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The Lorne Knight Diary, vol. 1
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a mile off shore a pressure ridge can be seen, made in the last few days. For a long time I have said nothing about our seamstress. She is very quiet and rather downhearted over the fact that the ship did not show up, but she keeps busy and is at present making a pair of fancy moose hide mitts (probably for Crawford). There is considerable clothing to be made for Crawford and I if we go to Siberia, but xxx will wait for will not have her start till we get to move. Crawford and I have just about made up our mind to make the trip, and the time of starting depends on several things, ice conditions, dog feed, weather etc, but we are hoping to get started about . We think that if the weather is good and going on the ice, not too bad, that Nome should be reached in 60 or 70 days, for we have about made up our minds to go to Nome instead of Anadir Bay. We have thot that V.S. might be wintering on the main land South of us, and I think that if he is we will see him by . If he should not come till later we will have to take a chance and go, for very likly if he is wintering on the main land we will hear of him and his ship and will go there. If one can go by "hunches", my "hunch" tells me that V.S. did not come north this summer, and that we are doing the right thing in making this trip. Saw an oul owl today.
max 18 min 4 Blowing a howling gale from the W. and drifting thick. We were comfortable and warm in our tent until the stove started to smoke and then we had to get in our bags. Clear overhead.
max 9 min -1.5 Intended to start moving today but the gale did not abate until xxx after noon. We expected to see signs of open water but the
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ice was unchanged. Crawford and I just had time to haul a load of wood before dark. We hauled it on the sea ice, the first load since the ice went out some time ago. We saw three or four fox tracks, but no signs of bears. Cloudy and fresh for from N.
max 7 min Maurer, Galle and I took a load to the other camp today consisting of the stone tent, Galles sleeping gear and several cases of hard bread. We pitched the tent there and Galle remained, using the stove which we had in the trapping camp last winter. A couple of fresh fox tracks and a fresh bear track about 1/2 mi. W of camp. Blowing a strong breeze from the E. with snow. Drifting
max 18 min -10.5 Crawford and I took a large load to the other camp today and made slow time as the going was slow because of an inch of slush on the ice. Galle had seen a seal on the ice and had had a try at it but no luck. No tracks of any animals were seen. Variable winds all day. Now (midnight) Clear, calm & cold.
max 13 min 2 Crawford and I took all the seal poles to the other camp today. Only one fox track seen. Maurer busy about camp, and the woman is making me a sleeping bag. Cloudy & calm.
max 5 min -5.0 Blowing a very strong gale from the N N W and drifting heavily. Rather cold in the tent but we had plenty of wood and a good stove so was not so bad off. The last of the bear meat was et eaten on Nd The interior of the tent is covered with hoar frost.
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max 5 min -14.0 The gale abated last night so Crawford and I took a load to the other camp. Found that Galle had got thru the gale with nothing more serious than his tent blowing down. Did not see a track of anything. Fresh freeze from the E.
max 11 min -8.0 Blowing a strong breeze from the East and snowing, and as Maurer and I felt a little under the weather we did not go to the other camp.
max 11 min 8.0 Crawford and I took a load to the other camp today. Saw 3 or 4 fresh fox tracks. There is no snow X suitable for blocks near the new house and the ground is nearly bare. As things look now it will be some time before we will be able to cover the roof and sides. Galle has been stocking wood and he says that there is a large amount within a mile of the house. Blowing a light breeze from the East. Clear & cold.
max 11 min -7.5 Crawford and I took a load to the other camp today. Saw a couple of fresh fox tracks. Galle has been stacking wood. Maurer packing things ready for moving. Slightly cloudy. Light breeze from the E. We have 26 boxes of hard bread left and about 3 weeks of dog feed. A large amount of seal oil left.
max 11 min -14 Crawford and I took a load to the other camp. A bear had crossed our trail some time since yesterday coming from the land and going to sea. One fresh fox track. Clear, and light breeze from E. Crawford rigged up a box for getting sights on stars. to rate his watch.
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Blowing a light gale all day from the East and drifting so did no work. Clear.
Still blowing from the East and drifting. General duties.
Still blowing and drifting. Cut wood and general duties.
