"Lived 7 Years in Arctic," The Kansas City Times, 28 January 1922
Date28 January, 1922
abstractCorrespondence, newspaper articles, and other material related to the ill-fated 1921 expedition to Wrangel Island.
RepositoryRauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College.
Call NumberStefansson Mss-91: Harold Noice Papers, Box 1, Folder 3
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LIVED 7 YEARS IN ARCTIC
YOUTHFUL COMPANION OF STEFANS-
SON IS GOING BACK.
SON IS GOING BACK.
Leaving Seattle In 1915 When He Was
19, Harold Noice Remained Away
From Civilisation Until
This Winter.
19, Harold Noice Remained Away
From Civilisation Until
This Winter.
From the New York World.
Back from the solitude of the Arctic,
Harold Noice, Seattle high school boy,
who went north and became the protege
of Stefansson, has returned home.
Harold Noice, Seattle high school boy,
who went north and became the protege
of Stefansson, has returned home.
Seven years in the treeless wastes of
Victoria Land and beyond, most of the
time "on his own hook," have trans
formed the youth into a seasoned
arctic explorer.
Victoria Land and beyond, most of the
time "on his own hook," have trans
formed the youth into a seasoned
arctic explorer.
Part of the time he had for com
panions only Eskimos, whose language
he has learned, whose habits he copied
in modified form, and whose ethnolog
ical history he has pieced together as
well as it can be done among a people
who have handed down from generation
to generation only a few folk songs,
superstitions and primitive dances,
along with language. Of traditions
they have none. Nothing of legend has
been passed down the ages by the na
tives of the bleak North to help white
men trace their history. Eskimos care
not a whit about ancestry. Improvident,
primitive, their only concern is to have
enough fish and caribou and seal oil
on hand for the lean and frigid winter.
panions only Eskimos, whose language
he has learned, whose habits he copied
in modified form, and whose ethnolog
ical history he has pieced together as
well as it can be done among a people
who have handed down from generation
to generation only a few folk songs,
superstitions and primitive dances,
along with language. Of traditions
they have none. Nothing of legend has
been passed down the ages by the na
tives of the bleak North to help white
men trace their history. Eskimos care
not a whit about ancestry. Improvident,
primitive, their only concern is to have
enough fish and caribou and seal oil
on hand for the lean and frigid winter.
ARCTIC FASCINATED HIM.
"But the Arctic has fascinated me,"
said the young explorer on his return
to Seattle. "Mr. Stefansson has wired
me, asking whether I would care to re
turn to the North with him. I shall
go back soon to carry on my work."
said the young explorer on his return
to Seattle. "Mr. Stefansson has wired
me, asking whether I would care to re
turn to the North with him. I shall
go back soon to carry on my work."
"How did you come to go North at
19, when most young men are busy
playing football-and dancing?" he was
asked.
19, when most young men are busy
playing football-and dancing?" he was
asked.
"Well, I started out for adventure,
but I was expecting something alto
gether different than I got. We went
up originally to take motion pictures—
or at least I thought so. I met a young
fellow in Seattle who posed as a Har
vard graduate about to make a picture
expedition into Alaska to get motion
picture films of the scenery, and he
asked me to go along. I jumped at the
chance, but when we got to Nome the
man who had arranged the expedition
failed to meet us with the camera equip
ment as scheduled.
but I was expecting something alto
gether different than I got. We went
up originally to take motion pictures—
or at least I thought so. I met a young
fellow in Seattle who posed as a Har
vard graduate about to make a picture
expedition into Alaska to get motion
picture films of the scenery, and he
asked me to go along. I jumped at the
chance, but when we got to Nome the
man who had arranged the expedition
failed to meet us with the camera equip
ment as scheduled.
