--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Singer, H. C. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 32 number: 4 published: 1929-02 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "H. C. Singer, “Maintaining Law and Order Within the Arctic Circle,” *Improvement Era* 32, no. 4 (February 1929): 297–301." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3204unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera3204unse start_page: 297 end_page: 301 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1929-02) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3204unse publication_year: 1929 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1929, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Maintaining Law and Order Within the Arctic Circle Maintaining Law and Order Within the Arctic Circle By H. C. Singer VERY summer the Canadian Government S. S. Beothic leaves E on its patrol to visit the Royal Canadian Mounted Police out- post headquarters in the Eastern Arctic sub-district. Among its passengers and the officers that relieve the posts, in the north, are ministers from Ottawa to study their districts, doctors of the police, members of the Geological Survey, members of the Department of Mines, ice pilots, scientists, and officers of the R. C. M. P. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), who will visit every detachment and post during the year and will await the coming again of the S. S. Beothic to relieve them. Last year the vessel left its headquarters at North Sydney, Nova Scotia, July 19, made its trip to the Bache peninsula, where, however, it was unable because of ice to enter the straits, and re- turned after forty-five days of patrol, having accomplished a suc- cessful trip. Much important information was obtained of bird, fish and animal life, ice glacier fields and prevailing winds; and all posts with one exception were reprovisioned. The ship carries food, fuel, dogs, arms, ammunition, sleds, clothes, tools, radios and complete equipment, books, and furnishings to make the posts com- fortable, and, in addition, it carries spare parts for the police power boats that operate during the summer season, among the fiords and lakes. Interesting are the reports that come back from the northern patrols of the police, of distance, danger, and daring enterprise, furnishing, in these days when we are so likely to forget duty and ignore the finer things of life, a lesson in discipline and endurance, and awakening in us a deeper appreciation of that splendid principle that the British forefathers established in the Magna Charta that "we will sell to no man, we will not deny to any man, either Justice or Right." For this cause the Canadian Government established among its people, even up into the Arctic circle, posts of the Royal Mounted Police, an organization whose annals thrill the hearts of every British subject and arouse the admiration of the world. Last vear's report contains nothing spectacular but the usual record of duty well done and peace and good order established among the Eskimos within the district. Notwithstanding severe weather with blizzard, fog. frost, and 298 IMPROVEMENT ERA Feb.. 19Z9 rain, detachments of the R. C. M. P., stationed at posts on the islands and mainlands of the Eastern Arctic sub-division, carried out over 7500 miles of patrol, covering the less frequently visited parts of Ellsmere, Devon, Baffin, and including Axel Hieberg, Graham and Buckingham and the North Kent islands. On these long patrols, to maintain order and supervise the conditions of the Eskimo, im- portant geographical conditions were noted, and a census of the Eskimo taken in areas visited, while medical and other assistance was rendered where necessary. Before the coming of the officers of the R. C. M. P., years ago, numbers of Eskimo starved to death be- cause of bad years of fishing and hunting, but now, under skillful supervision, conditions have improved and the Eskimo is generally prosperous. In Bache peninsula the S. S. Beothic was unable to penetrate the ice fields and reprovision the post, but as there is always three- years' supply of food and fuel no anxiety is felt for the officers who brought down their reports over the drifting fields to the ship. Patrols from Bache, on Ellsmere island, traveled hundreds of miles in their work and gave valuable scientific information of their areas. Constables E. Anstead, G. T. Makinson, and R. R. Gurmett spent an adventurous year at this most northerly post of patrol. In March, 1928, an attempt was made to enter the interior of the northern end of the island by Sawyer bay and Canon fiord to Lake Hazen, but it was checked by the dangerous condition of an ice barrier that disputed the way. On March 22, Constable Anstead left with two Eskimos on a patrol to the west toast and covered over 850 miles by April 30 in reaching his destination. The pass from Flugher fiord to Gretha bay fiord on the west coast is being slowly blocked by a glacier and Anstead, defying the alarm of his Eskimo companions, managed to squeeze through between the precipitous foot of the glacier and the cliff which constitutes the opposite side of the valley. The space was barely wide enough for them to pass, blocks of ice fell from time to time and the trail for 500 yards was very dangerous. Despite the fact that the temperature was 30 degrees below zero, the men were bathed in perspiration by the time they had cleared the pass, so hard had they worked. From the western coast the party visited Axel Hieberg island, crossed Norwegian bay to Graham and Buckingham islands, patrolled the North Kent island, and spent some time in the Bjorne peninsula on their return journey to the post. In the last- named locality, at a point 200 feet above sea level, several out- croppings of soft coal were found. In this far-flung out-post of the law, Constable Makinson made some interesting geographical discoveries. During a patrol from Peb.. 1929 MAINTAINING LAW AND ORDER 299 Bache peninsula post down the east coast of Ellsmere island to Craig harbor on the southern coast, and westward of Starnes fiord, accompanied by one Eskimo, he visited an unmapped island, east of Cape Dunsterville, on which he noticed the remains of native igloos. He also found and explored a large fiord north of Clarence head. Travelers usually cut across the ice, but Constable Makinson fol- lowed the shore and discovered, first a large