The search for the The MacAlpine Expedition. The dairy makes a note on November 30 about Col. MacAlpine and others, so I would say that this is an account from the search

The Diary of S. Longley, Engineer

Tuesday, November 12th, 1929 :
Left Bathurst, headed up Backs River; landed Muskox Lake at mouth of Icy River (300 yards), owing to fog camped for night.

Wednesday, November 13th, 1929 :
No good for flying.

Thursday, November 14th, 1929 :
Took three hours to warm up and get machines unstuck off ice, snow shovelling, etc. Dom. Ex. CF-ACZ broke front of fuselage; other W.C.A. machines left for Reliance, leaving Spence, Siers and Longley; made camp again.

Friday, November 15, 1929 :
Finished making temporary repairs with "Wear-ever" frying pan handles; turned into bed 4:00.

Saturday, November 16th, 1929 :
Got up and heated engines ready to push off; others didn't come back, haven't enough gas to go through alone, so washed out; turned in 5:00 finished hard tack. Tommy Siers and I went for walk.

Sunday, November 17th, 1929 :
Got up 12:00 noon - dirty day - went for walk. Saw white fox round camp. Tommy tried to shoot it; went to bed 5:15.

Monday, November 18th, 1929 :
Fine day - Tommy and I went for walk. Saw Rock Marmot. Went to bed 6:00 - talked till 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 19th, 1929 :
Tommy and I went for walk, crossed Icy River (Water beneath snow) - saw two rabbits (Arctic hare) - cold n.w. wind.

Wednesday November 20th, 1929 :
Went for walk - very cold - no wind. Perfect flying weather. Walked round lake. Bill Spence saw large grey wolf - food getting short - bed 5:15.

Thursday, November 21st, 1929 :
Same as yesterday - saw fox but didn't get him - perfect flying day. Tomorrow will see us on straight ham diet.

Friday, November 22nd, 1929 :
Bill Spence found box of fancy biscuits in Dick Pearce's pack; had a banquet supper; ham - sweet biscuits; one tin sardines - sweet biscuits; honey - sweet biscuits. In bed; fox came around digging beside tent. Bill Spence tried to shoot him - too dark - Bill with bare legs. Perfect flying day; don't understand why machines don't come back.

Saturday, November 23rd, 1929 :
Finished off biscuits; tied machine down; perfect morning; all feel a bit weak today - absolute silence - very noticeable today. Fox tracks all round tent. Bill Spence put note in tin on survey stone post, approximately one mile east of our camp. Found fine set of old caribou antlers. Very cold - went to bed 4:30. Names on cloth on survey post 1924 - G. Cameron, Carpenter, Bedford or Beatty, and another not recognizable.

Sunday, November 24th, 1929 :
Got up 10:30; started out for walk. Tommy took 303 Savage; got one ptarmigan. Saw two others flying; saw three rabbits, gas fumes are blamed for missing them; was out three hours, got very tired. Something wrong with my stomach; wanted and couldn't vomit. Had ptarmigan stew for supper. Bill Spence saw wolf again. Fox was around last night. Didn't sleep much; felt the cold.

Monday, November 25th, 1929 :
Looks pretty bad. S.W. wind, stayed in bed till Tommy Siers and Bill Spence went hunting. Came back with one rabbit and one ptarmigan; spirits high; had a good meal for once. Had a snow squall.

Tuesday, November 26th, 1929 :
Had breakfast - rabbit liver and ptarmigan fried. During breakfast fox jumped on tent. Bill Spence got him with 303 after 22 missed fire (sic) four times. Had fried fox for supper - went real good - all feel gas fumes.

Wednesday, November 27th, 1929 :
Andy Cruickshanks came over 10:00 a.m., grand rush to get out of tent - told us Roy Brown cracked up ten miles south of us ten days previous on his way to us. We tried to get going, but no good. Camped under Fokker wing. Andy cooked cracker-jack of a meal; found rum was frozen all over - ate considerable; four of us doubled up in eiderdowns.

Thursday, November 28th, 1929 :
Got up 5:00 a.m., got engines going. GZ Fairchild missing badly. Bill Spence taxied to take off machine; hit several drifts and crumpled up. Hasty look, appears to be write-off; all piled into Andy's machine; landed at Brown's machine; took off cylinder and cowling for Kenyon. Picked up Brown, Paul Davis and Blanchet; good load - 8 men and kit. Came in to Fort Reliance sixteenth day since leaving Bathurst, also had first wash and shave since then.

Friday, November 29th, 1929 :
All kit wet and frozen; slept in blankets. Servicing SQ today.

Saturday, November 30th, 1929 :
Up 5:00 a.m., heated machines; both took off for Stoney Rapids 8:20. Col. MacAlpine, Dick Pearce, Blanchet, MacMillan, Don Goodwin, Doc Bruce, Boadway, and Roy Brown have gone, besides machine crews, took snaps of house and bay. This is my wedding day, guess I'm marked absent.

Source: The Stuart Graham Papers

Flyvertosset's Gallery