HI 
 
 U .
 
 VERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES 
 
 Robert Ernest Cowan
 
 50th Comskkss. i HOC: 
 
 K OF KKPHKSKNTATIVK 
 
 I I)<Xl MKV 
 
 i No. -Ml. 
 
 yik im) irr 
 
 rr 1 1 
 
 isi-: of the I'. S. Revenue Cutter Hem 
 
 OVERLAND EXPEDITION 
 
 Kni; Till-: 
 
 M-;iJ EF OF Til K W 1 1 A (VERS IX 
 A R(,TI<: OCEAX, 
 
 NOVEMBER '>/. I8H7. TO SEPTEMBER 1 3, I8J)8. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 (GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
 
 i s H |l.
 
 TKKASriiY I »KI'AKT.MKNT, 
 Document No. L'K'l.
 
 c <> x t k x r rs 
 
 Ki 
 
 Infroducti >ry 
 Secretary L.J. ( la.iiv: 
 
 I nsl met ions to < • < >i 1 1 1 1 1 . 1 1 1 < 1 1 • r of expedition 
 < ';i])i . Francis Tunic: 
 
 Report of arrival of Hear at Fnalaska 
 'turn of Bear to Dutch Harbor reported 
 ■in - reported at Norton Sound by 
 ■ports movements of Hear since June 2->. I sits 
 < trders by. to First Lieut. I). FT. Jar vis to take charge of overland exp 
 dition 
 e*s First Lieut. 1). II. Jarvis: 
 *"" Report of. from Point Farrow 
 
 Detailed report of overland expedition 
 Instructions by. to Second Lieut. E. P. Bertbolf 
 l irders to Sur»\ S. J. Call 
 Receipt for reindeer from Artisarlook 
 Receipt for reindeer from W. T. Lopp 
 Second Lieut. F. P. Bertbolf: 
 
 Report of overland expedition to Point Hope 
 Report of movements while separated front main expedition 
 Sin- S.J. Call: 
 
 Medical report of overland expedition by 
 
 Reports with II. IF Marsh. M. D.. post-mortem examination 
 Philip Man n 
 \.sst. Stir.-. F. II. Woodruff: 
 
 Summary of medical reports by 
 Request for aid front crews of whalers 
 
 Account of the reindeer used on the overland expedition . 
 ; 'hart of the cruise of the Fear 
 
 bodv 
 
 of 
 
 I l 
 Ifi 
 
 :!<) 
 
 is 
 
 103 
 
 1 c, 
 
 FJ7 
 1 [2 
 
 1 i:; 
 
 I II
 
 LIST ( >!■' ILLrsTWATlOXS. 
 
 President William McKinle\ 
 
 Secretary of tli" Tivasury. Lyman -1. (tu^i' 
 
 (.'apt. ( '. F. Shoemaker, chief Revenue-* 'utter Service 
 
 Revenue cutter Bear 
 
 ( M'tioT- of ill" revenue cutter Bear 
 
 Dub li Harbor. Alaska 
 
 St. Lawrence r slam I 
 
 Forecastle mi riie Bear 
 
 vVhahue; station at P linl Hope. Alaska, -prim: 
 
 Whaliim' station at Point Ho]ie. Alaska, winter ... ... 
 
 Killing <leer for the whalers. Point Barrow 
 
 •,_■ Ki indeer at P< ii nt 1 Jam >w . 
 
 Officers composing' overland expedition 
 Alexis Kalenin's house a1 Tununak 
 
 I )ei ■■ t rain . sin iwin.u' -!•■■': ■ \ — . 
 
 Eskimo iIm.us ami loaded sled 
 Harbor of St. Michael 
 
 '- camp mi the -1 > >re nf \i irti m Si iuml 
 Xa! i\'es i if f-Ji ill ivin 1 Sax- 
 Start illU fl'i '111 (roll ivin 1 Say 
 
 Portion of reimle.-r 1 e t-< 1 
 if reindeer herd . 
 
 Re1 fnlltil seal h 
 
 W. T. Lopp. sii]ierintenden1 of Teller reindeer station 
 
 :' iwii- 
 
 K e Si 111] 
 
 Native man and woman from Point Hope Village 
 Tern cai o a' l«-\ i 
 
 Sill AV llo".-e- 
 
 Whaler I5.-P edeiv at Point Franklin 
 
 Xati\ e hut. mh .w i-ul ranee 
 
 ( )id (Tovenjiiieiii ; 'fu^'e station. Point ] >arn >\v 
 
 Mr. ('. 1). Brower's house at Point Barrow. 
 
 s- line i if the shipwrecked men . . _ 
 
 ■ a1 Point Barrow where wrecked crews lived before expedition 
 arrived 
 Pri si lyterian missim • 1 Sam iw 
 
 Native houses at Point Barrow village 
 Tearing down the ■■ ( )ld House" for fuel. 
 Whaler Rosario before she was crushed. Poinl Barrow 
 llaulin.u' meat to the vessels easi or Point Barrow.. _ 
 
 in 
 
 \S 
 
 4-2 
 11 
 Ki
 
 l\ 
 
 LIST <>F [LUSTRATION: 
 
 Ka.--iNW. 
 
 Lu.-t i-i >al fri 'in rile Xavarch 
 
 Whaler- Xi-wpurt ami I- carlo- in tin- ice cast uf Point Barmw 
 
 Whaler .Teaiiie in tin' ire 
 
 SIimI wiili -ail. from Uer-chel I-land 
 
 ( luiim' < nit mi ill'- ici' t'nr whales in April 
 
 Ketui'iiiii.u' t'rujii whalinr, in June 
 
 ( ' n 1 1 i 1 1 u' 1 1] i while whale- 
 
 The miilni.u'ht >nn 
 
 Breakum up "f the ice in the -umnier at Point Barrow 
 
 Returning from a 'luck hunt at Point Barrow 
 
 Whaler- hauling ice 
 
 KuMirin crushed by the ice at Point Barn >w 
 
 Bla-tiim' "hi wreck fur firewood, near The Rosario 
 
 Reindeer henl in summer. PuinT Barrow 
 
 Seals 
 
 Feediim' the ill i;j> 
 
 i »n the Kuvuk River . 
 
 Native village. Yukon Delta, in winter 
 
 Midday halt for tea ami hard bread while mi a -ick call 
 
 Native village mi Sledge [sland. 
 
 Kskini' i ^'nivi' at Pi lint Hope 
 
 An "Id uTiivc at Pi pint Hope 
 
 Hauliny sup]ilie> tii'in the Bear t" the whale -hip- 
 
 I iear ami Jeam-tte 
 
 Prying- ' pff ice after a bla-t. Au-n-t r. Point Barruw 
 
 View fn nil the Jeallette's l-l'nW UeSt 
 
 The Bear u'ettinu- free from the ice pack-. Aimu-t lti. lMts 
 Track idiart uf crui-e uf Puiteil State- revenue steamer Bear a 
 
 p-xpeditiuii in rl:e relict i .f whah-r- in Arctic ' )<-i an. Novenibe 
 
 September l:j. l-'.is_._ . ..
 
 INTRn I) I' ('TORY 
 
 Karly in November. |s;i7, ii was brought to the attention of the 
 I 'reside ni . by 1 h<' ( 'li amber of ( 'online roe and the people of San Fran- 
 cisco, (al.. thai eijii'lit vessels of the whaling Heel were oaujiiil by the 
 ice in the vicinity of PoiiM Harrow and their crews were in ureat 
 danger of st ai'val ion. The danuer was so iniminent and serious, and 
 the necessity for relief so urgent, thai flie President immediately 
 ordered an expedition to be titled out. 
 
 Lit 1 lo hope was held oiU by 1 hose experienced in work in the Arctic 
 reti'ions 1 ha1 anything could be accomplished by an expedition in the 
 winter season, but by t he order of the President and under the direc- 
 tion of Hon. Lyman .I. (iafi'c, Secretary of the Treasury, the 1'. S. 
 revenue cutter II n r was prepared for the expedition by the Chief of 
 the 1 ievenue-( 'lit t er Service. 
 
 The plan of the ex pod it ion was drawn, and the whole placed under 
 (apt. Francis Tuttlo, \l. (.'. S.. whose experience and ability ('spe- 
 cially lilted him for such a command. The officers and crew were 
 all volunteers, and although the Ht-nr had jusl returned from a six 
 nionlhs' cruise in Arctic waters, she was prepared, lilted out. and 
 sailed from Seattle. Wash.. November i'7. ISU7, .just three weeks from 
 t he date of her arrival from the North. 
 
 Ten in out lis later she ret urned auain to Seatt le, brinjjfinji" four crews 
 
 of wrecked whalers, and having fully carried out all the orders and 
 
 accomplished all the pur poses of the expedition without loss or 
 
 accident of an v kind. 
 
 3

 
 LETTKR OF I N [ST'IU' ( 'TI( )NS. 
 
 TREASFRY DEPARTMENT, 
 
 Offtce of the Secretary, 
 Washington, I). ('., X^nremh&r l-~>, 1807. 
 
 Sir: The best information obtainable gives the assurance of truth 
 to the reports that a Heel of eight whaling vessels are icebound in the 
 Aretic Ocean, somewhere in the vicinity of Point Barrow, and that 
 the _•>•"> persons who were, at last accounts, on hoard these vessels 
 arc in all probability in dire distress. These conditions call for 
 prompt and energetic action, looking to the relief of the imprisoned 
 whalemen. It therefore has been determined to send an expedition 
 to the rescue. 
 
 Believing thai your long experience in arctic work, your familiarity 
 with the region of Arctic Alaska from Point Barrow, south, and the 
 coast line washed by the Bering Sea, from which yon but recently 
 ret urned, your known ability and reputation as an able and compe- 
 tent officer, all especially fit you for the trust, you have been selected 
 to comma ml the relief expedition. Vour ship, the Bear, will be offi- 
 cered by a competent body of men and manned by a crew of your own 
 selection. The ship will be fully equipped, tilted, and provisioned 
 for the perilous work in view, for such it must be under the most 
 favorable condit ions. 
 
 it is of course well understood that at this advanced season of the 
 year the route to the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Straits will be 
 closed to you. and because of this known condition you will not 
 attempt it. Therefore your efforts will be directed to establishing 
 communication by means of an overland expedition with the whaling 
 fleet, not only for the purpose of succoring 1he people, but to cheer 
 them with the information thai their relief and ultimate rescue will 
 be effected as soon as the condition in Bering St raits will permit your 
 command to advance. 
 
 Willi this purpose steadily in view, you will prepare an expedition 
 of at least two commissioned officers and one forward or petty officer 
 of your command, to undertake, from a landing 1 hat you will effect, 
 the journey overland to Poinl Barrow. Von will assign an officer to 
 the charge of this expedition, furnishing him with such written inst ruc- 
 tions for the government of his party as. in your .judgment and dis- 
 cretion, will dictate as most likelv to furl her the success of the under-
 
 fi 
 
 ( ' i ; r i s i •: < > i 
 
 r. s. kevent'e < utter hear. 
 
 taking. This parly should be prepared while ymi art' en nmlc and 
 be ready upon leaving Fnalaska. bound north, to take advantage of 
 Tin- lirsl opporl unity afforded for a landing. They should be amply 
 provided and fully equipped forardie t ravel in sueeessl'ully accom- 
 plish i he I ryi iiu journey and work whieli will be ahead of t hem from 
 l he landing point . You will make your own select ion from 1 he per- 
 sonnel of yoiii- coiiiuiaiid. volunteers preferred, of I he officers whom 
 von will deem he>i lilted, physically and otherwise, to encounler ihe 
 hardships incident in the trip in view. There are several plans 
 deemed feasible, all leading to the same end. by tin- adoption and 
 
 c\ cent ion of MiiniMii f which, the primary ])iirj)ose of t he expedii ion. 
 
 as above Lnvcn. can he accomplished. The lirsi and ureal need of 
 
 the whalemen will probably be f 1. It is believed thai the only 
 
 practicable method of yelling il to ihem is to drive it on the hoof. 
 To ei'feci ill is ol)jeci and ihe other ends sel forth abo\c it is proposed : 
 
 First . Thai leaving Fnalaska you proceed nort h with your coin maud 
 to (ape Nome, passing bcTween Nunuvak and Si. MaMh.ews Island, in 
 siuhl of Nunivak: thence north between St. Lawrence Island and the 
 com-' of Alaska, carefully noiinii' the e.\ien1 and condition of the ice. 
 if any is met. keeping well over to the mainland, the objeel bcinv. to 
 a-certain where there is ice. or indical ions of it. in Norton Sound. If 
 the way is clear, or you can by any means land the party on the north 
 shore of Norton Sound, between ('ape Nome and ('ape Prince of 
 Wales, lint ives can be com m u ideated withal eit her ( ape Nome. Sled.Lfe 
 Is. a ml. I'oinl lvo<Iiiey. or I'oinl Spencer. Should a InndiiiLi' be cfTeci ed 
 a' any poini named, or near it. a upianlityof provisions. previously 
 mad.- ■■cady. should be landed ami cached t here. 1 o be afterward < con- 
 veyed by the natives in the reindeer station at Fori Clarence, and 
 lefi in t he care of Mr. Ilreviii'. From the poim of land i im wi 11 be^in 
 tin- o\ ei-land expedii ion from y nir command. above dwell upon, and 
 the oflicei- placed in charge of ii should be fully instructed upon ihe 
 fi illow inu' genera 1 lines: 
 
 1. ( oin munieate as ipiickly as possible with W. T. Lopp. ai Cape 
 Frinceof Wales; wiih a nal ive named Arl isarlook (generally k now n 
 as ( harliei.al i'oinl IJodney. Failing these, then with Kilties, ,n. 
 s ipe ini eiident ( io\ ernmeiil reindeer si at ion at I "nalakaleei , 
 
 _'. The purpose is to eollecl from the herds a! Iiodnov ami • ape 
 I'rince of Wales the entire available herds of reindeer, all in be 
 en in I'o ni 1 iarmw . 
 
 '■'•. Mr. i.opp i> ; " 'akc charge of this herd and make all necessary 
 arrangement s for hen lets, sleds, and dne.s: and tin- necessary food for 
 the use of the parly niiisi be landed from t he ship. Such c I ni him:' as 
 can : "' carried slmiild be t i-an>ported. h is simcested thai a reindeer 
 mmhi earr\ a liidii pack of. say. \" pounds. 
 
 1. Mr. I.opp must be fully impressed wiih ihe importance ,,\ the 
 work in ha ml. and wiih t lie necessity ol' bend i im every energy lo its 
 
 s] i-i-d \ aeeolil plishmelll .
 
 CRUISE OF THE U S. REVENUK CUTTER HEAR. 7 
 
 .'). lie inusi also make arragements, providing sledges and so forth, 
 for transporting the overland expedition (from your command) to 
 
 Poinl Hope. 
 
 I). When the deer arc collect ed and the Mail made, the party from 
 the B'(ir should travel with them as far as Kotzebue Sound, to make cer- 
 tain that they are properly started on their route. 
 
 7. Thai point being reached, one officer ami the necessary drivers 
 should then push on ahead along the coast to Poinl Hope leaving the 
 other officers and Mr. Lopp to follow with the herd over the route 
 selected to reach Point Harrow. 
 
 s. Impress upon .Mr. I.opp and the natives employed that Ihey will 
 be amply rewarded for their labor in furthering the ob.jeel of 1 he 
 expedil ion. 
 
 '.i. Arriving al Point Hope, the expedition will probably net news of 
 the condition of things al Point Harrow. 
 
 10. If it should not be known at Point Hope thai the whaling fleet 
 is icebound and its people in distress, inform the white people there 
 of t he fact thai they will be expected to take care of such men as will 
 be >eiil down later from Point Harrow. 
 
 1 1. At Point Hope the officer in charge of the expedition snouhl, if 
 possible, engage Jim < )'l Iara at thai place to guide the party to Point 
 Harrow, together with as much provisions as can be transported. 
 
 1l\ Then push on, following the coast. Kn route parties of men 
 may be met with, making their way to Point Parrow. 
 
 H). On this stretch of coast (between Poinl I lope and Poinl Harrow), 
 at Point Lay. Ice Cape. Wainwrighl Inlet, and vicinity of Point Helcher, 
 are natives who well know the situation at Point Harrow and can fur- 
 nish aid in getl ing 1 here. 
 
 14. Hpon arrival at Poini Harrow, the officers of the expedition 
 should assemble, if possible, the masters of the ships. Charles H rower 
 and Thomas (ronton, of Liebes's Whaling Station. Mr. Marsh. Profes- 
 sor Mellhenny, and Edward Aiken, laic of Poinl Harrow Refuge Sta- 
 tion, ascertaining 1 he si1 nation, quantity of available provisions and 
 clot hing. 
 
 lo. If the situation is found, as now anticipated, to be desperate, 
 the officers must lake charge in the name of the Government and 
 organize the community for mutual support and good order, appor- 
 tioning the provisions on hand, and slaughter as many reindeer as 
 necessary (which it is hoped will have arrived) for food, to make all 
 hold out until August, 1 sos, when you will arrive in the ll/ar. Such 
 reindeer as are left will be turned over to the Presbyterian Mission al 
 Point Harrow, 
 
 pi. The people at Point Harrow must be divided: some sent along 
 the coast to Point Hope and others among the natives to the south. 
 
 17. In any even! a part, if not all. of the people from the ships 
 should beat Point Hope by July 1. where they can be reached and 
 succored a month earlier than al Point Harrow by your ship.
 
 s 
 
 Till'. T. >. UEYENl'E CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 1 >. NO opport unity for liiini inif. sealing, or whaling, whereby t lie 
 food supply may be added to. imisl be neideeted, ami provision niiisl 
 I),- made t'i >r 1 1 1 < • uat i ves employed. 
 
 I'.i. TIlc ol'iii it in chariie of the overland expedition, from whatever 
 poini started, musi beinslruded to deal lirmly and judiciously with 
 every sit uat ion thai may confront him. particularly after arrival at 
 I'oinl Harrow. In- hearing in mind that In* represents the <Toverninen1 
 
 oil 1 lie spot. 
 
 Jo. Having siieeeeded in landinii' the overland expediiioii with ade- 
 quate in si i' net ions, you will seek such harbor as you may deem proper 
 in await results and the opening of navigation in I Jenny; Straits. 
 
 l'1. Before parting with the officers of the overland expedition you 
 will instruel them to coniniunicate with ami report progress to you. 
 should opport unity offer, idvinu: 1 Hal ask a as your address, as you will 
 doubtless return iliei'e for fuel and perhaps to winter. 
 
 Second. The foreuoiny supposes thai you will effect a landing and 
 start the expedition From some poini on the north shore of Norton 
 Sound. If, however, because of insurmountable obstacles, such as 
 imperiling your command or yetting fast in the ice. not to escape 
 until spring, you should fail to make a landing for your party, you 
 will try St. .Michael or the western end of Smart Island. Al St. 
 .Michael the officer in charge of the overland expedition will apply to 
 the military commandant. Colonel Randall, ("nited Slates Army, for 
 transportation to ( 'ape Pri nee of Wales, or enyau'e Mr. Kindest ad t . at 
 I'nalakik. or St. Michael, where he may he wintering for the purpose, 
 when your instructions idven as above will be carried out. 
 
 Third. Finding it impossible to effeei a landing a1 any point in 
 Norton Sound, you will then 1 ry ( ape Vancouver, on the north side of 
 which is located a Catholic mission, where transportation can be 
 obtained to Andreafsky. and thence to St . Michael, or you may effeei 
 a landing at someone of the villages on Nunivak Island, and cross 
 the expedit ion on the ice to the mainland. 
 
 Kourth. Ilavinii' exhausted effort and found it impossible to land al 
 anyone of the named points north, then try Bristol Haw anywhere 
 from Cape Newenhani to Cii'uslik. where natives can be procured to 
 convey the expedit ion to Toidak. Nushayak, or I'yashik. White men 
 will be found at these places, or any of them, who can command and 
 provide i ii,. necessary transportat ion to IJethel Mission, or to hind's 
 t rad in.;' post . on the K uskokwim River. There t rans port at ion can be 
 procured to 1 he Russian mission on the Yukon, and from t here to St. 
 Michael or ("nalakleet . where the i list ruct ions above id ven will become 
 opera ! i vi'. 
 
 from whatever poini the overland expedition is landed from the 
 /•'' - 'its lii->l aim will be 1o ijel 1 he reindeer herd in mot ion for Point 
 Harrow . and you will instruct t he officer id ven charge 1 hal celerity of 
 ino\ eineii! is of lirsi i iii port a nee ; i hal he must . so la r as possible, live
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 9 
 
 on i he couiii rv and change his teams for I resit ones as often as he can. 
 You will be guided by cireu in stances in outfitting tins expedition from 
 the Hi(tr: 
 
 1. As 1o Ihe point at which h will l>e landed. 
 
 2. As to t lie faeilil ies available for traveling expedit iously. 
 
 Fifth. If all the attempts to land the overland expedition on the 
 Alaskan coast of Bering Sea should be prevented by the ice, then 
 consider t he possibility of sending t he expedition by way of Kat mai, 
 in the Shelikoff Straits. Obtain all information relative to facilities 
 and time on 1 his route You arc aware that David Johnson made the 
 trip from Bethel .Mission, on the K iiskok wim River, to Katniai last 
 winter in thirty-one days, and as he was in no haste it is thought his 
 time can be materially shortened, if deemed practicable to attempt 
 the . journey to St. Michael by thai route. 
 
 Before leaving ITialaska bound north, make such preparations as 
 may be possible, even over the ice. if it promises success. Procure 
 there dogs and kyaks, arrange with the Alaska Commercial Company 
 for credit at any and all of their trading posts and connections, and 
 gather all the information, relative to means of travel and the lime 
 required through the region from Bristol Bay to the Yukon. 
 
 Sixth. The routes and methods outlined in the foregoing are sug- 
 gestions for your consideration. You doubtless have formed plans 
 of your own and believe such can be executed with belter success. 
 
 You will understand thai your movements are not, by anything 
 herein contained, in the least hampered. The whole situation may 
 be summed up under two heads, to wit : 
 
 1. Food must be gotten to the starving men. 
 
 2. The best and most feasible method of doing 1 his is to be ado pled. 
 If the st raits were open the whole thing would be comparat ively easy 
 
 ol sol ut ion and accomplishment. That route being, to all intents and 
 purposes, hermetically sealed, the ne.xi best course is to be attempted. 
 
 Before sailing from Seattle you will procure as many suitable sleds 
 as you deem necessary, fitted with necessary appurtenances, as sleep- 
 ing bays. e1 c. 
 
 You are hereby given full authority and the largesl possible lati- 
 tude to act in every emergency thai may arise, and while impossi- 
 bilities are not expected, it is expected thai you. with your gallant 
 officers and crew, will leave no avenue of possible success untried to 
 render successful the expedition which you command. I transmit 
 herewith orders to Lieutenam-Colonel Randall, United States Army, 
 commanding a1 Fori St. .Michael, and to Mr. Lopp, at (ape Prince of 
 Wales, to extend to you and ihe overland expedition every facility 
 and aid in their power. In the next summer, when you shall have 
 carried to a successful termination the rescue of the people in the 
 Arctic and have them safely on board the J!"ir. you will sail with all 
 for San Francisco direct .
 
 II 
 
 ciu'isE of 'I'm-: i'. s. kevextk cutti:k hear. 
 
 .M hid nil <if the arduous and perilous expedition upon which yon 
 iire iilmiii id enter. I hid you. your officers and men. Godspeed upon 
 your errand of mercy, and wish you a successful vovaue and safe 
 ret urn. 
 
 I {espeel I'll lly, yours. 
 
 L. .1. (tA(.K. ,SV n-f In nj. 
 
 Cap!. 1'i;axcis Tuttle, R. C. S., 
 
 ( 'mn urn inlinij I . S. Hi n inn ('iilhr I ' !i a r, lit lief K.rp, ,1 7- 
 II,,,, fur lh, \\~haiers in flu Ai'ctir Ocean, Smith, Wash.
 
 CAF T C. r, SHOEMAKER, 
 Chief Revenue-Cutter Service.

 
 REPORT 
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR, AM) 
 THE OVERLAND EXPEDITION. 
 
 P. S. KEVEXUE CUTTER BEAR, 
 
 llialaska, Alaska, De'-emher 10, JSf>7. 
 
 Sir: I respectfully report the arrival of the Bear at I'nalaska al 
 l..'in p. in. December '■>, ten days and one ami three-fourths hours 
 from Port Townsend. During the first pari of the passage rough 
 weather was encountere<l and progress was necessarily slow. During 
 the latter half, and until making the Aleutian Islands, pleasant 
 weather prevailed. At I'nalga Pass a snowstorm was met with, which 
 lasted until after our arrival in I'nalaska. The decks being encum- 
 bered with sail provisions in barrels, and a large portion of the for- 
 ward coal bunker being filled with (Ivy provisions for the whalers, 
 which can not reach them until next season. I deemed it besl to store 
 these provisions while the Bear would he absent on the relief expe- 
 dition. Arrangements were made with the agent of the Alaska Com- 
 mercial Company for the storage, and a1 2 p. m. the discharging 
 commenced. At S p. in. the provisions were all in the storehouse. 
 At '.» p. m. east off and steamed to Dutch Harbor, to be ready for coal- 
 ing ship in the morning. The morning of the loth commenced with 
 a heavy northerly gale, with rain and snow. Most of the forenoon 
 was consumed shifting stores from the coal hunkers to the holds. 
 After that was finished coaling proceeded, and now. al 10 p. in., is 
 going on. Before midnigln enough coal will have been received to 
 have nearly .'Jon ions on board. If the gale dies out I propose, imme- 
 diately after midnight, to leave for the north. (Tider my directions 
 Lieutenant Jarvis lias had the frame of a boat, to be covered with 
 canvas, sawed ou1 by Mr. Moran. This will be of use in the event of 
 meeting open water while crossing the ice whenever a landing may 
 be made. 
 
 Lieutenant Jarvis has secured seven dogs here, and made up what 
 of his out tit was not completed in Seattle on accotinl of hurried depar- 
 ture. Al present it is my intention to send Lieutenant Jarvis, Lieu- 
 tenant Bertholf, Dr. Call, and Koltchoff on the relief expedition 
 
 11
 
 12 
 
 ( liFISE OF THE I. S. RF.VENFK Cl'TTEH BEAR. 
 
 Lieutenant .lurvis thinks, ami I coincide with his opinion, the fewer 
 
 while people ill tile part V 1 he better: Iial i\ 'es being abl<? t O gel along with 
 
 mi much less in ! lie way i »}' out fits and provisions than while people, it is 
 preferable to em ploy t hem. I shall give Lieut oiiant Jarvis such instruc- 
 tiotis as will empower him louse all the resources of the country 
 through \vhich he may pas-. His promises to natives in regard to 
 compensation for services will he respected. As yd I can no1 form 
 any conclusion as to whal I shall do. All depends upon where I meet 
 t he ice. and t he attending com! it ions. It will be my endeavor to carry 
 out the Department's instruct ions as nearly as possible. If I do not 
 return to 1'nalaska within a month, il may he concluded the vessel 
 has been frozen in. It' such should he the case, no fears for t lie safety 
 of 1 he crew should lie apprehended, as I shall take ample means to 
 secure i heir safety. The mail address of this vessel will be 1'nalaska, 
 Alaska. 
 
 I\especl fully, yours. I-'. TUTTEE. 
 
 (,'fint(i in . /.'. ('. S. . Com inn rf! iiuj. 
 
 The SKOKKTAKV <>F THE TREASURY. 
 
 Wnslinnjlnn. /). C. 
 
 I'. S. REVENUE ( T'lTKi: I5EAR. 
 
 Ihih-h Hnrhnr. Ahisk", Ik<-tml»r .'•:. /.v.'T. 
 
 mi:: I respectfully report the return of the i>i-<>r to Dutch Harbor, 
 Alaska, from the trip to land the relief expedition to the whalers 
 im prisoned in 1 he Arci ic < leean. 
 
 The lli iir, having' linished coaling and watering ship, sailed from 
 Dutch Harbor at l.T"i a. in. December 11. shaping a course to sight 
 Nuuavak Island. Strong southerly winds and thick weather pre- 
 vailed. ( ) wing to the thick weal her I did not deem it prudent to run 
 near enough 1o Xunavak Island to sighl it. Therefore at 1 a. in. 
 December 1 J the course was changei 1 to go well to the westward of i; . 
 At s p. in. December 1 -J considered we were to the northward of tie- 
 is la in I and shaped course for the east end of St. Lawrence Island. At 
 I il. \'i p. m. December 1 '■> saw thin scum of ice. and short ly afterwards 
 came across deiached pieces. At l.i'J p. m. made I'aunk Islets off 
 Southeasi (ape. St. Lawrence Island, bearing \\V. % W'.. distant \ 
 miles. The out lines of Southeast (ape could be dimly seen through 
 the snow sipialls. At - p. in., on accounl of the decreasing tempera- 
 ture nf t he water and increasing amount of drift ice. sleered east in 
 search ii|' open water. At .'! p. in., finding less ice. steered XXK. At 
 '■'>.]" ran into tie Ids of broken ice mixed with slush ice. At I. finding 
 the ice getting 1 1 h » heavy to run through, turned and steered SSW. 
 Ai »">.l'" slow ed down to half speed, and «Miiit in ued so with reefed niain- 
 sail. jib. and stavsail, 1 ackim: 1o 1 he east ward and southward everv
 
 CRUISE OE THE U. S. REVENTE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 13 
 
 four hours. Ii was mv intention id keep near the outer edge of the 
 ice until daylight, in order to have a look at I lie ice to the norl 1 1 ward, 
 but the- farther we worked south the tliieker the mush ice became. 
 Knowing' thai as soon as tin; wind died out the sea would go down and 
 tlie niiisli ice would form into a solid mass which il would be impossi- 
 ble for us io get through, a1 U. 4<> a. m. on the 14th I wenl ahead full 
 speed to SSW. At this time the mush ice was so dense that we made 
 bin slow speed through it. At S a. in., being tlirough 1 he worst of it, 
 hauled by the wind and com me need beat ing to the southward. At 1 he 
 lime we turned back, in latitude <i-! 1 •"! north, longitude 107 28' 
 west. Cape Nome bore X. by K. : ; K., magnetic, dislani So miles, and 
 Sledge Island X. !, K.. magnetic, distanl '.Mi miles. It was with much 
 regret thai I came to the conclusion it would be impracticable to reach 
 either of ihose places. Southerly gales had been blowing for several 
 days, and would have banked the ice up on the shores For many miles 
 out to sea. rendering il impossible to reach the shore over the rough 
 ice. The risk of being frozen in (which would have defeated the 
 object of i he expedition) was loo great to be taken. Cape Vancouver 
 being the next nearest and perhaps available place, I determined to 
 endeavor to reach there, fortunately for us the weather cleared up 
 on the morning of the loth at '•) a. in., the cape was sighted, and the 
 vessel headed for it. The chart gave soundings of in fathoms. The 
 lead proved these soundings to be erroneous, and il was necessary to 
 proceed wit h greal caul ion. 
 
 At 1 p. m.. being within _ miles of the cape, slowed down and ran 
 along the south shore in search of an Indian village shown on the 
 chart. Ai i\4< 'con eluded i here was no village, 1 urned. and steamed for 
 1 lie north side of the cape. At o\5<>, jusl as enl ire darkness shut down, 
 made out a village some 1 or o miles dislani to the northeastward. 
 Ice was now making rapidly and there was every appearance of a gale 
 coining on. A starl was made to run to sea. bul the water shoaled so 
 rapidly, and darkness making ii impossible to see any distance, it was 
 thoughl best to get as near Tape Vancouver as possible and come to 
 anchor. This was done at 1. lop. m. During the nighl the current 
 set to the westward between '2 and •"> knots per hour, bringing vast 
 quant il ies of ice. which, being broken up, did not cause the vessel to 
 d rag anchor. 
 
 Ai *.4o a. m. on the I'ith got under way and steamed toward the vil- 
 lage. At !i.2n anchored in fathoms of water, village bearing K. by X. 
 distanl aboul 5 miles. Lieutenant Jarvis, with the second cutter, 
 started for 1 he village; jusl as he had lel'i the vessel some nai ive kyaks 
 were seen near i he beach aboul a mile from the vessel. His attention 
 was called io t hem and he pulled ashore where they were. Ai 10.15 
 Lieutenant Jarvis returned and reported that the people ashore 
 belonged to the village of Tununak. Among them was a half-breed 
 trader who agreed to take the relief part v to St. Michael and have
 
 14 
 
 CKI'ISK <»K THE r. S. KEVENUE CITTER UKAR. 
 
 ill. mii there in ifii ilays from the time of siart inu'. He had doe; teams 
 ami could Li'et supplies dii the route across tlie country. A> the 
 weather was t hreatejiiuu", t he party and t heir out tits were loaded into 
 t wo boats and >t a rled ashore. [Jel'ore t he boats ret u rued the ice com- 
 menced to run. and before the first cutter could reach the vessel she 
 was caiurhi in it . ami. not be i nix able 1o uct out. was rapidly beine; car- 
 ried in leeward. Amdior was hove up and t he vessel pushed 1 hrou.u'h 
 the ice uni il 1 1n- dual was readied. Uein.u' in i\ l'al lion is of water, the 
 anchor was lei uo to brine; the vessel head to the current. While 
 
 1 1 1 i -. «;i> beinu' dmie. I.ieul enalil lJelTV. ill the second cutter, vol 
 alongside and reported that Lieutenant Jarvis had coiichuled hewould 
 like the 7 dou's and _' sleds we had on board ( Lieutenant .Jarvis had on his 
 return from the shore told me they would noi be needed), and also 
 >oiiie oi her articles. At this t hue we were some distance to leeward 
 of the landing place, and it was necessary to fjvl to windward in order 
 to ii'H a boat ashore. Anchor was hove up and the vessel si earned 
 as far to windward as the depth of water permitted, and auain 
 anchored. The dous. sleds, and other articles were loaded into the 
 cutter and sent ashore in charge of Lieutenant lierry. At 4 he 
 returned and reported the party had left the beach, and the tracks in 
 the snow showed they had started for the village: so he had landed 
 his boat load and returned to the vessel. Considering' the pre>en1 
 anchorage dangerous, the vessel was e;o1 under way and headed lot 
 sea. At L-b i. be hie; in Lj fat lion is of water, ext remely dark, and every 
 indication of a irale. turned and stood SL. At 4..).") anchored in "ii 
 fathoms of water. I Mirinv.' t he niuht a st rone; easterly uale with snow 
 and \^ry violenl squalls prevailed. At d 'dio p. m. 1 he ice commenced 
 to run and continued until toward mornine;. bin fortunately il was 
 not heavy enough to part the chain. As the ""ale came from off the 
 land there was no sea of any account. 
 
