APPENDIX 745 



Point. The Eskimos, Ikey and Palaiyak, who were with the party, were 

 sent on to Baillie Island with the mail, and to help on the Alaska, while 

 I , returned eastward with the survey party. Instructions were for- 

 warded to Captain Daniel Sweeney of the Alaska at Baillie Island, 

 and he carried out the summer's work of the vessel very creditably 

 and carefully, bringing in the mail and a good load of additional pro- 

 visions and coal from Herschel Island, arriving at Bernard Harbor 

 September 5, 1915. The small schooner El 8ueno which had been en- 

 gaged by Stefansson at Herschel Island to bring in additional supplies, 

 arrived September 7, and at once went west again to winter at Pierce 

 Point, for the purpose of trapping. The Atkon, a schooner belonging 

 to the Church of England Mission, was blown up on the shore between 

 Clifton Point and the mouth of Croker River, but the vessel was appar- 

 ently uninjured, and the missionaries established a winter camp there. 



Our western survey party reached the station at Bernard Harbo.r on 

 May 24, 1915, one week ahead of schedule. The unusually mild weather 

 during the month of May facilitated our w(,rk very much. The skies 

 were usually clear, and conditions good for traveling and taking ob- 

 servations. The weather was very warm and the snow thawing fast 

 around Croker River May 16, but east of that point the season was 

 more backward. The snowfall is not very deep in this region, however, 

 and after the snow really starts melting, it disappears from the land 

 within a vetj few days, except the remains of deep snowdrifts in 

 gullies and on the shady side of hills. 



On May 21, 1915, Wilkins arrived at Bernard Harbor, accompanied 

 by Crawford, discharged as engineer of the Northern party's schooner 

 Sachs, and Natkusiak. They had come from the winter quarters of 

 the Sachs near Cape Kellett, Banks Island, making the trip in about 

 twenty-five days, by way of Victoria Island. Wilkins had come to make 

 arrangements to take the Star to Banks Island or Prince Patrick 

 Island as an auxiliary for proposed more extended work of the Northern 

 party. Our plans for the Southern party had been based on the cer- 

 tainty of having the Star for the summer's work in Co.ronation Gulf, 

 as the Alaska was at Baillie Island, and bound to go to Herschel Island 

 before coming in again. It was finally arranged that the Star should 

 lay down some provision depots in Coronation Gulf and take the gaso- 

 line launch and outfit as far east as Cape Barrow, before going to Banks 

 Island. 



On the ice of Coronation Gulf Wilkins this spring secured studies 

 of Eskimo life in camps on the ice, and later in the season, views of 

 their summer camps, fishing scenes, home life and habits. About 2,000 

 feet of film was exposed, most of which was ultimately developed and 

 found to be good. He also made a very good series of portrait studies 

 of most of the local Eskimos (Dolphin and Union Strait) men, women 

 and children, in full view and in profile, for Jenness's ethnological work. 

 He also made good photographs of growing plants, insects, etc., for the 



