stefansson-wrangel-09-25-004-008

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After the pemmican and other stuff was on the ice, the
Captain ordered me to take the two Eskimos and build two large houses.
The walls were made of boxes of bread and sacks of coal reinforced with
snow and covered with the ship's sail that had been placed on the ice
several weeks before. We lived in these houses very comfortably until
Shipwreck Camp was deserted several weeks later.

During this time a blizzard was blowing from the north.
As fast as anything was placed on the ice it was covered with the drift-
ing snow. I put an extra case of .30-30 ammunition on the ice, as the two
natives had each a .30-30. Later these cases of ammunition could not be
found nor yet a case of 6¹/₂mm. (Mannlicher) ammunition.

There was plenty of time to save everything we wanted
from the ship, for she was held tight in the ice all that night and till
mid-afternoon, A few minutes after three-theirty P.M. the ship when she began to
go down by the head until she was almost perpendicular. Then she suddenly
straightened out on a level keel and slowly sank with the Union Jack fly-
ing. The depth of water was thrity fathoms.

For several days after this all hands were engaged
getting ready for the trip ashore, fixing up boots and socks and sleeping
gear, making these the best they could out of deerskins. About the middle
of January the Captain sent three sled-loads of provisions and all the dogs
(over twenty) with the first and second officers and two sailors with
orders to go to Wrangell Island and form a base and build a house to be
ready for the ship's company whenever they should arrive.

I think it was sixteen or seventeen days before the
teams returned. During that interval the Captain had a line of depots
made at distance of one, two, three and four days' travel towards Wrangell
Island from Shipwreck Camp. These contained food and oil. He asked me