 At *\ I 1 ' a. in. . on the 17th. u'oi under way and steamed to t lie west- 
 ward, runtime.' at half or slow >peed. occasionally stopping and back- 
 ing when the water shoaled in less than *• fathoms. The bottom was 
 very irregular. At t inies 1 ■'! fat ho ms would be found for a di si a nee of 
 ■'! or 1 miles, and then this would decrease to 1 , ; fathoms. The land 
 was shin in by the falling snow, thus niakinu' it impossible to tell 
 which way or how far the currents had set the vessel. The sound- 
 ing's "ii I he chart having been found to be wrone;. no reliance could 
 lie placed upon them. A rapidly fa 1 liny; barometer preclicied the 
 approach of a yale. or I shouhl have anchored the vessel until the 
 weather cleai'ed. Knowing the anchors would noi hold in the heav\ 
 sea thai a yah- would create in such an exposed place, there was noth- 
 ing to do I nit to coin in in- feel hie, our way alone;. Al i'. 1 ' ' p. in., d ur- 
 ine.- a momentary cessation of the snowslorm. a rocky islet off the 
 northeast end of Nbmavak Island was seen and recognized, bearing 
 SK. by >. ; >.. and haviny somet hiny to take a departure from we
 
 CRUISE OF THE l\ S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 15 
 
 could now go on Willi inure con lidence. Ii was 7 p. in. before the 
 (lepi li of water inerease<] suftieienl lyto war ran l running at half speed, 
 and «i1 s o'clock, having 1-5 fat homs, went ahead a1 full speed, steering 
 W. by S. along tin* north shore of Ndinavak Island. At l<i p. in. there 
 was a strong SSW. wind, hrinui nu 1 <t heavy beam sea, and the vessel 
 was put under shorl sail. At 1 l..'!u, on account of the heavy sea. ran 
 at half s[)eed, and at '2.'-)~> a. in. on t he lsth tlie wind and sea increased 
 to such an extent as to make it necessary 1o heave to. The vessel 
 was brought to tlie wind on the port tack and lay in that position 
 until H.4o p. in. on the isth. The wind then moderating, a course 
 was sha[>ed for St. Paul Island, hut the heavy sea did not permit run- 
 ning a 1 full speed until ii a. m. on t he l'Jth. Si . Paul Island was made 
 a1 ~.o( 'a. in. on the l>< it h. and the vessel came to anchor in Soul h west 
 Bay at 11. on a. in. Mr. J. Murray, special agenl in charge of the 
 islands. Mr. Redpath, agenl of 1 he Xor1 h American Commercial (om- 
 panv. and otliers came on hoard. They reported all well on tlie 
 island, and thai no vessels had been seen since the departure of the 
 Hi- 1 1? on October -[ last. They were greatly pleased to receive the 
 mail and newspapers we hrougln them. Mr. Murray said the seals 
 branded in ls'.ii; had returned to the islands with the brands perfectly 
 legible and their skins destroyed as far as commercial value was con- 
 cerned. 
 
 Ii wa> my intention to remain only a few hours, to give the people 
 a chance 1o answer their letters, and then proceed to St. < J-eorge Island. 
 A strong northerly wind coming up. I knew there would be no land- 
 ing al St. (-reorge. Ihei'efore remained at Si. Paul until i>..'J<i a. in. on 
 the i'i si . w hen 1 he wind having moderated, go 1 under way and steamed 
 for St . < ieorge. A rrived off the village at 1 1 .'■>< > a. in., but a heavy sea 
 was running and a landing was impossible. Signals were made to 
 "• t r\ < >a rd en Cove." on the southeast side of 1 he island, and the H< " i' 
 was steamed around there and anchored al I. lop. in. Here, too, a 
 bad sea was running on the beach, through which it would be danger- 
 ous to attempt a landing in a boat . so the mail was inclosed in a small 
 cask, to which a line with a heaving stick was attached, taken in the 
 culler, and carried to the outer edge of the breakers, where the heav- 
 ing st ick was thrown ashore and the cask drawn through the breakers. 
 There was no way of getl ing t he mail from the shore, but Mr. Judge, 
 the special agent, shouted thai all was well on the island. Upon the 
 return of the boat, at 2.-'Jn p. in., anchor was hove up and a course 
 shaped for Unalaska. which was reached at l^.oo p. m. December -2. 
 
 During the cruise much bad weather was experienced, but neither 
 the vessel nor the crew sustained any injury. Everything will be 
 ready to leave for 1 he nort h as soon as 1 here is any possibility of get- 
 ting news from the expedition or the imprisoned whalers. 
 
 Inclosed is a copy of my instructions to Lieutenant Jarvis. (See 
 Appendix, i In addition to these, a copy of the instructions received
 
 If. 
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. s. KEYEXUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 by nit' from t In* I )eparl incut under date of November 15, lsu7, \va> 
 alsi i Li"] ven him. 
 
 I inclose a churl showing the track of the litur from the time sin 
 lei'i I'nalaska until her return in that port. 
 
 Hespoct I'lllly. Vnurs. |-'. TUTTLE. 
 
 < 7/ j>f<l i n , /,'. ('. .S. . ( 'mil inn tnJ i in/. 
 The SECRETARY <>E THE TREASURY. 
 
 M'asliiiH/tnii. /). < '. 
 
 I'. S. KEVENl'E ( UTTER 15EAR. 
 
 Xoffon Sniiinl, Alaska, Jiim !■'>. 1SUS. 
 
 Sir: The />'">/• left I'nalaska June 11 for St. Lawrence Island. 
 Pleasant weather was experienced during the passage, and the island 
 was readied al 1 -.•'! | • a. in. June l'.i. After a stop of a couple of hours 
 a start was made for Indian Point, lull within an liour heavy ice was 
 met with and a thick fog settled down, and it was deemed advisable 
 to return to the island and await clearing weather. 
 
 At '.'a. in. of the I'uth the fog lifted, and another start was made 
 for Indian I'oint. After si earn inn' through Jo miles of ice it became 
 so closely packed as to prevent Further progress, and the vessel was 
 again headed back for St. Lawrence Island, which was reached at ■"> 
 p. in. There being some open water to the northward and eastward. 
 I concluded to try for King's Island, hut in a couple of hours ice was 
 again met with, and until '.' a. in. of the i'lsi was spent working 
 toward thai place. At that time the ice ahead was closely packed. 
 bill to 1 he northward appeared open water, and the vessel was headed 
 in that direction. At 1 1 a. in. more open water was struck, and St. 
 Lawrence I Jay. Siberia, being the nearest port the vessel was headed 
 for it. and at 1" a. in. we reached the village al North Head. The 
 bay was solidly frozen, making it impossible to reach the reindeer 
 station, sua messenger wa> sent to notify tin- superintendent of t In- 
 st at ion of t he arrival of the lh a r and that she would remain at North 
 Head until night in order that he mighl communicate with us. 
 
 During the evening the superintendent. Mr. Kelly, came over and 
 reported t here would be a boil 1 sou reindeer 1o 1 ransporl to the Alas- 
 kan shore. At i' a. m. the >:>d, was got underway for ('ape Prince 
 of Wales, where she arrived in the evening. 
 
 V pon landing I found t hat Mr. Lop]), who went to Poiul Harrow wit h 
 Lieutenanl Jarvis. had returned, ami 1 was greatly pleased to learn 
 t hat t he overland expedit ion had been cut i rely successful. 1 he reindeer 
 ha\ ing arrived in good order, and no accidents had happened to an\ 
 of the members. I forward herewith copies of report- 1 received from 
 Lieutenant Ja r\ is. 
 
 Lieutenant Jarvis was obliged to buy a greal many articles for the 
 expedition and to hire a number of nat ives for \ arious purposes. As
 
 CRUISE OF Till'. l\ s. REVENUE CUTTER BEAK. 
 
 17 
 
 lie could not carry with him enough articles to pay for services, elc, 
 I had instructed him to give written orders, to he presented on board 
 the /!>"i\ and which I would make good. 
 
 I have already given out a quantity of flour and sugar, but other 
 art icles. such as cloth, tobacco, powder, soap, etc., are not in t he ship's 
 stores. I shall purchase them in St. Michael and deliver on my return 
 next week. 
 
 At Si . Michael the Alaska Commercial Company supplied the party. 
 At Point Hope, II. Liebes A Co. furnished the supplies. Vouchers 
 will be made out and forwarded to the Department. 
 
 Lieutenant .larvis mentions the necessity of a supply of clothing 
 and bedding Lor loo men. I am in doubt as to my authority to pur- 
 chase them, but as it is a (dear case of absolute necessity I will, if 
 possible, obtain them at the lowest price. 
 
 'idie matter of compensating Mr. Lopp for his services can not be 
 settled until I see Lieutenant .larvis. Mr. Lopp deserves the greatest 
 praise and a substantial reward for \vha1 he did for the expedition, 
 fie left his wife and children, the only white people in this pari of the 
 country, alone in an Eskimo village and wenl with Lieutenant .larvis 
 on what looked very much like a forlorn hope. 
 
 Charlie Artisarlook, of Point Rodney, also left his family, took all 
 his reindeer, and went with Lieutenanl -larvis. and this forenoon I 
 found his wife and child in a camp of natives on Sledge Island, where 
 they were hunting seals. Mrs. Artisarlook said they had nearly 
 starved since her husband left, as seal and fish, their principal food, 
 had been very scarce. I gave her ample provisions to last three 
 months, and promised to "bring her husband back from Point Barrow. 
 
 I expect to reach St. Michael to-morrow, and as soon as supplies can 
 be obtained I shall proceed north. 
 
 I do not anticipate being able to reach Point Hope before the loth 
 of July, as there arc enormous quantities of ice both in Bering Sea 
 and above the straits in the Arctic Ocean. 
 
 Respectfully, yours, F. Tl'TTLE, 
 
 ( 7/ [tin / a . I\t r< n in -( ' nlli r Serrict-, Com uni ltd ilKj. 
 
 The Secretary of the Treasury. 
 
 I I 'llsll i llljlllll , I >. ( '.
 
 KKI'uRT <)K SK(OM) LIKl'T. K. I'. IJKHTHOLK, K. ('. S. 
 
 ('. s. Rkvexuk-Cuttek Service, 
 
 Point Hojh-i Alaska, July l~>. hS'.is. 
 
 Sir: In accordance with the instructions of Lieut. I). II. Jarvis, 
 Ki'vci) ue-( ill tcr Service, commanding t lie overland relief expedition, 
 under date of .March 5, lS'.iX, a copy of which is hereby inclosed 
 (see Appendix), I respectfully submit the following report: 
 
 The plans referred to for the return of Mr. \V. T. Lopp related 
 principally to the transportation of provisions up the coast to the 
 mouth of the Pit megea River. With this object in view, I led Nelson's 
 Whaling Station on March -'il, with two sleds loaded with the pro- 
 visions for the cache, and alter three days' hard traveling, for the 
 sleds were heavy and the trail very had, reached the mouth of the 
 Pit megea River. On the way up we had stopped at the Corwin Coal 
 M i lie and procured a few hoards from t he old ruined house 1 here, with 
 which to huihl our cache. Cpon reaching our destination we found 
 no drifl wood handy for posts, so we cut into the side of an old native 
 hut . scooped out the snow and made a cache in thai way. after which 
 we closed up the opening with the boards we had bronchi along and 
 left a note bet ween two boards st tick up in the snow . to call at tent ion 
 of whoever should pass thai way coming from Point Harrow. Hav- 
 ing finished our task, we started to return on the morning' of the 'id 
 of April, and now having lighl sleds made excellent time, reaching 
 (ape Lisburne thai same night, a distance of some fifty-five miles. 
 The next day we returned to the station here. ()n the way down we 
 also cached some seal meat at the Corwin Coal Mine, to be used for 
 dog food. IJot.li caches were found by Mr. Lopp when he returned 
 from Point JJarrow, and he left here on the il-'id of April for his home 
 at ( 'ape Prince of Wales, leaving one deer herder behind wit h me, to' 
 care for the deer thai had strayed from the main herd while en route 
 to 1 'oi nt I tarrow . 
 
 When Mr. Lopp ami myself left Anyok (near (ape K ru/.enstern) 
 with the deer herd, on the J 1 st of February last, il had been decided 
 to send back to their homes four of the native herders then with the 
 herd, and these were consequently left behind at that place, provision 
 having been made for their return travel. 
 
 Having accompanied Lopp and t he deer herd along I he coast as far 
 as the place when- he was to st rike across t he lagoons for t he Kivalenn
 
 
 *. ^** 
 
 0f£ 
 
 «•> 
 
 
 *•.«• 

 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 19 
 
 River, I parted company with him on February -7 and proceeded to 
 tliis place, in accordance with previous orders from Lieulenaul Jarvis. 
 Here I received word on March 21 thai some of our deer were al Anyok 
 in charge of two of the herders. I sent word to them to drive t lie 
 (\(M'V up here, and on April i'l the herd reached lliis place in charge 
 of link and Keok. Ii appeal's thai somewliere between Anyok and 
 the Kivalena River these deer. '■>{ in number, had si rayed from the 
 main herd unnoticed, and a native who had acted as a guide had dis- 
 covered them on his return to Anyok. As the four herders had noi 
 yet started on their return trip to their homes, they wenl after the 
 dm and drove them hack to the village, after which they all started 
 for their homes al Cape Prince of Wales, exeepl link and Keok, 
 who then drove the small herd here. Three i\ccr had been killed 
 for food on the way. so thai when they reached here there were '31 
 in the herd, -'> of them being females. I gave the herders my 
 tenl and camp gear, employed three young natives to help them, and 
 sen1 them with the dr^r several miles hack into the hills, where ihe 
 moss was good and they would noi be troubled by the dogs from the 
 villages. There the camp was established and the deer cared for. 
 When Lopp passed here on his way home lie look Keok with him, 
 leaving link to care for the animals, with the help of the three young 
 natives I had engaged. From time to time I have supplied them with 
 such clothing and provisions as were deemed necessary, and also 
 tobacco, carl ridges, shot, lead, and powder. All these articles I 
 obtained from Mr. Nelson, manager of laches A Co's Whaling Station, 
 at Point Hope, with whom I have been living, and charged the same 
 to the account of the overland relief expedition. Up to the present 
 time _ of the old deer have been killed for food and 2o fawns have 
 been born, o of which have died, ihus leaving i )( .» old (\ccv and 20 
 fawns in the herd, and all in good condition and apparently well 
 cared for. 
 
 Willi regard to the illicit distilling of spirituous liquor by the nal ives, 
 I have made several trips to different villages and visited and searched 
 all the native houses from Cape Thompson to Point Hope, discovering 
 and destroying six stills and about ten gallons of mash nearly fer- 
 mented. On two of these trips I have been assisted by (apt. Peter 
 Payne and M r. I lenry Ivoenig (commonly known as ( 'ooper), who have 
 whaling stal ions on this point, and I have been mosl materially assisted 
 by Mr. Xelson, who accompanied me on several of the trips. 
 
 When 1 visited the native village at Point Nope. Mr. Nelson and 
 myself searched several of the houses there, bul finding no traces of 
 what we were looking for I concluded to talk to the natives and try 
 persuasion. Mr. Nelson acting as interpreter. 
 
 After telling them about the had effects of whisky. I recited instances 
 where whole villages had been depopulated by indulgence in the 
 liquor, having thereby been rendered incapable of providing the nee-
 
 20 
 
 CKMISi: OF THE T. s. REVENUE CUTTER REAR. 
 
 essai'y food supply lor the winter. The natives appeared vvy much 
 impressed by whai wa> said, ami I hey soon showed us many places 
 where the stills had been hidden, buried in t In* -now. and in a short 
 tint** we had destroyed nine stills, which had been concealed in all 
 sorts of -now hanks, where it would have been almosl impossible for 
 us to discover them. The follow iun day a native woman came all the 
 way down here from Point Hope, a distance of 1 •"> miles, and gave me 
 live still pipes, the tubs of which she said had been broken up. 
 
 Although whisky was introduced into northern Alaska many years 
 api. when i he ships lirsl began to make trading voyages to that region, 
 the distilling of spii'it s was not known or practiced by the natives 
 until about ten years ago, when white men who were engaged in the 
 whaling business on Point Hope taught the old chief Ah-tung-owra, 
 of the Point Nope village, a process of obtaining a sort of alcohol 
 from a mixture of flour, water, ami sugar or molasses. The chief 
 taughl the process to his henchmen, and they in turn gave it to the 
 people of the di fferent villages 1 hey happe ned to visit, and thus ii was 
 passed a hum until there was not a single village on i he coast from Point 
 Harrow south that did not have one or more distilling apparatus 
 going whenever the natives could procure the necessary Hour and 
 molasses. During the past few year-, however, the Poinl Harrow 
 natives have -topped making this liquor, having realized its bad 
 effects, but from Point Hope all along the coasi to Cape Prince of 
 Wales, and even a- far as 1'nalaklik. the natives will brew and drink 
 this " whisky " as often as they can procure the necessary ingredients — 
 molasses or sugar. 
 
 The general practice is to mix together one part each of flour ami 
 molasses with tour parts of water, and then let the mixture stand for 
 several days in a warm atmosphere until it is fermented. The dis- 
 tilling apparatus consists of a a-gallon coal-oil tin. an old gun barrel, 
 and a wooden tub. The fermented ma-h is put in tin- coal-oil tin. 
 and the gun barrel, which serves as the coil, leads from this t in through 
 the tub. which is kept tilled with cracked ice. A fire is then built 
 under the tin. and a- the vapor rises from the heated mash it i- con- 
 densed in the gun barrel by the ice in the tub. ami the liquor comes 
 out at the end of the gun barrel drop by drop and is caught in a tin 
 cup or wooden bowl, whichever happens to be on hand. 
 
 While the disi ilia i ion is in process, t he natives who have an interest 
 in it. by vir.ue of having furnished the Hour or molasses or the still, 
 -it around and pal ient ly wail for a sufficient quantity of' spirits to 
 drop from the l: u i i barrel to allow them a drink. The process is nec- 
 essarily slow and it takes a long time to obtain a half pint of the 
 liquor, but the "whisky" makes up in strength whai ii lack- in 
 quantity ami ii does not take much of it to make ••drunk conic" to 
 several nat i vcs. which, being the object for which I he si u IT was brewed. 
 the re-uli is highly satisfactory from a native standpoint.
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE ('UTTER BEAK 
 
 21 
 
 In those debauches there is no discrimination made on account of 
 sex. the women being entitled in and obtaining their share as well us 
 the men. The natives beiliii' as a rule good natlired, the liquor gen- 
 erally has the effect of making tlieni hilarious and voluble, and they 
 make a ureal deal of noise shouting and singing, Inil 1he\ are not 
 usually vicious when intoxicated. Of course when a bad-tempered 
 native yets drunk he becomes very had. and l here is likely to be a 
 cutting or shooting affray, but this is not often the case, and the had 
 result of whisky making and drink inn 1 comes from the fact that ihe 
 life of 1 he average Eskimo family is one continual struggle for enough 
 to eat and enough to wear, and when the elder members of a family 
 keep on a drunken debauch for several days, the children sicken for 
 lack of nourishment and die. Often in the fall whole villages have 
 been known to engage in a drunken carousal for weeks at a time, and 
 as they thus neglect to lay in enough lish and game for the winter's 
 supply, many of them perish from starvation before the game again 
 becomes plenl if ul in t lie spring. 
 
 The interior natives do nol suffer >o seriously from the whisky 
 habit as their brothers of the coast, probably from the fact that Hour 
 and molasses are harder for them to get, and when they come to the 
 coast in the summer to trade with the ships, if 1 hey do brew the liquor, 
 they use up their Hour while on the coast, so thai when t hey return to 
 their villages they have nothing with which to make the liquor, ami 
 are thus not rendered incapable of hunting the deer during the winter 
 monl lis. 
 
 Although I destroyed in all aboul twenty stills during the winter, 
 t lie re remain. I believe, many other stills in this vicinity which I have 
 been unable to discover, but even if they were all destroyed the 
 natives could easily make more, and 1 am convinced thai this illicit 
 distilling can nol he stopped unless the whiles are prevented from 
 1 rading molasses and sugar to the natives or these articles are diluted 
 with something that will prevent fermentation. While at Point Hope 
 1 mixed up two mashes after the native formula, putting in each a 
 little yeast to aid fermentation, and in one of the mixl u res I pul a hour 
 a teaspoonful of seal oil. After allowing the mixtures to remain in a 
 warm place for several days. I found the one having the seal oil in it 
 had nol fermented al all. while the other was fully fermented, ami as 
 a result of this experiment 1 recommended to the white traders at 
 Point Hope to dilute their molasses with a little seal oil he fore t rading 
 it to the natives. bu1 whether or nol they will do so is hard to say. 
 
 Some of the older natives having seen the effects of whisky, and 
 realizing it is rapidly reducing the numbers of their people, try to 
 stop its manufacture by the younger and more thoughtless ones, but 
 with poor success: and in this connect ion I will state thai I have been 
 asked by several Kskimos. who seemed to he \c\-y intelligent . the very 
 pertinent question why the while men are allowed to trade molasses
 
 cimi-i: of tiik 
 
 HKVKM I. CT'ITKR I'.EAIJ. 
 
 in 1 1n- nat i \ <•> 1 1' n is wrong for 1 hem in 1 1 lake whisky wiili it. aim why 
 1 1n- ships art' allow ed to 1 rade whisky to 1 1n- nat ives al all. 
 
 I can in '1 speak too highly of 1 he aid given me by .Mr. X el son in l li is 
 mailer, whereas it is an open seerel tliat then- have been limes when 
 while men on Point Mope have eneoii raged this illicit dist i Hi ng by 
 buying and drinking 1 he coneoet ion after it lias been brewed by the 
 nat i vis. 
 
 Tin- circumstances of the murder of the native Wasliok by other 
 nat ives lasl tall, are as follow s: 
 
 About li o'clock in the forenoon mi l he I7lh of November. 1>>'.i7. 
 Mr. liustan Nelson was sitting in hi-- house reading, and Messrs. 
 Charles Sandbonrne and (4eorge F. Tilton were working in < in- of the 
 ol ln-r rooms, when 1 hey all heard two ri He shots li red in quick succes- 
 sion, folio wed shortly after by four others. Nelson thrust his revolver 
 in his pocket, rushed mil of the house, and there saw. ch.se to the 
 house, i wo nal ives. Avulik and Shukurana. each with a smoking rifle 
 in his hand, standing over 1 he body of Wasliok. which was lying on i he 
 snow (dose lo his v]cd. pierced with six bullet holes. Washok's wife 
 was close by. and several oilier natives were running' to the scene of 
 tin- tiring. Sandbonrne and Tilton ran out soon after Nelson, and 
 alter ascertaining thai Wasliok was dead and beyond all help, they 
 ail returned to the house. Soon after the body was carried out into 
 the country and pul up on sticks, after the native fashion, the mur- 
 derers aiding in tin- cereim my. 
 
 It appears that Wasliok and his wife were ret undue, in the village 
 with a load of wood, the two above-named naiives having con- 
 cealed themselves, shot Washok when he came near enough to make 
 their aim sure. There was probnbh only one actual witness to t lie? 
 affair besides the two murderers, and thai was Washok's wife, all 
 t he ot her nat ives of t he village being mil of sighl at the t i me. and 
 subsequent inquiry developed tin- fad thai these other natives 
 knew thai the shooting was to take place. The naiives gave as a 
 reason for the killing thai the murdered man was a bad character, 
 having t hreat ened the life of an old man of the village, and having 
 shot al two men the iiighl before he was killed, but the real reason 
 was undoubtedly because of a family feud, of which I will -peak 
 later. 
 
 After t he killing, t he 1 wo murderers left 1 his place. Shukurana going 
 t o 1 1n- village of Tarpkwa. < >n 'he northern shore ot' 1 he ( ape iTiiiee 
 of Wales Peninsula, and Avulik to another village near (ape 
 Thompson. Avulik came back here this spring to work for Nelson 
 during the whaling season, and it has been my intention to bring 
 him nil board the />'<<//• with me when I reported, and turn him 
 o\er to you. I had planned lo do this without exciting his suspi- 
 cion-, for it seemed quite impracticable for me to seize him ami 
 d him here ,-i- prisoner, there being no place to shut him up
 
 CRUISE OP THE ('. S. REVENt'E CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 23 
 
 securely. Ii has been the custom of the natives to remain at ihe 
 whaling stations until tlie ships arrive in the early part of the sum- 
 mer, so as to get theii' pay. and 1 could easily have persuaded 
 1 1 i tii to accompany me on board the lUnr without exciting his suspi- 
 cion ; but this spring, as no whales were caught, no pay was coming 
 to the natives, and they have been gradually leaving I'ot' the east- 
 ward to catch their fish for the winter. Avulik seemed in no hurry 
 to leave, and in fact lold me lie was going to wait for the ships, but 
 when 1 returned to this place on the P it h of July, altera t rip to the 
 Point Hope village. 1 found that Avulik and his brother had departed 
 in their canoe for the Kivalena River, where they intend to live 
 the coming winter, lie probably went to the eastward to fish like 
 the other natives, as seal is very scarce here now. and I am sure he 
 had no idea of my intention toward him, as 1 had spoken about it to 
 no one but Mr. Xelson, and neither he nor 1 have talked of the mat- 
 ter in the presence of anyone else. Avulik can be found near the 
 mouth of the Kivalena River, and Shukuraua is somewhere on the 
 south side of Kotzebue Sound. The witnesses to the affair can be 
 found here, except .Mr Tilton, who is probably in San Francisco. 
 
 This murder was one of a series, resulting from a tend between dif- 
 ferent families, all the people connected with the affair be in g orig- 
 inally Port Clarence natives, which tribe have always been notorious 
 for the number of their killing affairs. 
 
 According to the native custom and tradition, when one man is 
 killed by another, some one of the relatives of the murdered man is 
 hound to avenge the deed, and this second murder must in turn be 
 avenged, and soon, ihus creating a feud, a state of affairs which is 
 by no means confined lo uncivilized peoples. Usually, however, 
 when a native has done any killing - \> hi eh must, according to the cus- 
 tom, be avenged, he leaves his village and t ransfers his home to some 
 ot her pail of the coast, so thai he will be obliged to be cont inually on 
 his guard, and thus it is often many years before the original murder 
 is avenged. This was the case in the affair at Point Hope. Washok 
 was ihe son-in-law of a Port Clarence native by the name of Iiov- 
 henna. who. because of some murder, had moved with his family to 
 Point Hope. Avulik belonged to another family That had also been 
 obliged to move away from Port Clarence, and had established their 
 home on the Kivalena River. Washok had been concerned in the 
 killing of some member of the Avulik family, which called for revenge, 
 and he met his deal 1 1 last fall as t he outcome of that feud. Prom the 
 native standpoint it now becomes incumbent upon some member of 
 the Washok family to kill some member of the Avulik family, though 
 it may be years before circumstances bring together the representa- 
 1 1 ves of t lie t wo fa inilies. 
 
 There being no headman, chief, or lawgiver among the different 
 villages or tribes of the Kskimo, each native familv is a law unto
 
 24 
 
 CKl'ISE OK THE I". S. KEVENUE ( UTTEH HEAR. 
 
 itself, a ii< I up In 1 1 if | ircscii I I line tin- nut i ves having been iiinlei' little 
 or mi rest mini . have killeil ami revenued as their t rail it ions or inelina- 
 liuns made il expedient. They haYe. as a rule, confined their killing 
 to oilier nal i Yes, 1 ho n it'll 1 here ha Ye been isolated eases where a white 
 nia ii was 1 he viel i in. 
 
 Some time in Aiiit'iist. I s 1 » 7 , a yountt' native belonging to the tape 
 Prince of Wales \ illaife shol and killed a while prospeetor by the name 
 of l-'rank IJoyd while llie latter was on his way up the Xoatuk River 
 on a prospect in, y trip. This murder was undoubtedly eonimitted to 
 jiYeiiife the death of the yountt' native's father, who was killed some 
 years att'o by while men on board a trading vessel, during a liifht 
 between the vessel's crew ami the nalives of ('ape I'rinee of Wales. 
 1 do mil inlend to convey by the above the idea thai the Kskinio is 
 murderous by nature, Far from thai beinif ihe ease, he is. as a raee, 
 unusually ifenlle. kind, and ifood natured: but even annniit' tin* best 
 tempered of people quarrels will sometimes occur, and then if a kill- 
 ing takes place the feud which ensues may i';i use 1 he death of others 
 in the course of several years. 
 
 <*n or about the '27 Xh of .May last another murder occurred near 
 Cape Thompson. A natiYe named Anemeah shol and killed his former 
 wife because she refused to ret urn and live with him in company w it h 
 his new wife. This mur<ler was noi 1 lie < nil come of a feud, but simply 
 tlie wanton act of a natiYe who has a reputation anion,!*' the other 
 Kskimos as a Y('\-y bad man. and several natives came to me after the 
 shoolintf to ask if I was not tfointt' to kill Anemeah because he was 
 such a bad native and had killed his wile, lor they knew I came from 
 the />'"/'. and their only idea of authority outside of themselves is 
 represent ed by 1 hat vessel. 
 
 As I have said, the Kskimos have no chiefs anion**; themsol\*es: con- 
 sequently there is no one ainoiiu' them to whom they owe obedience, 
 and the only way by which any one natiYe can train ascendancy over 
 others is by becoming rich as viewed from a natiYe standpoint : that is. 
 he in list haYe plenty of furs, deerskins, food. etc. Such a man is called 
 by them an "" ( )omailik," and his \cry limited authority is obtained 
 simply because he is rich and can afford to ifather about him other 
 natives who live upon his bounty and do his bidding. Consequently 
 they think the />"//' is sent up to Alaska each year by some hie 
 while ( )omailik. and as she has on board what seems loihem very 
 biit it'll lis. t hey look ii pon and recoifiiize her as a power and an author- 
 ity. I assured them that. Ihoiiifh I did not intend to kill Anemeah 
 for his offense, when the />'<"/■ came up in the sprintr Anemeah would 
 lie taken fa r a way a nd punished for what he did. and 1 would have 
 endeavored to brin.if him on hoard the I'e'if when she arrived, but he 
 was taken ill with some ailed inn of the chest and died July pi. 
 
 It is only fair to t he I Mini Hope iribeof Kskimos to say thai, thoutfh 
 these two killiiiif affairs, of which I have spoken, happened within a
 
 CRl'ISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE Cl'T'l'EK MEAR. 
 
 ZO 
 
 period of but seven months, none of the parlies involved were mem- 
 bers Hi' thai tribe, and thai for several years previous there lias not 
 been a single killing affair anions the Poinl Hope natives. 
 
 The native village of Tigera is situated on the northern shore of 
 the extreme end of the spit of land called Point Nope, and comprises 
 in all abou 1 two hundred and fifty inhabitants. It is evidently a 
 wry old village, for the graveyard contains ruins <>f thousands 
 of very old graves, but no idea of the probable age can be obtained 
 from the natives, as they have no conception of time at all. and do 
 nol even know their own ages or their children's after the latter have 
 passed t he fourl h or lift h year. 
 
 Traditions concerning their origin are very hazy and unsatisfac- 
 tory, bin they have a well-defined one that they originally came from 
 Cape Prince of Wales, and if thai is true it must have been many 
 centuries ago, for. as I have said, their graveyard is exceedingly old; 
 and t hough t he natives of Poinl Hope and (ape Prince of Wales speak 
 practically the same language, yet many of the words have different 
 endings in the two places, and the accenl is softer at Point Hope; 
 indeed, the accenl becomes still softer and more pleasing as one gets 
 farther north, so that the hard " k " sound of the Norton Sound dis- 
 trict is changed to the soft "c" sound at Point Harrow. 
 
 There were during the winter of isnT-'.is thirteen differenl whaling 
 stations strung out at intervals along the shore between Point Hope 
 and Cape Seppings. owned and run by while men. and connected with 
 these outfits were forty white men — t hat is. there were forty men who 
 were not Eskimos, for in thai country every man who is not a native 
 is called ;' " white man." whether he is an American. Japanese.', Por- 
 tuguese, or negro, and this whaling colony on Poinl Hope included 
 all these nationalities and many others. 
 
 These outfits need, besides 1 he while employees, many natives to 
 help man their boats during the whaling season, and as the natives of 
 the Point Hope village prefer to hunt the whales on their own account, 
 each spring large numbers of natives come up 1 he coasl from the region 
 of Kol/.ebue Sound, and the Xoatuk and Kowak rivers to work for the 
 stations, in return for which they receive as pay rifles, ammunition, 
 tobacco, and the much-prized white man's food — Hour and molasses. 
 Thus during the spring and the early pari of the summer there is a 
 large population stretched along this shore, bill later in the summer, 
 after the whaling season has ended ami 1 he ice has left the beach, these 
 natives all depart for the rendezvous near (ape Ulossom. and the coast 
 is deserted again save for the whaling stations and the village of Tigera 
 al Point Hope. 
 
 The Xoatuk natives had plenty of stories to tell me of gold to be 
 found in the small streams tributary to their river, but upon ques- 
 tioning them closely I invariably found it was someone else thai had 
 seen the n'old. and thev were simplv tellinu' me what thev had heard,
 
 2G 
 
 (R'.'ISE OF THE I". S. REVENUE (TTTEH BEAU. 
 
