440 FIELD WOEK OF THE PEARY ARCTIC CLUB, 1898-1902. 



to escape a severe snowstorm, which stopped communication between 

 Etah and the other Eskimo settlements completely until I sent a party 

 with snowshoes and a specially constructed sledge, carrying no load, 

 and manned by double teams of dogs, to break the trail. 



During my absence some of my nativ^es had crossed to Mr. Stein's 

 place at Sabine, and January *J I began the season's work by starting- 

 a few sledge loads of dog food for Cape Sabine, for use of ni}^ teams in 

 the spring journey. From this time on, as the open water in Smith 

 Sound permitted, more dog food was sent to Sabine, and as the light 

 gradually increased, some of ni}" Eskimos were kept constanth' at 

 Sonntag Bay, some 20 miles to the south, on the lookout for walrus. 



My general progranuiie for the spring work was to send three 

 divisions of sledges north as far as Conger, the first to be in charge of 

 Henson, while I bi'ought up the rear with the third. 



From Conger I should send back a numl)er of Eskimos, retain some 

 at Conger, and with others proceed north from there either via Hecla 

 or the north point of Greenland, as circumstances might determine. 



I wanted to start the first division on the loth of Fel)ruary, the 

 second a week later, and leave with the third March 1, but a severe 

 storm, breaking up the ice between Etah and Littleton Island, delayed 

 the departure of the first division of sev^en sledges until the 19th. 



The second division of six sledges started on the 26th, and ]\iarch 4 

 I left wnth the rear division of nine sledges. Three marches carried us 

 to Cape Sabine, along the curving northern edge of the north water. 

 Here a northerly gale with hcavv drift detained me for two da3^s. 

 Three more marches in a temperature of —40*- F. brought me to the 

 house at Cape D'Urville. Records here informed me that the first 

 division had been detained here a week by stormy weather, and the 

 second division had left l)ut two days before nw arrival. I had 

 scarcely arrived when two of Henson's Eskimos came in from Richard- 

 son Bay, where one of them had severely injured his leg by falling 

 under a sledge. One day was spent at the D'Urville house drying 

 our clothing, and on the 13th I got away on the trail of the other 

 divisions with seven sledges, the injured man going to Sabine with the 

 supporting j)arty. 



I hoped to reach Cape Louis Napoleon on this march, but the going 

 was too heavy and I was obliged to camp in Dobbin Bay, about 5 

 miles short of the cape. 



The next day I hoped on starting to reach Cape Eraser, but was 

 again disappointed, a severe windstorm compelling me to halt a little 

 south of Hayes Point, and hurriedl>' build snow igloos in the midst of 

 a blinding drift. 



All that night and the next day and the next night the storm con- 

 tinued. An early start was made on the 16th, and in calm but very 

 thick weather we pushed on to Cape Eraser. Here we encountered 



