stefansson-wrangel-09-31-057v

78 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND

campaign in Ottawa to interest the Government in the
before-mentioned large plans of polar exploration. One
of the most enthusiastic was Mr. J. B. Harkin, Commis-
sioner of Dominion Parks, and at that time officially
interested in the welfare of northern Canada, since the
game laws, which now have been transferred to the
Northwest Territories Branch, were then under his
administration. Spring drew on apace, and we were
eager that the expedition should sail that summer. We
were, therefore, trying to get everything ready so that
the moment we received approval and money from the
Government we could push ahead along various lines.
We were temporarily optimistic through having suc-
ceeded in getting money set aside for the refitting of the
Canadian Government’s old exploratory ship, the Arctic,
and this work was actually going on, in secret to the
extent that the purpose of the refitting and the destina-
tion of the proposed voyage were kept hidden. So far
so good; but it was almost equally important that we
should have a staff of men ready. Mr. Harkin and I,
therefore, agreed on writing a tentative stereotyped letter
to the presidents of most of the Canadian universities,
asking them to nominate young men trained in the
sciences and recently graduated from college with whom
we might confer to make up our minds whether they
might be eligible for polar service.

Eventually we received replies from most of the presi-
dents; but the only correspondence that concerns us here
is that with the University of Toronto. We need not
copy the whole correspondence, for its essential points
are summarized in the first letter written to me by
Allan Crawford. [But see Appendix X.]