 I also heard l\vn stories of an old man living on the Kowak River 
 who hail been chased many years ago by a "caligabuk." which is t lie 
 Kskimo name I'oi" the mammoth. lint very little dependence is l<> he 
 placed in 'In- average Kskimo's stories of strange thing's, for they are 
 very apt to tell you what they think yon would like to hear, hoping 
 to get some presenl in return lor their in format ion. and for this rea- 
 son they draw largely upon their imagination. 
 
 While J w as a 1 I'oinl I lope a si ory came up from the N'oat uk natives 
 of the birth of a most remarkable child. Tin' motherof the child was 
 an unmarried woman, who had a dream prior to the birth, in which 
 the (rood Spirit had told her to mime him "Jesus Christ," and when 
 the child was about a year old it could talk, make water burn, and 
 was endowed with the power to tell a bad person from a good one. 
 According to the story, it' a good person approached this youngster it 
 would laugh and crow and hold out its hands in greeting, but if a 
 person who was bad came near him. t he eh i Id would howl and cry and 
 call out for the bad person to go away. The imagination of the 
 natives in tins case was probably stimulated by the attempts of the 
 missionaries in Alaska to teach them the IJible, and one native hav- 
 ing heard somewhere the story of the Savior's birth had passed his 
 version of the story along, which became twisted and distorted by 
 others in turn until it reached us al I'oint Hope in the shape I have 
 staled above. 
 
 When I arrived at the point in March the landscape was, of course, 
 one vast expanse of snow, extending in all di red ions, and so continued 
 until the summer, when, under the effect of the continual presence of 
 the sun above the horizon, the snow rapidly disappeared, and the lat- 
 ter pari of July there was not a sign of snow to be seen anywhere 
 except on the tops of the highesl mountain- back in the country. 
 It was truly remarkable how <puckly a bank of -now would disap- 
 pear under the influence of the ever-presenl sun. and on the tundra, 
 flowers (piickly began to bloom, even while other parts of the ground 
 were not ent i rely devoid of sm iw . 
 
 When the l',i nr a rid ved in July it was difheull to imagine I was li'o 
 miles north of the arctic circle, for the open sea showed not a sign of 
 ever having had ice on its surface, the land was covered with many 
 varieties of short-stemmed and brilliantly colored (lowers, and the 
 temperature, which had been as low as 4-~> during the winter, was 
 sue 1 1 t hat one con Id wander about in shirl sleeves and not feel uncoiii- 
 forlable. And y<-\ in spite of the fact thai we could walk around 
 light ly <dad and gat her (plant it ies of Mowers, with no ice or s now to be 
 seen, if one were to dig below the surface of the ground in the neigh- 
 borhood of I'oint Hope from above the Kookpuk Kiver to about half 
 way to ('ape Thompson, solid glacial ice would be found at a depth 
 vnrvini: from i\ in 7 or s feel. How far down this ice extends is not
 
 CRUISE OF THE II. S. KKVENUE CUTTEK BEAR. 
 
 27 
 
 known. but under Mr. Nelson's storehouse an ice house lias been 
 chopped out to a depth of la feet, ami llie ice is still clear and solid. 
 
 The range of mountains which extends from (ape lasburne sonlli 
 to Cape Thompson a ml l hence along the coast , conies down to the sea 
 in abrupt bluffs at both these capes, but is broken about halfway 
 bet wee n I hem where the Kookpuk River comes through to empty into 
 t he inlet just noil h of Point 1 lope. The sides of the nioun tains over- 
 look ing this river show unmistakable signs of corrosion by the lateral 
 moraines of a glacier, and it is more than likely thai the land making 
 out from these mountains in a sort of peninsula and terminating in 
 Point Hope, was formed by the soil deposits on an extinct glacier. 
 which during the glacial period of 1 hat region came down through the 
 valley now forming the bed of the Kookpuk River. 
 
 In conclusion 1 will slate t hat the account of Liebes tfc Co. 's whaling 
 station at this place for services and supplies furnished the overland 
 expedition is not ready to be submitted at present, bu1 Mr. Nelson 
 informs me he will have the same ready upon the return of the Bear 
 from Point Harrow. 
 
 Very respectfully. K. P. IJEKTHOLF, 
 
 Second Lit ntt no at . /,'. ('. S. 
 
 ( 'apt . Francis Tittlk. R. c. s.. 
 
 (Join mo ndi ikj I . S. L't n in't Cutler lit or.
 
 KhTuKT «)F KIKST LIMIT, k II. .IAHVIS. 
 
 OVERLAND RELIEF EXPEDITION. 
 
 Point Ban-on; Alaska. Jnhj 10. 18a8. 
 
 Si 1: : An expedition, consist in<i' of ("apt. A. ('. Sherman, F. Ilopson, 
 .lames (lark, W. .1 . I )rviien. Am mi Koderhpie. ( )sear Thompson. Peter 
 Nelson, Ivan Kit. and two natives, will leave here to-morrow to pro- 
 ceed south aloiiu' the eoasi to meei your command. The situation 
 here has nol materially ehanued since my last report, with tlie excep- 
 tion of the loss of the schooner Push rn> on 1 lie i'< 1 instant, having been 
 crushed by t he ice. Her crew . provisions, and out tits were all saved, 
 and the vessel is now hein.u' stripped. My lasl information from the 
 steamer Jinnn'n was of the dale of .Tune 1. from the steamers X> "'- 
 [mil and piupass of June ll'. a! which dales they were all ri.ulit. 
 They have provisioned until aboul Auuusl la. 
 
 Al this place we have provisions to last, under the prevent ration, 
 until Angusl l'ii. Should the necessity be apparent, the provisions 
 will be extended to last the full month of August. The steamer 
 P,i Ireilf ■■/•« '-. at Sea Horse Islands, has flour until August 1. and we 
 have reserved enough here for lier use until August la. I am sup- 
 plying her with meat as she needs it. I'p to this date. I have killed 
 for food I .">'.• reindeer, ami expect to have in kill more before your 
 ari'ival. 
 
 1'niil the present there has been practical^ no chamje in the ice. 
 and during the pasi ten days the wind has been vi-vy unfavorable for 
 any opening. Should t his cont inue. 1 will bc^'in. not later than Atiuust 
 1. to move some of the men south alonii' the coast, to ii'o as far as ley 
 (ape. if necessary, to meet the ships. 
 
 1 would suu'.uvsl i luil you vend flour to 1 he P< I r< <U ,■> as soon as pos- 
 sible, which, miuiii relieve us here of the necessity of send inu' the 5 1111 
 pounds we have reserved for her use. We are badly in need of (dot lies 
 ami soap, but can make out until your arrival. Since my last reporl 
 i here h;i- been one deal h — Phillip Mann, seaman, of the .!> ss> II. p r< < - 
 man — of heart disease. At present the health of the people is yood . 
 There seein> now no danger of any distress. Inn we will be in urii'cnt 
 need should the ships not arrive by AultusI I. I inclose tor your 
 information a list of the wrecked men now under mv care. Those
 
 E P. St'-no!'
 
 « 
 
 *
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE (UTTER BEAR. T.) 
 
 belonging to ili"' llflriiU,-i arc being cared for here because of 1 lie 
 great difficulty in getting provisions to the vessel. 
 Respecl fully, yours. 
 
 I). II. Jarvis, 
 First Lir nil- /Ki ///. /.'. ('. S., 
 ( 'mil md nil i in/ ()ri r/d/iil Iif-hef h.i'pi ii if inn. 
 
 Capt. !•'. Tl'TTLE, R. ('. S.. 
 
 Cunt urn lid '/ mj I . .S. Hi r< hid ('iifhr Jli/ir, 
 
 {'. s. Revenue steamer Bear, 
 
 Sepff iiiin r 1. LSUS. 
 Str: The overland relief expedition, together with its provisions 
 and outfits, was landed about ."> miles from the village of Tununak, 
 near Cape Vancouver, Nelson Island. The beach at thai place, at the 
 base of a range of mountains, was narrow and strewn with a great 
 number of rocks and bowlders, and as the snow "was quite deep and 
 soft it would have been difficult to pack our outfit over this road 
 to the village. The shore was free from ice, however, and a half- 
 breed Russian trader, with several natives, having come from the vil- 
 lage in their kyaks to meet us, I engaged them to transport the outfit 
 to the village by water. This they did by lashing their kyaks 
 together in pairs, like catamarans, and they were able 1<> take the 
 entire load in one trip, while we followed along the beach on foot, 
 reaching the village just before dark. The village was formerly the 
 site of a Catholic mission, but that had been abandoned, and at 
 thai time the population consisted of the trader, Alexis Kalenin, 
 his wife and family, together with some thirty natives. They all 
 lived in native huts, with the exception of Alexis, who occupied a 
 well-constructed log house and store. Having reached the village, 
 we were taken into Alexis's house with that open-hearted hospitality 
 which is universal among the natives of Alaska. The kyaks arriving 
 a little later, the natives carried everything up to the store, when 
 we discovered that some of the Hour and hard bread had been wet 
 by the sea and was unfit for use. N'ow that the expedition had at 
 last gotten ashore, it was important to get started on the journey, and 
 I immediately se1 to work bargaining for means of travel, it was 
 fortunate that the Bee r was able to make a landing a1 Tununak. for, 
 though the influx of miners into Alaska had made dogs scarce along 
 the Yukon, Alexis's village was out of the line of travel, and his 
 dogs had not yet been bought up. Ife agreed to let us have as many 
 as we needed, furnish natives to accompany the expedition, and go 
 along himself as a guide across the Yukon Delta country. I learned 
 that St. .Michael could be reached in about twelve davs. if ihe
 
 30 CRl'TSK OF THE I". S. REVENUE CUTTER I'.EAR. 
 
 weather held good and ihe sleds were no1 heavily loaded; but, as 1\vo 
 of Alexis's teams had jusl returned from an eighl days' I rip to the 
 Kuskokwim River, lie insisted il was necessary for them to resl a day 
 before sell i 1 1 «_»• ou1 on another journey. Realizing llial il was of the 
 ut most importance to gel the ^a^v herds at Cape I'rinee of Wales 
 moving north as soon as possible. I was loath to lose even one day; 
 but nothing was to be gained by starting improperly prepared, and it 
 was decided to post pone on r depa rt 11 re until the morning of 1 he IStli. 
 
 When the boats returned to the Bear, after landing us on the 10th, 
 she hove up anchor and steamed offshore, and we thought she had 
 departed: but on ihe morning of the 17th she was still seen in the 
 oiling, and. from noises Ave heard during the night, it was concluded 
 she had landed the sleds and dogs that had been obtained in I'nalaska, 
 so Alexis and Kolichoff were senl down to the landing place to inves- 
 tigate. They returned soon after, bringing with them 1 wo sleds, seven 
 dogs, some dried fish for dog \\'a\^ and some other articles that had 
 not come ashore the previous day. The remainder of the 17th was 
 spent in overhauling our clothes, provisions, and outfit, and selling 
 aside enough food to last until we could reach St. Michael. 1 eon- 
 eluded thai for quick traveling, a load of from I'nii to .'}()(> pounds was 
 enough for each sled, and the arrangements were made with this in 
 view. 
 
 It was learned from Alexis that there were native villages scattered 
 along through the country to the Yukon, and at such convenient dis- 
 tances thai one could be reached each night, and it would not be 
 necessary to carry a large ainoiini of dog food, as sufficient could be 
 obtained as these villages were reached. The sleds made in Seattle 
 were heavy and cumbersome, while those of Alexis were light and 
 strong, and thoroughly adapted to the needs of the country. It was 
 finally decided to take three of the hitler's sleds, and one of ihose 
 brought from the ship, assigning to each member of the expedition 
 Ihe sled upon which were packed his personal outfit and sleeping 
 bag, together with such portion of the general provisions and camp 
 gear as would make an equal division of the load to be carried. Such 
 of the outfits brought from the ship as were not absolutely needed 
 were discarded, for speed being the thing mosl desired, whatever 
 interferei! with this was cast aside. All arrangements being made, 
 the sleds were packed on the nighl of the 17th for an early start the 
 next moi'idiiii'. 
 
 List a/' /n-nrisiitiis mill oiif/ifs fiihrn from Tiitnnmh: 
 
 Pound*. 
 
 Tents and poles ... . . . . . ........ . ....... :>D 
 
 Stove and pipe. . . ....... . 'Jl 
 
 « Ml stove .. . ...... ... to 
 
 oil ."")() 
 
 ( 'onkiiiLf i;car and Lcrub box ... 40 
 
 Two axes . . . . . . __ ... in
 
 CKUISK OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAK. 31 
 
 Pounds 
 
 Two rifles . . _ . _ . . 14 
 
 One shotgun _ . .. . ....._. . .- s 
 
 400 rounds rifle ammunition . . . . . . . . 50 
 
 100 rounds shotgun ammunition . 25 
 
 Four clothes bags (personal outfit) ....... ...._ 140 
 
 Four sleeping bags ._ '-2(10 
 
 Two bags of mail for St. Michael and Point Barrow _ 75 
 
 Bale of trade tobacco _ . _...... 50 
 
 Sleeping gear and outfit for natives 125 
 
 One ham . . 12 
 
 Beans - .... . 30 
 
 Pork 50 
 
 Bacon . _.. .. 24 
 
 Hard bread 40 
 
 Tea... 12 
 
 Flour .. 5(i 
 
 One dozen canned meats . . ..... 48 
 
 Compressed barley soup and condensed coffee . 25 
 
 Dogfish. 150 
 
 Total.. .. 1,294 
 
 The camp gear consisted of a wall tent of light ticking, that had 
 been made on board ship, S by lo by <> feet high, the walls being '.] 
 feet; and a sheet-iron stove, 20 by 12 by 10 incites deep, with the pipe 
 lifted in lengths thai telescoped one into another, and short enough to 
 go inside the stove when not in use. We also took the small oil stove 
 and a supply of oil, to be used in case we should find wood scarce. 
 This oil stove, not being especially constructed for such an expedi- 
 tion, was found of little use, for it had no protection from the sur- 
 rounding atmosphere, and much of the heat from the burners was 
 thus lost. It consumed a great deal of oil, and as thai article was 
 bulky, heavy, and inconvenient to carry on the sled, the stove was 
 finally discarded. Our cooking utensils were two frying pans, two 
 camp kettles, two teapots, and a large knife and spoon. In addition 
 each member of the parly had a knife, fork, spoon, tin plate, and 
 cup. together with a large hunting knife. All these small articles 
 were carried in a light wooden box of a convenient size to pack suuglv 
 on the sled. The beans, pork, and ham wore boiled before leaving 
 the ship, so as to occupy as little time as possible in preparing our 
 meals, and in ease we were prevented from having a fire at any time 
 there would be something to eai thai would not need cooking. Across 
 the delta country there is very little brush and no trees or timber, 
 but as we camped al villages on the way we were able to obtain enough 
 driftwood or brush, from the natives to make sufficient tire for the 
 litt le cooking necessary. 
 
 Before daylight on the morning of the ISth we were off, with 4 sleds 
 and 41 dogs, Si being harnessed to each of the sleds belonging to 
 Alexis and 1 -1 to the heavy one from the ship. These sleds were from
 
 ■> 
 
 ciaisi: of the r. s. revenue <ttter hear. 
 
 ;i in 1m feci long. 22 niches wide wit h 1 he runners \2 inches deep and 
 the sides about IS inches high. The sled is an open framework of 
 hickory or oak, no more wood being used than is absolutely necessary, 
 and all the parts are lashed togel her with strips of seal skin or walrus 
 hide. l'r\v or no nails being used : so, while t lie sled is very s1 rong. it is 
 also llexible and able to withstand tlie constanl rough usage to which 
 il i> subjected in traveling. The sle<l cover, of lighl drilling, is made 
 large enough to spread oxer the whole length of the sled on the bot- 
 tom. The articles to be carried are then snugly packed and the sides 
 of the cover hauled up and lapped over on top so all articles are 
 entirely covered, and the whole load is securely lashed to the sides of 
 the sled with strips of hide or rope. The sled is now ready for trav- 
 eling, the lashing preventing the load from jolting or spilling out 
 during the frequenl capsizing* on rough trails, and the cover protect- 
 ing the articles from the falling and driving snow. 
 
 The harness is made of strips of heavy ticking, canvas, sennit, or 
 seal hide aboul '2 inches wide, and is all in one piece for each dog. A 
 strip goes around the dog's neck and crosses in front of the chest. 
 w here 1 he t wo parts are fastened 1 ogel her to form a collar. The ends 
 then go underneath between the forelegs and lead up. one on each 
 side, to the dog's hack. Anot her strip is fastened to the top of i he 
 collar a1 the back of the neck and leads along the back to meet the 
 other two ends, and here all three pieces are secured together and 
 made fast to a small piece of rope aboul iM'eet long. In harnessing a 
 dog. 1 he collar is put on over his head, each of his fore feel put through 
 one of the loop-, formed by the ends coming together, and he is ready 
 to be made fasl to the sled. A larger rope, the length of which 
 depends upon the number of dogs lived, is made fast to the front of 
 the sled, and to this is secured the small rope of the dog's harness: 
 the dogs being harnessed in pairs, one on each side of the cent ra I rope, 
 and yoked in (dose to this by short lines to their collars. A i earn gen- 
 erally cousisis of an odd number of dogs, t he odd one being harnessed 
 to the central line ahead of the others and acts a- a leader. This 
 method is used by all the while people in the bower Yukon, and is 
 generally superior to the native mode of stringing the dogs out in 
 one long line. 
 
 The next village on our route after leaving Tununak was I'koga- 
 miile. mi the northern shore of Nelson Island, opposite the mainland, 
 and ii was usual in going there to travel over the ice, following the 
 eoasi I i lie to a void crossing a range of mountains extending along t he 
 shore beiweeti the two villages. The southeast wind which prevailed 
 for several days had. however, driven the ice over to the westward 
 and cleared the entire weslcrn and northern shores of the island, so 
 we were compelled to cro^ this range, and the snow being soft, the 
 first day'-- .journey was particularly hard for both men and dogs. 
 When the stall wa> made there were le-sides the tour members of
 
 
 
 T 
 V
 
 CHl'ISK OF Till'. T. S. REVENUE Cl'TTEH BEAK. 
 
 33 
 
 the expedition. Alexis, who acted as guide, and four Kskimos. who 
 were to help will) (lie sleds and go ahead to break a trail, for where 
 t here is no beaten trail or road il is the custom for one man to go ahead 
 and pick out the mad. The team with the best leader conies first, 
 and he faithfully follows the footprints of the man in the lead, and 
 the other teams follow the lirsl one. In traveling over a compara- 
 tively level county, with a good road and light loads on the sleds, the 
 dogs will maintain a trot, which is faster than a man can walk, but 
 not as fast as lie can run, so the trail maker runs ahead for some dis- 
 tance and then slows down to a walk until the head team comes up 
 with him. when he repeats the operation. I>\ this alternate running 
 and walking a man can keep ahead of the dogs for a considerable 
 time withoul excessive fatigue. Many of the natives who travel a 
 greal deal in the winter can keep up this mode of travel all day and 
 show little sign of exhaustion when camp is made at night. 
 
 When we stalled from Tuiimiak, Alexis went ahead to pick out a 
 road. The snow was deep, and lie was compelled to use snowshoes. 
 For some time he led us up a gentle incline and fair progress was 
 made, but we soon came to the leal ascent of the mountain, and then 
 our progress was very slow, many places were so steep that it required 
 three or four of us to help each sled up. The summit was reached al 
 last, and as we were all rather fatigued with the unusual exertion of 
 pushing behind dog teams, we were glad to be able to sil on our sleds 
 while the dogs trotted down into the valley below. Here a hall was 
 made beside a small stream, where we could break the ice and obtain 
 water to wash down a lunch of hard bread and cold ham. Our moun- 
 tain climbing for the day was not over, for there was still another 
 portion of the range to be crossed, which was even higher and steeper 
 than the one we had just come over. Refreshed by our rest and 
 lunch, we started for the second ascent in good spirits. 
 
 In course of time, after much tugging and pushing of sleds, and 
 urging of dogs, we reached the summit, where we found ourselves in 
 the midst of a furious storm of wind and snow, winch was so thick 
 that il was some time before Alexis and the natives could decide 
 upon the proper direction, for there was some danger of our taking 
 the wi'oim course and going over a precipice into the sea. After 
 considerable jabbering they finally came to a decision and prepara- 
 tions were made for the descent, which Alexis told us was so steep 
 that the dogs could not run fast enough to keep ahead of the sleds. 
 The dogs were turned loose, small chains, brought along for the pur- 
 pose, were wound around the runners to impede the rapid descent, 
 and we proceeded to eoasl down the side of this mountain, which, 
 as near as I could judue, was some 2. (><>() feel high. The snow" was 
 quite deep, but with two people seated on each sled this addi- 
 tional weighl gave us a moment urn 1 hat nothing short of a solid obsta- 
 cle could slop, and we flew aloim al such a rate that in aboul ten
 
 34 
 
 curisi: of Tin; r. s. rfvkxfe cuttei; hear. 
 
 minutes we reached t he ycnt lo slope al 1 he base of 1 he until lit a ill ami 
 tin- sleds cairn- In a stop. Here we wailed for the doys, for the little 
 fellows had to come down on foot ami were far behind. They soon 
 hove in siyhi . floiinderini; alony ihroiiyh the deep snow ami following 
 tlie trail of tlie sleds. Alexis now showed ns some dark spots on the 
 snow, several miles ilistant. which he said was the villaye ;it which 
 
 We were In slop for 1 lie II i U 1 1 1 . 
 
 As soon as ihe doys came up they were harnessed ayain. and we 
 proceeded ilown I he yradual slope to the beach, alony which the 
 guides led ns until about dark, when we reached I'koyaniute. a mil ive 
 villaye. consist iny of seven small lints and one la rye one. The small 
 lints, called ■• iyloos." are occupied by one or more families, often 
 beiny very crowded. The larye hut was the "" ka/.heem .** used for 
 the dance house, council house, general workhouse, and place of 
 lodyiny for travelers; and is occupied by all the male inhabitants of 
 the village who have no families — thai is. the bachelors and wid- 
 owers — no women beiny admitted to the ka/.heem except during' a 
 dance or to briny food to the men. All the huts are buili after the 
 same fashion, all the men. women, and children old enouyh to work 
 aidiny in i he eonsi rum ion of each. 
 
 In the summer, when the upper portion of the yround has thawed, 
 a hole in the form of a stpia re is scooped out to a depth of three or 
 four feet. The sides of the hut arc then formed with sticks of drift- 
 wood yal here«l in the rivers and on t he coasl and lilled in wit h brush, 
 lie heiyhl of t he sides depend iny upon the size of the hut. The roof 
 is made in a very iiiyeiiious manner. hoys of driftwood are laid 
 alony the top of the sides and lashed there with hide rope; two loys, 
 in dclied on 1 he ends to til securely and close, a re then laid across these 
 on opposite sides, but a litl le farther in t ((ward 1 he center. Two more 
 loys are then placed across these on the other two sides and still 
 farther in inward the center: then two more across these, and so on 
 unt il a sort of arch is formed, which is 1 hen covered and filled in with 
 brush and dirt, leaviny a hole in the center of the roof about two or 
 three fed square, according to the size of the hut. In the la rye 
 kazheeiu tin- center of the roof is often In to 1 1' feel above the floor. 
 Other pieces of d ri ft wood, spl il into rouyh slabs, are laid inside in 
 form the floor, leaviny a space about two feel square near the south 
 side of the hut. K ron i this hole in the floor a passaye has been 
 scooped i oi 1 1; rye enouyh for a man to crawl t hrouyli. This leads to 
 the surface of t he yround, open iny into a small cut ranee built ayainst 
 the south side of the hut. and this in turn leads to the open air. 
 The wlmlc sirucluro is covered with dirt, bill is not used for a habita- 
 tion until the winter, when the yround has frozen and the snow has 
 covered e\erythiny. alhtwiny no wind to yet in except throiiyh the 
 openi imv i »ver the open iny lead iny into the small cut ranee - huny 
 a he, i • \ pici f «d< m to keep on! as much air as possible, and t he
 
 CRl'ISE <)F THE 
 
 -. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 3;1 
 
 opening in the root' is covered with pieces of dried intestines of the 
 seal or walrus sewed together. This not only keeps the warm air 
 inside from escaping, hut, being thin ami translucent, admits light 
 during 1 lie day. 
 
 In a lint of this sort Idled with people, the animal heal from their 
 bodies, together with that from the seal-oil lamps, soon raises the 
 temperature so the natives sit around with the upper part of their 
 bodies entirely uncovered. fires a re not used in the huts. and. as a 
 rule, all the cooking is done in the outside entrance. The farther 
 north we went the cleaner the houses were; whether this was '\\\<- to 
 our being earlier in the southern pari of the country, before the cold 
 weal her sel in and everything was fro/en up so it could be kept clean, 
 or to a better general character of the nat ives, it is difficult to state; at 
 any late, the houses farther north generally were cleaner, and we 
 often saw houses there where the floors were washed each morning. 
 The only provision for ventilation was a small hole through the roof, 
 about :' iir :i inches in diameter, and ai night, in cold weather, this 
 was invariably stopped up. The condition of the air can better be 
 i magi ned than experienced, when fifteen or t wenty natives are sleeping 
 inside the small room and a seal-oil lamp or two burn continuously. 
 
 The wind being from the south, the thermometer registered oO 
 above zero, and 1 he weal her was quite w arm. The deep snow, together 
 with our not being accustomed to t he unusual traveling, made the day's 
 trip very tiresome, and we were all wet and pretty well played mil by 
 the time we reached the village. We were urged to spend the night 
 in the ka-/.lieeni. but it was found to be too crowded and filthy, and 
 we decided to pit ell the 1 enl . 
 
 < >ur arrival seemed to create some commotion, and t hough we not iced 
 quite a large population ai first, all the women and children ran into 
 their huts on our nearer approach. Alexis informed us. that, with 
 the exception of one or two of the Jesuil missionaries, we were the 
 first while travelers who had gone through this part of the country 
 for many years: and. as it had been the practice of the traders in the 
 old days to steal the women during their visits to a village, these 
 women were taking the p recant ion of getl ingoul of sighl lest we should 
 do the same thing. As soon as the teal was pitched, the camp gear, 
 sleeping bags, and sufficient food for the evening and morning meals 
 were taken inside, the dogs unharnessed, and the sleds placed on the 
 racks, of which there are generally several in each village. These 
 racks are skeleton plat forms of wood built on posts st uck in the ground 
 and high enough to prevent the dogs from reaching anything on top. 
 All articles not taken into the tenl or the huts must be pn1 up on the 
 racks, for the dogs are so ravenous they will eat everything not made 
 of wood or metal. When obliged to camp where there is no village. 
 everything eatable must be unloaded and carried into the tent, ami 
 that tisrhtlv closed, or there will be little lefl in the morninu'.
 
 3«l CRUISE OF THE I". S. REVENUE (UTTER HEAR. 
 
 After llic evening meal of warmed-over pork and beans, tea. and 
 lianl ! )]» *a< 1 had been pr«'par«*«l ami eaten. 1 1 m ■ dogs were \\-<\ ami the 
 days work was over. Feeding tin- ■ i • >g- was always a 1 rying ami inter- 
 esting task. They an- always hungry, ami upon appearing among 
 tlifiii with an armful of dried lish. in their eagerness to gel a sti'ay 
 inmit ht'ul. they crowd around in one lighting, jumping mass, and 
 make ii difficult for one to even keep his balance. After throwing 
 (•til a lish to each dog. it takes all hands with clubs to keep off the 
 larger fellows and see thai the smaller and weaker ones are allowed 
 to keep and eat their share. Usually they are peaceful enough, but 
 when being !'e(l they are like wild animal-, and snarl and bite each 
 other, ami keep up a continual tight until everything is eaten. When 
 the meal is finished and there is nothing more to ea1 in sight, they 
 will lie down (piietly in the snow and go to sleep. They are tough 
 and need m> protection. During the coldesl weather and the most 
 violent blizzards, they will curl upon the snow anywhere and sleep, 
 and when the snow has drifted over them, get up. shake themselves. 
 and lie down again in the same place for another sleep. 
 
 Si i in In tj, I )> '■< mil* r l'i. — The wind was light from the northeast, and 
 the thermometer I'/i above zero. We arose early, broke camp, packed 
 the sleds, and were on the road by half past 7. Though the mwi vil- 
 lage lay in a northeast direction, we were obliged to travel several 
 miles southeast, along t he 1 tanks of the river separating Nelson Island 
 from the mainland, before we found the ice of sufficient thickness to 
 cross with the sleds. From here we took a genera! uortheasl course, 
 following, and sometimes crossing, innumerable small streams and 
 lakes, but . alt hough we passed over a level count ry. we did not make 
 good time, as the crust on the snow was thin, and the dogs and sleds 
 were continually breaking through. At noon we came across it few 
 sticks of driftwood on the banks of a frozen stream and stopped to 
 make tea. have soniet liing 1o eat . and allow the dogs a shoii re>i . after 
 which we wenl on. reaching the native village of Ki-yi-licug a mute 
 about dark, half past 1. Mere we found wood so scarce thai we were 
 obliged to t rade with the people for some pieces from an old ami unused 
 lint which had 1 »eeii receni ly t orn i lown. 
 
 When we started from Tununak. 1 wo of our teams were made up of 
 very young dogs that could not be expected to -land the strain of 
 travel for ui y length of lime, and Alexis had expected to be able to 
 replace these teams with fresh dogs from this village; bin after -up- 
 per he reinriied to the lent from a visil to the native hut-, and 
 an lion need i he unwelcome news thai all t he dogs belonging here were 
 abseii i on a : rip to a neighboring village for lish. and it would be l wo 
 day- bi-fnre i hey eould be placed at mil' disposal. Not wishing to lose 
 an) ' i im«- in reaehing the deer herd at ( 'ape I Vii ice of Wales, i decided 
 to take t In- t wo good team- and go on ahead to St. Michael with Dr.
 
 CKU1SE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 ;r 
 
 Call and two of the native guides, leaving Lieutenant IJertholf and 
 KoltchofT to follow" as soon a-- tin* village dogs returned. There was 
 the more reason for this, as native promises can not always be relied 
 upon, and the dogs mighf not return for some days. There was also 
 the ehanee of 1 he weal her turning bad, rendering travel impossible, 
 ami now that the weather was favorable, I desired to ij'ei ahead as far 
 as we con Id while the good spell lasted. 
 
 Moiidaij, ])> a iiiln /• ><>. — When we arose early in order to complete 
 the arrangement s for the division of the [tarty, the weather was found 
 to be getting colder, the thermometer registering Mi above zero, and 
 the wind from the northward. Our outfit was separated into two 
 parts; leaving the oil stove with half the provisions and cooking gear 
 with Lieutenant IJertholf, while the other half, with the tent and iron 
 stove, was packed on the sleds Dr. Call and myself were to take. 
 After giving Lieutenant IJertholf written instructions for his guidance 
 (see Appendix). I left the village with Dr. Call, taking the two good 
 teams and two of the native guides. Our route was over a country 
 very much the same as the day before, and led along a network of 
 small lakes and fixers which 1 ra versed the country in all direct ions. 
 I gathered the impression thai in the summer, when the snow and 
 ice had melted, this section must be more or less of a swamp This 
 appeared to be the general character of the delta country through 
 which we traveled, until the Ivashunak River was reached. The 
 banks of the streams were clearly defined, but in the spring, when 
 the snow- melts from the land and the ice breaks up in the rivers and 
 lakes, the water must overflow the whole country. The villages are 
 built on the highest knolls to be found, for at such times, they are the 
 only places above water, and even 1 hey are often flooded. The nat ives 
 are miserably poor: their only food is fish and birds, with occasional 
 seals, which they obtain from the coast in the summer. They are 
 also poorly elad, their clothing being made of the breasts of birds and 
 sealskins, and their boots generally of tanned salmon skin. Farther 
 north, all these are made of warm, comfortable deerskin, and 1 here is a 
 ureal di fference in the strong, healthy appearance of the people there. 
 
 Although we rarely kepi going in the same direction for very long, 
 the guide making innumerable 1 wisls and turns in order to pick ou1 a 
 good road, we preserved a general northerly course, which brought us 
 late in the afternoon to Akoolukpugamute, situated on the banks of 
 the A/oon River, a few miles to the northward of where the Xuguka- 
 chuk empties into it. and here we camped for the night. 
 
 Tin siln if. I ), n mix r 11. — When we broke camp in the morning, the 
 thermometer had fallen to \ below zero, and as the wind had fresh- 
 ened from the northward it made the weather quite sharp. To tin.' 
 northward of Akoolukpugamute a shorl range of mountain- extends 
 in an east and west direct ion. and I had intended to cross this range 
 
 c i M '
 
 :\h 
 
 (HriSK OK THE l". s. liEVEXl'E CTTTER BEAK. 
 
 in order lo lake the shorlesl r< n 1 1 « • tnwanl 1 ! h • "\" 1 1 1-c « >i 1 : but the natives 
 of iIm- villages warnei 1 us. l hat . as l he snow on the mourn a i lis was verv 
 dec] i. 1 ravel in r; \voul<l be slow and difficult . and 1 ha1 il was doiibl ful if 
 
 \\c \\ « » i i ] « I lit- alilc 1" cross llic inoiuitain and reach the village beyond 
 in iwn days, sn I derided In make a detour around the western end of 
 I he ramie and have i lie ad vantage of a level road. 
 
