IN THE FROZEN NORTH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1091, 1 April 1911, Page 5

IN THE FROZEN NORTH.

A CANADIAN TRAGEDY.; By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyrinlit Ottawa, March 30. A report from Saskatchewan, in North-west Canada, gives details of a tragedy that has occurred in the icecovered north. Two trappers, with a companion named Cummings, went northward of Doro Lake early in the winter on a, ' furcatching expedition. They built a hut, but found that their provisions were dwindling down, and Cummings decided to watch tho traps while the others returned south until tho spring. A week ago the two trappers returned to tho lonely hut, only to lind Cuminings frozen to death. A diary left by Cummings related the fact that tho provisions had given out, that ho had journeyed, with two dogs, to a cache where food had been concealed, and that, returning, his feet became frozen and he lost tho trail. Tho dogs guided him home. On the way, ho was obliged to abandon tho food taken from the cachoj and now was face to face with starvation. . He ato tho dogs, burned everything in tho hut, and then died. Tho last entry in the diary • read: "God bless you, boys. I am not in pain now. Tho provisions aro gone. God's will bo done!"

Lake Doro is about 120 miles north-west of Prince Albert, on tho Canadian Northern Railway. It is on a tributary of tho Beavcv River, anil lies on the southern edgo of what is known as the "Great Lone Land" of Canada. This country is seldom visited except by fur traders, but there aro trading ports and mission stations right up to Fort MThcrson, about eighty miles from the mouth of the Mackenzie River, which (lows into the Arctic Ocean. Much of the region is quite suitable for agricultural settlement, and may some day support a considerable population. In summer tho journev to tlio Arctic can be made with very little hardship, as Mr. William Ogilvio describes:— "Even with the present facilities we can roach tho Arctio Ocean from Ottawa in about twenty-threo days, let us . say to cover possible contingencies thirty days, and return in about forty. On the waj; wo will pass through about 1200 miles ot beautiful prairie country, which extends almost to Athabasca Landing; and from Athabasca Landing to the Arctic Ocuan, upwards of 1800 miles, we have only ordinarv river navigation, with the exception "of a few miles on Lake Athabasca, and about 120 on Great Slave Lake. During the whole of the journey we are likely to experience as pleasant weather as it wo had remained in Ottawa, and it may be plcawnter. Wo aro likely to see much that will interest and surpriso us, ami we will certainly have a much clearer conception of the extent and value of our country. All the 'way to the Arctic coast we will see timber and plants similar to much wo see here, and were it not for the | absence of many of our trees, and tlio increased duration of daylight (which we will likely find at the coast to be ot twenty-four hours' duration each day) we would hardlv realise that wo had travelled upwards of 4000 miles from Ottawa, and been more than 1600 north of it. 1 cannot specify the cost of such a trip, but would placo the maximum at about 300 dollnrs. It is well to hear in mind that north of Edmonton the steamers have no regular date of sailing, their movements being governed by the Hudson's Bay Company's needs, and transport facilities over the"other parts of tho route, and it is possible that wo might not even bo able to make our way to tho Arctio on the steamer; but there would be no great difficulty in completing our journey with such aid as the Hudson's Bay Company could place;.at,our disposal, in which caso ■ir journey would partake of the"primitive style of travelling and be a more satisfactory experience ,to ourselves."