Volume 24-25, 1976-7 - The Arctic Circle - Home

vol,. )off Ib. 3THE ARCTIC C.TRCUI.AR43VI-ILLIAM IAIRD MCKINTAY VISITS OTIAV6, by L.A.C.O. HuntThre last rernaining rnenrber of the il-I-fated Stefansson expedition of1913-18 recently carne to Ottawa, vrtrere for t:vrlo days he had a hectic schedul-eof socj-al events. At alrrcst ninetlz years of age, this renrarkable nran heldor:rt and we, his follcnvers, listened wittr awe. Ttre Department of IndianAffairs hosted a snall h:nchreon in his honour, and I was privileged to attend.He sailed withr Captain R.A. Bartlett, in one of tlre three ships that were partof ttre Canadian gcnren:rnent sponsored erpedition.After sixtlz years of ttr-inking ahrut thrat expedi-tion, McKinlay finally put histhoughts on paper and published his book, 'Karluk'. "I was engaged byStefansson, sight Lmseen", he told usr"ho\r'rever, had I nret tLre Canadian explorerface to face, I would bct have accepted the offer to acccnpany hjm. " As itturned out, the Karl-uk was cnr,shed by tlre ice scrneurhere in tLre Beaufort Sea,and I'lcKinlay states thrat he or^,ed his life to Captain Bartlett. Sensing thatthe end was near, I Bob' Bartlett had nurst of ttre supplies r:nloaded onto ttreice , where ttrey established tlreir hcnre , ' Canq> Shipwreck ' as it was naned.Af ter all ttrese years, Panarctic, tLre ccnpany dri[ing for gas and oil in theHigh Arctic, offered McKinlay tLrr: Clnnce to return and see tlre same cor:ntr1zhe had seen dr:ring that opedition. V{hat he saw and did on t}ris return andsentjrrental journey could fill a.'rother book. Th-is tirne, he flew witJr. Panarcticto such places as Beechey Isl-and, fiill of Franl