 We i raveled during the day in a general northeast direetion. and 
 soon after leaving the villaiu- the trail crossed a medium-sized lake, 
 railed li\ the natives N'ani wuknuk. the oni]ei of which is the Azoon 
 IJiver. Then we followed for some dislance alone; a winding si ream 
 known a> the Airoocharuk. and then struck across the country until 
 we came to a I a rue body of water, called by the natives Lake Ae.oo. 
 upon which we traveled several hours, finally reaching the village 
 of ( li ii k \\ oki ulieiiuam ut e abotil dark. This lake ap])eared to be 
 about lil miles lone;, and ■") miles wide, having its "feat esi lenulh in an 
 east and w esl direction, and llic village is situated on the eastern 
 half of the northern shore. A few miles further to the eastward is 
 t he iin nit li of a uood-si/ed river, called by the ual i ves t he '• I/.aw erk- 
 nuk." which 1 hey declare rises bet ween the Yukon and t he Ivuskokwim 
 rivers, where these t wo st reams come rlosesl toe-el her. and has a cnii- 
 nection with the Yukon. The river inven on the eharl as the Kulich- 
 avak answers this same description, exeepi as to ihe -<■,;- ■■;■. 
 posit ion of its moil t h. ami t he lake into which it empties, ami il seemed 
 t o me t hat Izawerknuk and K ulicha \ ak were but i wo di I'fei-eiil names 
 for the same stream. Tin- water of Lake Ae.<>" is fresh, while the 
 streams thai had m> eoniieetioii with the Yukon were said by the 
 nat ives to be salt. 
 
 \\'< il in siln ij. I )i i-i lulu r .'.'. Tin- wind was still blowing fresh from 
 the north, and 1 he t hermomeier showed u below zero in the inorniiii:. 
 fa Hi n. i!' to 1 ."> below in i he afternoon. We had hardly accustomed our- 
 selves to such cold, and our cloihini: was not well suited for it. so we 
 had io be movine; quite lively d urine; 1 he day to keep warm. After 
 h-a\ itiu' 1 he village t he 1 rail le<| in a ejeneral nort hwesl direct ion. ski rt- 
 ini: the base of the ran.n'e of mountains around which we had conn-. 
 crossed and followed numerous small streams, and finally, late in the 
 afternoon, brouuht us to Lake Kn^an, the source of ihe Manokinok 
 Ui\'er. The si ia]»e of 1 his lake is different from thai pul down on t he 
 it. and appeared io be more like two lake- with the shores cum- 
 in n close i o-ei In r near t he center, for mi ne; a narrow passage, and 1 he 
 ■ i - \ t < ■ 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 u 1 some 1 1' or la miles in a northwest direction. < »n 
 the eastern -limv. near the narrow passage, two isolaled h lis ab il 
 i.' 11 o>- :; feet liiuli rise out of the low surrounding country. After 
 strikin- the southern portion of this lake we traveled about two 
 lion i-s be t'o re com i 111; io the narrow pari . when t he guides t it i-m-d io 
 thelefi. I'ollowine- alonu' ihe shore some distance and linallv. aboiil
 
 ciaisi: i if t 
 
 KEVENl'E CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 3! I 
 
 7 in ilic evening, reached the village of Kogerchtehmute, which is 
 situated on tin- southwestern shore of tile northern portion of Lake 
 K ogga u , a few miles from its outlet, tlie Manokinok River, and here 
 we pil elied our lent for l he nighl . 
 
 Tim rsihi //, / )> n mill /■ !■'>. — The mercury s1 ill registered I /> below. 
 lull as there was little or ik> wind traveling was more comfortable 
 than the day before. Leaving Kogerchtehmute aboiil s o'clock in 
 t he morning, we crossed the northern portion of Lake Koggan, and 
 taking a general northeast course traveled over the same character 
 of country as on the previous days, excepl that now the brush was 
 larger and more plentiful. When we reached the Kashunak Kiver, 
 many small trees were noticed along the banks, which were somewliat 
 higher than the banks of the ot her st reams we had crossed. Follow- 
 ing along the frozen surface of this stream for several miles, the 
 guide h rough 1 us to the small nat ive village of Chukwokt ulik, on the 
 northern bank of the river, about southwesl from Andreafski. 
 
 /'ri'ltii/, I )< ri uihi ,- :J h — The lighl wind had died out into a calm by 
 morning, and the thermonieter had gone up to zero when we broke 
 camp. We still preserved the same general direction as on the -2'.)(\ 
 (northeast). Tin* land was much higher, the brush gol thicker all 
 the time, and the timber line was struck about I! or 7 miles from the 
 Yukon. We crossed several large rivers, which the guide informed 
 ns had no connection with the Yukon and (lowed into the sea inde- 
 pendently, and shortly before that stream was reached we followed a 
 small branch of one of the large rivers nearly to its source. 
 
 Reaching the Yukon opposite the site of the old deserted Russian 
 village of Andreafski, we crossed over and followed along the north- 
 ern shore for about S miles, and finally drew up at the new village. 
 This is one of the trading posts of the Alaska Commercial Company, 
 and is sil uatetl on the banks of a small branch of the Yukon. 7 miles 
 from the main river. Opposite the post is a pocket or slue which 
 is so formed thai the river ice can not back up into it when the 
 siiring break-up comes, and on this account has for years been used 
 as a place to lay up the river boats during the winter season. I.asi 
 fall the ice overtook the steamers at different points on the river 
 before they were able to reach their winter rendezvous, and at this 
 time there were at the post only the people connected with it and a 
 few of 1 he si earner folks who had come to spend Christinas. 
 
 Before the Ihur left Seattle the postmaster had senl on board a 
 Large sack of mail destined for the Yukon River, with the requesl thai 
 il be delivered at St. Michael in case the expedition reached thai 
 point; and though it-- weight. 7< ' pounds, was a great drawback, it 
 was brought along. As some of t he mail was for the people al Andre- 
 afski, and taking il through to St. .Michael might prevent their get- 
 ting il until the river opened for navigation in tin 1 spring, I assumed 
 the responsibility of opening the mail sack and delivering to the
 
 4o 
 
 CKl'ISE OF 1'HK t'. s. HEVENl'K Cl'TTEH BEAR. 
 
 proper persons i lie letters directed in i In- in : and on the way do \\ i the 
 Yukon. I pursued the same course, delivering to the people on the dif- 
 ferenl steamers whatever letters wviv addressed to them. The next 
 dry being Christinas, the temptation to remain over and resl was 
 great: bill our mission would admit of no unnecessary delay, and 
 after replenishing our stock of provisions from the stores at the posl 
 we started on our way down t he river, the thermometer 4 below zero 
 and the wind fresh from the northwest. 
 
 Soon after leaving the wind increased, and about noon, when we 
 reaehed a bend in the river thai brought our course directly in the 
 teeth of the gale, the dogs were unable to face ii and we were com- 
 pelled lo camp and wail for better weather. 
 
 Sniiihii/, I )('/■( nilit /■ i'l. — The wind having gone down enough lo 
 make traveling possible, we resinned our journey, the thernioinetei 
 <i below. We followed 1 he course of the Yukon, keeping close to t lie 
 northern bank, and as the ice was hard and level, made excellent 
 progress, meeting and passing several parties of miners going up and 
 down the river, and in the afternoon readied a small log hut thai had 
 been pui up for the convenience of passing travelers, and camped for 
 the night. 
 
 Mninhiij. I )en uthi r i ', . — This was an ideal day for traveling, the 
 thermometer being la below, with little or no wind, and the road 
 generally hard and smooth. In the fall, when there are southerly and 
 soul hwesi gales in the 15e ring Sea. the water rises and overflows t lie ice 
 along the banks of the lower river, and. as ii quickly freezes in the low 
 temperature, one often strikes a trail of smooth, dear ice for miles. 
 At such times everybody would jump on the sleds and the dous bowl 
 along a 1 a gallop and keep ii up as long as such clear ice lasted. Sonic- 
 limes when the water had overflown the ice it would again fall before 
 
 then n lop was more 1 ha n an inch ihick, leaving this thin layer a 
 
 foot or so above the old solid ice of the river. There is nothing to dis- 
 tinguish this thin shell from the more solid of the new ice, and ofleii 
 when the dogs were speeding along over the smooth surface the sled 
 would strike one of these places and suddenly, with no warning, the 
 whole outfit, dous. sleds, and men. would go through and bring up on 
 the solid ice below. Then we would have to go ahead and break 
 through the shell so the dogs could follow until the firm ice was 
 reached again. 
 
 After a long day's journey we came to a small slough of the river 
 when- three steamers, having on board a large number of miners 
 bound io the gold diggings in the I'pper Yukon, had been frozen in 
 iate in the fall. Some of the men were living on board, while others 
 occupied lou- Inns they had built on the banks of the river. 15 y this 
 time some of our dous were in rather bad shape. The thin crust on 
 the snow coming across the delta country and the hard ice on the 
 river had lacerated ihe cushions of their feet, and nianv of them left
 
 CRUISE OF THE U S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 41 
 
 a trail of blood behind them with every step. Besides this, tie* two 
 natives who had accompanied us thus far had developed heavy colds, 
 which settled on their chests, rendered them of little use in traveling. 
 We spent the night on the steamer Alicr, of the Alaska Commercial 
 Company, and the next day, having obtained a new guide and some 
 fresh dogs, resumed our journey, leaving behind the worst of our 
 old dogs and the two sick natives, the purser of the steamer having 
 kindly agreed to care for them until they were able to return to their 
 village. 
 
 The thermometer was still 15 below, but the wind had freshened 
 from the northward, and it was bitterly cold when we were obliged to 
 face it. Following the course of the river as usual, late in the even- 
 ing we came to a log house occupied by a 1 rader and Ins family, built 
 upon ihe site of the old and deserted village of Kotlik, on the Aproon 
 mouth of the Yukon, and but a short distance from the seacoast. We 
 must have made nearly 50 miles this day, for the ice was good and 
 smooth, and our fresh native runners spurred the tired dogs up to a 
 fast rate. 
 
 \\'i il in sihi ij, December ~'->. — The weather was clear and the mercury 
 had risen to zero when we left Kotlik and stalled down the last part 
 of the liver. We soon came to the coast and then struck across the 
 ice to Cape Romanoff, reaching there about o o'clock in the afternoon. 
 The cape seemed to us about H» or 12 miles farther to the north than 
 shown on the chart, for at our rate of travel we must have made 30 
 miles before reaching it, while the chart shows barely 20. Offshore 
 we could see the open water, and we were compelled to pick our way 
 very carefully over the ice crush around this bold headland before we 
 could st like across the tundra for Pikmiktallik, a native village near 
 the mouth of a small river bearing the same name, and about 9 miles 
 farther on. A thick and violent snowstorm came up soon after leaving 
 Romanoff, and so blinded the guide t hat he lost the way frequently, and 
 it was long after dark before we came to the village, where we were 
 glad to accept t he offered shelter of the huts for the rest of the night. 
 
 Tim rsihi //, I ')('a ■;i'h> •■/• ■!<>. — The wind had fallen to a calm and the 
 mercury having gone up almost to the freezing point, the weather 
 seemed very warm and traveling was very disagreeable. Kven the 
 dogs were affected by the rise in temperature, and. though we made 
 an early start from Pikmiktallik. and 1 he distance to St. Michael was 
 but 25 miles, they went so slowly that we did not reach the latter 
 place until the middle of the afternoon. 
 
 We had now completed the first stage of our journey, and our expe- 
 rience with dogs had shown us we could expect, with good roads and 
 fair weather, to average from 20 to 2- T > miles a day. But this was 
 not to be accomplished as usually pictured, sitting back on the sled 
 and cracking a whip. In Alaska, at least, it is not that way. and 
 unless the road is verv smooth and the load light, the men of an out-
 
 42 
 
 Ckl'i.SK i)l' 'III 
 
 i;f.\ r.M'i: t ltj ek beak. 
 
 til must mil niily walk. Inn push, ami haul, ami somet imes harness 
 themselves up in llii' sleds to yet atony. Al firsi such work seems 
 killiiiLi. Inn ynii yd used in ii like anvthiny else ami lake ii as a 
 mat i it i if <•( in rse. 
 
 I'puli arriviny I lirst report eil to Lieut. Col. Ceorye M . Randall. 
 I'. S. A.. !•• mi ma ml mil: the mililan |>ost. I detailed to him the 
 object am! purport' of the expedition, and received a warm wel- 
 come and every assistance in Ids power. A larye nuinlier of peo- 
 ple destined for the Yukon yold fields had been eoinpelled lii winter 
 here on aecount of the e\l remelv low water in the river the previous 
 summer. To these we were an object of yreal interest ami curiositv. 
 Inn their yood intentions of assistance. I am sorry to say, were more 
 hind ra nee i ha u help. 
 
 The mail bronchi from Seattle was iinally delivered, and nothing 
 could have been more welcome to this imprisoned and idle crowd. 
 The winter thus far was reported very mild, and on thai account our 
 road lo Colovin Ray was in a had state for travel. The ice had nol 
 yet formed strong enoiiyh lo keep a firm hold on the shores, and Mew 
 out with every easier! v wind, and t he hiyh winds had driven the snow 
 from the tundra, leaviny ii nearly bare in many place-.. \ ii'ader 
 had just come in from Colovin Hay. and had been nineteen days mi 
 the road. Ii was necessary thai careful and complete [(reparations 
 be made before leaving St. Michael, for. as far as we knew, this was 
 the lasl base of supplies we could depend upon for food or transpor- 
 tation a^ far north as I'oint Hope. The doys which had brmiyht 
 us thus far had made with us a trip of :>7u miles, and were com- 
 pletely worn oiil. They had been yoiny constantly for twenty-one 
 days with only one day's rest, and the hard. roiiyh ice of the Yukon 
 River and 1 he crusty snow had worn t heir feet hare. Not hiny short 
 
 of a week's rest alld Li' i feed illy' Would put llielll ill condition to 
 
 L'n mi. I was loath to pari with them, for they were ihe best doys 
 1 saw in Alaska, but I could not wail for them to recuperale. The 
 ureal influx of while people into the Yukon country had made such a 
 demand for doys thai ii was uexi to impossible to procure any here. 
 ( >nl v t he urgency of' our mission i i id need the aye ni of 1 he Alaska Com- 
 mercial Company to lei us have t he slat ion team as far as I'nalak li k. 
 The a ye ni of the North American Trading ami Transportation Com- 
 pany promised us his station's team from thai place on, but first ii 
 had a load lo deliver there for the company. Mr. Knylestadl . trader 
 for 1 he Alaska Commercial Company al Cnalaklik, was al St. Michael 
 with a loaded team to return to his station, and I enyayed from him 
 such assistance as he could yive us. The reindeer herd from the 
 Teller Reindeer Stal ion al I 'oil Clarence was supposed to be mi its 
 way from thai place to St. .Michael to report to ( olmie] Randall for 
 Use i ii re|ie\ mil:' 1 lie people on the I'pper Y Ilk oil. a ml could nol be used 
 
 bv our expedition. The difficulties oi' yet t inn' almiy in this reyion
 
 CRUISE OF THE P. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAU. 
 
 43 
 
 were so great, however, thai I obtained from Colonel Randall an 
 order to Dr. A. X. Ivottleson, superintendent of the reindeer herd, for 
 such assistance as he could give the expedition as far as (ape Prince 
 of Wales, whore wo would have our own reindeer and he independent. 
 The services of F. Koltehoff were of no further use to the expedition, 
 and orders were left for Lieutenant Bertholf, directing Koltehoff to 
 report to Lieutenant-Colonel Randall for duty with the reindeer herd 
 upon its arrival at Pnulaklik. as directed by Department order of 
 November C>. 1S ( .»7. 
 
 It was necessary here to relit ourselves with deerskin clothing. The 
 dogskin and woolen clothing we brought from the vessel was heavy and 
 cumbersome and not suited to the cold weal her we were to encounter. 
 The sleeping bags we had were made of goatskin, with canvas and 
 rubber covers, and were too heavy to haul and- loo cold for com- 
 fort or safety. Fortunately, we had been favored thus far with mild 
 weather, but every day's use of such clothing was dangerous. Deer- 
 skin clothing, boots, socks, and sleeping bags, were an absolute neces- 
 sity. These were rare and commanded extravagant prices, and we 
 were fortunate in being able to supply ourselves from Mr. Knglestadt, 
 who had about 1 he only deerskins in this part of the count rv. Another 
 point to be considered here, was to supply our party with provisions 
 to last from here to Cape Prince of Wales and as far as Point Barrow. 
 It was impossible to load the sleds with more than two or three hun- 
 dred pounds and travel with the speed we should. Mr. Lopp, a1 Cape 
 Prince of Wales, could have but a limited supply, probably only 
 enough for himself and family. A large party was necessary to care 
 for and drive the deer herd, and even in the time we hoped to reach 
 Poinl Barrow, they would, for two months, be wholly dependent upon 
 themselves. With accidents or delays, they might be until summer. 
 
 To make the party wholly independent of all villages to the north, 
 and capable of sustaining itself, whatever route it was compelled to 
 take, I ordered a supply of provisions to be taken across the divide 
 from the head of Norton Bay to Kotzebue Sound to meet us at Cape 
 Blossom on our arrival there, depending upon Port Clarence and Cape 
 Prince o| Wales for enough to take us that far. This provision train 
 could be fitted out at Cnalaklik. and I directed Lieutenant Bertholf 
 to come to that place on his arrival. If he made the connections we 
 planned he was no1 due at St. Michael until January 1. but it was 
 most important that I should get to Capo Prince of Wales as soon as 
 possible, and I did not dare wait nor delay for him. Leaving orders 
 for him to come on to Cnalaklik when he arrived, and there meet 
 Mr. Knglestadt, with whom 1 made arrangements to tit out the pro- 
 vision train, we proceeded on January 1. IK'.iS. Striking across the 
 bay to the mainland, we were soon compelled to take to the tundra, 
 as the easterly winds had blown the ice away from the shores of the 
 sound and left open water.
 
 44 
 
 CKITSE ()!•' THE V. S. REVENEE CUTTEK HEAR. 
 
 Tin' weather (-«»iii i 11 tiff 1 very warm, ami our road was trying and 
 
 difficult. Tin' wind had cleaned the snow from the plains, and made 
 progress itne conl in nal. hard, i^rindiiiii 1 pull, and we were fori unale to 
 reach t he village of Kikiktaruk at dark, though only IS miles distant 
 I'i'imii St. Michael. The next day was no better, and. though we had 
 hoped !c lieal I'nalaklik in two days, it was sunn evidenl thai we 
 must lie satisfied with what progress we could make under tlie condi- 
 tions. We shoved and pushed over bowlders ami almost bare, grassy 
 mounds, and up and down sleep ii'iil lies and cli ll's, and when darkness 
 overlook lis. 17> miles was all we had accomplished. On the -'Id. cum- 
 in e; down on the ice which held in some of 1 he small bays, we observed 
 a native woman on snowshoes u'oinii' south. I'pon cominii np wilh 
 her, I recognized her as a nal i ve whom I had known at 1'oint Hope in 
 the Ai'etie. and. upon questioning; her as 1o why she was in this 
 region. I learned that she and her husband were with a white man 
 named Tilton. coming from I'oiut Harrow with mail and seeking 
 assistance for the people there. Tilton was ahead with the sleds and 
 had gone close under the bluff, so that we had passed within a few 
 hundred feel without knowing of one another's presence. We soon 
 brought Mr. Tilton to, and found he was the third mate of the steam 
 whaler l\<] r< <U,-<-. lie had left I'oinl I {arrow October 17. and his 
 ship, which was frozen in at the Sea Horse Islands, on the i'ls1. Me 
 had had a hard, long journey, and bol h he and his lea ms were all but 
 played out. It was fortunate he was now in reach of people and 
 supplies. 
 
 What official mail lie brought I opened for any information it might 
 conl ai n thai would help me to u ndersl and the condit ion of things a1 
 I'oinl Harrow, and enable me to prepare for it. From all I could 
 gather from the mail and from Mr. Tilton himself. I learned thai the 
 steamer-- ()rni, Jissi If. F <i i u/n n , and Ih-h'ohri had pollen past 
 I'oinl Harrow and down the con si as far as 1 he Sea Horse Islands. At 
 this point September i'i'. the ice closing in. the Orm was crushed ami 
 the l'"ri i inn n caughl and abandoned, bol h crews going on board the 
 lli J n ili ri . which was worked in behind I'oinl franklin and put into 
 winter quarters there. The crews of the two wrecked vessels were 
 sent to I'oinl Harrow and qunrlered at thai place. The Uosiirm was 
 close to I'oinl Harrow mi tliewesl side: the X< u-jhh 7. F< nrh ss. ami 
 ./iiiiu'i a long I he shore ai various distances easl of I'oinl Harrow and 
 wit hin reach i if I hal place. 
 
 The W'n,,,!, n r had last been seen tin miles west of llcrschcl Island, 
 early in Sepicmber. Xolhing had been heard from her as laic a^ 
 October 17. and il was supposed thai she was within communication 
 ofIIei>chel Island, where 1 he steamer Mn>-i/ I), //nun was wintering 
 with two yea rs' sil ppl ies oil boa rd . 
 
 The wreck of the sleamer Xnrnrch was drilling aboiil in the ice 
 east of I'oinl Harrow, and Mr. Tilton t houghl that 7 of i he :i men who 
 remained on her lasl summer had been u'olleli out safelv.
 
 CRUISE OF T1IK l\ S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 I hail anticipated meeting in this region sonic one from Point Har- 
 row, and almost my first question on arriving at St. .Michael was 
 whether or not they had heard from the imprisoned vessels. The 
 information Tilton bronchi hardly altered the situation a1 Point Har- 
 row, as it was understood before the Heir sailed, excepl thai the loss 
 of the Oral and Fn* man with their provisions made it worse. 
 
 At Cnalaklik the last arrangements were ma<le about the provisions 
 to go to Ivotzebne Sound, and orders were left for Lieut eiianl IJert- 
 holf to lake charge of the train, and go across what is known as the 
 portage to Cape Blossom and wait my arrival or the arrival of the 
 reindeer herd from Cape Prince of Wales. I was disappointed in 
 getting the teams Mr. Englestadl had promised, for one was all he 
 could give us, and though I had agreed to take the Alaska Commer- 
 cial Company's team no farther. I was obliged to keep it and also the 
 North American Trailing and Transportation Company's team, as 
 there was nothing else to do if we were to gel along. 
 
 We secured here another tenl and stove (having left the others 
 for Lieutenant Hertholf), proper deerskin sleeping bags, and deer- 
 skin socks, boots, and mittens. We were now fairly well equipped 
 to stand the cold weather, though even yet our outfil was no1 what it 
 should have been. We left Cnalaklik on the .">th with three light 
 sleds, and the first day took us over the hills and mountains back of 
 the coast, for there was still no ice along the shores. This part of 
 the country was timbered, and as we passed along the old trail of the 
 telegraph expedition of |si»o we saw several of the poles they erected 
 then still standing. The limber was only a scattered growth, and 
 consisted mainly of spruce and scrubby pine. It was thickest and 
 largest along the water courses and in the valleys, and extended but 
 a short distance up the sides of the mountains. 
 
 Kxeepl for soft snow and climbing the mountains the trail was fair. 
 We passed the native village of Kgawik in the afternoon, and late at 
 night camped in a deep gully on the si tore, about lo miles fart her on, 
 where we hoped to pass the base of the last big mountain rat her than 
 climb over it. At night the tide was too high, but the next morning 
 it was low. and after a hard pull of several miles along the rocky 
 beach we reached the level land beyond. Here was good traveling, 
 and we made a long day's run to I'noktolik, on the shores of Norton 
 Hay. Crossing the bay the nexl day the ice was firm and smooth 
 and good progress was made until Hearing the north shore, where 
 rough ice and deep snow began. The wind had not only crushed up 
 the ice, but had driven the snow all over to that side of the bay, and 
 it was a hard struggle through it to the shore. 
 
 On the 8th. passing the village of Kuik in the morning, we were 
 compelled to travel with snowshoes, for the snow was growing deeper 
 all the time, and a heavy storm setting in during the forenoon made 
 it more difficult than ever to fitrhl our wav alonu'. The runners
 
 4<; 
 
 cia'isE or tiik r. s. keyenue cctter hear. 
 
 would sink in llie body t it" i in- sled, and the do<rs lto nearly oul of 
 siirlil in their si niLi'ides to dra.u' alon.u'. It took four men to tramp 
 i low ii a 1 rail in order to make any progress a 1 all. and at ni^lit . though 
 we had Imped to make a >mall village ahead, we were compelled to 
 camp in the woods alon.u' the shore, for niirtlo^s were so exhausted 
 they si in ply laid down and refused to lto any farther. 
 
 The next day. t hou.n'h (dear, found t he same deep snow on our road, 
 and we continued packing down a trail and dra.LT'LTiiiLT the sleds aloiiLT. 
 To Li'ei out of the trail ineani to lie stalled in llie drifts, and after a 
 Ioii.lt day's si ru.u'Li'le we were u'lad to have made 1 ' ' miles. 
 
 (>n llie hull, though the --now was deep, it improved as we went 
 aloiiLT. ami that n i-ht we were surprised and pleased lo liml t he camp 
 of the ( iovi'i'ii nn'iii reimleer herd at the fool of the mountain leading 
 over to ( iolovin [Jay. They had started from Port Clarence Decem- 
 ber Pi. and had been stopped hero by the deep snow we had jiist 
 passed over. I delivered to Dr. Kettleson the order from Colonel 
 Randall, and made arrangements with him for us to lto over to 
 dolovin [Jay the following day. and arrange for leaving there on the 
 li'th. when the doer teams would arrive to take us to Cape Prince of 
 Wales. 
 
 The weather now litcw cooler, and. exeepi for a few days, the ther- 
 mometer remained below zero until near the middle of the following 
 May. We wenl over the mountain and arrived at Colovin [Jay on 
 the 1 lth. < Mi t lie east side of this mountain was a Lfood heavy lti ow t h 
 of timber, but the wesl side was entirely bare. At this place were 
 the houses • if the Swedish mission and a I rader named John A. Dexter. 
 surrounded by a small village of natives. [hue I dismissed the doii' 
 teams. seiidin.u two back to St. Michael and one to 1'nalaklik. and 
 directing them to take back to the latter pi, ice some of the people of 
 the reindeer camp who were now a burden to 1 he herd. 
 
 Having i>urclothes repaired and our stock of provisions replenished 
 from the store here, we were ready on the Il.M1i to start when the 
 i\>-f\- teams arrived. Wishing to make a vish to Port Clarence, Dr. 
 Kettleson came himself, brinu'inii' four sleds and two •'poulkas'" 
 (Lapland frei.LT'hl sleds, shaped like a boat i. and one of Mr. Lopp's 
 herders who was with t he Cove rn men 1 herd for experience, ami whom 
 I eh-aueil lo lto alon.u' with us to Point I Jar row. ( )ur provisions were 
 packed "ii the poulkas, while each man's personal outfit was packed 
 on the >led lie was tn use. I found this an excellent arrangement in 
 case on e yol lost from t he rest of 1 he party, as I did later in a blizzard. 
 
 All our travel heretofore had been by do it teams, and. as we were 
 to ha\ e much deer t raveling fart her on. I was very anxious lo t ry the 
 change and note t he difference, wishing for anyt hi ii.lt t hat would hurry 
 Us a Ion lt. Then- , -a me with Dr. Kel t lesoii. to inanaLTe our 1 rain, Mik- 
 kel. i Laplander, who u as count e< I a I horoun lily experienced and eapa- 
 iile man. and I found him all that. A stolid, determined character.
 
 ,..— — -•
 
 CKUISK OF THE U. S. REVEXl'E CtJTTEK BEAR. 
 
 47 
 
 and possessed of a wonderful pal ience. lie look tin* lead wit It two 
 deer harnessed to his sled, while we had 1ml our. All hands must he 
 ready at the same time when start ing a deer t rain, for. just as soon as 
 
 the animals see the head team start . t hey arc all off with a .jump, and 
 for a short time keep up a very high rale of speed. If our is not 
 (puck in jumping and holding on to his sled, he is likely either to lose 
 his team or he dragged along in the snow. They soon come down to 
 a moderate nail, however, and finally drop into a walk when tired. 
 They are harnessed with a well-lit 1 ing collar of two Hal pieces of wood 
 from which a short trace noes hack on each side to the ends of a 
 breast piece, or a swinglelree. that fits under the body. From the 
 eenter of this a single trace runs back to the sled, either between or 
 to one side of the hind legs. In the wake of the legs this trace is 
 protected with some soft fin', or the skin will soon be worn through 
 with the constant chafing. (Tenerally there is a single line made 
 fast to the left side of a halter, and with this the animal is guided 
 and held in check; but this line must be kept slack and only pulled 
 on when the deer is to be guided or slopped. By pulling hard on 
 this line the weight of the sled comes on the head, and the animal 
 is soon broughl to a standstill, though often this is only accomplished 
 after he has gone around in a circle several times, and you ami the 
 sled are in a general mix up. Sometimes two guiding lines are used 
 in the same manner as driving horses, except that they are both 
 made fast to the halter near the horns. Xo whip is used, and none 
 should be, for the i\i>^v are very timid and easily frightened, and 
 once got ten in thai stale they are hard to quiet and control. A little 
 I uggingon 1 he lines will generally si art them off, even when 1 hey balk. 
 The sleds in use are low and wide, with very broad runners. Having 
 a very low rail or none at all. it is hard to pack and secure anything 
 on them so ii will stay and be protected from the snow and the rough 
 usage. It struck me thai a great improvement in this respect was 
 needed if they are to come into general use. 
 
 After many preparat ions we gol off a little after noon. I had learned 
 by this time thai it is harder to start from a station where you have 
 to lit out. than from a camp, and despite all our precautions and prep- 
 arations, there seemed 1o be endless things left undone until the last 
 minute, so I almost wished t here were no white people any where on 
 our road. After starling we had a good smooth trail up Uolovin 
 Sound : the deer were fresh and kept up a gallop mil il we came to the 
 mountains hack of Stony ('ape. This was a steep, hard climb and a 
 very precipitate descent, which, however, was accomplished without 
 much trouble, though going down hill is often a dangerous operation. 
 Arriving at the base of these mountains, il was but a short distance 
 to the village of Seookuk, where we spent the night. Kskimo dogs 
 seem i i at ura 1 enemies to 1 he deer, and as il was dangerous to go close 
 to a village on thai account, the sleds were halted a short distance
 
 4s 
 
 CKL'ISE OF THE l". S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 away. 1 he deer unharnessed ami taken by Mikkel several miles away, 
 (tul of the siyhl and scenl of thedoys: there they were tethered by 
 nyy'li 1 1 u' l lie a i with lun ^ li ne-, ; 1 1 i he i hick ci'iisl of t he snow. leaviny 
 he animals ran ye enough tu feeil during the niyhl. We now hauled 
 he sleds lu the village, they were unloaded, and we were ylad to yet 
 he shelter of even ,i nat ive hut . for 1 he day had been cold and riding 
 hi a deer sled i> much colder work than t ravel iny alongside and push- 
 ny behind a i h »y t cam. 
 
 In a few of the valleys of liolovin Sound was a sparse growth of 
 ri'cv. but. excepi for a few. visible in 1 he distance in the Kot/.ebiie 
 ■Miiitid region, we saw no more trees in all the country we traveled 
 "n mi here on lu Point I Jam i\v. 
 
 .In nun rn /•/. -It was still very cold and a liyht wind was blowing 
 'rum the north i his morn iny. * >ur cntirsi 1 lay straiyhl alony 1 he nort h 
 -hore of Norton Sound, and we tried to keep on the ice where the 
 raveliny was easier, but the crashes alony thesliore yrew so rouyh 
 hat we were compelled to take to the hills that lined the coast. 
 
 oniiny down the last one of these, my deer, which, as I afterwards 
 earned, once had a lee, broken by the sled runniny ahead on him. 
 lecanie friyhlened and bolted down the hill, throwing me off the 
 -led. I held on to the line and was draped throue.li the snow ayainst 
 in old tish rack at the bottom of the hill. When I -aw thai lish rack 
 ooni up. I 1 1 1 < » u l: 1 1 1 my lime had come, bul my bones seemed stronger 
 han Mm rack, for throwiny my head aside. m\ shoulder cauyhl the 
 ipriyht ami broke it short off. When I finally stopped t he deer and 
 uilled myself toyether. I was yraleful to lind 1 had no hones broken, 
 or mi c) i a t hi n.e.' w as too serious a mailer even \'<>v contemplation. 
 
 The wind had now increased to a yah-, and the blind inc. snow made 
 inciv- slow and d i I'licii It . We had planned to reach a village a Ik nil 
 '>'< mile- distant, bin 1 1 i li 1 1 1 overlook u- on the road. It seemed to be 
 iiv day for accidents, for -non after dark my deer wandered from the 
 rail, became enlaiiyied in a lot of driftwood on the beach, half covered 
 vil li snow, and linalh wound up by run nine; t he sled full speeil ayainsi 
 t si u in 1 1. breaking 1 he harness, drayyiny the line out of my hand, and 
 lisappoariny in the darkness and flyiny snow. .My first impulse was 
 ii run afler him. 1 nil soon recover iny my wits I coiududei] to make the 
 icsl of i he -it i mi i "i i. It v as i in | miss i b| e to see lo yards ahead, and I 
 xiiew ii would be reckless to stall off alone, for the others were far in 
 idvaiice by this lime, and I niiyhl wander about all niyhl. iiecoine e\ 
 lausled. and perhaps freeze. So riyhl in- my -led. I proceeded in camp 
 ■\ In-!-' • I u a- lor t he niyhl . and await developments. I had Hot hiiiy lu 
 ■ai i m the -led. Inn fori una t el \ had my clot lies bay: and sleeping bay. 
 ind yettiny them .nit under the lee of the sled. I proceeded to make 
 u\ -elf a- com furl able as possible. I knew I he ot hers would be search - 
 ny I'm' me as -nun as they noticed my absence, yd ii seemed impos- 
 sible in find ;in\ t hiny in t hal storm. I t hoiiyhl I had been there about
 
 
 ! 
 
 ik AM i 
 
 J& 
 
 rftt*'*^ fi», ? 
 
