438 FIELD WORK OF THE PEARY ARCTIC CLUB, 1898-1902. 



During the following- .six days I ascended the glacier, crossed the 

 ice cap to its western side, and from elevations of from 4,000 to 

 4,700 feet looked down upon the snow-free western side of Ellesmere 

 Land, and out into an ice-free fjord, extending some 50 miles to the 

 northwest. The season here was at least a month earlier than on 

 the east side, and the general appearance of the country reminded me 

 of the Whale Sound region of Greenland. Clear weather for part of 

 one day enabled me to take a series of angles, then fog and rain and 

 snow settled down upon us. Through this I steered by compass back 

 to and down the glacier, camping on the 21st in m^^ camp of the 15th. 

 The return from here to the ship was somewhat arduous, owing to the 

 rotten condition of the one-year ice and the deep pools and canals of 

 water on the surface of the old floes. These presented the alternative 

 of making endless detours or wading through water often waist deep. 

 During seven days our clothing, tent, sleeping gear, and food w^ere 

 constantly saturated. The Wmdivard was reached on the 28th of July. 



In spite of the discomforts and hardships of this trip, incident to 

 the lateness of the season, I felt repaid by its results. In addition to 

 completing the notes requisite for a chart of the Princess Marie- 

 Buchanan Bay region, I had been fortunate in crossing the Ellesmere 

 Land ice cap and looking upon the western coast. The game secured 

 during this trip comprised a polar bear, 7 musk oxen, 3 oogsook, and 

 14 seals. 



When I returned to the Windward she was round in the eastern side 

 of Franklin Pierce Bay. A party had left two days before with dogs, 

 sledge, and boat, in an attempt to meet me and suppl}^ me with pro- 

 visions. Three days were occupied in communicating with them and 

 getting them and their outlit on board. The WJndamnl then moved 

 back to her winter berth at Cape D'Urville, took the dogs on board, 

 and on the morning of Wednesay, August 2, got under way. 



During the next five da3^s we advanced some 12 miles, when a 

 southerly wind jammed the ice on us and drifted us north abreast 

 of the starting point. Early Tuesday morning, the 8th, we got another 

 start, and the ice gradually slackening, we kept under way, reached 

 open water a little south of Cape Albert, and arrived at Cape Sabine 

 at 10 p. m. 



At Cape Sabine I landed a cache and then steamed over to Etah, 

 arriving at 5 a. m. of the 9th. Here we found mail, and learned that 

 the steamship Diana^ which the club had sent up to communicate with 

 me, was out after walrus. Saturday morning the Diana returned, and 

 1 had the great pleasure of taking Secretary Bridgman, commanding 

 the club's expedition, by the hand. 



Though the year had not been marked by any startling results, it was 

 a 3^ear of hard and continuous work for the entire party. During the 

 year I obtained the material for an authentic map of the Buchanan Bay, 



