stefansson-wrangel-09-14-005-001

Oct 23

October 12,1923

Mr. V .Stefansson
New Court,Middle Temple,
London, England.

My Dear Mr.STefansson.;

Your letter under date Sept. 21, has been duly received
and we were very much gratified that you wrote us as fully
and expressed yourself as freely as you did and we appreciate
all that you have said in connection with the tragedy of
Wrangle Island.

Matters look a bit different to me now from what they did
when I wrote you in Sept.5 and yet, there is one thing that
has not changed in my mind and on the contrary, it has grown
in intensity as I learn more of the facts and that is, that
Joe Bernard was yellow in failing to get to the Island last
year. I have learned that the sea to the east of the Island
was clear until the 23 rd of October and that,had he taken the
same course the Silver Wave took and the Donaldson took, he
could have made the island even after he proved that he was a
quitter by coming back from his attempt to round East Cape.

However, I am not going to dwell on this subject nor am I
going to harbor any grudge or nurse any enmity against him
because, there are always some things that we do not understand
and thaere may have been some reason for his having done as he
did and I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

We ,Mrs. Knight,Joseph and Miss Jones and I, went to Seattle
and met Noice when the Victoria arrived and we received E
Lorne's personal effects and the letter which he had written
to his Mother dated Jany.4, and which he did not believe was
a farewell but, it proved so to be.

We had a conference with Noice and learned from him what he
could tell us principally, that all diaries except Lorne's ,
and all mail for home, had been taken by the other three boys
and that they were all lost so that, all there is left of a
record of the expedition, if is Lorne's diary.