1 fox G. 1 fox M. All hands lowered the ridges of the house frame this A.M. then Maurer and Galle went to their traps. Maurer got a female fox with poor fur: About a mile West, Maurer saw the tracks of a female with two small (last winter) cubs. They were along the beach for a short way and then went out on the ice. Maurer also saw several fox tracks. Galle got a male fox at the old camp site and saw the tracks of several more. Also poorly fured. Crawford and I busy getting the frame ready to put on snow blocks. Clear, cold and light breeze from the N.E. The bear tracks, Maurer thinks, were made 3 or 4 days ago, some time during the blow which we have had for the last few days.
Maurer and Galle to thier traps. Nothing caught but several tracks seen. Crawford and I busy about camp. Light E. breeze. Clear.
Maurer & Galle to their traps. Maurer got a female fox and saw several tracks. Galle caught nothing but saw several fox tracks and a bear track about 3/4 of a mile East of camp I Crawford and I hauled two loads of wood
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the beach some time ago, about 1/4 mile East of here. The snow was very soft as it has been snowing for the last 24 or 30 hours. Altho my diary entry shows , it is Xmas Eve by the diaries of the others and we are celebrating (?!!?) by having and extra hard bread or so apiece. The snow roof was completed today excepting the door and it is nice and comfortable in here tonight. Calm very cloudy and snow. Warm
Alltho my entry says the others have so we celebrated (?) Xmas. A few extra hard bread. All hands did a little work outside and called it a day. About 4 inches of snow fell in the last 24 hours. Clear, cold and light breeze from E.
Blowing a strong breeze this morning and drifting from the East so stayed inside. I finished the complete set of dog harness for the trip, and Crawford is busy making ridge pole and uprights for the tent, Light breeze from the East Cloudy.
Crawford working on tent and I brought the sled in- doors and made several repairs on it. Hope to finish it tomorrow. Snowing hard so the trappers stayed in camp today. Cloudy & warm
The sled & tent in good shape and all that is
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left for us to do is to get our outfit together. We would like to get started soon but the ground is covered with about 6 inches of floury snow and we intend to wait for a blow to pack it. Last night was very cold and so is today. Clear & variable airs.
General duties. Thick, warm & snowing. The trappers stayed in camp as walking is very bad.
General duties. Clear, calm & co-o-o-o-ld. -36° and still going down
General duties. Blowing up from the East.
A howling gale from the East. As Crawford was build ing a fire the morning the dogs set up a howl and C rushed out but it was impossible to see a more than a foot or two. The dogs soon quieted down and so whatever was in camp did not stay long. Hard luck. Drifting as hard as can be imagined.
Blowing a howling gale from the East and drifting as hard as I have ever seen it drift. A part of the north wall blew away and some snow drifted in but did no damage. The wind on afternoon of nearly died down and it is now cloudy.
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One leaf- pages 147 and 148 were removed for purposes of experimenting with a method of deciphering the mutilated parts of the diary. Both pages were blank and neither had been written on.
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Clothing Issue A.R. Crawford
X 12 pr. socks 1 quilt underwear 22 l' pants 1 pr. drawers 111 " socks 1 ' putters 11 ' blanket mitts 1 skin shirt 11 towel 1 water boats 1 belt 1 pr canvass boots 1 hander cheif
1111111111 pr. socks 11 " water boots 111 handkerchief 1 belt 11 blanket mitts 1 pr. canvass boots 1 pr skin mitts 111 pr. army pants 1 suit underwear 1 woolen shirt 11 pr. drawers 1 pr undershirt
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Clothing issue F.W. Maurer
11 pr. pants 11112 " socks 11 " waterboots 11 " blanket mitts 1 skin shirt 1 snow shirt 1 belt 1 pr. canvass boots 1 under shirt 11 suit underwear 1 pair drawers
11 pr. water boots 1 pr skin mitts 113 handkerchiefs 11 pr pants 11 towels 1 suit underwear 11 pr. blanket mitts 1 woolen army shirt 1 skin shirt 11 blanket mitts 11111111 socks 1 belt 1 pr. canvass boots
11 Towel 3 handkerchiefs 1 belt
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24.75 45.00 120.00 8.20 60.00 125.00 5. 10. 42. 17.50 55.50 11. 3.50 1.00 6.00 25 5 20 ------------ 585.45