Report on the Dominion Government Expedition to Hudson Bay and the Arctic Islands on board the D.G.S. Neptune, 1903-1904

by A. P. Low

I was attached to the second expedition as a geologist, and performed some exploring duties on the southern coast of the strait in the late summer, having been on board the ship during her first passage through the strait. This experience in the navigation of these waters was further increased by a passage westward through the strait during the following summer in the Hudson’s Bay Company’s steamer Erik, and still further by the four trips of the past voyage.

Hudson strait has a length of nearly five hundred miles from Cape Chidley, on the south side of its eastern end, to Cape Wolstenholme on the same side of its western end. The general trend of the strait is a little north of west, so that the western cape is about a degree and a half to the northward of the eastern one, and is in 62° 30´ N. latitude. At its eastern entrance the strait has a practical channel nearly thirty-five miles wide between the outermost Button island off Cape Chidley, and the shores of Resolution island on the north side. Gray strait is a narrower channel between the Button islands and the southern mainland. Immediately to the westward of Cape Chidley the southern shore falls away to the southward to form the great bay of Ungava, which is one hundred and forty miles wide, and somewhat more than that distance in length. The large island of Akpatok lies in this bay, but as its north end is to the southward of a line drawn across the mouth of the bay, it does not seriously interfere with navigation in the strait.

From Cape Hopes Advance, the western point of Ungava bay, the southern shore of the strait has a northwest direction to Cape Weggs, situated one hundred and fifty miles beyond. The northern shore opposite has the same general trend, and the strait for this distance averages sixty miles across. Big island, situated on the north side in the western half of this portion, extends southward, so as to reduce the width to thirty miles.

To the westward of Cape Weggs the general trend of the south coast is nearly due west, while the opposite side continues northwest to form Gordon bay, after which it bends to the west and south, so that at its western end the strait is about one hundred miles from mainland to mainland, but of this distance the practical channel is limited to that portion between the south coast and the large island of Nottingham, a distance of thirty-five miles.

In the western half of the strait, Charles island, which lies about twenty-five miles beyond Cape Weggs, is the only obstruction to navigation. This island is twenty-five miles long, and lies nearly due east-and-west, some twenty miles from the south shore of the strait. The ship channel passes to the northward of the island, although there is a good channel on its south side.

The depth of water in the ship track through the strait varies from fifty to two hundred fathoms. There are no shoals, and with ordinary precautions, there is little danger from stranding on the bold shores of either side of the strait, or on the few islands that bound the channel.

A number of safe harbours easy of approach have been explored on the southern side of the strait, and others equally good and safe are known to be located on the north side, although they are at present unsurveyed.

The passage from the western entrance of the strait to the port of Churchill, on the western side of Hudson bay, is five hundred miles. From the mouth of the strait the course is due west for seventy miles to the eastern end of the wide channel between Coats and Mansfield islands. This channel is practically one hundred miles long, and varies in width from fifty miles at the eastern end, to over a hundred at the other.

The general course of the ship track from the eastern end of this channel to Churchill is nearly southwest, and there are nowhere any dangerous shoals or other obstructions to navigation.

In the track across Hudson bay the depth of water varies from fifty to two hundred fathoms, while the approach to the low shores of Coats and Mansfield and those of the western mainland is signalled by the gradual lessening of the depth of water, which gives ample warning to ships approaching the land.