Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 45.djvu/679

Rh The main exploring party should be composed of fifteen men—vive white men and ten Indians. The white men would be made up of three Canadian surveyors, for the scientific purposes of the expedition; one doctor, as a concession to popular prejudice; and one journalist or reporter to work with pencil and camera. As a journalist myself, I claim the right of the fourth estate to be represented. The Indians should be picked voyageurs from the Georgian Bay. These men are good canoemen, first-class sailors, are used to ice traveling, and have walked on snowshoes since they could walk at all. Above all, they are faithful workers and reliable men.

The main depot or base would probably be situated at the mouth of Smith's Sound, in latitude 78°. That point has been reached more than once, and can be again. But it is not necessary or expedient to push it farther than the ordinary head of summer navigation, because it would become a permanent meteorological station, and would ultimately be connected with Newfoundland by cable, a distance of sixteen hundred and eighty geographical miles. The buildings would be ordinary American frame buildings, framed on two-by-six scantling, and sheeted with four layers of matched boards, two outside and two in, with heavy felt paper between the sheeting. With double windows and double doors, such a building properly heated will defy the cold of space. The heating would be accomplished with hard coal and base-burners. The buildings of course would be taken up all ready to put together, and, with the labor available from the ship, ought to be ready for occupation in a fortnight. This base would have a resident staff of officials, mechanics, and voyageurs, whose duty it would be to take care of the supplies, and back up the main exploring party by pushing forward provisions and other necessaries as they advanced farther north. Subsidiary depots should be established every hundred miles until the pole or an open polar sea is reached. These minor depots would be nothing but tents of stout duck, of the Northwest tepee pattern, raised on light but strong poles of cedar, and spiked to the ice with iron or copper spikes. They would contain provisions, blankets, stoves, and fuel, and, as long as the main party was out, would be connected with the head depot by regular dog service. Three or even four of these would probably be located the first fall.

About the middle of the following April (Kane abandoned his ship on the 20th of May) the real work of the expedition would commence. The problem presented to the surveyors would be to overcome the seven hundred and twenty miles separating the main depot from the pole. At the lowest estimate there would be five months in which to do this, necessitating an average daily