"Capt. Louis Lane of the Polar Bear,
on which I sailed, decided to sail up
to Banks Land, north of Bailey Island
and Cape Perry, and that summer
(1915) we met Stefansson at Cape
Kellett. He had been out of touch with
the world for two years, and the out
side world was beginning to fear some
thing had happened to him. We found,
however, that he was not in distress.
on which I sailed, decided to sail up
to Banks Land, north of Bailey Island
and Cape Perry, and that summer
(1915) we met Stefansson at Cape
Kellett. He had been out of touch with
the world for two years, and the out
side world was beginning to fear some
thing had happened to him. We found,
however, that he was not in distress.
JOINED STEFANSSON PARTY.
"When Stefansson asked me to join
his expedition I was tickled to death.
I had a chance to travel with a dis
coverer. We wintered at Cape Arm
strong. It was my first winter in the
Arctic, and it was a severe one.
his expedition I was tickled to death.
I had a chance to travel with a dis
coverer. We wintered at Cape Arm
strong. It was my first winter in the
Arctic, and it was a severe one.
"We made several trips that winter.
I learned a lot from the famous ex
plorer. He went out of his way to
teach me some of the countless things
he had learned in his long years of ex
plorations in the Arctic and Antarctic.
I learned a lot from the famous ex
plorer. He went out of his way to
teach me some of the countless things
he had learned in his long years of ex
plorations in the Arctic and Antarctic.
"Occasionally we hunted seals for
meat for the dogs. Seal meat, by the
way, isn't what you’d call fine food, but
we ate of it. Besides, any kind of fresh
meat keeps away scurvy.
meat for the dogs. Seal meat, by the
way, isn't what you’d call fine food, but
we ate of it. Besides, any kind of fresh
meat keeps away scurvy.
FOUND GOOSE NESTS.
"Near Crown Prince Gustav Sea we
found a nesting place of the Hutchings
goose—the only nesting rendezvous any
of us had ever seen in the Arctic. The
birds were there by the thousands, and
the eggs we pilfered from their nests
proved an agreeable change in diet.
found a nesting place of the Hutchings
goose—the only nesting rendezvous any
of us had ever seen in the Arctic. The
birds were there by the thousands, and
the eggs we pilfered from their nests
proved an agreeable change in diet.
"We spent the summer of 1916 on an
island where there was plenty of cari
bou, and we put up dried meat and fat.
It was too warm to travel, as the ice
was breaking up, and we made the most
of the delay by storing up food.
island where there was plenty of cari
bou, and we put up dried meat and fat.
It was too warm to travel, as the ice
was breaking up, and we made the most
of the delay by storing up food.
"I built my first snow house that trip,
Stefansson showing me how. Slabs of
solid packed snow are cut out of a drift
Stefansson showing me how. Slabs of
solid packed snow are cut out of a drift
with a knife and built up, each row set
a little closer in and the pieces over
lapped a bit.
a little closer in and the pieces over
lapped a bit.
"That winter we went to Winter Har
bor, Melville Island, to a cache left by
Captain Berneier, a French explorer who
made an expedition for the Canadian
government in 1908, and tripped back
and forth to it, carrying supplies to Cape
Grassy and 'New Land.'
bor, Melville Island, to a cache left by
Captain Berneier, a French explorer who
made an expedition for the Canadian
government in 1908, and tripped back
and forth to it, carrying supplies to Cape
Grassy and 'New Land.'
BORROW FROM CACHES.
"It is the ethics of the North that an
explorer may take anything he needs
from another party's cache—but only
what he needs—nothing is to be wasted.
Among the Eskimos the same ethics pre
vail. The natives leave something to
recompense, as their caches are indi
vidually owned. We found ruins on Mel
ville Island indicating a prehistoric
people. There were arrow heads of
stone and similar relics.
explorer may take anything he needs
from another party's cache—but only
what he needs—nothing is to be wasted.
Among the Eskimos the same ethics pre
vail. The natives leave something to
recompense, as their caches are indi
vidually owned. We found ruins on Mel
ville Island indicating a prehistoric
people. There were arrow heads of
stone and similar relics.
