Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 237, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1910 — KILLED BY WALRUS [ARTICLE]

KILLED BY WALRUS

Inspector Pelletier, with noncommissioned officers and troopers of the Royal northwest mounted police, who started in June last fi«m Edmonton, Canadian northwest, ou patrol duty to the arctic regions, recently reached Winnipeg on their return journey, From Edmonton the route was taken by sled and snowshoes across the continent, through the great northern wilderness, by way of Great Slave lake to Baker lake, thence overland to Fort Churchill on the Hudson bay, and back to Winnipeg by way/of Split lake and Norway house. Important geological discoveries were made. Details of the death of Corp. R. L. M. Donaldson, one of the detachment, which took place while cruising from Cape Fullerton, 500 miles to Fort Churchill, have been furnished to the Field, London. Corp. Donaldson and Corp. Reeves started from Fullerton in a 44-foot H. B. cruising yacht, accompanied by an Eskimo half-breed named Ford. They made the cruise all safe, and. at length- reached Marble island, some miles down tne coast from Fullerton. The Eskimos have a tradition regarding this island, which they believe to be a great iceberg turned by a spirit into stone of peculiar whiteness. No Eskimo will land upon it. When the boat drew near, the officers seemed to Bee the island moving up and down In the water, but the Eskimo cried that what seemed to make this island move was the presence of an immense herd of walruß. Donaldson then determined to get near them in the dinghy and have a shot at them. The yacht lay by while he killed or wounded several of the herd, but his barrel- becoming hot he started to put back to the yacht. This gave him trouble, as the whole herd was ppw thoroughly excited. Donaldson and Reeves then set out together to skim the edges of the herd and secure the tusks and heads of the animal* killed.

Soon tr.-riflc roars in the water astern warned them that they were encircled. Huge bulls kept rearing suddenly all about them, and with four sets of tusks they decided to pull back again. An enraged bull now came up with a crash right beneath their keel, raising the dinghy c i ear of the water and throwing "them both overboard. They made for the yacht, but after a few strokes in the icy water Reeves turned to go back to the dinghy and clung to it. No sooner had he reached it than Donaldson suddenly disappeared amid a commotion in the water. He was never seen again. Reeves himself had a miraculous escape. After clinging for a considerable time to the capsized boat, in water where icebergs are numerous, he at length reached shore. When he was on the verge of perishing, Ford, the Eskimo, reached him and was the means of saving his life. Ford stripped the soaked clothing from the officer and replaced it with his own warm garments, and chafed his limbs. Reeves’ legs were ulcerated from the effects of the icy-cold salt water, and it was only his strong and healthy constitution that enat.ed him to recover.