stefansson-wrangel-09-13-078-001

28th September 1923.

Mr.A.J.Taylor,
Bank of Hamilton Building,
Toronto,
Ontario,
Canada.

Dear Sir,

Although we have not met, I am looking forward to
making your acquaintance, and in the meantime I should like to
give you particulars of the circumstances under which the fund
for the Wrangel Island Relief Expedition was raised in England.
I have not written to you before, but have kept in touch with
your cable correspondence with Mr.Stefansson.

When Mr. Stefansson found he could not return to
America and therefore had to organise the relief expedition by
cable, he was unable to get support from the English Government,
and I undertook through my Company (The British Wright Co.Ltd.)
to pay the expenses of the relief ship. This was after the
Lomens cabled to Mr.Stefansson saying they could secure Alex
Allen's new good boat 70 tons, 9 knots, for 1000 dollars trip,
2000 if successful. The sum voted by my Company was 2500 dollars,
which was expected to enable Allen to sail immediately if the sea
was clear and bring back the party on Wrangel Island. One thousand
dollars of this money was cabled direct to Nome by Mr.Stefansson
on the 19th July and reimbursed by the British Wright Company, and
the remaining 1500 dollars was held available for cabling as soon
as we could hear that the first 1000 had been received and the
vessel would actually sail.

A week-end cable of the 22nd July from Mr. Stefansson’s
secretary in New York said you had informed her that Allen’s
charter had sailed, and the only other suitable vessel required
7000 dollars for outfit and wages, and 7000 additional to purchase
the ship in the event of freeze-up. The cable of the 24th July
stated that complete cost would be 10000, and a cable of the 26th
July gave more explicit details of the cost of charter, namely:-
"TERMS CHARTER THOUSANDDOLLARS FOR TWELVE DAYS FOLLOWING NINETEEN
DAYS EIGHTYTHREE DOLLARS DAILY THEREAFTER FIFTYSIX DOLLARS DAILY IF