 

 
 CRUISE OF TIIK U. S. REVEXEE Ct'TTER HEAR 
 
 40 
 
 an hour, when I heard a faint shoul : ju mping up, I answered as well 
 as I could against the howling wind, and soon was gratified to sec 
 sonic muffled figures groping their way toward me in the darkness and 
 flying snow. They were Kettleson and Mikkol leading my deer. I 
 was glad to sec them and know that this little episode was ended, for 
 by the next in on dug. with the cold and hunger, I mighl have been in 
 no eondil ion to help myself. 
 
 It seemed that my deer, after In-caking away, had picked up the 
 trail, caught up with the others, and trotted along behind their 
 sleds. Ill the darkness the drivers could not tell whet her there was a 
 sled behind him or not, and only discovered my absence when they 
 had occasion to stop and consult with me. Seeing 1 was gone, they 
 look the deer and turned back to find me, following carefully and 
 slowly the trail the sleds had made in the snow, all the time keeping 
 up a shouting. They had a good laugh at my expense, but I think 
 all hands were very glad it was nothing more serious than a laugh, at 
 least. I am sure I was. A short distance from where I was lost we had 
 passed an old and abandoned hut high up on the bank, and as it was 
 now late we decided to camp there. Shoveling oul the snow, we made 
 the best of this hole in the ground for the night. 
 
 January 1.).- — The blizzard was still on when we started this morn- 
 ing and grew worse as we went along. As though to make amends foi 
 his performance of yesterday, my deer kepi up alongside .M ikkel's sled, 
 and we t wo soon were far ahead of the others, and were great ly relieved 
 when we picked up the village of Opiktillik, at least the deer led us 
 there, for il was beyond us to find the way in the blinding snow. It 
 was now blowing so hard that we could scarcely stand. In an hour 
 the ot hers came along. They had been com pellet 1 to pick 1 heir w ay on 
 fool, one of the natives going ahead on his hands and knees. Il was 
 hard to think of losing the daw for we had made only aboul o miles, 
 lint there was no help tor il. it was impossible to go on in that wind, 
 so we crowded into an already overfilled native hul and tried to wait 
 pal icnl ly for 1 he storm to let up. 
 
 January I-'. — The gale showed no signs of abatemenl : if anything, 
 i! blew harder than the day before, and we concluded not to start. 
 In the afternoon Mr. Ilultberg, the Swedish missionary a1 Golovin 
 Kay. and a prospector came in from a shorl distance in the mountains. 
 They were bound for Golovin Hay Inn dared not go on. and had paid 
 for their trip thus far thai day with frozen cheeks and noses. 
 
 January Vi. — The gale still continued, and by this time our patience 
 was nearly worn out. This was the firsl time we were compelled 
 to stop on account of the weather, and il was hard to think of the 
 time we were losing with any degree of composure, but the natives 
 and the whites all agreed that il was dangerous to venture out, and I 
 reluctantly fell into line, though I resolved no amount of wind would 
 keep us t here anol her da v.
 
 5i 
 
 CRl'ISK OF THE I', s. REVENUE (UTTEK HEAR. 
 
 .In a /in rij 1 ', . There was still no change in the weather, but bun- 
 dliiiu up as well as possible, and taking exl ra p recant ions for the pro- 
 lectioii of our faces, we started soon alter daylight . fifteen decrees 
 below \\ as almosl more 1 1 lan one could stand in such a lili/./.a nl. I tut lime 
 was too precious. io lo>c any more of it. and as we had conic into the 
 country 1" travel, I felt we must " - et alonii' somehow. li was all the 
 deer could do to keep piine; ahead, and it required all our efforts to 
 keep them from i u rni n.ii' tail to the wind and u'oinu' oti1 to sea. As 
 we had to lie very careful, our progress was slow; Io lose anyone in 
 such a storm miu'lil mean serious results. We had to make the nexl 
 village aliejid. some T> miles away, for it was out of the <piest ion io 
 pitch the tent in that wind. Tramping alone,' beside the sleds and 
 healinLi' on rsel \ es to keep warm, there were times when we anxiouslv 
 looked for the protecting lee of the mountains near ('ape Nome. In 
 the middle of the day we could see the sun. a red hall through the 
 driving snow, hut everything on a level was a winding, blinding 
 sheet . As we worked on. seeing' not hi nu'. bu ffel ed a bout by 1 he tierce 
 u'Usls. it seemed as if we would certainly pa\ dearly for our tenierily, 
 and even Mikkel. the stolid l.ap]», swore that nothing' would ever 
 induce him to start out in such a blizzard auain. In the afternoon 
 the wind suddenly lulled, and we found ourselves under the lee ol 
 (ape Nome. We now breathed easier, and several hours later made 
 on r cam p at I lie village of Kebet hlu k. on the w est side ol' 1 he cape. 
 It was quite a laree village, and we sn\ e\ idences of native enere.y 
 and improvement, in the comfortable loe; houses building'. It had 
 been a weary (lay. but we were much gratified to learn from the 
 natives that we had e'otlen out of the region of 1 he storm and could 
 now -ii alone' under the protection of a lee. 
 
 .In Him rij I s . We had an experience this iiioriiinii' thai taimht us 
 to keep away from villages in the future while 1 ravoli iiu' wit h deer. 
 .lust a-- we were ready to start, the native doe,s ran out and attacked 
 i air teams, and only after a hard I'mht were we able to drive t hem off. 
 The l e in pe rat ure was fa 11 in e; all 1 he t i me and now registered - -'So .and 
 it was a cold (Jay's journey. We hoped to roach Art isarlook's house 
 before niii'hl. but by '.' p. in. were -lad to pilch our lent on the moun- 
 tain side and let Art isarlook ii'o until to-morrow. I hiring Ihe niuht 
 I awoke to find one foot feelinv. like a block of ice, and found that I 
 had w irked inloa cramped position which had stopped t he circiilal ion 
 and the rest of t lie ni^ht I spent kicking that foot to keep it from 
 
 free/.i IIU. 
 
 / ■// /•'. I had looked forward to l his day so Ion.-' 1 hal now it 
 
 had e.inie I almost shrank from the task it broiiLihi. We reached 
 
 niook"> house about noon. lie and his wife were old friends. 
 
 and I knew 1 would receive a hearty welcome, but how to induce 
 
 them ;n -i\e up 'heir deer ; 1 1 1 < 1 convince them thai the < io\ ei'll llieilt 
 
 et i rn a n ni ual n u in Iter a I some I'm ure t i inc. was quite a not her
 
 : -:~ :, c F KE MDEEr< 
 
 J*j^ b nEi
 
 CKL'ISE OP Till-: U. S. REVEXCE CC'ITER UK AH. 
 
 )1 
 
 mallei-. These deer were their absolute property. The Covernmenl 
 had only a few weeks before; taken from Artisarlook the original 
 number il had loaned to him because of his good sei'vice and charac- 
 ter, and had lefi him the increase, which were now his, ami "Charlie," 
 as we calle(l him. had come to a real izat inn of his weal I li and position. 
 Hesides this, he and the people gathered about him. were depcndenl 
 upon 1 he herd for food and clothing". 
 
 I explained to him carefully and particularly \vhal the deer were 
 waul ed for: that 1 had no1 come witli [inwcr or force to lake his prop- 
 erty from him. and that he must let me have them of his own free will 
 and trust to the ( iovernnienl . which I represented, for an ample and 
 suitable reward and return. lie and his wife, Mary, held a long and 
 solemn con suit at ion, and finally explained t heir posit ion. They were 
 sorry for the white men at Point Harrow, and they were glad to be 
 able to help them; they would lei me have their deer, which repre- 
 sented 1 heir all. on my promise of ret urn, if I won Id be direel ly respon- 
 sible for them. They said as 1 was the man taking them I should be 
 directly responsible for them. I readily agreed to this, for I fully 
 appreciated their goodness and the justice of their posit ion. They 
 were poor except for the ^\r^r herd, which was all they had to depend 
 upon. There had grown quite a village aboid them, all in the service of 
 t he lie i'd. and if 1 1 00k 1 he deer ami " Charlie v away, these people were 
 likely to starve unless some arrangements were made for 1 heir living. 
 I was com [jelled to arrange for them to obtain enough food to last until 
 the arrival of the Bear in the spring, by giving .Mary orders on the 
 trader at (rolovin Hay, and the few supplies remaining a1 the reindeer 
 station a1 Porl Clarence. This finally disposed of, I turned my atten- 
 tion to the preparations for getting the herd started. There were 
 l-'js deer in the herd, and of these Charlie owned 133, the other being 
 the property of some boys whom Charlie employed : and upon consid- 
 eration 1 concluded lobiiythese live outright, giving in value about 
 *lo for each deer. It was estimated thai in the spring Charlie's herd 
 would have si 1 fawns which would live, and this increase had to be 
 taken into consideration, and repaid in making' a settlement with him. 
 I engaged Charlie to go with the herd to Point Harrow, to drive and 
 care for the deer, at a salary of *3<> per month, with the understand- 
 ing that his money would be properly invested in goods which would 
 be broughl to him in the B'-'ir. I had dreaded this interview with 
 Charlie for fear he might refuse my proposition, but his good charac- 
 ter can have no better exposition than that he was willing to give up 
 his property, leave his family, and go 800 miles from home to help 
 .white men in distress, under a simple promise thai his property would 
 be ret urned to him. 
 
 When we arrived at the house. Charlie was out on the ice sealing, 
 but he ami his brother soon returned, dragging a seal along behind 
 t hem.
 
 oz 
 
 ■> 
 
 CRI/ISE OF T1IK I T . s. KEVENT'E CCTTER HEAR. 
 
 Along I he north shore of ill- sound I lie solid ice made oil' from a to 
 
 (i miles, hiii beyond 1 lull was open water, and ice d rifled aboul b\ 
 the winds. Kvery day in good weal her the natives go on 1 to 1 his open 
 waler and watch palienlly for hours for a chance shot al a seal. At 
 this season the blubber is so thick on their bodies that when killed 
 they Moat, and are easily recovered by throwing a line, with a hook on 
 the end. over the float big carcass and drawing it to the edge of the 
 ice. Toggling a line into the head, it is then dragged ashore to the 
 village. I have often seen it stated that after shooting a seal ihe men 
 will not drag it in. but send out the women to do that part of the 
 work -t he drudgery. This may happen in some places and in some 
 individual eases for individual reasons, but I never saw a 1 i me when a 
 man did not haul in his own seals, unless he had too many, and then 
 a sled would be sent to bring them in. 
 
 There was still much work ahead: many preparations had to be 
 made for moving this herd to ('ape Prince of Wales to connect with 
 the one there: and yet 1 could not afford to remain behind to attend 
 to it. for the principal delay would come when all thedeer were finally 
 united, and the long journey to Point Harrow to be prepared for. 
 Leaving Surgeon Call 1 o make 1 he pre pa rat ions and come on wit h 1 he 
 herd to Cape. 1'rince of Wales as soon as possible. 1 left ihe next da\ 
 with Ket t lesoii and M ikkel, for Port Clarence. The count rv was now 
 level and excellent for traveling, but our deer were t iring. and it was 
 well into the nighl before we made •!•"> miles, our allotted day's trip. 
 The thermometer registering -In . we were not \eiy comforlable in 
 our lent without a lire, and long before morning Mikkel decided it 
 wa> too cold to sleep, ami turned out of his bag. and made a roaring 
 lire of driftwood on the beach, of which there is great abundance all 
 along t his coast . In fact, the whole north shore of Norton Sound is 
 lined with driftwood that comes out of the Yukon in the spring, and 
 in many places it is pi lei I up high by 1 he soul he rly gales. 
 
 ,l<i nun rij 'I. It was very cold silting idly on a Avw sled, and it 
 was all we could do to keep some part of the body from freezing: 
 many 1 imes a sharp 1 winge or prick would make one's head turn from 
 the wind and his hand go up, to work vigorously to rouse the feeble 
 circulation in the end of his nose. It was a beautiful day. the road 
 was good, ami we had but I •"» miles to go. so we were nol long in reach- 
 ing the shelter of the Teller reindeer station al Port Clarence, then 
 occupied h\ the I'ev. T. L. IJrevig and wife, Co\ ern inenl school- 
 teachers. 
 
 Tim ( iu\ eminent herd had lelt this vicinity December lu. and the 
 si at ion was prac! icalh abandoned, except for 1 he school. 1 hough some 
 "1 'In- si;iliou"s supplies were slid left. These helped us ;i great 
 u ihe preparations necessary here and (ape Prince of Wales, 
 be b i re w e w ere li a a 1 1 \ on l 1 1 e a re t i ( • s i ( 1 e o f I! e r i 1 1 " Si rail s a nd poinl ed 
 i ior i h. The deer l hat had brought Ms from Colo\ i n Pa \ had not ice-
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. UEVEXFE Cl'TTEH HEAR. 
 
 53 
 
 ably tired toward ihe lasl of the . journey, and. as h was a hard road 
 from here to Cape Prince of Wales. Ketlleson feared they inighl give 
 out altoget her on the route; so 1 hat niglil I engaged a nat ive and a dog 
 sled, i lit ending to go on alone t lie nexl inoriiin,u'. In the morning it was 
 blowing a blizzard, with the t herinonieler -oS .and my nat ive said it 
 was impossible for him to get dog's enough for the trip, ami he won M 
 not go. I suspected he was afraid of the storm, and after my expe- 
 rience I didn't much blame him. I did not like the delay, but I could 
 mil bribe anyone to stall with me thai day. all having some excuse or 
 other, so I was compelled to similiter my disappoint nieiil and make 
 the besl of it. 1 now had tiinelo have my clot lies overhauled and put 
 in good condition, for one's clothing is subjected to hard usage in 
 arctic t raved, and constant attention to il is necessary. All the little 
 holes inusl lie stopped up. and when one has the time to allow a 
 native woman look over one's outfit, a general overhauling is an 
 adjunct of safety. I was also able to obtain here the extra deer- 
 skin clothing t hal we needed so badly, extra socks, boots, and an extra 
 deerskin artigge. or shirt. Nothing would keep one warm in the 
 weat her we were having bu1 deerskins, ami we were fortunate in being 
 able to obtain what we needed, for the miners had pretty well cleaned 
 out the supply in all other parts of the country. 
 
 ( >n start ing out I had determined to do as the people who lived in the 
 •ountry did — to dress, travel, and live as they did, and. if necessary. 
 to eat t he, same food. I found the only way to get along was to con- 
 form as nearly as possible to the customs of those who already had 
 solved many of the problems of existence in their arctic climate. In 
 this connection it has seemed to me thai the value of deerskin cloth- 
 ing has not always been known or fully appreciated in arct ic explora- 
 lion>. The Kskinio of arctic Alaska and northeast Siberia use hardly 
 anyt h ing else, and nothing is so warm and lighl as their dress. There 
 are slight local d i ffe rences in the make-up of the clol hing, but in gen- 
 eral, t he men's winter clot lies consisl of a single pair of (dose-fitting 
 trousers, with the hair nexl the skin for cold, and the reverse for 
 ordinary weal her; a pair of socks, with the hair next the feel : a pair 
 of boots with the hair out, with heavy sealskin soles \'ov hard wear 
 or deerskin sole-, for lighl wear: two artigges. or shirts, one with the 
 hair next the body and the other with the hair out. and both with 
 close-fitting hoods fringed with wolfskin to break the wind from the 
 face and nose: and a pair of mittens. These are all made of the 
 summer skins of the reindeer, and the whole out fit will not weigh 
 more than In or li' pounds. Over the skin shirt is worn a snow 
 shin, made of drilling, and sometimes a pair of drill trousers is worn 
 over the skin trousers to keep the snow from driving into the hair, 
 and. on coming indoors into a warm house, melting and wetting the 
 deerskin. A bell is worn around the waist outside the shirt to keep 
 the cold air out. or, rather, to keep the warm air in. This is loosened
 
 54 
 
 CRI'ISE OF THE IT. S. REVENl'E (TTTI'.K HEAR. 
 
 when t lit* person gels too warm. Willi tliis oullit well sewed and 
 everything t ight, one can defy almost any decree of cold, and no 
 a lie »nnl of woolen clot hing accomplishes the same result. The weight 
 of one's clothing is very telling in the days and weeks of traveling 
 through the snow and over the rough ice. and the lightness of the 
 deerskin is one of its mosl striking features, The skins are beauti- 
 fully tanned, and arc soft and pliable. The heavy winter skins are 
 seldom used for clothes. 1 > u t make excellent sleeping' gear, either as 
 mals or blankets, or made up as sleeping bags. Here also their light- 
 ness and warmlh are their ehiel' recommendations. 
 
 Though my slay was forced and the delay irksome, Mr. and .Mrs. 
 I>revig did all they could id make it pleasant and profitable, and my 
 outlit had a thorough overhauling. Mr. IJrevig later gave me great 
 assistance in paying my debts and furnishing me with supplies to 
 start the dec]' herd, wit limit which I would have been great ly at a loss. 
 Mere I parted from Dr. Kettlcson and Mikkel. as 1 hey were to return 
 to their herd at (J-olovin May. I was under many obligations to them 
 for t heir assistance thus far ami for informal ion concerning reindeer. 
 
 .In a an rij .'■!. — Early in the morning, with the thermometer — :»0 
 and the blizzard slid blowing. I finally got slarted for Cape IVincr of 
 Wales. There were t wo nat i ves with me. one Art isa r look and anol hei 
 • •ailed ••Ed." who had spent several years on a whaler al llersehel 
 Island. <>n accouul of his acquaintance with while men. Ed pre- 
 sumed to lake charge of me. but a short distance oul he discovered 
 I hat his gun had somehow dropped from die vied, and going back 
 over the trail to find it. did not return. Ariisarlook and 1 kepi on. 
 however, and made slow progress along the beach until aboul 1 
 o'clock, when he wanted to camp. 1 was not yet tired and thought 
 he was I rying to work on my fears, and so told him to go on. 1 1 was 
 now dark and we were near ('ape York, where the bluffs come down 
 abruptly to the sea. and our road was over the ice crushes thai lined 
 the shore. lie went ahead to pick out the way and I was lefl to man- 
 age i he heavy sled, which was conl inually capsizing in the rough ice, 
 and ii was aboul all we both could do to rigid it. About S o'clock I 
 was completely played oul and quite willing to camp. lint Ariisar- 
 look said "no." it was 1 oo cold to camp wit ho til wood, and. as I he ice 
 we wen- on was in danger of breaking off from the shore any minute, 
 it was necessary 1 hat we get beyond the line of bluffs before stop- 
 ping. In ihe darkness I stepped through a crack in the ice, and my 
 Ice, to the knee was immediately one mass of ice. ! was now com 
 pi '1 led i o go mi I o sonic pla.ee w here my fool gear could be dried, and, 
 l 1 1 < » 1 1 Li' h almost ready to drop where I was. I had to keep on. for to 
 si op. i ne; i nt I o f ree/.e. I 'ushing a ml lift iug on i' sled, a nd urging I he 
 do^>. we drauued along until midnight, when we came ton house, 
 high up on the shore, thai Ariisarlook some lime before had i-TI me 
 aboul. Though it turned out to be a horrible place, no palace could
 
 CRCISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTKR HEAR. 
 
 55 
 
 have been more welcome. It was a small hut, about K> by 1l\ and o 
 feet high, and 15 people were already sleeping there. It was most 
 filthy and the worst house I have seen in all my Alaskan experience; 
 but I was too tired then to care for that, too 1 ired even to eat : and 
 though I had had nothing but a couple of crackers since morning, I 
 was quite satisfied to take off my wet clothing, crawl into my bag, 
 and sleep. 
 
 ,Ia i ui a i'I) .'//. — When we awoke in the morning the natives had dried 
 our clothes, and urged us to stay, as the blizzard was still raging out- 
 side, but their hut was too filthy to remain in it any longer than 
 necessary. The air was horrible, and it was refreshing to get out- 
 side and to be going again through the storm and over the rough ice. 
 Even Arlisarlook found difficulty in eating his breakfast, and ex- 
 plained to me thai the house and the people were too dirty for him to 
 eat anything with them. There was another village about lo miles 
 farther on, and here we stopped and fortified ourselves with a good 
 meal for our hard trip around the mountains of the cape. 1 also 
 engaged a small sled to go with us to lighten the heavy load on the 
 one we had. 
 
 I thought the ice we recently passed over had made a rough road, 
 but this was even worse, for here were all the crushingsof the straits 
 shoved up against the mountains 1 hat ran down abruptly into the sea, 
 tnd over this kind of ice we had to make our way. Darkness set 
 at long before we had come to the worst of it, and a faint moon gave 
 too little light for such a road. It was a continuous jumble of dogs, 
 sleds, men, and ice — particularly ice — and it would be hard to tell 
 which suffered most, men or dogs. Once, in helping the sled over a 
 particularly bad place, I was thrown S or !' feet down a slide, landing 
 on the back of my head with the sled on top of me. Though the 
 mercury was — ■!•» . I was wet through with perspiration from the vio- 
 lence of 1 he work. Our sleds were racked and broken, our dogs played 
 out, and we ourselves scarcely able to move, when we finally reached 
 .Mr. Lopp's house at the cape. I think the 5<> miles from Port 
 Clarence to (ape Prince of Wales, the most trying and fearful of all 
 I experienced on the expedition, and 1 was about convinced then that 
 if there were any more places like that, a relay of men would be 
 needed, as well as of dogs and reindeer. The next morning both 
 Artisarlook and myself "wore so completely done up we could scarcely 
 raise our feet. 
 
 My arrival at Cape Prince of Wales caused great excitement in the 
 village, and Mr. and Mrs. Lopp were much exercised to know" what 
 brought an officer of the Uovernmenl into the count vy at this time of 
 the year. I delivered lo Mr. Lopp his mail, and explained to him the 
 necessity of the sit nation at Point Barrow and the desire of the Depart- 
 ment that he become a part of the expedition. lie was indispensable. 
 His capability of handling natives, his knowledge of them and the
 
 5G 
 
 chuise of Tin-: 
 
 REVENUE Cl'TTKK BEAK. 
 
 reindeer, was far above 1 lml of any one in ihe country. While in no 
 wnv oslentat ions, lie and M rs. I.opp had acquired a |)osi1 ion of ascend - 
 iMicv and res peel anions' I lie nal i ves 1 lml was product ive ol' llic ^reat- 
 csi success in I'd i«M'inii' llic condition ol' llic lattci - . I I'ch sure he- 
 would Lin with inc. lml knew there must he many u'ra\'c mailers to 
 he considered and sett led he fore he could leave. lie first explained 
 In me the position his reindeer herd occupied. Some were owned by 
 his society, ilie American Missionary Association, others by himself 
 and his " hoys." or native herders— six bright, sniarl Kskinio youtlis, 
 
 whom he had l rained to 1 xeellenl deernien — and a small number 
 
 were owned bv nalives of the ('ape I'rince of Wales village. The 
 Association had written him to use his best judgment ahoul letlin.u' 
 the di-er u'o. and ijave him liberty to leave his station if he deemed it 
 best. The reindeer had been builded upon by his people as theii 
 future weallh and suppoi't in life, and 1o lose them now would be to 
 make a break in the work thai could not be reckoned. Still, in the 
 inlerest of humanity, he said he would Liive them all. explain tin- 
 case to t he ual i ves, and induce them 1o n'ive their deer also, if I would 
 throw around them all the safeguards in my power, to the effect that 
 their loss would be fully repaired and repaid. 
 
 At his solicit at ion I imve him a receipt for the deer herd, spec i fy i uu 
 thai I. as the 1'epresenlalive of the ("idled States Treasury Depart- 
 ment, received t hem for 1 he Use of thai Depa rt ineul . which he desired 
 should also assume the responsibility o| their relurn. There were 
 in all o<d in the herd. -2U-2 of which were i/ivon upon this promise 
 of return, but the other '.i belonged In a nati\'e who was unwilling 
 to part with his in this way. and as it was iniprad ieable to separate 
 the herd. I was compelled to buy these !•, l: i \ in u' orders for yoods 
 upon Mr. Urevi.u - at I'ori Clarence and upon you. Once Mr. I.opp 
 decided to jLi'<>, a very important consideration was the position and 
 welfare of his w jfe and fatnilv d urinu' his absence. Instead of holding 
 her husl>and hack. .Mrs. I/>pp linked him lo u'o. believing it to be his 
 duty. It was lb-si surest eil thai sin- and the eliildren <;'o to I'ori 
 Clarence and remain with Mr. [>re\ i *i' and his wife, but Mrs. I.opp 
 would not leave her home and l he work I o which she had devoted her 
 life. and insisied upon remaining, lordlier wil h hei- children, the only 
 while persons in this village of nvcr ~>i><> nat ives. Though in a mosl 
 trying position durinv. Mr. Lopp's absence, her faith in the native 
 character and her hold upon it were vindicated, for she not only had 
 illh-or no trouble, but received much help and comfort from them 
 1 husband was away with the expedition. I am u'lad to be 
 able to s;i v t h i - not only to testify to the sincerity and bravery of 
 both Mr. and Mrs. I.opp. bul also lo deinousl rate that the natives 
 - part ieular v illau'e are not I he wild, reckless, murdering people 
 tha 1 manv have represented t hem tube. but. on the conl rary. are a 
 -' iod. brav e. and generous I ribe.
 
 --•if* * 
 
 « V 

 
 CRCISE OF Till- 
 
 UiSVEXFE ( TTTK.K BKAK. 
 
 57 
 
 The journey and task ahead of us was a hazardous one. any way 
 we miii'lil look at it, and it was necessary before starling to make the 
 most careful and ample preparations. First, Mr. Lopp onuairod his 
 six herders, Ootenna, K ivyearzruk. Sokweena. Keuk, link, and \e1ax- 
 ite. and a sled was seal lit Porl Clarence to brine,' back Tautuk, a 
 herder there. Xetaxitc was left behind in work for .Mrs. Lopp and 
 care for the house, thus uivinu' us 7 herders, includine; Art isarlook. 
 We were making an experiment: no such undertaking had ever 
 before been tried in Alaska, and we could not tell how lone; il would 
 require to travel the T < ' » miles ahead of us. We must, if possible. 
 jU'et to Point Harrow before April, as by thai time the fawning season 
 beii'an. Auain. il was necessary to lit out l he parly to be independent 
 of villages, from the beuinniiie,' to the end of the journey. I had no 
 fear of the natives we iniuhl meet, but the doys at any place mij»'h1 
 disperse our deer herd and leave us stranded. We had a ureal 
 amount of work 10 accomplish before we could start. Sleds must 
 be built . 1 lie herders must be lit led oul properly with clothing, clot lies 
 bau's. 1 cut s. stoves, camp L>ear, and spare harness, and lassoes mus1 be 
 made. Clothing was the mosl important item, for herdinu' and driv- 
 ing are particularly hard oti skin (dot lies, and everything available 
 was bouu'hl ami made up. for, even if we did not need it, it would 
 be invaluable at Point Harrow. Il was not until the iM'th thai these 
 preparations were finished and we "were aide to i>"o out to the herd, 
 which was about i'o miles (list a nl, on the north shore of the cape, and 
 where We ai'H Ved on 1 he .')< >1 11. 
 
 The herd was in oxeelienl condition, bu1 there was only a small 
 number of t rai ned sled i\^c\- for so Iarit'o a party, and out I'M as we had 
 to carry with tis. Dr. Call with Artisarlook's herd had nol yel arrived, 
 and we vet io work making the best use of the time, buildine; more 
 sleds and breaking in sleil i\^'v. On the niuht of February 1 Tautuk 
 arrived from Port Clarence with two uood sled deer of his own. two 
 sleds, and a h>1 of clothing from the Teller Reindeer Station. lie 
 rejxirtef] thai Dr. Call and An isarlook' had left Port Clarence thai 
 same < lay and thai he mus1 have passed them somewhere in 1 he moun- 
 tains. < Mir a n x iely was relieved the nexl aflernoon. however, when 
 the doctor and Charlie showed up with their herd. They had a hard 
 lime of it from Point Rodney, with slorms and deep snow in the 
 mountains, and had lost two deep on the road. Thing's had now a 
 much more assuring a sped . and we were all anxious to u'd off on what 
 we hoped would be a successful journey, bul which had doubtful 
 points aboul it 1 hat could no1 be foretold. 
 
 February '■> we started with bis deer and a 1 rain of 1 s sleds. Ii took 
 a lone,' time to break camp and pack and lash all these sleds, as well 
 as in lasso and harness the deer to draw them. Mr. Lopp and three 
 herders having liu'lit sleds and w<dl -broken dfcv. went belli ml the herd, 
 driving' from one side to the oilier and keeping' it niovinu' on the jump.
 
 CKI'ISK nF THE I'. >. L'KVKNri: (TTTMK I'.EAK. 
 
 Taut uk bmuyhl with lii m a small La pp doy t hal was 1 rained to this 
 work. ;uii I 1 1 1 is lii tic I'd low circled ;ir« mi ml tin- outer edyes of I lie herd 
 Mini kept tin' deer from straviuy. l!' i>m' started li-i nn the herd, ihe 
 iIdl: w a- a fi '■!■ him. harkiuy at his heels until he returned. In this 
 \va v tin- dee i - were kepi inuv i 1 1 y a h my i 11 niie eiim pad body, and as the 
 mad was hard and fairly level, we weiii at a very yood pace. The 
 rest id' us weiii with the train, which consisted of the olher thirteen 
 sleds and deer, This train was really 1 lime separate trains, twin.!' 
 I'n iir. and uiie of live sleds. The (|c.-r in eaeh t rain were i i «-< ] by t heir 
 lariat > in the sled ahead, and 1 ho driver silt iny on t lie head sled, guided 
 his deer, while the others were compelled to follow. The doctoral 
 times look pari in the driving, but I was eontenl to sil on a sled in 
 one of the 1 rains and see the procession ahead of me. In 1 his way one 
 man handled four or live sleds, and many a re the lanyles and .jumbles 
 the animals cei imo when yoiny up ami down the hills, for in 1 rains 
 like t Ids t he deer soon worry t hemsehes inio a state of excitement, 
 by niyhl we had made from n to s miles, and thouyh ii was uo1 much 
 in distance, we had moved from our base, and ii seemed thai we had 
 made a yood stall a1 doiny somet liiny. 
 
 /*" < -nn -ij ' h -Ii look a lony time this mnniim:' to break camp and 
 yel t lie sleds u iovi 1 1 y. a 1 id i yTeW i in pal ieli 1 ai 1 he delay. We kepi I o 
 I he hilU. for ! her,, i he deer moss was plein iful. Indeed, ii s< eiiioi: 
 the disposil ion of the deer people i o >i iek I o i he hills as i heir nat urai 
 lie Ids. This is \ ery well for ordinary work and l ra \ <■'■.. bin mn- rxpi'- 
 i ieiice hit er mi proved thai 1 he ilea mi \ ■■ kepi i o i he ie\ el y round and 
 the ice mi the cu;hi. even ihoiiyh ai : i : _ i i ' we had in drive some dis- 
 tance back to lii H I moss. 1 he more d i si a nee a head we could make, and 
 with much less trial and exertion to oiirsel\es and the di-er. The 
 bayyaye Irain was the worst pari of ihe outlil. and caused nearly all 
 of the delays. This day we probablv made abmil IJ miles, which was 
 yood progress if we could keep ii up. bill ii was cvideui thai our sled 
 deer would play on 1 in a shori time i f we could not red uce t he we iy hi 
 on i he i rai u. 
 
 Tin- ei in in ]-y was ml liny and apparenl ly per feci ly barren. The hiyh 
 winds 1 hat had pivvai led. had packed t he snow hard where vcr ii was 
 exposed, and even in 1 he deep \ alleys 1 here w as crust eiioiiyh to bear 
 the w.-iyhi ,,f the sleds. There was moss for ihe '\^<-v all o\ er the 
 con hi r\ .bin ii was most abundant on tin hi lit ops. 1 1 was an ideal 
 reindeer coil lit ly. and this nort h shore of 1 he peninsula would support 
 lame and numerous herds. Alders and willow yrow alony the banks 
 of the streams, bin in most places the snow was so deep thai they 
 u em complete! \ covered. We had to depend upon I hese for lire wood. 
 and ' ' w ,-|s \ er\ dilTieiill to yel eiinuyh I'm' our purpose. 
 
 /• ■'. i Mi ilds clay, ihoiiyh we were under wa\ about six 
 
 hour-, k,- made Inn s miles. Soiiielhiny had to be done, for the de- 
 la \s ami ' "-.ai ;. ins of t lie bayyaye t rain were causing the loss of valu-
 
 CRUISE OF THE I". S. REVENUE < TTTEK BEAR. 
 
 able time and wearing oiil the drci-. We wciv breaking l"r«*sli ones 
 each 1 1 i «Li" lit, I >n1 these were pom- inakeshil'ts. and il was liard work get- 
 tin.ii them along. 1'pun talking it over with .Mr. Lopp. I decided to 
 leave 1 he herd in his sole charge, and lake the doctor, with our bag- 
 gage, down to a village on the coast, there secure dog teams, and go 
 on to Kot /.ehue Sound, apprising 1 he people of Mr. Lopp's coming, and 
 make such arrangements, as were possible to help him along. 1 was 
 disappoi nl e(l tn leave the herd, for I had Imped to travel with it to 
 I'oi nt Harrow and Ik dp solve I he problem of i he route fart her on. bm 
 the necessity of the situation required some radical change. 
 
 It was found that our leaving would take away 1 he loads of six sleds. 
 We were not essential to the progress of the herd. Mr. Lopp and his 
 herders liavin.u' all the knowledge and experience necessary for the 
 work in hand, and we. with our baggage, were just so much more to 
 be hauled. I>y t raiist'ci'i-iiiu' our outfit to dog teams we would relieve 
 the train of that much weight. Besides, there were many things I 
 could i lo ahead to help l hem along. The nat ives beyond (ape Prince 
 of Wales had never seen domestic deer, had no know ledge of their 
 coming through the country, and might, as happened later at one 
 place, take them for wild deer and go gunning for them. This dan- 
 ger I could guard against by tolling the people at each village what 
 was coming behind. There was information as to the best route and 
 the character of the country that I could Leather in advance and pre- 
 pare t he way w ii h guides, etc. These mailers were all discussed wit! 
 Lop]) and an understanding as to our diiferenl movements arrived at. 
 