"On the east coast of Melville Island
we found a large cache the explorers,
Kellett and McClintoch, had made dur
ing their search for Sir John Franklin’s
expedition about seventy years before.
"The cache was built of stone, square
and four feet thick, and contained casks
of fine knitted woolen clothing and pro
visions. Most of the food was in excel
lent condition. There were barrels of
chocolate in perfect condition. The
chocolate was in big thick slabs. There
were currants there, too, in abundance,
and you can’t realize how delicious they
were. There were lots of empty bottles
in the cache, indicating that some ex
ploring party, coming on it, had had a
jovial time.
and four feet thick, and contained casks
of fine knitted woolen clothing and pro
visions. Most of the food was in excel
lent condition. There were barrels of
chocolate in perfect condition. The
chocolate was in big thick slabs. There
were currants there, too, in abundance,
and you can’t realize how delicious they
were. There were lots of empty bottles
in the cache, indicating that some ex
ploring party, coming on it, had had a
jovial time.
"By the way, Stefansson never carried
a drop of intoxicant, and we never en
countered any in all our long stay in
the North."
a drop of intoxicant, and we never en
countered any in all our long stay in
the North."
FORMED HIS OWN PARTY.
The lure of the Arctic caught Noice
and he stayed on after Stefansson went
south. Noice bought a ship and traveled
with several white men and some Eski
os.
and he stayed on after Stefansson went
south. Noice bought a ship and traveled
with several white men and some Eski
os.
"The winter of 1918-19,” he related, "I
lived with Eskimos at Point Agiak, with
not a white companion. I put up a deer
skin tent, made a crude stovepipe, and
built a house from wreckage. I spent
the winter learning the language of the
Eskimos and digging for specimens.
lived with Eskimos at Point Agiak, with
not a white companion. I put up a deer
skin tent, made a crude stovepipe, and
built a house from wreckage. I spent
the winter learning the language of the
Eskimos and digging for specimens.
"We in the temperate zones consider
the Eskimos so primitive that we never
associate morals with them. Yet actu
ally they are intensely religious, and ob
serve all the 'taboos' imposed by their
faith. At certain times they are not
permitted to sew, there are food restric
tions at other times, and, altogether, the
Eskimo is kept busy fulfilling his re
ligious obligations.
the Eskimos so primitive that we never
associate morals with them. Yet actu
ally they are intensely religious, and ob
serve all the 'taboos' imposed by their
faith. At certain times they are not
permitted to sew, there are food restric
tions at other times, and, altogether, the
Eskimo is kept busy fulfilling his re
ligious obligations.
"When a native becomes ill he is 'out
of luck.' 'Spirit men' are summoned to
his bedside, as they believe sickness is
caused by displeased spirits, and they
summon up all the spirits possible in
an effort to placate them and induce
them to cure the victim of their wrath.
Medicine is unknown, and the man or
woman who gets well can thank a sturdy
constitution after a seance with the
'spirit men,' who are very apt to drag
him out of bed in their ministrations.
of luck.' 'Spirit men' are summoned to
his bedside, as they believe sickness is
caused by displeased spirits, and they
summon up all the spirits possible in
an effort to placate them and induce
them to cure the victim of their wrath.
Medicine is unknown, and the man or
woman who gets well can thank a sturdy
constitution after a seance with the
'spirit men,' who are very apt to drag
him out of bed in their ministrations.
"The language of the Eskimo is inter
esting to the student. Seemingly cum
bersome and long—the words often con
tain thirty, forty or fifty letters—the
various terms are expressive, but if a
few of the letters are disarranged or
omitted in these long words the whole
meaning is destroyed.”
esting to the student. Seemingly cum
bersome and long—the words often con
tain thirty, forty or fifty letters—the
various terms are expressive, but if a
few of the letters are disarranged or
omitted in these long words the whole
meaning is destroyed.”
SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 1922
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