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THE BELCHER ISLANDS

ROMANTIC DISCOVERY

"FLAHERTY'S KINGDOM"

There is an interesting romance of picturesque ftdivDture in the discovery Jive yeiirs? ago of the Belcher islands. .' A young Canadian, -named "JJcb" Flaherty, -who, oven.at the ago of 21, had achieved a imputation as a tried adventurer ill the Canadian and American wilds, white' engaged in 'searching for minerals between James Bay and I'ort George,; heard a rumour' that theij; were islands oil the Nastapokas, barely 100 miifs from a Hudson Bay post, yet never seen by any white man's eyes.- Flaherty was familiar with tho Admiralty charts, and knew that only a- few small islands were there shown. Reckoning distance by the time it took to travel with dog teams; ho surmised that the largest island must not be less than 100 milos' long. ■' Retiming to civilisation at end of liis mineral' 'quest, Flaherty told his "backer," Sir William MaelCenzie, that this large and mysterious .island might worth exploring—if it existed. All right," said Sir William, "go and find cut." ; "' " Flaherty wtent' back to the north by waS of James Bay, but for two years persistent' misadventures, including " "lie ' wrecking of a craft purchased ■ for the expedition, prevented his' attaining his coal. He returned to Toronto, received further, financial assistance from Sir William MacKenzie, purchased, tils -topsail schooner Laddie from- Captain. Sam Bartlett, the Arctic navigator, and, with Cap-, tain H.-Bartlett in command, set sail-for. Newfoundland, and' finally sighted the islands of mystery—the Belchers—on August 1 23, 1915. A 1 Barren Waste of Rocks. .'.Belcher Island had little to recommend iK It was a barren waste of rock, 91 • miles long 'by 47' miles wide. On this island tliijre were only about 25 families, about 125' people, in all, who supported themselves by tainting 'foxes, whose-pelts they sold for odds ana ends of finery and "rough tools in' their annual trip across the ici; to the Hudson Bay trading post on the. mainland at, Sandy. Point. -There whs- practically. anu were no aniqials, .though there was a legend,that caribou once had been- plenaful. . .At any. rate, there were no skins lor • clothingi and.. the /hativ'es, making ■ - the best of. the situation, had used that ; wliich'was most plentiful and most readily obtained—the 'skin of the eider-duck. .Worn with the' feathers inside, it makes a.wonderfully .wniu, costume; but to the nose of the white man,'at least, a thins of horror. " Yet such was the national "costume of Flaherty's "Kingdom," a. costume, it is beli'ov.ed; found nowhere else among the tribes of EskimoThe women were seamstresses of won-derful-ability. Also, they tanned walrus •. hides for boots by the simple process of 6nueezing the skin, in their hands, anu . .silly'chewing; it, a lump at a .time, to remove the tat. Hides so tanned and sewed by hand , prove; absolutely impervious to water," • " ".:: Eskimos ;and/ Gramophone, i - - Although the. Eskimos on Belcher Is.land, were intensely..interested, .with 'the naive curiosity of children, in . almost everything ,jn the Laddie's cargo,, yet two small- phonographs were imily. their chief delight.- Sir Harry Lauder was their ,fa- ' ..vouritel!.! The , lilt..of'..the,.songs caught their ear and brought broad grins, to stolid countenances. They listened and learned, learned with almost unbelievable fidelity, and it was a sight for*, the gods to see some Eskimo woman sitting eross-lcgged on the rocks, and to hear the Scotsman's rolling r's dropping from lips . as ignorant of the white mini's tongue as the foxgs Hint roamed the gullies. It may.be added that Ottawa expressed • frank, unbelief, and. asserted that where .Flaherty's island was said to exist Admiralty chart BSG. showed. 20 fnthonis of water. However, a Government, geologist and a "Dominion, land sur.vcvipr, were..sent fe investigate, anil returned to corroborate all that Flaherty had. claimed, tireat ' "store's "of oro were found,"'but ',believed to be of too low a, grade to make it worth exploitation under .the peculiar conditions of its location.

Private enterprise lias not yet given lip all hope, hpweVef, as.two' prominent commercial s'cicntific 'adventurers planned ,11 trip..by aeroplane to the Belcher. Islands a few weeks Q£o, and made an offer of jGIOOO foV n two 6r three weeks' trip from James Buy to the islands to the Bishop-Barker Aviation Company In Toronto—tho heads of wliioli concern are Canada's two leading air V.C.'s. .It has not yet., been' found practicable to. make 't'lus" tnii 'ottitnx to "iHiiVfacf tliht'tlie Do-''minion-'has. liot—or.had riot then—aircraft of' tho'tvpc necessary- lor 'the' 'adventure. '■Colonel Bishop and. Colonel' Barker bad regretfully to turn dowij the offer.' ■

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19201102.2.5

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 32, 2 November 1920, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
743

THE BELCHER ISLANDS Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 32, 2 November 1920, Page 2

THE BELCHER ISLANDS Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 32, 2 November 1920, Page 2

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