 It was hoped that the herd would be able to cross Kotzebuo Sound 
 on the ice. and thus save the lone' journey around the head of the 
 sound, and yet 1 his was very doubtful, depending, of course, upon the 
 winds. A southeast wind breaks up the ice in the Sound and opens 
 leads of water through it. while a northerly wind keeps the ice firm 
 and in place, and the cold soon freezes over any open places. I was 
 in learn the conditions of the ice over the Sound and semi back word 
 to Lopp how to prepare for this part of the journey. 
 
 Fi-hrim r>/ >'). — This morn i iil;- while we were preparing to start for 
 Sinrazat. a village on the coast, the very man we wauled, a native, 
 IVrninyuk by name, came t ramping over the hill back of our cam]), 
 lie was on a hunting trip and was probably the only man for miles 
 around, and how he came to strike our camp a1 the v<n - y time we 
 wanted him so badly was nnexplainable. After the freezing of the 
 streams in the fall the people hereabouts depend upon seal in.ii' and 
 rabbit hunting for their winter's food, part of the population remain- 
 in. u' on t he coast . going oul on the ice c\ i'ry favorable day w hen there 
 is open water offshore, while others go back into the hills trapping 
 rabbits, and IVrninyuk had just come out for thai purpose. 1 en paired 
 him to u'o alone (lie coasl with us as guide, and. Lopp having driven us 
 lo the village of Sinrazat. we parted there on the nighl of the nth
 
 ,1 1 
 
 rwrisK in- - riii'. r. s. kkvexik cittkk iu.ai;. 
 
 wit 1 1 nun i la I yood w ishes ami hopes of meet iny ayain in the vicinity 
 i if Ko1 /.el nic Sound. 
 
 Alonu i 1 1 1 ■--< - shores stretches a scries of layootis from ('ape I'rince 
 of Wales to within 1" miles of (ape Kspenbery. I lie larycsl beiny 
 Schi^i'hmai-fl]' Inld. into wliich two fair-sized rivets Slow from the 
 mountains 1 • * the sottlli. 'I noiie.li a I a rye body of water, il i> tilleil 
 iars. ;iml it > open iny to t he sea is hardly more t ha n deep enoiiyh 
 I'm- a boat. Where the layooiis end lliecoasl is a line of Muffs ami 
 >mall siml hills uulil Cape Kspenbery is reached, which terminates 
 in a \ i tv low sand spit . 
 
 There are numerous remains of old villages all ahmy 1 1 1 * * coast, 
 Pill that they are now descried I believe to be due not so much to 
 the fact thai there are less people, as 1o the desire to chanue a 
 situation when the houses yet into bad repair and the accumulation 
 of tilth is loo ureal aboul them. Wood is plentiful, and it is no ureal 
 'a-i\ to uet enough for a new house when wanted. 
 
 We now hi uan a very tryiny experience. The natives alony this 
 pari of the coa>1 were very poor, and scattered in -mad numbers at 
 distances of about l'o miles apart . Sealiny had been very poor. In 
 some places their doys had starved, and the people 1 hcmselves had 
 lit t le to eat . No one man seemed to possess more than i wo or t hree 
 doys ai most . and t he d illicit It ies of olitain i uy means of t ravel were 
 almost insurinountable. li seemed impo>sib e to uet anyone to either 
 take us. or u'o alonu wit h us more t ha i one day's jm ne from Ids own 
 home. The best we could do d uri nu the day w a- about _' ' or ;.'•" mi Ies. 
 and at niu'ht il was a lonu. tryinu ordeai. l" btiy. borrow, or hire 
 
 doys. sleds, and lllell to U'o "II III the ||e\1 villayo. UV found one 
 
 man who was on his wa\ to I'oinl Hope to briuu back a bride, and I 
 induced him to join our train and help its alonu. but one inurniny. 
 farther on. his heart failed him and he de-died, lcaviny us badly in 
 the lurch. 
 
 <>ur trials were many and e.xaspcrat inu. We would buy or hire 
 
 dous. only to have them run away and return to their owner- after 
 
 uninu but a -hurt distance with us. Nat i ve doys are very unlikely to 
 
 remain with anyone i part icularly while men) bill their owners, if 
 
 i he\ are wit hin reach of the \ illaye where t hey live. They will chew 
 
 lie -i out est ha rn es- or rope, and no1 h i ny bill a chain will keep t hem 
 
 -ecu rely, bui chain- are too m uch weiyhl to carry on so lonu a .joiir- 
 
 m-\ . Kina \. i\ bribinu. t hreateiiiny. nnd offeriny shiploads ot' ]»ro- 
 
 -ion-. we maiiau'eil to reach Toaltil at (ape Kspenbery. We were 
 
 \orn out. and our pr<»\ isions had been drawn upon so 
 
 ' . b\ our nati\'e friends that hardly more remained now 
 
 'han a lew broken cracker-, eiioiiyh beans for a day. and some tea. 
 
 lei-n hunurv for while man'- food, and had helped lliem- 
 
 ' o o i r- and eaten to their heart s' content . while we dai ed nol 
 
 -a\ i ,\ord ie-i i||i-\ should lea\e u-. hi na 1 i \ . a 1 this place, al! of
 
 cktise of Tin: r. s. rkykntk cutter bear. 
 
 61 
 
 them except I'erninyuk did leave us and lake their sleds with them, 
 and I think mainly because they thoughl we would starve, for evi- 
 dently they had no faith in my story of the sled loads of provisions 
 awaiting us al (ape IJlossom. 
 
 There were only two lints in Toat ul . and in these were crowded 
 twenty people; I tut no indncemenl could gel the in to go across the 
 Sound the next day. ll was more than t 11 miles over the ice to (ape 
 IJlossom, where 1 fell Lieutenant IJertholf was waiting for us with Ids 
 load of provisions and, probably wondering what had become of us. 
 for we were now about a week behind our plans. I was tired and 
 worried. We had been separated since December i'" and had heard 
 absolutely nothing of llerl holfs whereabouts or his progress since 
 that time, and did not know even if he had arrived at St. .Michael. I 
 had left him at K iyiligam tile to wait for dogs. Had they come on 
 time, or did he have to wait? Had any accident or sickness befallen 
 him, and had he been able to gel across the divide to the Arctic with 
 his heavy load'/ Was the snow too deep or soft, and had he been 
 stalled somewhere? There were no people in all thai long route, and 
 he had to depend upon his preparations ent irely. His provisions we 
 were now greal ly in need of, and our progress from here on absolutely 
 depended on them. The (leer herd was behind, and 1 could no1 help 
 being worried over its progress. 
 
 I had perfect faith in Lopp and his boys, but the progress while I 
 had been with the herd was so vexatious and slow thai I could only 
 hope thai with less baggage it would improve after we had left and 
 after all hands had become more accustomed 1o the daily t ravel. Our 
 own posit ion was also rat her bad, with no provisions and no sleds, and 
 •A" miles of ice that might open at any time between us and the hope 
 of supplies. A week before the ice had been open, bnl for the last 
 live days the wind had been from the north, with 'he thermometer 
 from — l'D to _•") . and the old men of the village said the ice was 
 all right. Yet nothing could induce the young men to cross with us 
 the next day. "'No/'lheN said, "not until we go out on the ice and 
 see for ourselves w het her it is safe or not." I t ried to explain to them 
 that anot her day and another wind might change matters, but it was 
 of no use. t hey won Id not move. All I he next day we were compelled 
 in wait, idly gazing at the mountains on the other side and wonder- 
 ing whet her l here was more to eat l here than on our side. There was 
 nothing else to do but wait . We could not carry our clot lies and out - 
 I'M s ourselves, nor could we replace them, for deerskins were worth 
 more than their weight in gold in these parts. Perninyuk. who had 
 remained fail h ful tons, helped us pass the day and compose ourselves 
 by giving an exhibition of his magic, lie was a native doctor, or 
 " unat kook," and 1 he performance consisted of two hours of frenzied 
 t ragic declamation and crawling around on the Hour, combined with 
 a few si niple t ricks.
 
 <;•_! crtisk of Tin-: r. s ki:\ knti: <tttkk hear. 
 
 Thai liiu'lii I hail an interest in i; experience, which showed how easily 
 n;il i\ !•»' act ions ma \ lie misunderstood ami misrepresented. There was 
 ,-tn old couple living iii ihc house. .- 1 1 m I hearinii somet hhie. unusual in 
 their curlier. 1 looked iivit and saw t he old man tie a st rinu 1 around 
 his \vife"> neck and pui a lone.' si ick in the loop. The old woman w as 
 sick. I have Ion- heard of how llie old and sick are sometimes killed 
 lo pui i hem "in of their miseries and relieve their relatives of the 
 burden of keeping them, and the thought came that the old man was 
 uuiim io >iranii"le his wife by twisting on ihe st i<-k . I inunedialely 
 mad i- > l roii. u - object ions to what seen km I to me won hi soon be m urder. 
 whereupon the natives, who showed astonishnienl at my interference. 
 called in I 'end i iv uk. and he explained how I was mistaken. There was 
 no i ni cm ion of harming the old woman, bul she was sick in the head. 
 beinu' possessed there of a devil in the shape of a dou'. and nii>'li1 
 and morn inn had to be t ied up in this way like a doe,' and incantat ions 
 said over her to drive oiii the devil. My mistake was amusinu' and 
 very natural, and showed how easily one maybe mistaken in a people 
 whose ways and customs one does not understand. Without IVr- 
 niuyuk's explanation. 1 niiivht have taken to myself the credh of 
 sloppiuu' a deliberate murder, whereas I was only interfering: wiih 
 the administering of Ihe doctor's prescription. 
 
 Toward evening' the man who had u'oiic out in the morning came 
 back and reported the ice as far as he had -one lo be Li'ood and hard, 
 and thai they would start with us ihe following morn Jne.. 
 
 /'"' '/ ■"'";■'/ / .'. I >y 1 his 1 hue the days were fa si ^niwin.L; longer, and it 
 w as liuht short ly after s o'clock, when we start ed. At the last minute 
 our prospective bridegroom descried us and we had lo be-in a e,reat 
 h list line,' for doe,s in t his small village. l-'orl in lately, one of t he yoiinu 
 men thought lie would like lo visit some friends and do a little trad- 
 hie.' on ! In- ol her side of 1 he Sound, and he < ill'ered us his i [o<i's i f we 
 would lake him and his Mock alone.'. I was never more relie\ed ihan 
 when we finally rushed down the bank on to ihe ice and were pointed 
 for the mountains back of Cape IJlossom. Alone; the shores and I'oi 
 in i h-s .in; on t he sound t here were heavy crushes of ice over which we 
 had >n pick our w'ay very carefully, often beinu obliged to carry our 
 - cds. as u e wound in and out liuiilin- for the smooth patches of ice 
 a lew days before had been open leads. The north wind still 
 pre\a:led. and with the bri-ht. clear sky the mountains looked close. 
 ' rax eiine; hard all day lhe\ seemed lit t le nearer 1 han when 
 The nat i ve> wanted io camp w lien i1 IV 1 1 dark, bill 1 was 
 
 deterii lie ; In make the land oil the other side before slopping. Ilo 
 
 ■ . ■.. look. A lew crumbs of crackers and some frozen 
 aboiil .pi we had in our provision box. and 1 was not 
 -'" u- " '■■ cauLi'hi out 1 1n- re wil h all Lieutenant l>ert liolf's stores only 
 a ■ '-s a w a \ . 
 
 \f''U' ii -htfa i we kepi our course by the stars, and the natives. 
 who w ere i i red out . claimed we would ni iss ihe village, wander a Ion Li'
 
 CRL'ISE OK THE l\ S. REVHXt'E CKTTEK HEAR. 63 
 
 way up Hothain inlet, and lose ourselves lill iiloi-ii i n.u"- I >ul being 
 convinced of my detcrminal ion to keep on they said no more aboiil 
 camping, ami we worked on over the rough places, almost famished, 
 bill hustling the dogs and ourselves to keep warm. Suddenly, about 
 lit.ofi p. in., we came againsl the land at the graveyard below the vil- 
 lage of Kikiktaruk. and soon afler drew up al the house of Kev. 
 lioberl Sanuns. a (Quaker missionary, who. with his wife and .Miss 
 1 1 mi ii icut t . a i earlier, had established i hem selves a 1 this place during 
 the previous summer. Here also was Lieutenant Lertholf. who had 
 arrived the nighl before. We were relieved and overjoyed. K very- 
 thing at this end had turned out well, although Lieutenant Lertholf 
 had a hard time getting his provisions across the portage. Kngle- 
 stadt. the trader at I'nalaklik. who was to furnish the teams for the 
 trip, had failed to keep his agreement, and Lertholf had been at the 
 mere; of Mime unscrupulous na1 i ves. and forced logo back toGolovin 
 Lay to the dfcv camp, and there obtain seven <\rcv and sleds, with a 
 Lapp and a native driver to help him along. Lut he arrived all right, 
 with the provisions intact, and we were now fully able to prepare all 
 parts of the expedition for the long and hazardous journey to Point 
 Harrow. There was not much to be done that night. Loth parties 
 had had all t hey couhl stand and needed rest. The weal her had been 
 growing colder and the light north wind made theti:? of frost biting 
 and sharp, but we fell much better in the lenl thai nighl after a good 
 supper, knowing everything was in good shape, than we would have 
 been out on the ice of the sound, with no tire and nothing to eat. 
 
 F< i>r a " /■// /•'. —We --pent t he day overhauling our out fits and decid- 
 ing upon points further on. There was much information to be gath- 
 ered a> to whether the <\i-(-v herd should keep the coast or strike up 
 I he Noat uk I {iver and down the < )otokok. or the I kpikpung rivers to 
 Point Harrow. L seemed shorter to strike across the country, but 
 the considoral ions of t imber. deep snow, and t he possibilities of get 1 ing 
 lost or stalled in the mountains were too great and too much fraught 
 with danger to be faced, and it appeared best to keep to the coasl 
 as far as possible, providing we could find moss for the deer. 
 
 Lerthoif had boiighl at St. .Michael the dog team thai had carried 
 me from Tununak. and. having brought it over the portage with him. 
 this relieved me to a great iwleiil of the difficulties of travel further 
 on. lie had also brought seven good sled deer, five from t he (xoverii- 
 nienl herd and two from the herd of the Swedish missions. These I 
 decided 1o keep to help out the train in our large herd. Lopp*s sled 
 deer musl soon be played out, or at least well tired, and these seven 
 would be a valuable addit ion. 
 
 I paid off and sent back the Laplander and the natives who had 
 come in Lieut ena n1 Lerl hoi f's t rain, exopt one nat ive herder. < >k it kun. 
 who was retained to care for the deer they brought. I knew him as a 
 thoroughly good and reliable Kskimo. and. moreover, an excellent 
 deerman — one of t he best in the count r\ . and I wanted him here when
 
 64 
 
 < RIISE OF THE l\ S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 mil' hei'il came alouir. ( < >r Lopp s choice. 1! lie should he needed, or in 
 c;im' ; 1 1 1 \ ol' our herders had played out. Accidents were always pos- 
 sible in such work as ihey were eiiii'a.u'ed ill, and as tliinus had to he 
 prepared for here. I wauled to take all the safeguards possible. 
 
 Lopp, however, was not here \et. and there was no way of tellinu 
 when he would arrive: ii seemed a1 Toalul thai 1 he ice was too roiiidi 
 for i he deer lo cross to Kru/.eiistem, and I had left a letter advising 
 li i in not to try it. for. though the trip around Kotzebue Sound would 
 take at lea si ten days, it seemed heller to iro 1 ha1 way than to run the 
 risk of having the herd scattered on the ice. and perhaps lost. A> I 
 did not expect the herd at (ape IJlossom for a week. and. if they went 
 around the Sound, two weeks. I could not wait thai lonii'. 1 musl ue1 
 tii I'oini Harrow news of our eoniiiiii' and obtain news from there as 
 soon a> |tossible. I'oini Hope was bul a weeks journey distant and I 
 fell sure some news would be there, if not some of the Point Harrow 
 people themselves, for 1 here were am pie st ores at I'oini Hope, which 
 the people at Point I iarrow k Hew . 
 
 Arranuinu our affairs to provide against accidents or delays. I 
 decided to take Surii'eon Call and continue on to Point Nope at least, 
 leaving Lieutenant IJertholf behind with the provisions to wail for 
 the arrival of Lopp and the < leer herd. The sit uat ion was t ho roughly 
 understood between ns. and leaving orders for IJertholf to come on to 
 Point Hope it' he did not coin in lie wit li ! he ilccr herd, we left Cape 
 I Hi issi nn mi the inoriiinu of the I'ith. The weather had continued 
 clear ami cold, with t he thermometer resist crimi aboul — .'!-"> for several 
 days. 
 
 St i'ikiii,u" across I lot ham I n let low ard Cape K ru/.c listen i. we reached 
 the village of Anyok that niejit. This was the place the deer herd 
 was in make for. from (ape Kspenberu'. ami though now- I hardly 
 e.\ peeled them to come that way. ii was well to prepare the people 
 and have them on the lookoul. As it turned mil afterwards, they 
 were, at thai very time, camped mil on the ice but in miles from the 
 village. From here on to I'oini 1 lope we had ideal weal her for 1 rax - 
 elitiL;. clear and cold, the thennoineler i*;i I lii'i 1 1 1» from -•!" to — I- 
 1 lie w In ile w a\ ". a m I we had to keep movill.li". With plenty of food and 
 plenM nf driftwood aloii.ii' ihe beach, we were able to fortify ourselves 
 aitai list the cold, and I >y exercisinii' care and paying at t cut ion to our 
 Hoses and cheek>, we were not touched even ill these sensitive places. 
 
 The difference between care and carelessness is sliuhi. in arctic 
 l ra \ 'el. and t he first let-up is sure to briuii' its reminder in 1 he shape of 
 a I'fi ist ed t oe or linger or a frozen nose. One musl be on mm id. and I lie 
 sl'mhtesl I ine-c iii t he Hose or cheek in list be heeded . and ei red hit ion 
 started au'ain by vigorous rubbing. Though soinewlial disagreeable 
 nil 1 ! painful, free/in. ii' 1 hese [iarts is not necessariK harmful unless 1 oo 
 loin: iieiiiectc(|. 1 >aw a case where the end ot ;i man's hum had 
 dropped off from frostbite, but such things are rare. Usually the
 
 jurist; of tiii-; r. s. rkventk cutter bear. 
 
 Go 
 
 skin is discolored, becomes dead and peels off. leaving 1he member 
 quite sensitive for a time. I!ul with the hands, and especially the 
 feet, it is different. Xo pari of the body requires more attention 
 than these: socks and boots must be well made and kepi thoroughly 
 i\vy ; even the slightest perspiral ion will, if one stops too long, work dis- 
 astrously. l>olh boot s and socks should bo changed immediately upon 
 going into camp, and dry ones must be put on in the morning before 
 starting. The nat ives know the importance of this only too well, and 
 if they see one inclined to neglect these precautions, they will insist 
 on his taking care of his fool gear. It is 1 he easiest thing in the world 
 for a man to suffer severely in such a climate, bill it is possible, by 
 good care and attention, to avoid what one might call extreme suffer- 
 ing, and live t here wit h only 1 he unavoidable discomforts of 1 he coun- 
 try, to which a man in good health sooner or later grows accustomed. 
 
 We had now bade good-bye to native houses, and, except at Point 
 Hope, camped in our tenl from here on to Point Barrow. I much 
 preferred the tenl for cleanliness and health, although when, after a 
 long, hard day's travel, we drew up at a village cold, hungry, and 
 tired. i1 required considerable determination and a more powerful 
 con side rat ion than cleanliness to resist 1 he tempt at ion to get in out of 
 the cold as soon as possible. Pitching the tenl and making a proper 
 camp seen km 1. at such times, an endless .job, and one was a pi I o crawl 
 into the nearest hut, drag off his bundling clothes, and settle down in 
 some corner in perfect peace, while i he men of 1 he house wenl outside 
 and attended to the wants of the teams and secured the sleds for the 
 night. The hospitably of these people I have never seen equaled 
 eNewhere. It is never grudging: itisihrust upon you. The best they 
 have, and the besl place in the house are at your disposal. It is so 
 universal that it comes as a mailer of course, and as a result does not 
 seem to be properly recognized or appreciated. Often it is embarrass- 
 ing, for the natives are so insistent and generous thai it is hard to 
 refuse to accept their offers, and go about your business in your own 
 way. Never in all our journey did we pass a house w here the people 
 did not extend a cordial welcome and urge us to go in; and hardly a 
 hut thai we did go into, but the best place was cleared out for us ami 
 our belongings. What this means to a tired, cold, and hungry traveler 
 can not be fully appreciated save by those who have experienced it. 
 and my former good impressions of the Alaskan Kskimowore but 
 intensified by this winter's journey. All that we ever gave in ret urn 
 for such hospitality, and all that was expected was a cup of tea and 
 a cracker to the inmates of the house after we had finished our meal. 
 
 Fmm Cape Prince of Wales on we had been treated to bright auroral 
 displays almost every night . They generally came out of a dark bank 
 that would form in the northern horizon just after dark, and stretch 
 in long shooting st reamers that grad ually worked over the heavens to 
 1he opposite horizon, waving back and forth, so close to the earth as
 
 b'l] 
 
 CiarisE <)]■ THE U. S. REVENl'E CUTTER BEAK. 
 
 tit lie scciniiiLi'ly w it liin i vac h. ami then as ii'raduully receded and sub- 
 sided. I'sually limy came in ext reinely cold weather and seemed t:> 
 I > resale «'<>|(1 \\val lie r \'<>\- t he following day. I was part icularly 011 iho 
 watch losce tlie brillianl colors so often described, hut wasdisap- 
 Hointed: and, while they lit up the heavens and the snow-co\erod 
 earl h. I ( -mii Id note (inly a faint orange and violet color in the displays, 
 and people who have lived in the count ry many years told mot hoy 
 iie\ er showed more color t han we saw. so 1 concluded t hat . on t his coast 
 at least, t hex were seldom more than streaks of oranii'e 1 iiiii'ed liulit. 
 [ > u i ■ i 1 1 u' the coldest days l here were numerous sun-dous. and. sailop- 
 !i k( .when t wo and often Ihree of these showed in t he sky. I ant ici paled 
 had and sloriny weather, lint it never came, and il seemed | Iia1 li'ood 
 weather instead o!' had followed in these regions. 
 
 ()n 1 he in< >rnim_r of 1 he l'mi h we pulled u p at 1 he house of Mr. Nelson, 
 manager of Inches it ( 'o."s t radiim' a ml whaling stai ion al l'oinl I lope. 
 Mr. Nelson was away farther down ilie l'oinl. and il was reporled 
 that a man had just come from l'oinl Harrow. Here was the news I 
 expected and had come all lids way to obtain. I Mspatchinii' a sled 
 for Mi'. Nelson and Ned Any, the man who had come from Point 
 Harrow, l hey soon ret urned lo the house, want i ne; to see I he men who 
 had come into thai country in the winter. Il was more than tlmx 
 con Id at lirsl reali/e. and we were as much object s of eiirio-.ii y here as 
 at t he <»t her places on o in' route. .Vre\ had arri\ ed from Point I Jar- 
 row t he day bel'o re. ami had been more t ha 1 1 a inont h on i he w ay. ha v- 
 inulefi 1 here .lanuan ! v . 1 le descri ! »< ■< [ i he sji nal ion al thai lime as 
 bad. but as yet mil serious. Provisions, of r, nirse. w ere wry short . 
 bill l here was enough Hour, bread. I on. and coffee lo keep t hem veiuu' 
 until I he middle of May. The men had been kepi toilet her and piv- 
 veni ed from si ray i ni:'. Three deal lis w eiv reported - one from dn »psy 
 ami i wo from freezing'. Sciirvx was feared and had already made its 
 appearance on the /;,,-, </,,■, . Providentially, there had conn- into 
 I he surrounding coiinl >■} la rue n urn iters of wild deer, or cari itoii. and 
 nal i \ e hum ers. w ho had been sen I out early i i: the winter, had ki lied 
 and sent in ei i on id i meal I o keep i he cmwd u'oiim. w it h I he stores t hey 
 a I read \ had. Mr. (', I >. 1 5 row ej- had u'iven up his slock of provisions 
 and w as mniiULnne,' l he people ashore, and hoped loevl eiioiie.li meal 
 from i he soi-i im I i n ni i n u' 1 o keep act mil slarval ion from set i inn in. I 
 fep relieved io learn things had "one so well Mills far. and I could 
 mow turn back lo the t\i-fv herd to fun her its progress. 
 
 ! had decided in Mini Sur.u'eon Call on to l'oinl Harrow in lei I he 
 
 | ieo| lie 1 here k I low . il' oil I" colli i tl.Li". a IM I oil 1 lie nielli of 1 he l' j si was 
 
 "'■epared io l(.;i\r lhenexl morn i im' I or Kolzebue Sound and there 
 awan l.op|i"s coinine. when a messenger arrived, brinuiim a letter 
 ■i him. s i ; 1 1 i i ] if ihal he had arrived al Anyok. on Cape Kru/.en- 
 si em. ('!i 'he morn i n u' of the I si h, afl er a terrible jour nex across 1 he 
 ice fiom ( ape I-'.- 1 „.)| here. lie had not received mv Idler at ToaUlt.
 

 
 CRUISE OF THE I". S. KEVKM'E Cl'TTEK HEAR. 
 
 G7 
 
 advising 1 1 1 iii m>t in make the attempt. They lia<l crossed when- I 
 thoughl il would be i mpossible. ami had a hard experience, bin they 
 saved a distance of lao miles and probably two weeks in doing il. I 
 was greatly relieved and overjoyed al this news: our plans were mov- 
 ing on to success, and I can not speak too highly of Loop ami his boys 
 for the courage, fort it ude. and skill t hey showed in making 1 hat awful 
 t rip successfully. They had arrived at Toatul short ly after we let'1 
 there, ami deterinined to risk themselves and the <\t-i'i by crossing' on 
 the ice rather than take ten days or two weeks to go around by land. 
 
 After t raveling all day and well into t lie niidit . they camped a bo ul 
 In miles from the land on the north side, but during the nighl the 
 deer wandered oil', and t lie next morning were found many miles back 
 on the t rail they had jus1 conic over, making their way to where t hey 
 knew was W-t-d. The buys rounded them up and started again for 
 ( 'ape K ru/.eiisi e rn. and t raveled all thai day and night until daybreak 
 the next morning before ma king the land. Deer and men were in the 
 same condition, alniosl dead from hunger and fatigue. Six sled deer 
 had become exhausted and were left on the ice, bin the remainder 
 had been brought safely river, and with the good moss found in the 
 vicinity and a rest, they would soon be in good condition again. 
 
 (rathering some further supplies for them. 1 started down the coast 
 on February -4, together with Xelson, to meet them at the Kivalena 
 River. That nighl we camped at Cape Seppings, ami the next day 
 kept on to the Kivalena River. It grew much milder toward nighl 
 and soon it snowed, as il always does with mild weathei in the win- 
 ter, ami we were very glad to make a small native lint in the brush. 
 The next day it was snowing so fiercely that no one dared vent are from 
 the house for fear of getting lost. I was fearful lest I should miss the 
 deer herd, but experience and patience are the chief virtues in this 
 country, and one has to be content with the conditions found. 
 
 Ft hi-nii ,■// .'>:. — The snow let up enough this morning for us to find 
 the hut where 1 planned to meet Lopp. This was a deep, wide valley 
 among t he mount a i ns. and winding our way along t he Kivalena River, 
 we finally came to the place we were hunting for. but hardly had we 
 got started making our cam]) when a native boy came running up. 
 saying he had seen the deer. Sending our guide back with the boy. 
 they found the herd and soon returned to our camp with Mr. Lop]). 
 He showed the marks of frozen cheeks and nose thai all his party had 
 gotten in their hard trip over the ice of Kotzebue Sound. lie was 
 thankful that was over and the deer safely on this side of the Sound: 
 and after carefully considering the features of the country, we eon- 
 eluded thai it would be wisest for the herd to go up the Kivalena 
 River and then cross the mountains to the headwaters of the 1'it- 
 megea River on the north side. This was tin 1 last great trial, to get 
 the >\<-i-y on the north side of these mountains, and had caused us 
 much anxietv and stud v. We had canvassed and discussed with
 
 6* 
 
 CHUISK OF THE 
 
 KE VENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 natives and whiles all the mutes from the Xoatuk to the I k pik punii. 
 the < )ot<»( >kok. and t he Kookpownuk, and finally aft er lonii considora- 
 limi and in 1 he lijiht of our own experiences 1 hus far. eoneludod t he 
 shortest route away from shore was the best, and thai the closer we 
 kept to the coast the safer not only would the deer he hut also the 
 men. Lopp had coinniunieated with Lieutenant IJertholf at Kikik- 
 taruk. and had la ken h is supplies. IJertholf had come up alon^ 1 he 
 coast with hi in until t heir mules divided, t he day before. 
 
 Lehman _ s a nd March 1 I spent i u cam p wit h t he deer herd. The 
 soli weather brought lots of snow ami a southeast u'alo, and all we 
 could do was to stay inside the tent and try to keep dry ami comfort- 
 able: but al best it was very tryinii'. for time was flying, and we 
 were anxious to i>'e1 the herd to its (lest i nation before 1 lie fawns bep.au 
 to make their appearance. We had been nearly four weeks moving 
 the herd thus far and had fully b »< I miles more of t ravel a.uainst the 
 nort hea si wind 1 hat uenerally pre vails in 1 his part of l he con nl ry d ur- 
 iim' the winter, and only this month of .March to do it in. and could 
 afford In lose no I i me. 
 
 Mnrrji >. it was clear this morning, so we dim our lent and sleds 
 out of the snow and prepared to star). Lopp and the herd up the 
 Kivalena River, and I around the coast to l'oint Hope to meet IJerl 
 holt' and ('all. ami then to follow on up the coast past Lisburne, 
 ami meet Lopp as he came out on the north coast at the mouth of the 
 I'd meju'ea River. IJefore we could start two of our dous li'ol adrift 
 and into the herd and slarted them oil' We tried al lii">l loshoot the 
 flop's, but had I o st op for fear of hit 1 inii' 1 he deer i list cad. After racing 
 around in a circle a few limes l he herd look off in one body for a 
 mount ai n. about ~> miles a way. Three of the boys started a Her I hem. 
 and as l he do^s soon tired of run in nu' in 1 he deep snow and abandoned 
 Hie chase, 1 he boys cauu'ht the herd and drove it back, but not before 
 two deer (cows) were so badly injured thai they had to be killed. 
 They both had prospect ive fawns, so we really losl four animals by t his 
 bad job of thedoejs. That iiiii'hl I reached Cape Seppini>s and found 
 IJertholf, he having' been stalled there by the storm, and hearing we 
 had passed down the coast had waited for us. 
 
 Miirrh-l. We arrived aii'ain to-day at Nelsons house al l'oint Hope, 
 having been v,'one eiii'hl days on the back track. As I had laid out our 
 journey to l'oint Harrow, we had li'one now aboul ihree-fourl lis of the 
 distance. So far we had been successful and il remained to prepare 
 well for i his last quarter of the journey, for il was in be I he hardesl 
 of all. as well as Hie most lonely. After leaving l'oint Hope I here 
 were iM i \ illnti'es a nl i 1 l'oint belcher was reached, ."ill! i miles a way, and 
 w e in us! depend upon what we carried with us for both men and do^'s. 
 Aii'ain. I here w ere the people at l'oint I Jar row to consider and l he object 
 of our mission. There were ample stores al l'oint Hope that could be 
 spa red for '. ' " ' men. and our orders content pint cd sending some of the 
 
 sll ipW reeked men here.
 
 .-. FROVi Pi '. " i- >PE '■ ^-.-'- --E.
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAK. 
 
 G9 
 
 If the provisions at Point Uarmw ran ou1 in May. as we had been 
 informed by Arey would probably l><? the case, ii would never do to 
 keep :joo men there unlil Augusl with plenty of stores al Point Hope. 
 Looking a1 it from this point and from this end of the route. I decided 
 that upon arriving a! l'oinl Harrow I would send 1 Of) men down from 
 t here to Point Hope, and that I would leave Lieutenant Bert hoi f at 
 the latter place to take care of them as they en me down. They would 
 have to travel a distanee of about too miles and it would be a severe 
 journey, as it must all he made on foot, and provisions earned or 
 dragged on sleds the whole distance. With a view to relieving them 
 at this end and reducing 1 he amount of provisions to be carried from 
 Point Barrow. Lieutenant Bertholf was instructed to transporl and 
 place about 5oo pounds of Hour, tea, bread, etc., a1 the mouth of the 
 Pitmegea River, nearly loo miles up the coast. I designed thai the 
 men should lie started in parties of ten. with a leader, and provisions 
 enough to last to the Pitmegea River. 
 
 The prevailing wind was northeast, and in the spring tin? weather 
 would be warm enough to prevenl any danger of freezing, and the 
 wind would heat their backs. If it were jiossible tc supply the men 
 with proper fool gear, there would be no great difficulty in carrying 
 out this arrangement, though there was a possibility of some of the 
 men playing out on the road. Still it appeared to be better to run 
 this risk than to have them all remain at one place without sufficient 
 food, with the consequent starvation and disorder. 
 
 Within the pasl ten years knowledge of how to distill spirituous 
 liquor in a crude way. from Hour and molasses or sugar has spread all 
 over this coast and has worked incalculable harm to the natives, caus- 
 ing great dest itution and at times even murder. The natives al Point 
 Hope were 1 he first to learn this from white men. and it has been car- 
 ried on there to a greater extern than anywhere else on the coast. 
 Recent ly several willful murders had been committed, one in particu- 
 lar, that of a native named "Washok, by two others. Avulik and > u.g- 
 unera. and Lieutenant Bertholf was inst ructed to give his attention to 
 these matters during Ids stay and take such measures as he could 
 to break up the distilling and to arrest the murderers. 
 
