $5 a week for each of the officers, and 

 $4 a week for each of the carpenters and station-men of the Expedi- 

 tion, as board money during the voyage. The Neptune was officered 

 and manned as follows : — 



Master, 

 Capt. William Sopp, op St. John's, N.F. 



Mate, 

 Capt. John J. Barry, of Harbor Grace, N.F. 