bay running southwest, and then a fiord two miles wide. An island in the middle of the bay made the fiord difficult to notice from seaward. He continued his exploration some fifty miles up the fiord and its branches, being absent 40 days and covering 700 miles. Most interesting of all the patrols was that performed by In- spector C. E. Wilcox, from Pond inlet, at the northern end of Baffin island, to Fury and Hecla strait, a journey of 900 miles. Constable S. G. H. Margetts aggregated nearly 1300 miles during three patrols to Milne inlet, Arctic sound, and Home bay, respectively. Inspector Wilcox's trip took him to the northern end of Fox basin and to the Melville peninsula. He traveled across the interior of the north- western part of Baffin island, traversing numerous lakes and on one occasion climbing a frozen waterfall. He visited 150 Eskimos and found them generally prosperous and took the usual census. In this region caribou were numerous and wolves were scarce. The journey was marked by a five-day blizzard and the weather was so cold that the coal oil, carried for fuel, froze and had to be thawed out by native oil lamps before it could be used. Constable Margetts' patrol to Home bay occupied 5 1 days and covered 945 miles. Here, too, the natives were prosperous. Other patrols of a shorter distance were performed by other officers on this island. From Pangnirtung, the post on the Cumberland gulf, Baffin island, Sergeant O. G. Petty patrolled the gulf and visited native camps on the east coast of the island. The winter was unfavorable for traveling, owing to conditions of weather and ice, nevertheless the entire district was patrolled by dog team, the distance aggregated 1 700 miles. One of the men, Constable G. J. M. Curleigh, patrolled Cape Mercy and remained there some time hunting. He also made a journey with one Eskimo to Cornell Grinnell bay, but shortage of dog feed and frequent and severe storms made the trip, which oc- cupied 45 days and accounted for 645 miles, a very trying one. During 1927, a detachment at Lake harbor, on the southern coast of Baffin island, was established by Seargeant J. E. F. Wright and Constable P. Wersch. The buildings of the detachment were be- gun while the Boethic was in the harbor on last summer's patrol. After the vessel left, the rain was incessant and it was six weeks before the men could carry on with the building. Despite the fact that all 300 IMPROVEMENT ERA fa.. t9zv the team dogs died in an epidemic, patrol work for over 500 miles was done; the coming of the Beothic this summer was very welcome. The patrols in the northland are very severe and only the very best and strongest of men are sent there to maintain law and order. In this Eastern Arctic ;sub-division there are at present only 1800 known Eskimos and their welfare is a concern for the Canadian Government. The duties of the police are varied, from assisting at the birth of Eskimos to scientific explorations, research and pro- tective welfare work. Many an officer has made valuable contribu- tions to the Natural Museum at Ottawa, and furnished important information regarding big game, sea animals, and bird life in their districts. Long and hazardous patrols take place all the time, and on one occasion when an Eskimo killed an officer it took 2500 miles of travel and months of investigation before he was brought back to the seat of his crime. The court passed sentence of death and in order to obtain the necessary documents, witness the sentence carried out, and return with the documents duly executed, and again return to his post, an officer traveled in the aggregate 2000 miles. No "assignment" is so difficult as bringing in a demented man or woman from the northern wastes, over mountains, lakes and un- broken ground. The ordeal is so severe that more than one officer himself has had a nervous breakdown on the completion of his task. Keeping account of all white men entering the north, examining their kit and turning them back if they are not properly provisioned for the trip, or are undesirable, furnish interesting and exciting mo- ments in the lives of the officers of the law. It is but seldom that the public hears of the good work of this splendid body of men who, since 1875, have maintained and guarded jealously their tradition that they "always get their man." Now and then some enterprising journalist will search among the cold clear records of the Force and find therein accounts of exploits and duties under- taken and fulfilled in the face of terrible hardships and dangers; and only then does the public learn that these men have fulfilled the British tradition: "We will sell to no man, we will deny to no man, Justice and Right." At no time are these outposts out of touch with their head- quarters at Ottawa, for instructions are sent to them by radio, even to Bache peninsula, within 700 miles of the North Pole. All that can be done for the officers in the north, who volunteer for this work, is done that their lonely vigils may be made as pleasant as possible; but what measure of praise should we give those who are sleeping their long, last rest in the north, who died while carrying out their Feb.. 1929 MAINTAINING LAW AND ORDER 301 duties so nobly! The words of the poet fit better than anything I can write: "They sleep in peace amid the eternal snows, Their goal achieved, their duty nobly done; And over those whose victor's crown is won, The loud, shrill requiem of the tempest blows." Be Gentle There seems to be a lot of sin In this old world of ours, But if we'd only stop and thin The weeds from out the flowers. We'd do a better deed, I trow, Than e'er we even think. It may be a companion now Is tott'ring on the brink — And if we save a friend from ill, And lend a helping hand, We shall retain our old friend still. And give him strength to stand. There is a host of Godly folk, Upright, and honest, too — Who daily do a kindly deed. Who seem to bless anew The ones in sorrow or in pain. And ease the burdens some. Perhaps you, in your own domain. To such a person come, Who's seen the good and bad in life. You'd order him along; Don't do it, brother, calm yourself — The man may not be strong! Be gentle in your nature, friend. Be kind and loyal, too; Be trustful, helpful, till the end, In whate'er you may do. There is no joy where harshness is. Contentment long has flown — So just remember always this: "You reap what you have sown.'' WESTON N. NORDGREN