 It was difficult to secure a man and his wife to accompany us on the 
 .journey to Point Barrow, for none wanted to go into what seemed a 
 starvation camp, even though I promised to send them back to Point 
 Hope immediately. I was persuaded by others thai a woman was 
 necessary to look oul for our dollies, but it' I had the journey to do 
 over again I would never lake a woman when I could gel a half-grown 
 boy or a man. for women are nol so strong and can not stand con- 
 t inuous t ravel like ;i man. 
 
 We had now come so great a distance that, while we were sonie- 
 whal hardened to the work, we had been al it so long we were neces- 
 sarily tired, and could not stand running ahead, of the dogs all the 
 time as had to be done in this pari of the country. Through .Mr.
 
 (• 
 
 cri'Isk of thk r. - i;i:vi;\rK < ittf.i; hkaw. 
 
 Nelson I linally eiie;au'cd ,i n i i' i< 1 1< --a u< ■« I man and wife, who had lived 
 at Point Harrow several years. They had 1 1 < • \ • • i- been over the road 
 \\c wci'i' to I ravel. l)Ul we could follow the coast and I wauled tlleni 
 more to help with the sleds than for any particular guidance. Nek- 
 owrali, the man. while not a Lfood traveler, was the besl man around 
 a camp I I'Vcr saw. and his judgment and foresight in these matters 
 saved us iiiiieh discomfort, it'noi sutlerine;. It is characterist ic nf t he 
 natives of tlie extreme north thai they have an excellent knowledge 
 of how in [ire pa re for and wit list and the rigors of the climate, Thev 
 seem to have no fears of it . I ml al the same t i me are fully alive 1 o its 
 i lanu'ers and menaces. 
 
 We u'ol oil' mi the inorni mr of Mai'idi ii. with two sleds, and Mi'. 
 Nelson came a Ion y wit h one exl ra sled that was to haul doy feed a part 
 of lhew,-i\ and ii'ive us a u'ood start on the road. We made a unod 
 day's run out . but wit h our loaded teams ii was late al niu'ht before we 
 reaehed a lit l le -'iilly I >\ ( 'ape Dyer, where we could find wood for our 
 camp. 
 
 }[<ir<-'h ;. — It blew hard from the uortheasl to-day. and 1 he ice was 
 out from the shore alone; to ( ape Lisburne. At some places w e wei-e 
 compelled to ma ice portages across the land and at ol hers to mil roads 
 through la rev drifts, t hat ran from hiu'h upon the mountains down 
 into the water al an an.u'lc of no to 7 1 ' decrees, and. in eon>e<pience. 
 progress was slow and tedious. We had hoped to round ('ape Us 
 Imi rue. but arrivine; near t here found I he wi nd how! iny over the eli [\^_ 
 sending' showers of small rocks ami bowlders to the ice below. This 
 was a notorious wind hole, summer and winter, and when Mr. Tilton 
 came around ii on his way from ihe north ihe wind look the piece of 
 ice he wa-- on oin in the open water, and he was three days Li'cttinii' 
 ashore. It was so black and 1 1 1 i < - k about the cape thai we dared not 
 try it. and concluded to wail ami see what the next day would brine.-. 
 
 }[ii,-'-/i s, -The wind had u'one down durinu' the niyhl so that this 
 morn inc.' we yoi around to the north side of the cape to Wevuk. where 
 two ii at ive fa mi lies wo re cam ped. hunt ine; seals and polar bears. Here 
 we loaded up t he exl ra sled with doe; feed for the rest of our journey. 
 I'pon t el liny one of the natives. Sakavaichik. what we wante<l. he 
 simply told lis to v/o into Ids ice house and help ourselves. No price 
 was asked : no si ipulat ion made. I le saw what our needs were, and, so 
 far as ho was able, or as much as he had. he would help us uladly. Il 
 is refreshing in iiieel such simple. I ruediearted people in lime of 
 need, and to ha ve dealings wit h t hem, even if 1 hey a re only Kski nms. 
 
 M'i f'-h '■'. — We were off ayai n in the inorni im. with loaded leanis and 
 -fed doe;s, for the lony journey ahead of us. Soiit h of this point, 
 at I i uies d urine; 1 he winter, come periods of so t'l weal her. t hal amount 
 alii osi io a 'haw. but from here north, rarely does the thermometer 
 u'ei as hii;|| as /ero d ii ri ny thai time. Kveryt hinu' is fro/en hard and 
 solid ami remains in thai condition until I he summer. The uortheasl
 
 cruise (>]•' the r. s. ke venue cutter bf.au. 
 
 71 
 
 wind blows during 1 he winter like a t rade wind, and against tliis wo 
 had to (igh1 our way most of 1 lie distance to Point Harrow. The snow 
 is usually packed hard by the wind, and we were told we would find a 
 good road for traveling. for a part of this day it was: but not long 
 after leaving Cape Lisburne there came a line, lighl snow fall, will) 
 not enough wind to blow it away, ami. as the snow increased, our 
 promised good road turned to a very bad one, and we were toiling 
 again. However, we made nearly-'}" miles during the day and felt 
 quite sat islied. At night we camped al the side of a house that was 
 built some years ago to develop the Corwin coal mine. There 
 remained now only the floor and one side, the resl having been 
 burned by natives traveling by. We did the same as they, and were 
 glad to gel some good dry wood. 
 
 March l'i. — We now began In strike soft snow and rough ice. In 
 some places where the snow lay in hollows our sleds ami dogs would 
 sink almost out of sight: and at others, around the bluffs, we had to 
 stop to cut off the corners of the rough ice, fill up the hollows, and 
 make our own road. It was hard work, and it was not until about '■'> 
 o'clock in the afternoon that we came to the mouth of the Pitmegea 
 Hiver. where we had planned to meet Lopp. We looked anxiously 
 around for some sign of the (leer herd, and saw sticking in the snow 
 across made of two pieces of bread box, which our natives immedi- 
 ately recognized as the work of a white man. Such it proved to be, 
 and was tin 1 message Lopp had left for me according to oil r agreement. 
 "Letter between boards" was what the sign read on the outside. 
 Hast ily tearing ii apart. I found his note. He had arrived hereon 
 the 7th. having been six days crossing the mountains: the sled dn'}' 
 were nearly played out, but the herd was all right, and after one day's 
 rest lie had gone on the day before we arrived. The last greal obsta- 
 cle had been overcome; and though the cold, strong winds were hard 
 to lace it was now a straight drive over a level country, and it seemed 
 we surely musl arrive at Point Harrow before the month was out. 
 Human nature could not accomplish more than had been done. so. 
 pushing on until nightfall, we went Into camp, feeling we had things 
 well in hand to go to the end of the journey. 
 
 March 11. —Loading all our out lit s and the dog feed on t wo sleds. I 
 sent the ext ra sled back to Poi nt I lope. It was all our dogs con Id do 
 to drag 1 heir increased loads, and in the afternoon all the animals had 
 in be put on one sled al a lime to drag them through the deep drifts. 
 We wore making poor progress, but we wore at least going; ahead all 
 the time, and that was something. I was anxious to catch up with 
 the deer herd, but so lonn' as they were ahead I did not care much. 
 Lighl miles was all we made after a most laborious day's work. 
 
 M'irr/i 1 .'. -The storm still continued, and the smooth, level road 
 was now- covered with ii inches of soft . line snow, and though our prog- 
 ress was still slow, vet it was more satisfactorv than the dav before.
 
 el 
 
 < IM'ISK OF THE I". S. RHVEXUK CUTTEK liKAR. 
 
 \\ night we came In 1 lie el id of the moll Ml a ins. where we con Id expect 
 more wi in] and ;i I teller road, and we made our camp in t lie same place 
 that Lopp had made his 1 he night before. I fell eoiilidenl of catch- 
 ing him in a day or two; 1 >u 1 our loads were heavy, and we could not 
 afford to work our dogs too hard on 1 he slaH and risk playing them 
 out. 
 
 Mnrr/i /.;. -We got off early this morning and toiled along" first on 
 the ice and then on the land: ImiI there seemed to he no improvement 
 in the travel anywhere. The thermometer varied from I . J to .'id 
 below zero, yet in an hour after breaking camp we were wet through 
 witli perspiration, and had to be moving 1 until we camped at night to 
 keep from freezing, for it is almost fatal to slop with wet clothes. 
 Our bodies had by 1 his time accommodated 1 he nisei ves to the at mos- 
 phere. In the first part of our journey +1' 1 seemed cold and sharp, 
 lull gradually a lower t em pe rat u re suited us better, ami now anyt hing 
 above — -' ' was altogether too warm to work in. Now we went about 
 and worked with our bare hands with impunity, and our endeavors 
 were to no1 wear too many clot lies, yet still have enough on to keep 
 us warm in case we had to stop any length of time. This afternoon 
 we passed, t he deer camp of the night before and gained some distance 
 on them, and I fell it was well they were ahead and within reach at 
 any time, and we could follow their tracks and not be far separated. 
 If we got to Point Harrow at all, we must get there wit h some! hing to 
 eat, not only for ourselves, but for the people there, or the expedition 
 would fail of its primary object — to feol the hungry. 
 
 Mart-It /./.-— We now came to the lagoon thai stretches along this 
 eoasl for a distance of more than 1(H) miles, about •"> to l (l miles wide, 
 and separated from the sea by a narrow sand spit with four openings 
 in the entire length. Three large rivers empty into the lagoon south 
 of Ic\ Cape. About la miles below Point Lay is the mouth of Kook- 
 powruk. a large stream nearly 1<><) miles long. Its source is to the 
 south of the Meade River .Mountains, and it runs in a general north- 
 easterly direct ion. The Kokolik. the shortest of the three, rises on 
 the north side of the mountains, its mouth being just back of Point 
 Lay. The largest and farthest north is the Ootookok. Its head 
 w at e rs are near a branch of t he X oat ok and almost direct ly soul h of 
 ley ('ape. and its mouth is in the lagoon, about la miles south of 
 the cape. Ilefore the wild deer were driven from this [tart of the 
 country there were large settlements on these rivers, and the natives 
 from Kotzebue Sound often made the passage Up the Xoatok and 
 down the Oolookok in 1 he spring, to trade with the people on the 
 in >rt hem coast . 
 
 AhuiL! the shores of the lagoon, near the mouths of the rivers, the 
 land i- marshy and low. gradually rising to rolling hills until the 
 M^ade River Mountains are reached. The southern part of 1 he 
 lauoon iv ^hallow and tilled with liars, but the northern half is wider
 
 \ 
 
 \ 
 
 i 
 
 ?-"• (« 
 
 *sfi* ■♦'
 
 CRl'ISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 73 
 
 and has depths of 3 fathoms in places, and through the two openings 
 from S to lo feet can be carried. There are only a few small streams 
 emptying into the northern half, and the land back of the lagoon is 
 generally higher than along the southern half. The deer had to pass 
 along the inshore of these lagoons for feed, and we followed their 
 trail; but the line, drifting snow winch (died the air prevented our 
 seeing any great distance ahead, and the wind, which had now full 
 sweep, was biting and sharp. This night we camped on the inshore 
 side of the lagoon, beside an old abandoned lint. It had been a beau- 
 tiful day, as days go in the arctic region, and we had made good 
 progress. I had intended going on during the night and catching up 
 with Lopp and the deer herd; but the doctor's team was pretty well 
 tired and did not work well, and besides we had heavy loads and not 
 a very good trail. At the lime I decided to camp the doctor was far 
 behind, and I feared we might lose one another if we tried to keep 
 on during the night. 
 
 JfrircJi 15. — Our dreams of catching up with the deer herd were gone 
 this morning, for the wind had increased during the night, and by 
 the time we awoke was blowing a gale, a howling blizzard from the 
 north, lilling the air with quantities of fine, hard snow that cut, like a 
 knife and hid everything from sight, even a few feet away. It was 
 all we could do to keep the tent from blowing down, so we cut blocks 
 of snow and built a barricade around our camp that kept off some of 
 the wind, but still it was anything but comfortable, and as the old 
 native hut was filled with hard, packed snow and we could not get 
 in there, and we had to finally tear off its covering of wood to get 
 enough to keep our fire going. I afterwards learned that during this 
 blizzard Lopp was compelled to move his camp. How such things 
 are done at such times none can tell but those who do them, and too 
 often tin 1 experiences are so terrible that the desire is to forget about 
 them when they have passed. When we caught up with the deer herd 
 later, all the party showed the effects of their work this day. in the 
 masses of black skin on their faces and noses where they had been 
 frozen while shifting their camp. During this day the thermometer 
 registered — h )0 to — -45°, which is unusually low with so much wind. 
 
 JIarcli in. — Though the temperature moderated somewhat to-day, 
 the wind blew as hard as ever, and we could only remain where we 
 were until the blizzard had spent its force. We had been warned con- 
 cerning the blizzards on this coast, and T had heard many stories of 
 the terrible times of parties who had been caught in these storms. 
 One party I knew of had been storm-bound for forty-two days at a 
 place but a tew miles from where we now were, and were compelled 
 to eat their dogs before the storm passed over. We had never allowed 
 the darker side of 1 he stories we had heard to t rouble us, except so far 
 as to make our preparations more complete, yet often during our long 
 fight up this coast if one had dared lei down we might have been left
 
 74 cHrisK of the r.s, i;kvkxi'k ctttei; beak. 
 
 Somewhere nil 1 ] 1 1 ■ road. The 'lecl' licl'il We knew could be lull H few 
 
 miles from us. yei ii miuht just as well have been a hundred for all 
 llicu'iind ii did us in this blizzard. Our supply of doy feed had been 
 "Tnwiiii;' less all the time, and duriny 1 hex- days of idleness we were 
 obliged to lei t he poor a u i ma Is yi , unfed. We st ill had a In ny distance 
 toyo. and natives, as a rule, do not t'ee<l their doys except when work- 
 ing, and we had now to do 1 he same. A lit 1 le " flour soup " was all 
 they yot for two days, and in consequence beyan to ea1 everything in 
 the shape of lashing on the sleds, in fact, everything thai was not 
 wood or metal. Kskiim doys are seldom or never housed: sometimes 
 they crawl into the passage of the huts, but yenerally 1 hey remain 
 out in the open, no matter what the temperature or the condition of 
 the weather. In travcliny. the tent or snow house is securely c ; '<sed 
 at niyht lesl they yet inside and make shorl work of anything they 
 can chew. ( )u r clot hes cvci! were not safe, especially the boots, and 
 eve ry1 lbny eatable 1 hat could not be kept in the tent had to be raised 
 hiyh on racks or on blocks of snow 1o keep it beyond reach. 
 
 'I'he fa\ orite way aiming 1 he Kskimos of cam piny in this part of the 
 country is to build -now houses at niyht. The wind packs the snow 
 >o hard thai wit h a hmy knife it can be cul into blocks like huildinu 
 stone, and in a short time a small strong house can be constructed 
 with these, the chinks beiny sio|»ped up with loose snow, and a I a rye 
 block used as a door to close t he open iny. making the place nearly a ir- 
 
 1 i, it'll ' . Sou n the war I) it ll of 1 he bodies of three or four people, tnyel her 
 with the heal from a native seal-oil lamp or kerosene-oil stove, will 
 raise t he t etii per at lire of the place so thai it is fairly comfortable, and 
 one can even remove some of his clnthiny. ( Mi account of the difh- 
 cull ii-s of eousl ruct ion. a snow house can iiol be so la rye as a 1 cut . and 
 1 he oi I for t he stove adds y really In t he weight to be carried : but . when 
 traveling back from the coast, where there is no wood, -now houses 
 aie 1 1n- necessity of circunislances. As such they are made the best 
 of. and whatever nd scorn forts 1 hey mil ai 1 are passed \ iff as unavoidable 
 and not thought of. A philosophical common sense is a ureal help in 
 livinu in the arctic regions, as elsewhere. If you are subjected to 
 miserable discomforts, nr even if you suffer, it must be regarded asall 
 riyhi and -imply a part of the life, and like sailors, you must never 
 
 dwell much on the dangers or sufferiny. lest others ipiestiou your 
 
 con raye. 
 
 M'i/''-l> /,. It had stormed so hard duriny the niyht that we were 
 ueariy buried in thedrifts that had formed and we had to diy ourselves 
 mil in 'he uiorni ny. Our sleds this morn iny were completely buried, 
 and mol: harness. -hovels, axe-, and the like had to be duy oiil of the 
 drift-. In cainpinu one musl be careful of t he few belonyi nys and 
 
 ea lilp ! ool-. for a UN t hin, U' left out side at niyht is -lire to be covered o\ ci- 
 in t he morn iny if it i- blowi ny. and anyt limy t hal has 1 o be left oul musl 
 be stuck up :n the stiow or packed iii the sled- it' vnii want to see it

 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 75 
 
 again. We had now been traveling so long that our camping and 
 packing the sleds had been reduced to a system. There were four of 
 us and each had his own part of the work to do. The doctor was the 
 cook and looked out for the stove and the food. I attended to the 
 sleds and the tent. The native woman was the doctor's assistant and 
 besides looked after our clothes, while her husband Xekowrah helped 
 me and did the heavy work. On coining to our camping place, 
 Nekowrah and I would get out the tent and pitch it. This done, the 
 doctor would set up his stove, while Xekowrah went on a hunt for 
 wood, and 1 would bank up the snow around the sides to keep the wind 
 out and secure the hut generally. Then the sleds were unpacked and 
 all our sleeping gear, food, and cooking utensils were passed in to 
 Shucungunga, who arranged them inside. By the time the fire was 
 stalled in the stove, the dogs were unharnessed, and the sleds put 
 beyond their reach. This would all take from one-half to three- 
 quarters of an hour, and in that time the tent would be good and 
 warm and we could go inside and change our clothes. The wet ones 
 were passed over to Shucungunga for drying, who stretched a line 
 along the ridgepole and hung up the clothes to catch all the warm air 
 possible. 
 
 It was not long before supper was ready, and it generally mattered 
 little what if was, so long as there was enough, for by this time Ave 
 were about like the dogs, hungry enough to eat anything that could 
 be chewed. Usually the supper consisted of bacon and beans, followed 
 by ''slapjacks'' (cakes made of flour and water and fried), and all the 
 lea we could drink, generally not less than a quart. Xekowrah had in 
 the meantime got together enough wood for the night and morning, 
 and after supper and a smoke it was time to feed the dogs. The 
 frozen seal meat was first chopped into small pieces, and Xekowrah 
 and myself, armed with clubs, would undertake to see that all the 
 dogs fared alike. It was a task, for I know of nothing so ravenous as 
 a hard-worked Eskimo dog, and with a pack of fifteen or twenty ani- 
 mals it took all of our time and attention to see that the larger dogs 
 did not monopolize all the food. If a piece of meat was too large for 
 a dog to swallow immediately, another dog would have it out of his 
 mouth and a general tight ensue, and then a liberal use of the clubs 
 would be necessary to produce harmony in the pack. Dogs should be 
 i\'d once a day, and best at night, after they have rested a while from 
 their work. It is bad to feed them much in the morning or to feed 
 them during the day, as they become heavy and loggy, and do not 
 work so well as on an empty stomach. The dogs being fed, there was 
 nothing else to do but to write up our diaries and make plans for the 
 following day. 
 
 Shucungunga had been attending to our clothes, turning them to 
 see that they Mere thoroughly dry and looking for rips and tears, for 
 after each day's work some mending was generally needed, and oft-
 
 kiisi; of mi: r. s. u i:\knui-: ( tttei; iskak. 
 
 times l he tire w as kepi n'oiii"' well into t ho niuhl !■> i)<- sure every] hnii'' 
 
 was dry lor ihe mornim.:. Sleeping ban's were now in order ami all 
 liamls would lie ready in 1 urn in. If ihe wealher was very cold. I 
 slepl in a liuhl aiiouu'e. lull ordinarily 1 would remove my mile!- cloth- 
 ing ami turn in my hau in thai way The natives, however, no mat- 
 ter whai i he lemperal ure. removed all their (dollies at'ler nd 1 i _ 
 i hep- ban. and slept with only 1 lie protection of the sk in ban. and i hi- 
 if eoiirse had ;i lame opening. I was not sufficient 1\ inured o the 
 i stand this. I'm we always slepl without lire, and it was nearly 
 i- cold inside as outside the tent At'ler net t inn' in my ban seldom 
 liil I cvi'i' sleep eold. and less seldom do I remember heme' wakeful 
 luri rn 1 lie niu'ht . In 1 lie morn inn Xekowrah or the doctor would he 
 up by -"i o'clock and ha ve the fire start ed and the break fasi under way. 
 which was not different from the supper — -imply soniethinn to eat, 
 
 It i> always well before slarlinn in the niornin.n to take as much tea 
 and water as one can hold, to avoid as much as possible a thirsl dur- 
 ing the day. It is impossible to uei water durinn the day withoui 
 stopping to build a tire and imdl snow, unless one carries a Mask 
 inside the clothing, and this stopping uses up time. Snow is bad 
 for ihe mouth and soon makes it sore, besides nol beinn siit'ticieiil 
 to (piemdi the Thirsl except for t he niinuie. The wi n-st teat ure of eat - 
 ism snow is ihal if one n'ives way to the temptation there is no stop- 
 pi m:' for the res! of t he day. for. while it serves i«» ipieiieh ihe i 
 for the time beinn. it seems to really increase h in the lone run. and 
 shortly alter takinn some snow one is inure thirsty than ever I 
 found ihal by drinking a ipiarl of tea in the inorniiin I sehhmi was 
 thirsty until iiiuhi, and had no urea! desire to drink unless. a |i a li was 
 made in the middle of the bay to rest and make a tire for tea. 
 
 Breakfasl beinn' over, the sleds were notion oll1 and packed. ivm'I'V- 
 
 inn i he ten i to ihe lasl. so as to be hat id y a 1 ninht. The nr ub box. with 
 
 a lil 1 le f 1 inside, and a camp kei t le and axe were plaeed on t he sled 
 
 where they could easily be potion ai in case a slop was made d 
 the day. Tin- sleds were then lashed, ihe dons eauniil ami har- 
 nessed. and we w ere ready to start . 1 1 in the middle of the day wood 
 could lie had. and oilier •irciiinsl allocs would permil. a stop was made 
 to make a lite, nieli snow, and have a lunch of lea and crackers. 
 Son ict i nies. however, c i re u m si an ces would nol permil us 1 o stop, ami 
 ac kepi on the cut i re day wilhoin a break. At lirst I was more loat h 
 'o slop than later, but after more experience I found that tin- hour 
 speni in net l inn our fire and a bite to eal was well speiil . for not only 
 a ei-e u e refresheil and better able to continue in the afternoon, but 
 t he do^'s also seemed to be beueliled by i he short rest and 1 raveled 
 
 le bet 1 IT for il . 
 
 ( >ii 'he inoriiiim of March 17 we found the dons buried : n the 
 drift, with otih their noses stiokinn out. They were all rinhi. how- 
 ever, and anxious to be noiun. We worked our wavalonn and in
 
 CKl'ISE OF THE I'. S. KEVEXl'E CUTTEK BEAU. 
 
 77 
 
 the alt ernoon passed two hills mi the inner shore of the lagoon. Un- 
 people from which came oul to meet us ami delivered a nole from 
 Lopp. lie had passed there only a short lime before, and we could 
 now sec him ahead. like a small black cloud sweeping over ihe sea of 
 intense while snow. The unlives who occupied these huts were must 
 miserably poor. The wild caribou had long before left this pari of 
 t he country, and t hese were now 1 he only ones left of a once numerous 
 and prosperous people. Those who had not died had gone to other 
 part s of the count rv for belter hunt ing grounds. These 1 wo families 
 \\e\'i' now living on a si ore of bad walrus meal and the carcass of a 
 whale that had drifted ashore there the previous fall. We continued 
 on until dark, then making a camp I lightened my sled and went on 
 after the herd. It was a long chase, for Lopp was traveling late to 
 make up for 1 lie time they had lost in the blizzard, and it was nol until 
 s in the evening that 1 caughl up with them. The herd was going 
 along in good condition, but the sled deer were not. While the feed 
 alone, this portion of the route was poor, enough was found to keep 
 life in the herd. All the boys showed marks of the blizzard of the 
 lath, but there had been no accidents beyond the freezing of their 
 faces. 
 
 M<irr]i IS. — Last ii i *i" 1 1 1 three wolves go 1 into the herd and killed one 
 deer before they were discovered and driven off. This is the first 
 time we have encountered wolves or seen signs of them. From the 
 carcass 1 replenished my stock of dog \'<'c<\ and went back to our camp 
 on the sand spit . and with t he < loci or followed alon<i' after the herd and 
 caughl up with it again at night. The weather seemed to improve 
 and we were going along a1 a very good rale, and must have 1 raveled 
 l'o miles, which was a good day's journey for our condition and for 
 this pari of 1 lie coun1 ry. 
 
 M'lrrh ]'■'. -We thoughl our blizzards were about done with, but 
 soon found thai they were almost of daily occurrence and we must 
 make the best of them, and the most of what time we could travel in 
 between. As usual, we were off this morning as soon as ii was light, 
 but after going half a day the wind breezed up from the northeasl 
 and the snow began to fly, blinding us so theie was no use trying to 
 face it. and we had to camp where we were. We had to dig a hole in 
 the snow and build a barricade around it before we could pilch our 
 tent iii safety. The wind lasted ihe rest of ihe day and night and 
 until noon of the Joth, when ii suddenly let go, and we were able to 
 make half a day's travel before night again shin in. and. though it 
 was nol as much as could be desired, ii all counted in the righl direc- 
 tion. The sand spits were so low and so hard to follow we dared not 
 go on al night . 
 
 March il. — .More snow and very thick this morning, but we made 
 fair travel and soon passed the "•Thetis beacon." soul h of Icy Cape. 
 On the back of 1 his I left a note for Lopp and then went on to an old
 
 78 
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 abandoned house jusi north of Blossom Shoals, where we had planned 
 to nieel and make our final arrangements before going the last stretch 
 1o Point Barrow. We had been looking fortius beacon the lasl two 
 days, and almost every twig or stick 1hat stuck up through the snow 
 stood out against the extreme whiteness of the surrounding country 
 and seemed exaggerated into the size of a telegraph pole at least. 
 This is a striking feature of the uncertain light of a snowy day or a 
 moonlight night. Fvery little ridge or unevennoss in the snow seems 
 at first a hill or mountain in your path, ami it is not until you get 
 very close to 1 he rise 1 hat you are finally convinced of your error. It 
 snowed hard during the night after we had reached the old house and 
 all the next day, and there was no finding anyone, for, as it turned 
 out . Lopp had passed up the lagoon on the afternoon of the 2:M, within 
 half a mile of our camp, and was unable to find it. 
 
 March '■>. — It was clear this morning, and as I was doubtful of the 
 position of the herd I set out early to the southward to look them up. 
 I had not gone far. however, before I came across their trail leading 
 up the lagoon and to the northward. So I returned to the camp, 
 where we packed our sleds as quickly as possible and were off after 
 them. A mile or so up the beach we found where they had conic in 
 on the sand spit and buried some dog feed for us, for our supply of 
 seal meat was (pule low by this time and we needed this additional 
 supply to carry us to Point Barrow, which was still about 14<> miles 
 distant. Although it had been snowing so much of late, this part of 
 the sand spil was nearly bare. Being higher than the ice on 1he 
 lagoon or on the sea, the wind had swept it (dean and it had now only 
 a light covering of ice that had formed in 1 he fall. Over this was good 
 traveling and we were not long in picking up the herd ahead. Here 
 Lopp and I divided our stores of bread and tea and parted, company 
 for the lasl time before reaching our destination. 
 
 Wolves had been following them for the last few days and a strict 
 watch had to be kept both day and night. There had been no wolves 
 seen during 1 lie soul hern part of our 1 rip, but we were now apprehen- 
 sive of trouble, for we knew they were to be found in this region, 
 though how numerous we could not say. A little care had kept them 
 off thus far, but after this night they seemed to lease of their own 
 accord. As the herd passed to the inshore of the lagoon for I'(mm1 and 
 ;i camp, we on the beach herd shots and saw what we supposed to be 
 a band of wolves running off, but which afterwards turned ou1 to be 
 some wild deer, or caribou, that had almost got 1 en into the herd before 
 discovering their mistake. They soon took off, and though the boys 
 were after 1 hem as quickly as possible, 1 hey were not able to shoot any. 
 
 From the Siberian deev people I have heard stories of how the wild 
 deer somel imes mingle wit h the herds of domesl ic deer in thai coun- 
 li'.v. and thai the offspring result ing are longer limbed and have, more 
 stamina than the ordinarv domestic animal, and these half-breed (leer
 
 *^!T. IT' ft m t/k .
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE GUTTER HEAR. 
 
 79 
 
 arc very much prized l>y the people. Such cases arc very rare, how- 
 ever, ami none lias ore u rred in Alaska, for thr wild deer have nol been 
 in the same pari of the country as the domestic ones. We had our 
 usual snowstorm at nighl and it lasted until the middle of the follow- 
 ing' dav. 1 he 24th. We traveled in 1 he afternoon, passed the native 
 village of Kilimantowruk, which was deserted, the people all being 
 off in the interior deer hunting, and ramped thai nighl on the south 
 shore of Wainwriiihl Inlet. It was so late before the storm cleared, 
 away that the deer did not start to-day and we left them quite a 
 distance behind. 
 
 }[n rrli '■'>, — We were oil' early 1 his morning and in good spirits. We 
 had now not more than I<mi miles to go and pushed on until night to 
 make the native village of Scdaro. on Point IJelcher. Here we me1 
 John (jrubin. in the employ of the whaling station at Point Harrow. 
 wiiu had .just conic from that place. ile reported everything going 
 along all riu'hl when he left : the hunt ing in the spring had been good 
 and vie It led enough meat to keep the men for 1 he presenl : bin the men 
 in the camp were growing restless and had run down in health from 
 their miserable way of living. The vessels were all rigid so far and 
 no danger was apprehended until the breaking up of the ice in the 
 summer. I sent (i-rubin to the southward with his sled to find Lopp 
 and help him along if it was necessary, and on the 2'ith we wen1 on to 
 the north. Pushing up tin 1 coast we crossed over the large lagoon back 
 of the >ea I lorse Islands a boul noon and raised the ,''>< lreth-r'', the first 
 of tin* vessels we were sent to aid. She was the ship in company with 
 1 lie ()/■'•'! and t he ./' .v.v/V //. F ,-i , in <i n when the former was crushed and 
 the I ai t ei' abandoned about in miles below here on September '1 -. is'. '7. 
 A1 thai time open water was seen to the southward, bin the ire was 
 coming in and it was all the I !< i r< tlr,-< could do. after get 1 ing t he crews 
 of the other two vessels on board, to work into a comparat i vely safe 
 place behind Point Franklin. Here the vessel was housed in and 
 banket! up outside with snow, and ai the time we reached her very 
 litt le was visible above the drift but her spars and rigging. We drew 
 up alongside a boul i p. m.. and going aboard announced ourselves and 
 our mission. I > 1 1 1 it was some time before the firsl astonishment and 
 increduloiisness could wear <>\\ and a welcome be extended to us. 
 
 Captain .Millard was a very sick man and looked as if he would 
 hardlv survive the winter. There were .'In men on board the vessel 
 ai t hat time, !■"» of her crew having been scnl to Poinl Harrow, logel her 
 
 wil h 1 he crew s of 1 he O, <■,< and h 
 
 in ( M-tober. 1 
 
 >ioiis were very short, and bul two small meals a day was the allow- 
 ance. Thev were wholly depend en 1 upon hunting for meal . and thus 
 
 far had obtain. 1 aboul •!. pounds of deer meal and lish. but the 
 
 hunt ing season was di awing 1o a close, and nearly five months had to 
 lie provided for before help eon 1(1 reach them from the outside. Our 
 arrival was therefore a ureal relief, and there was now little tea'- of
 
 8(1 
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE Cl'TTER 15EAR. 
 
 the outcome. Thf crews of the Fn-f-ninn and Qmi were kepi on 
 board the Jh lr>t7t /■> two weeks before the situation was generally 
 known ami then sent to Point Barrow. A small portion of the pro- 
 visions were reeovereil later from the wreck of the Oreo, hut limy 
 hardly more than made up for what was drawn from the stores of the 
 lit I r< tli r, to keep t he increased number of men temporarily on hoard. 
 
 There had been no accidents to the vessel, and all precautions had 
 been taken. A house had been built on the sand beach, ami all the 
 provisions and coal stored there, nol more than one month's supply 
 being' taken on board at a time. A line was stretched from the vessel 
 to the shore, a distance of about a mile, in case the vessel should 
 have to be abandoned in the nigh! or during a thick snowstorm, and 
 night and day an armed guar*! was maintained over the provisions 
 ashore, in November last a Siberian Kskinio, one of the crew of the 
 Orcd, had wandered off to go to his home in Siberia and was never 
 heard of again. A man named Kelly, water tender of the Or<-n, who 
 had been retained on board the llil n th n because he was nol able 
 to travel in Point barrow, was a pitiable object from syphilis, lie 
 applied to Surgeon Call for treatment, but was beyond help, and a 
 few days after we left, his body was found in the stern hole, where it 
 was thought he had .jumped to end his misery. There had been one 
 ease of scurvy on board during the winter, but having received 
 propel- attention the man was now nearly well. 
 
 There was no need of our stopping here, for they were in no especial 
 need at present: so the next day. March i'7. we left for Point Harrow. 
 Our usual blizzard came up. and we were obliged to camp about b' 
 miles from the ship. Pushing on t he next day. we hoped to reach our 
 destinalion.bm after t raveling aboul •']•"> miles Ave camped at Ignavik, 
 a small native village, and decided to wail until morning before sur- 
 prising ihe people at the point. ( )ur dogs were now very tired, ami 
 so were we. and the -'la miles we had traveled this day represented 
 the limit of our endurance. We had come to within la miles of our 
 journey's end without accident, and there was nothing to be gained 
 I >y risk ing 1 raveling at n ighi . 
 
