In
the winter of 1956/1957 I was fortunate to be able to participate in the
winter survey of a portion of the NW Territories-Saskatchewan provincial
boundary under William V. (Bill) Blackie DLS. Bill had come to Canada not
so long before this survey from his native country of South Africa and
had had to take charge of this project the year before, because his predecessor
had lost a finger in a helicopter accident. Bill later went on to
become Surveyor-General of Canada Lands.
My duties in the survey party of some 30 plus people was to be in charge
of the chaining crew of four. Later on it was our task to place the final
boundary monuments. This was in the days before there were any electronic
measuring devices. In fact, the first model of the Geodimeter was brought
out the next season to check some of our distances. We measured with two
steel tapes, one 300 feet long and the other 400 links, in order to obtain
two independent measurements, which had to agree with each other by a margin
of 1:15,000. The tapes were kept at a tension of 20 lb
.
by means of spring balances and were supported near the centre,
to minimise sag corrections, which had to applied in the evening to the
measurements, plus those for temperature and slope. Slope angles were determined
using a WILD T1 theodolite, and the remote point to be measured to was
a tripod.
By law, the northerly boundary of the Province of Saskatchewan is the
60th parallel of latitude, as defined by a series of chords with length
of one township in the Dominion 
(Canada)
land survey system. The survey proceeded by first running a trial line
between points determined previously by precise astronomical observations
for latitude and longitude, and later running the final line to meet those
fixes. Double lines of levels were also run between final boundary monuments.
The portion of boundary surveyed during that season consisted of the
third portion (out of a total of four, proceeding easterly) with a length
of about 120 km and extending from Scott Lake to Selwyn Lake. Numerous
lakes and rivers, which crossed
the boundary almost at right angles, were traversed on the ice. It was
up and down, and up and down all the time.
This was a particularly cold winter, with temperatures often down to
minus 50 degrees Celsius, and for prolonged
periods not even rising above minus 35 degrees Celsius. Work never stopped
because of low temperatures, but was sometimes delayed because of blowing
snow on the lakes, or because camp had to be moved .Freezing of cheeks
and noses was a constant danger. Early on daylight was also severely limited,
we often had to walk kilometres in the dark from and to camp. Living in
tents, which were heated with wood stoves, was not easy, but we made do.
I was even able to successfully study for my Grade 13 high school examinations
after doing chainage reductions for well over one hour each night after
the field work. We developed the ability to estimate the temperature to
within 2 degrees Celsius, just by listening
to the intensity of the crackling sound when our washing water hit the
ground as we threw it out in the morning. Camp moves were accomplished
by dog team, and using a contraption which represented a prototype of the
now familiar Skidoo snowmobile. However, our supply aircraft, a DeHavilland
Norseman, had to be pressed in service from time to time also.
I made the first aeroplane flight in my life in that Norseman.After
having it stuffed full with sleeping bags, tents etc. there was a small
indentation left next to the door, into which I had to crawl, and the
door was slammed behind me. But it had not closed, and when the plane banked
to the right on take-off, the door opened under me, and I frantically hung
on to what I could get hold of. Only later did I notice, that the door
would open only so much because of the slip stream, but I had a few scary
moments.
There was no recreation other than reading books or doing some curling 
on
the ice with home-made "stones" (slabs of birch logs) on Sundays.There
was no electricity, except a hand-operated generator for the radio transceiver,
no TV or video, no alcohol. We were, however, in contact with the outside
world by shortwave transceiver. I can remember, after several months among
men, with wonder the different sound of the female voice of the radio operator
at the other end. Each night around midnight we were treated to the wolf
packs howling in the surrounding hills, and to the most spectacular Northern
Lights.
Home, sweet home ! On the left "D.K."
Curling in the raw. In front: Ivan
McDonald, now NSLS., CLS., OLS.,
McDonald, now CLS., rear
in private practice in Halifax NS.
(l. to r.):Bill Blackie, unidentified,
D.K., unidentified
