THE WHITE WORLD 



in bringing up the provisions which we had previously 

 stored on the coast south of Cape Sumner, and in preparing 

 them for transportation, as well as in repairing the sledges, 

 which were much battered by their encounters with the 

 razor-like edges of rubble ice. From this camp Lieutenant 

 Lockwood made a flying trip back to Fort Conger for a 

 final consultation with Lieutenant Greely, and for the pur- 

 pose of exchanging the unserviceable runners of the dog 

 sledge for another and stronger pair. The defective venti- 

 lation of the snow house we constructed here resulted in 

 the illness of two of our men — Biederbick and Whisler, 

 and Lieutenant Lockwood directed that they return home 

 for proper treatment. Biederbick begged to be allowed 

 to accompany us northward, but the necessity of his im- 

 mediate return was obvious to all. 



All preparations having been made, our northern 

 journey was resumed on the evening of April 16, the 

 men in the drag ropes each hauling from 150 to 220 pounds. 

 Crossing to the north side of Newman Bay, we cut short 

 the projection of land forming Cape Brevoort by traveling 

 overland through Rocky Gorge Creek and Lost River, 

 reaching the Great Polar Sea at Repulse Harbor. The 

 conditions of traveling across the divide were particularly 

 trying. Rocky Gorge Creek was, in places, extremely 

 narrow, rocky, and tortuous; the deep snow was covered 

 with a crust not quite strong enough to bear our weight, 

 and through this our feet and sledges broke at every step. 

 The snow was succeeded by patches of bare ground and 

 beds of gravel, over which the sledges could be dragged 

 only by standing pulls. 



From Repulse Harbor, which place we left April 23, 

 we pushed northward along the winding coast, passing in 

 succession Drift Point. Black Horn Cliff, and Cape Stanton, 

 near which we found the small cache of rations left by 

 Lieutenant Beaumont, R. N., in 1876. This latter point 

 placed us farther north on the coast of Greenland than 

 Americans had ever before reached; thence on, past Hand 

 and Frankfield Bays, finally on April 27, reaching Cape 

 Bryant, the place selected by Lieutenant Lockwood from 

 which the supporting party was to turn back. Here, as at 

 many other points on the coast, traces of hare, lemming and 

 ptarmigan were found. 



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