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mix with the alcohol. This did little for the flavour of the liquor, and MacAlpine asked for hot water to help wash it down. He was accidentally given straight dishwater, gulped it down, and promptly vomited. To commemorate this event they dubbed their location Dishwater Point.
    Pearce kept up his diary entries, summarizing each day as it came. To keep themselves occupied, the men played bridge with a deck of cards that Goodwin had made from linen maps. Baker decided the men needed to build up their strength for the trek to Cambridge Bay, so they went hiking along the shoreline, all the while hunting for food and observing the ice conditions, which unfortunately never seemed to change. Pearce even took on the task of surgeon and lanced the abscess in Baker’s mouth. Meanwhile, their sod hut continued to bulge and buckle in the warm temperatures.
    Only eight hundred miles from one another, a day’s plane journey apart, both searchers and expedition members were impatiently waiting for the same thing. Until freeze-up, progress by air and on foot would be impossible.

| Three |
    Grounded by Weather
September 28, 1929
    Richard Pearce’s Diary Dease Point
    A queer bright arch, like a white bow, showed in the sky to the north for several hours. None of us have ever seen anything like it before. Little new ice formed on the sea overnight, but the lake from which we get our fresh water has at least six inches.
    The days to the men stretched endlessly and although they kept busy doing daily chores, their minds continually wandered to the thought of rescue and if an attempt would be successful. They knew twenty days had elapsed since they had been heard from.
    Cruickshank and his search team were gravely concerned about the waterways because a freeze was imminent. Once this happened rescue attempts would have to be abandoned until the lakes were sufficiently frozen to withstand the weight of an aircraft on skis.
    For the next few days the flyers raced against time, freighting drums filled with fuel from Stony Rapids to Wholdaia Lake. They placed gas and provisions at another small lake on the plateau near Wholdaia, where lower temperatures would cause ice to form more quickly and enable their fully loaded ski planes to take off safely. The preferred supply route was north along the course of the Dubawnt River and Lake to Wholdaia Lake, 280 miles southeast of Fort Reliance. The weather, although adverse, still permitted flights and supplies were being cached for later transfer.
    These preparations, while necessary, were also frustrating since they further diverted the pilots from their purpose. They had come to search for the lost expedition, but could not do this until sufficient supplies had been cached before freeze up. After careful consideration, Cruickshank, Vance, and Hollick-Kenyon, along with the mechanics, decided to fly to Baker Lake (140 miles to the east of Wholdaia) and check on the status of supplies at the next search base.
    Tommy Siers, along with Pat Semple, had been directed by Brintnell to head to Cranberry Portage via rail. They would then be flown to Stony Rapids to meet up with Cruickshank, Hollick-Kenyon, and Vance. Siers would be head mechanic for the searchers. His expertise and innovation regarding aircraft maintenance and repair would prove to be invaluable. Cruickshank bantered and joked at great length with Semple, an Irishman and an air engineer with Western Canada Airways. Once they were all together, the men boarded the planes and headed for Baker Lake, with hopes that the lakes would not yet be frozen over.
    Three aircraft on the shores of Baker Lake in October 1929 wait for freeze-up.
Provincial Archives of Manitoba, Canadian Air Lines Collection #2122.
    Even though all three planes carried skis, a forced float landing on a partially frozen lake so late in the season could mean disaster. Also of concern was the fact that if the temperature dropped overnight, the planes would be embedded in