Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 68.djvu/54

 simple ration, consisting of little more than bacon, beans, flour and coffee, with a little butter, sugar, dried fruit and some farinaceous foods. The simplicity of the rations made it possible to reduce its weight to less than three pounds per man a day. Experience has shown, however, that there is economy in carrying more variety of food, as it keeps the party in better health and spirits. All perishable supplies were double-sacked and made absolutely water-proof. The wisdom of this precaution was many times made evident when the canoes were overturned or injured.

The methods of travel were practically the same for all the parties.



Up-stream journeys were made by dragging the canoes with ropes, called 'tracking,' by which from two to ten miles a day could be accomplished, depending on the swiftness of the current and the character of the banks. If conditions were favorable, recourse was had to poling, by which much better time can be made. When the head of canoe navigation was reached, explorations into another watershed were made and a portage route determined upon. Then, if necessary, a trail was chopped and bridges built. Finally, the whole outfit was carried over by the members of the party. The longest portage made by a survey party was eighteen miles; but the work of transporting half a ton of supplies for such a distance is almost heart-breaking.

The methods of survey were determined more or less by the means and rapidity of travel. In most cases it was possible to make a fairly