Sir: We, the undersigned, in consideration of the present critical situation, desire to make an attempt to reach the land. We ask you to assist us by issuing to us from the general stores all necessary sledging and camping provisions and equipment for the proposed journey as per separate requisition already handed to you. On the understanding that you do so and continue as heretofore to supply us with our proportional share of provisions while we remain in camp, and in the event of our finding it necessary to return to the camp, we declare that we undertake the journey on our own initiative and absolve you from any responsibility whatever in the matter.

LETTER FROM THE DOCTOR’S PARTY TO CAPTAIN BARTLETT

Their supplies consisted of the following: one Nome sledge, one Burberry tent, 96 pounds of Underwood pemmican, 112 pounds of Hudson’s Bay pemmican, 138 pounds of biscuit, four tins of Horlick’s malted milk, 30 pounds of sugar, four boxes of tabloid tea, 16 tins of cocoa, 52 cakes of chocolate, six gallons of coal oil, one quart of alcohol, one Primus stove and outfit, four mugs, four spoons, one spade, one ice axe, one hatchet, one Mannlicher rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition, 20 yards of rope, one dozen candles, one package of matches, five pounds of butter, one tent floor and a tracing of Wrangell Island from the chart. These supplies were sufficient for fifty days.

The cook was up at four on the morning of the seventh and we breakfasted at half past five. At 6:15 Chafe and Williams left for the fifth camp with a sledge-load of supplies, consisting of 96 pounds of Underwood pemmican, 80 pounds of Hudson’s Bay pemmican, one case of oil, seven days’ food for themselves and their dogs and a camping outfit. At seven Mamen and the two Eskimo got away, with three sledges and seventeen dogs. Their sledges were loaded with four cases of Underwood man pemmican, three cases of dog pemmican, each case containing forty-eight pounds, three cases of oil, ten cases of biscuit and 256 pounds of Hudson’s Bay pemmican; they were to pick up supplies enough at the fourth camp to give them 1800 pounds’ weight for their three sledges. They were then to go on and look for the mate’s party and leave one sledge and the supplies as far in as they could along the trail, bringing back the other two sledges light.

Mamen could report on the condition of the trail and keep it open and at the same time carry out the essential part of my plan of getting the supplies well along towards the land in advance of the main party. If he should fail to find the mate’s party, the assumption was that they had gone on to Wrangell Island.

At 2 P.M. Mamen came back to the camp; with him was Williams. When some distance along the way Mamen had dislocated his knee-cap, which had already been dislocated when he was ski-jumping in Norway. He had been going on, however, in spite of his accident, when he met Chafe and Williams returning. Williams had fallen through the young ice about four miles out and they had decided to return so that he could get his clothing dried out, when they met Mamen. The latter had told Chafe of his accident and it was decided that he and Williams should come back to camp while Chafe took over the command of Mamen’s party and went on towards the island.

I was busy about the camp when I heard them coming. I knew that something must be wrong and went out to meet them. Mamen was riding on the sledge and Williams was running to keep warm, for the temperature was about thirty-five degrees below zero and he had got pretty wet in getting out of the water. I rushed them into the box-house where Williams had some hot tea and changed his clothes. Then I sent him, with the chief engineer, to overtake Chafe and continue on the shoreward journey.

Williamson, the second engineer, worked over Mamen’s knee, massaged it and finally got the knee-cap back into place. It was hard work because it kept slipping out of the socket and had to be bandaged with surgeon’s plaster to keep it in place. In fact it was not until the tenth that Mamen got so that he could hobble around and the dislocation was very painful.