FIELD WORK OF THE PEARY ARCTIC CLUB, 1898-1902. 439 



Bache Peninsula, Princess Marie Bay region; crossed the EUesmere 

 Land ice cap to the west side of that land; established a continuous 

 line of caches from Cape Sabine to Fort Conger, containing some 14 

 tons of supplies; rescued the original records and private papers of 

 the Greely expedition; fitted Fort Conger as a base for future work, 

 and familiarized myself and party with the entire region as far north 

 as Cape Beech}-. 



With the exception of the supplies at Cape DTIrville, all the pro- 

 visions, together with the current supplies and dog food (the latter an 

 excessive item), had been transported l)y sledge. 



Finally, discouraging as was the accident to my feet, I was satisfied, 

 since m}" effort to reach the northwest coast of Greenland from Conger 

 in May, that the season was one of extremely unfavorable ice condition 

 north of Cape Beechy, and doubt, even if the accident had not occurred, 

 whether I should have found it advisable, on reaching Cape Hecla, to 

 attempt the last stage of the journey. 



My decision not to attempt to winter at Fort Conger was arrived at 

 after careful consideration. Two things controlled this decision : First, 

 the uncertainty of carrying dogs through the winter, and, second, the 

 comparative facility with which the distance from Etah to Fort 

 Conger can be covered with light sledges. 



After the rendezvous with the Dhina^ I went on board the latter 



ship and visited all the native settlements, gathering skins and material 



for clothing and sledge equipment and recruiting my dog teams. The 



Windtvard was sent hunting walrus during my absence. The Diana 



also assisted in this work. 



August 25. — The Windward sailed for home, followed on the 28th 

 by the Diana., after landing me with m}^ party, equipment, and 

 additional supplies at Etah. 



1899-1900. 



The Diana seemed to have gathered in and taken with her all the 

 fine weather, leaving us a sequence of clouds, wind, fog, and snow, 

 which continued with scarcely a break for weeks. 



After her departure the work before me presented itself in its own 

 natural sequence as follows: Protect the provisions, construct our win- 

 ter quarters, then begin building sledges and grinding walrus meat 

 for dog pemmican for the spring campaign. 



During the first month a number of walrus were killed from our 

 boats ofi' the mouth of the fjord; then the usual Arctic winter settled 

 down upon us, its monotony varied only by the visits of the natives, 

 occasional doer hunts, and a December sledge joui'ney to the Eskimo 

 settlements in Whale Sound as faras Kangerd-looksoah. In this nine- 

 days' trip some 240 miles were covered in six marches, the first and 

 the last marches being 60 to TO miles. T returned to Etah just in time 



SM 1903 29 



