the transportation to
Cape Columbia of supplies for the spring sledge journey toward the Pole.
Cape Columbia, ninety miles northwest from the ship, had been chosen
because it was the most northerly point of Grant Land, and because it
was far enough west to be out of the ice current setting down Robeson
Channel. From there we could strike straight north over the ice of the
Polar Sea.

[Illustration: VIEW BETWEEN THE ROOSEVELT AND CAPE COLUMBIA]

The moving of thousands of pounds of supplies for men and dogs for a
distance of ninety miles, under the rigorous conditions of the Arctic,
presented problems for calculation. The plan was to establish stations
along the route, instead of sending each party through to Cape Columbia
and back. The first party was to go to Cape Belknap, about twelve miles
from the ship, deposit their supplies, and return the same day. The
second party was to go to Cape Richardson, about twenty miles away,
deposit their supplies, return part way and pick up the supplies at Cape
Belknap, taking them forward to Cape Richardson. The next station was at
Porter Bay, the next at Sail Harbor, the next at Cape Colan, and the
final station at Cape Columbia itself. Parties would thus be going back
and forth the whole time, the trail would constantly be kept open, and
hunting could be done along the way. The tractive force was, of course,
the Eskimo dogs, and sledges were the means of transportation. The
sledges were of two types: the Peary sledge, which had never been used
before this expedition, and the regular Eskimo sledge, increased
somewhat in length for special work. The Peary type of sledge is from
twelve to thirteen feet in length, two feet in width, and seven inches
in height; the Eskimo type of sledge is nine feet in length, two feet in
width, and seven inches in height. Another difference is that the Eskimo
sledge is simply two oak runners an inch or an inch and a quarter thick
and seven inches wide, shaped at the front to give the easiest curve for
passage over the ice, and shod with steel, while the Peary sledge has
oak sides rounded, both in front and behind, with two-inch wide bent ash
runners attached, the runners being shod with two-inch wide steel shoes.
The sides of both are solid, and they are lashed together with sealskin
thongs.

The Peary sledge is the evolution of twenty-three years of experience in
arctic work and is believed to be the strongest and easiest running
sledge yet used f