 We were so near our journey's end now that we could afford to look 
 back with a measure of satisfaction. On starting out it was hardly 
 thought or contemplated that we could reach Point Harrow before 
 April, and. although I sel that limit myself and stuck to it. there were 
 many 1 imes. wlmn. considering the difticult ies ami dangers. 1 had mis- 
 givings as to our being' able to arrive within the limited time. fol- 
 lowing the windings of the coast, as we had come, we had traveled 
 -oniei h i ii- in the neighborhood of l,."iuii miles or more. We had 
 lived on the country, as we were directed, and had ''"awn from it all 
 our means of travel, except a part of our camp gear and the small 
 store we brought from the ship. The movements of the reindeer 
 herd had far exceeded our expect at ions and were due to t lie exl raor-
 
 ;_: GOVERNMENT REFuGE S~AT '. PO.M o.-.rJR^ .
 
 CHOSE OF THE I*. S. REVEM'E CCTTEK BEAK. 
 
 81 
 
 dinary work (if .Mr. Lopp and his •"boys." Our plans to overcome 
 tlio many ol istacles ami difficulties had been carried out alinosl 
 exactly as \vc had laid them down. Loss of life oi' serious accidenl, 
 which were always imminent, had been averted by extreme cure. 
 and we were now within 1 •"> mi lev , if our dest i nation and in Liood con- 
 dition and ready to lake up the control of the situation al 1'oim Har- 
 n iu . as we had been d i reel ed. 
 
 March i"- 1 was a beaut i fill, clear morning, cold and sharp, bm with 
 a cloudless sky and little or no wind. and. when we drew up at the 
 settlement at I'oinl Harrow il seemed as i f nat tire w as t ryini: 1o make 
 amends at lasl for t he hard trial she had jH'iven iis from I'oint Hope 
 up t lie coast. Passing ra pidly by 1 lie village, and by the old shanty 
 where the men were quartered, we drew up at the house of the (ape 
 Smythe Whaling and Trading' Company, of which Mr. ('. 1>. liinwrr 
 was manager. The camp was no1 really a1 Point Harrow, but at (ape 
 Smythe. about '.' miles below. I'oinl Harrow itself is a low. narrow 
 sand spit, with the nat i ve village of N'uwuk at the ext reme end of the 
 point. Al ('ape Smythe is another laru'e village. Ootkieawie. and as 
 the land is higher than fartlier north and <i'ood water is found the 
 whaling stations established by ihe white men were locate<l there. It 
 is all known as Point Harrow to the outside world, and the distinction 
 is only local. All the population came out to see us uo by and won 
 dered what strange outfit it was. and when we greeted .Mr. Hrowei 
 and some of the officers of the wrecked vessels, whom we knew, they 
 were si mined, and it was some time before 1 hey could realize thai we 
 were flesh and blood. Some looked off to the south to see if there 
 was not a ship in si,i>ht, and others wanted to know if we had 
 come up in a balloon. Though they hail realized their dangerous sit- 
 uation last fall and had seal out Mr. Tilton and .Mr. Walker for aid 
 with tin- lirsl opening ol the ice. they had nol thought it possible for 
 anyone to reach them in the winter, and had not we and our posit ions 
 been so well known. I think they would have doubted that we really 
 did come in from i he out side world. 
 
 All was excitement and relief in camp, and there was work to be 
 done immediately. K imagine; a runner, the mail for the schooner 
 Rosurio and the steamers A*c/ry;o/-/. Fin rh-ss. and Jt-a nil was soul to 
 them, to^'el her with a letter to each one of their masters, telling i hem 
 of our arrival and the purpose of the expedition, and asking of 1 hem 
 their condif ion and prospects, so we could work intelligent ly for the 
 best interests of all. Before I had gotten fairly in [dace there came 
 a delegation of men requesting me to immediately look into their 
 condhion, which they thouti'hl should be remedied. Consulting with 
 Mr. Hrowei', Captains Sherman and Poller, and K. A. Mcllhenny and 
 Dr. Marsh. I learned there had been no g real suffering and thai for 
 the present ihere was no li'real need. Provisions were short, very 
 short . ami old v bv the strict es1 eeonomv and hard work had 1 hev been
 
 S2 
 
 CRUISE OF THE l". s. REVENTE CUTTER BEAK. 
 
 enabled in gel along so far. They had figured as well as possible oil 
 the cud of llif season. Inn there was anxiety as to how ii would end. 
 There was flour enough now on hand to I a si into the month of August ; 
 meal they hoped also To have for the same period, but thai was 
 dependent upon the success of the hunters and whal could be hauled 
 in. The different vessels were practically in the same position and 
 had about the same quantity of food. for. as far as practicable, an 
 equal distribution had been made all around. Each vessel had a doe- 
 team, and these were constantly going from one to another, and coming 
 to I'oiiii Harrow to I J rower's to haul supplies both ways, besides going 
 bark into, the interior to the hunters to "bring in the game and the 
 lish caught. This work had been going on since the vessels were 
 lirsl fro/en in. and only by extraordinary labor had they been able to 
 
 keep the men alive. All the supplies thai were now being issued to 
 
 the men in camp, and that had been secured for them until August. 
 belonged to Mr. IJrower, except some of the beef and pork, which had 
 been placed in the old refuge station in the summer of Issn, and from 
 the constanl freezing and thawing of years had greatly deteriorated 
 ami now contained little nutriment. Four days in the week 1 pound 
 of 1 his was issued : t wo days, one-half pound of frozen >{{■(•}■ mi at, and 
 one day. one-half pound of frozen lish. < die-quarter pound of beans 
 was issued on Sundays. This, with 1 pound of Hour per day and a 
 small allowance of coffee in the morning and tea at night, const it u ted 
 the rat ion. A few ounces of sugar and a few ounces of potatoes saved 
 from the Xunirrh were issued each week as long as they lasted. 
 
 I first gave my attention to the quarters of the men in camp. At 
 prevent there were 7* in the old house mentioned, and the morning 
 after we arrived Surgeon Call and myself inspected the place and the 
 condilion of the men. They were all in a horrible slate. The house 
 belonged to the Pacific St earn Whaling Company, and formerly was 
 Used as a whaling station, but was abandoned as such in the summer 
 of !>'."'i. When the men were lirsl sent here from the />' Iri dirt ii 
 was proposed thai theyall be quartered in the old refuge station, also 
 owned bylhe Pacific Steam Whaling Company, bin now occupied by 
 .Mr. E. A. Mcllheiiny with three assistants, This house had been 
 designed 1o accommodate 1 |IM men in an emergency, and this was 
 abotii the number to be provided for. but Mr. Mcllheiiny refused to 
 allow anyone but the officers in his house, ami as ihese represented 
 I n it a small pari of i he w hole number, the only other place 1 hal would 
 take t he remainder for 1 he winter was this old "Kelly " house, as it 
 wa> know n. Even then ii was in a bad condil ion. The roof was open in 
 place-., and one end was nearly out ; but taking what lumber he had. 
 Mr. Ilrower. with the assistance of sonic of the men. patched it up, 
 and inside tilled ! pert lis 1 hree deep on t he walls and each berth to hold 
 t h fee men. A -.mall cooking stove was put in t he center. For a time a 
 Miml 1 heat in e; sin V e was also used, and 1 he walls were banked outside
 
 PRESS < ' ERIAN M Si N A1 P( '. ' BARR /. 
 
 
 
 • ./T^.i>^ m < 
 
 v 
 
 NATIVE HOUSES AT Piv.t B-RR // VILLAGE.
 
 CRl'ISE OF THE I'. S. REVENUE CUTTEH BEAR. 
 
 S3 
 
 with snow. One window pivc a feeble light, and Ihcrc was I it 1 1«» <>i* 
 no ventilation except through ihe door and cracks. From scvcntv- 
 five to eighty men occupied the place, which was ahoul -- by .">."> feet 
 on the outside, but taking oul the berths and stoves let'i scarcely 
 enough room inside for them all to stand up. 
 
 All the cooking, except baking the bread, was done on the one small 
 stove. It was only boiling meat and enough water for tea or coffee, hut 
 the steam generated gathered in frost overhead and on the sides, and 
 the drippings from this kept the floors and walls continually wet and 
 filthy. Lower down on t he walls ice had formed •'! or I inches thick. 
 and the drippings and meltings ran down over this into the berths. 
 and even what little bedclothes the men had wen never dry. In the 
 endeavor to keep warm some of the men had boxed in their berths, 
 and in these boxes kept improvised seal-oil lamps burning. The 
 soot and smoke from these lamps covered everything, their clothes 
 and bodies, with {i black, greasy coating, so they were scarcely rec- 
 ognizable as whit e men. Some hardly left t heir beiths al all. and all 
 were in such a low, demoralized condition that onl; tin 1 cold weather 
 prevented a serious outbreak of sickness. Filth and vermin were 
 everywhere, and those inclined to keep clean and live decently could 
 not accomplish it in such a place and under such conditions. 
 
 The masters of the two crews had done nothing for them in any 
 way. either in seeing they were provided with food and quarters, or 
 in exercising necessary control. This inighl have been done it' prop- 
 erly started at first, but after the negled was apparent the men 
 refused to recognize any authority of the masters or officers over 
 them, and Mr. B rower and Mr. Mcllhenny were compelled to step in 
 ami assume charge, hater, owing to some trouble, the authority used 
 was that of Mr. B rower only. It was always a question with so 
 many men to handle how much control could be enforced, and it never 
 went further than guarding against depredations and lawlessness. 
 Matters of personal care. etc.. were left to the men themselves. 
 
 Dr. II. It. Marsh had attended the sick, and so far there had been 
 no deaths, but Surgeon Call reported four cases of scurvy and all 
 hands more or less affected. They were much debilitated and run 
 down, and if something was noi done quickly the weaker ones would 
 soon die from general debility, and serious sickness attack all. We 
 had no antiscorbutics bu1 ihe fresh meat we broughl with us. but I 
 determined thai changes must be made at once, the men moved from 
 their present quarters, their clothes and bodies cleaned, and proper 
 rules of discipline, health, and exercise enforced. Though the old 
 refuge station would take them all. it was not advisable in their 
 present stale to keep them together, for such a number would soon 
 accumulate filth again. From Mr. Brower I obtained an old store- 
 house thai waslighl and well built, and fitted it with berths for l's 
 men. The native school at the house of the Presbyterian Mission
 
 84 
 
 CKCISE OF THE 
 
 KEVEXl'E CCTTEK BEAK. 
 
 was not now in session, and Dr. II. R. .Marsh gave me the use of the 
 schoolroom. In this quarters were fitted for -'> more, and the remain- 
 ing _•"> were added to the 1 * * ali'eady in the old refuge station, making 
 41 in all there. These (quarters were all light, dry. and warm, and 
 could easily lie inspect ed. 
 
 Mr. Lopp arrived by dog team on the o<>th, having left the deer 
 herd about l'i ' miles below, at Sinra. which we had decided on for its 
 present location if proper feed could be found there. It was away 
 from the native settlements, and away from all danger of marauding' 
 of the white men were they so disposed. When the herd arrived in 
 <i'ood condition and a good and sufficient supply of food was assured. 
 it was a great relief, and the strain and anxiety about the final out- 
 conn/ of the sit nation under which everybody had been all winter was 
 removed. In con dug from Cape Prince of Wales the deer had 1 raveled 
 over Ton miles in fifty-five days, counting all the delays from 
 storms and preparations, and Artisarlook's herd had come 10n miles 
 farther, from Point Rodney. We were all grateful to Mr. Lopp and 
 the ••boys" for what they had done, and 1 can not speak too highly 
 of the skill, courage, and persistent, untiring work they showed from 
 the beginning to the end of that long journey. 
 
 We started with 44s in all. including the 7 Lieutenant Bertholf 
 brought In Kotzebue Sound, and we arrived at Point Harrow \\ ith o^i'. 
 The difference represents what we had to kill for food for ourselves, 
 and what were killed by overwork and by dogs and wolves. '■')- in all: 
 and the '.'A which strayed off in a blizzard near Cape Kruzenstern. 
 but were afterwards recovered and driven to Lieutenanl Bertholf at 
 Point 1 lope. Considering t lie hurried time, the unknown and untried 
 regions, and all the dangers incidenl to such travel and work. 1 con- 
 sider the drive in every way a marked success. I selected Artisarlook 
 and l'l eima to remain behind and care for t he herd, and made arrange- 
 ments for the return of Mr. Lopp and the others to their homes, as I 
 had promised them on engagement. 
 
 ( )n aeeounl of the scarcity of food it was not advisable to keep any 
 more 1o be (t-d at Point Harrow than absolutely necessary; so. after 
 they had a few days' rest. I turned over to Mr. Lop]) the dog teams 
 which had brought Surgeon Call and myself, and t hey left . bound 
 south. April I. They ha'! a small, light outfit, jusl enough to last 
 them in i he Pi'magea River, where Lieutenanl Bertholf was to have 
 supplies cached. Having heard from the vessels to the east of Point 
 liar row. I also sent the mail with Mr. Lopp and a report to you of the 
 general situation. I gave Mr. Lopp instructions to forward the mail 
 from (ape Prince of Wales to Si . Michael, wishing some news of our 
 arrival and the condition of affairs to be at that point, beyond all 
 doubt, wle-n the first steamers should arrive in the spring. 
 
 Tie- iv! urn journey of .Mr. Lopp was made in extraordinarily good 
 time. Start inu from Point Barrow April -1. he arrived al Cape Prince
 
 CRl'ISE OF THE U. S. REVKNCE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 85 
 
 of Wales May 5, though only twenty-two actual traveling days on (he 
 road. They were favored by good weather, a northeast wind at their 
 backs, but had to face the sun, which was now high and shining 
 most of the day and night. Crossing Ivotzebue Sound, they were all 
 severely afflicted witli snow-blindness and compelled to lie over 
 several days before they could see to go on. In this part of the 
 country their trip has never been equaled. 
 
 Having settled the men in their new quarters, I directed an increase 
 of the fresh-meat ration to l'.', pounds per week. This much was no1 
 on hand, but it was necessary, as we had no antiscorbutics and musl 
 rely on flesh meat to stamp out the scurvy, and 1 could now fill any 
 lack from the herd. I next began a thorough overhauling of the 
 clothes of the men. The bedding was gotten out and aired, and such 
 of Li as could be cleaned was kept, but the rest of it had to be thrown 
 away. All the heavy deerskins that could be found, and all that 
 could be brought in from the hunters, were gathered and distributed 
 to those most needing them, it was impossible to get enough at any 
 time to properly provide all the men, and only the good, warm quar- 
 ters they now had, prevented suffering. Personal clothing went 
 through the same general overhauling, and it was fully as bad as the 
 bedding. Only a few of those inclined to care for themselves had 
 anything decent, and 1 was compelled to make a general search and 
 take up collection of everything in 1 he nature of clot hing 1 hat could be 
 found or spared from Mr. B rower's station and from the natives. 
 
 When it became generally known what I wanted, the natives began 
 bringing to me a few odds and ends of woolen clothing they had 
 stowed away for summer use, and in a short time they seemed to vie 
 with one another in the number of articles of all kinds, furs as well, 
 that they could give to clothe the " Kablonas" — i. e., while men. The 
 native contributions kept up during all the remaining time we were 
 at Point Barrow. Hoots and boot soles were hardest to obtain, and it 
 was almost impossible to provide enough to keep the men's feet dry. 
 Toward the last of our stay these commanded fabulous prices when 
 they could be obtained ai all. Soap was the next consideration, and 
 1 immediately increased the allowance of this to 1 pound a month, 
 depending upon making later what we lacked of this amount. I also 
 required and saw that it was used to good effect on the persons and 
 clothing of all. Cleanliness was an absolute necessity, but it was 
 had wit h difficulty, for all water must be melted from ice, and we had 
 not the stoves and facilities for doing this to any extent. It was dif- 
 ficult at first to gel some of the men to make any effort to clean them- 
 selves; bu1 later, after the majority saw they had the means to do it. 
 and could, they united to compel the others and were quick to report 
 any great neglect. It was not long before the general appearance of 
 all was greatly improved. I instituted a system of daily inspection 
 of the quarters and clothing by Surgeon Call and myself, and kept it
 
 8fi 
 
 CKl'ISE OF THE ['. s. KEVEXUE (TTTEK BEAR 
 
 up until the men were finally put aboard tin* //'"/■/ and they were 
 never allowed to lapse from the condition ol order, discipline, good 
 health, and cleanliness we inst it uted. Surgeon Call attended to the 
 health of everybody, natives as well as whites, and his services were 
 in coiistanl demand. The scurvy patients were soon well, and there 
 was no serious illness nor any accidents to the men after once getting 
 1 hem din ot" t hei r previous had state. 
 
 There was only coal enough on hand to do the cooking, ami it was 
 necessary to have fuel for the new quarters I had provided. To obtain 
 drift wood for this was on 1 of the (pi est ion in the presen.1 condition of 
 the men. ami with the difficulty of providing them with clothing ami 
 fool gear. An attempt had been made in the fall to obtain some, hut 
 it failed, ami 1 determined to use the old house I had moved the men 
 out of. for fuel. It was only a mass of filth and could never be used 
 again for quarters, ami 1 lore it down and stored the wood for our 
 Moves. Happily it kepi us going until the warmer weather came ami 
 we could do wit hotil fires to a ureal extent. The mess arrangements 
 were t rying. There were l»ul 1 wo stoves, and on these the cooking for 
 about l-'in people had to be done. Uy patience and hard work it was 
 arranged satisfactorily, so that everything began to move smoothly. 
 After it was once established there was little friction, and everything 
 settled into one groove and kept into it. 
 
 For good order, to prevent complicat ion and t rouble, as well as to 
 protect t he natives. I required t lie men to keep away from the village as 
 much as possible, and saw to it thai they kepi out of the houses there. 
 I gave the natives to understand thai they musl uol harbor the men 
 in any way. and that they could e.xpecl the same treatment and pro- 
 lection from me thai the white men received. The native supply of 
 
 f 1 was not only short, but had been greatly curtailed to keep the 
 
 white men. as everything in the nature of " white men's "' food had 
 been kept from the natives, ami their slock of walrus, whale, and 
 sea! meat had also been largely drawn on from sympathy, so there 
 H'ii> hunger in many cases in tin- villages. Later on. in serious cases 
 of illin*s> among the mil i ves. betler food had lo be provided for 1 hese 
 pal i cuts, and 1 he v were l"< ■< 1 from .Mr. I > rower's house on Surge' m Call's 
 
 After Lmi i ing t he camp in sat isf a dory order I t urned my at tent ion 
 to I lie outlying vessels. The J !< In ili r< we had already visited. 
 
 The schooner linsurin was '.' miles away at I'oinl Harrow. Her 
 crew was small, and fortunately she had a good supply of provisions 
 when frozen in. aid was able to carry her crew along withoiil much 
 ussj-iaiice. She had divided her store of sail meat with the vessels 
 io t he east of I'oinl Harrow, ami was now compel lei I. like 1 he rest, to 
 depend upon hunting. I'>\ great labor they had been able to keep 
 the crew -din-, bin lor the last month and a half I supplied them 
 the herd. Find was most needed here, and every
 
 .'~A_ER ROSAR.O BEFORE SHE WAS CRUSHED POINT BARROW.
 
 \:
 
 WHALERS NE/ZPo;-^ A\;> FEARLESS IN THE ICE EAsT OF POINT BARROW,
 
 CRUISE OF THE I*. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 s 
 
 expedient of getl ing w nod was resorted to. Coal had to be hauled 
 from the steamers Xeirport and Fearless, a distance of 4»i miles, at 
 such times as the teams could be spared from hauling meat. It was 
 impossible to keep enough on hand in 1 his way. and resorl was had 
 to the re ma ins of an old wreck (dose at hand. I Hgging away the snow 
 and iee the timbers were uncovered and blasted out. Xot a great 
 amount could be obtained, but it was something, and helped out the 
 coal. 
 
 'I'hc steamers Xe irport and Fearless were oil" Pin Point, about 4o 
 miles easl of Point Harrow. They each had a crew of 4U men. and 
 when first (dosed in had barely enough provisions fo last through the 
 month of January. Their situation in this respect was so desperate 
 thai rigid order and economy had to be enforced immediately, and by 
 great labor and sacrifices, and by Mr. Grower's excellent assistance. 
 enough provisions were had from time to time to carry them along. 
 1 hough they were greatly dependent on the hunting — more so than at 
 any other point. The very fact of their situation being so much 
 worse than the others made the discipline here more severe, and in 
 consequence better order and even better content ment prevailed than 
 elsewhere. 
 
 The steamer .Jean if' was off Point Kllice. about 4-0 miles east of the 
 Xi irporf and Fearless, and from all accounts was in the most danger- 
 ous posit ion. as regards safety of 1 he vessel, of any of 1 he Heel . She was 
 -1 miles from the land, and there seemed grave danger when the ice 
 should break up in the summer. She had been fairly well provided 
 when t he winter set in. but had to share some of her stores with the 
 other vessels. As with the other vessels, she was now dependent upon 
 the hunters for meat, and being so far away had hard work keeping 
 up the supply. Her crew, front all accounts, was in a bad state of dis- 
 cipline and discontent. I attributed this more to their being away 
 from all travel, and being confined on The vessel all the long winter 
 with little to do and almost nothing of outside interest . 
 
 Sleds were constantly going and coming from all the vessels, and I 
 was thus in communication with the masters and advised of their 
 condition. For the present they wcrt' going along as well as could be 
 expected and no changes were necessary until I could visit them and 
 learn the particulars to provide for the final distribution of food thai 
 would be necessary to carry all through on a satisfactory basis until 
 your arrival. 
 
 I was prepared to visit these vessels April 12, when I had a severe 
 attack of tonsilitis and had to lay over for some more favorable time. 
 
 April is ('apt. George 15. Leavitt, of the Xewport, arrived at the 
 station, and from him I received all the information in regard to their 
 condition and prepared to leave with him on his return. 
 
 The bark Wanderer, which was one of the fleet that left Herschel 
 Island with the others, had not been seen nor heard of since Septem-
 
 88 
 
 CKl'ISE OF THE U. s. REVENUE Cl'TTEK I5EAK. 
 
 her S, ISU7. She was thenaboul loo miles west of Ilersehel Island, 
 ami from all the informal ion I could gather, ami in the opinions of 
 I he maslci's of the steamers, she could not, on account of tlie ice, 
 have come an v fart her west . It was supposed, and 1 1 hough 1 I he same, 
 thai (Mther she had returned to Ilersehel Island, where t he steamer 
 Man/ I >. 1 1 a iin was wintering with I wo years' stores on hoard, or 
 that at least she was in communication with thai place, for Holding 
 had hern heard of her crew at this end. 
 
 Ilersehel Island is 4-00 miles from I'oinl Harrow, and. as these two 
 points were the only places where her crew could ohtain supplies, 1 he v 
 must make for one or the other. As they had not come to I'oinl I Jar- 
 row il was supposed they were nearer Ilersehel Island when dually 
 heset hy the ice and had none hack there. Il was known she had only 
 a small si ore of provisions, and as she was one of the vessels the expe- 
 dition was sent to relieve I was anxious to fix her whereabouts beyond 
 question and was on the point of organizing a search for her when a 
 sled arrived at I'oinl Marrow, April -22, from I Ierschel Island, bringing 
 1 he welcome new s thai the II '"/nl< n i\ immediately on being left by 
 the other vessels, September S 3 1SH7, had returned to Ilersehel Island 
 and her crew were wintering on the Mni'ij I). Hiiiih As supplies. 
 
 The sled was in charge of a boal steerer from the lluuu and had 
 lefl thai vessel February 25. They had a very severe trip along an 
 almost deserted coasl and al limes were compelled to go inland from 
 thecoasl to hum I'or food for themselves and dogs, and when they 
 arrived al the .Ji/niii were in very bad si raits. The sled also broughl 
 news thai Mr. Walker, who had left I'oinl Marrow in October, 1 S 1 ' 7 , 
 with mail and news of t he perilous sit nation, and asking for aid as 
 soon as possible, had arrived al Ilersehel Island safely, and from there 
 on was put in charge of the Hudson May Company. He had last 
 been heard from at Fort MacPherson. on Feel Fixer. January •">. and 
 from there would he passed on from one to another of the Hudson 
 May posts until Kdniinton was reached. 
 
 The arrival of this sled removed the last doubtful point in 1 he situ- 
 ation, and knowing jus1 how many men we had to care for and .just 
 what we had lodo it with, it remained now simply a question of mak- 
 ing the best uses of whal we had. and to hold everybody together in 
 order and discipline until your arrival. I was anxious to not sacrifice 
 any of the reindeer if it were uo1 necessary, bill found later in April 
 that we could not \'<'r<\ the men so much of the old salt meal as they 
 were gel 1 ing wit houl bringing hack scurvy. The surgeon reported 
 some slight indications toward the last of the month, and I directed 
 an iiicreaseof the fresh meal to I pounds per week, bringing the use 
 nf the sail meal down to two days, and was prepared to increase the 
 allowance on the vessels on visit ing 1 hem. The hunting season was 
 aboul (dosed, for the caribou had the first pari of April gone back 1o 
 the Meade Fiver Mountains, preparatory to the fawning season, and
 
 
 J
 
 CKUISE OF THE IT. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 89 
 
 wciv out of reach of the hunters, who now began returning to the vil- 
 lage and station. Two expeditious arrived after April 1. and each 
 returning hunter brought in a small amount! of meat and (isli and all 
 the heavy deer skins he could haul on his sled. In this way 0,000 
 pounds arrived in April, bul 2,000 pounds of this had to be sent to 
 the Belcedere, leaving us at Point Harrow about 4,00o pounds for all 
 purposes. Hunters from the vessels to the east were kept out until 
 June, bul they got nothing after April. 
 
 Shortly after my arrival there became manifest adisposition among 
 1 he crews of the different vessels to leave them as soon as warm weather 
 came, with the thought thai I, as the head of 1 he sit uat ion, would have 
 to receive and care for them at Point Harrow, and 1 was compelled to 
 immediately define and mainiain the relations they held to the vessels 
 and t he vessels to them. With the exception of t he crew of the .fen lie, 
 who were shipped for the voyage, all 1 he others were shipped for stated 
 periods, and all these periods had either expired or would expire in 
 a short time. I held that the vessels were caught in a position of peril 
 through no fault of their own. but through an act of Providence, over 
 which they had no control. As long as they remained in that posi- 
 tion and were not wrecked, and with chances of escaping the peril, 
 flie obligation of the crew to remain by them and save them could 
 nol be broken, and the obligation of the vessel to provide for the 
 crew during 1 he time 1 hey were held in 1 his position through no fault 
 or desire of 1 heirs, was equally si rong; so 1 caused it to bo known 1 hat 
 I should hold 1 he crews to t he vessels as long as they were not wrecked, 
 no matter when the terms of shipment expired, and that I should 
 recognize no discharges given after the vessels were first caught by 
 the ice; thai discharges could not properly be given here, in a deso- 
 late, inhospitable country, but only upon return to a proper port of 
 discharge or upon your arrival in the open season, when the sick or 
 disabled could be given transportation to civilization. I also held 
 thai il was the obligation of the vessel to provide for herself as far 
 as she was able, and that 1 was there representing the (-rovernment to 
 help them do this, to preserve order, and to prevent by all means in 
 my power any distress, and would extend any aid necessary. 
 
 Aside from the safety of the vessels there were other strong reasons 
 why the men should remain as they were on their vessels. All the 
 food had been distributed with tins in view, and it was impossible 
 now to make any change in it. I could not care for any more al Point 
 Harrow without cutting down an already too short allowance. Again, 
 in the matter of exercising discipline and control, it was better thai 
 the men be divide* 1 into small groups, separated at good distances, as 
 they now were, foi so many idle men in one crowd would breed all 
 manner of disturbances and troubles. I adhered to the above deci- 
 sion all through my government of the situation, and maintained that 
 every man who came in a ship which was in existence still belonged
 
 90 
 
 CRI'ISK OF THE I'. S. IJEYENUE CUTTER KEAK. 
 
 1<> llial \'csst'l, and only in some part icularly exceptional cases that 
 had occurred before my arrival did 1 allow the men to remain away 
 from their vessels. 1 had no real diflieu It y in enforcing' my decision in 
 I hi-- respect . Inn there were cont in ually eases and points < - < » 1 1 1 i 1 1 ti up al 
 variance with ii. and I had in constantly insisl on tlie [joints men- 
 tinned. 
 
 I found ai (ape S my the. on my arrival. .1 . A. Coffin, lirsl mate ot' t he 
 .Jin/iii. who claimed 1 o have been driven from his vessel by 1 he mas- 
 ter. I'pon invesl iji'at ion I found this story of bein.e" driven a\\a\ to 
 be true, but the master represented that Coffin was troublesome and 
 mutinous, and thai he had to be notten rid of or there would have 
 been serious trouble with all hands. Though I held thai Coffin still 
 belonged In the vessel: that the ael of the master was illegal. I also 
 sav. t he necessity, in t he exl re me cireil instances of 1 he ease, of keeping 
 Coffin away from the vessel, and did keep him at (ape Smythe; and 
 even there lie caused more trouble than any of the men under my 
 eharue. 
 
 There was one man from the schooner linsiirin whom I found at 
 Cape Smythe. and who I learned had lirsl deserted the vessel, and 
 had then been discharged, to work in .Mr. IJrower's house, but havinu 
 been I roiiblesoine. and having drawn a knife on one of the men Ihere 
 In' had been put in 1 lie old house a Ion ".■ with the others. I'pon learning 
 that he belonged to 1 he llns" rin I ret u rued him 1 o t he Vessel : bill il pon 
 the master's represent in,i>' the man as a dist urbin.u' (demeiil in his crew 
 I a.yain look him to (ape Smythe. deeming il better to have all such 
 under my immediate control. Fifteen of the crew of the /->/ 1 r< di ,■< 
 wen- also al (ape smythe. having been seni there inOclober. ls'.'7. 
 because of shortness of provision and the impossibility of hauliny 
 eiioii-h In the vessel to t'< ■< •< 1 them. I kepi these men where they were 
 and I timed t hem over to you as pari of the li> I r< ■<!» r< crew. 
 
 April •'! Louis liich. carpenter of 1 he F< n rl< ss. arrived al Cape 
 Smythe. reporting he had left his vessel on account of a dispute with 
 the master, and asked that he be taken into the quarters with the 
 shipwrecked men. I' pot, i 1 1 \'e>i i Li <• 1 1 im i . his cause for leaving was 
 found to be mi trivial thai I returned him lo the \-essel ihe ne.\1 day 
 and admonished him to remain there. I suspecled and subsequently 
 i earned Sir l his man was pui forward 1 o 1 ry me and 1 he sil uat ion. and 
 
 it allowed to leave his vessel all the other ilissal isfied on. - 
 
 -oon ha\ e folio wei I. As he had lo walk •">' < mi les comiiiL' to me 
 "i ' mile- re| itrniiiL' lo I he vessel, there were none other-- anxioii- 
 to : r\ il after i hal le— on. 
 
 I , ' he middle of April Mr. 1 5 rower and I he nat iv<-s of the \ ilia ".c 
 
 ade pre pa rat ion- 1 o commence their usual spring w haling. This 
 
 ':_ :- done on the ice at some distance Iron; ihe shore, ol'lei; ■"• lo 
 
 i'\ where ihe iir-i lead of wai<-r i- opened up by t he easterly 
 
 The boats are hauled otii on -led- and the i>eoiiie camp al the
 
 GOING Ou'T ON THE ICE FOR WHALES IN APRIL. 
 
 ■■*mt*fMi:\ l*su *
 
 ("ROSE OF THE I*. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 m 
 
 edge of the ice and remain there until a general Wreak up comes in 
 June. The whales pass up this open lead, and. when caught, are 
 brought to the inshore ice. where, it' small, they are hauled out bodily, 
 or, if large, the head is hauled up high enough to be cut off and the 
 bone taken out . This is the principle article of trade and is largely 
 sought, while 1 he skin and meat are cut off ami sen I to 1 he village ice 
 houses for food during the coming summer ami winter. The work i- 
 ha/.ardous and entails a great amount of exposure and suffering. As 
 the natives were denied any portion of the Hour and deer meal on 
 hand, il was necessary that this whaling should be successful enough 
 to supply them food to last from now through the summer. All the 
 hunters were coming in — event ually there were nearly o()0 people to 
 be provided for. Kxccpting his personal effects, Mr. Brower had 
 given up l he whole of his whaling and trading establishment to the 
 vessels and men about. lie had placed it all at my disposal and it 
 had to last until the summer. At one time it was thoughl thai he 
 would have to siive up whaling altogether. This was so serious an 
 interference with his business thai 1 soughl to protect him and the 
 natives in the prosecution of so much of ii as they were able to do. 
 About half the men under my charge wished to go out on the ice them- 
 selves and ** whale it." This was neither advisable nor safe, and, 
 besides. Mr. Brower objected, claiming t hat, as he had seriously crip- 
 pled his business to keep the men from starving, they should not 
 interfere with what he was able to do with his small remaining outfit. 
 The men were inexperienced, were not al all fitted to stand the expo- 
 sure, nor could they be provide* 1 with clothing, and besides would cause 
 great confusion, and their indiscriminate use of firearms, etc . was 
 likely to be dangerous. 
 
 I had now enough food on hand to last the season without reselling 
 to whale meat, which would uol answer for all the while men. and 
 the most serious need now was thai the natives secure enough to last 
 them and provide us with dog feed, of which we were greatly' in need. 
 I did allow Mr. Brower to man two of his boats with some of the men 
 on their coming to satisfactory arrangements and being under the 
 control of him and his assistants, bul was prepared to revoke this if 
 there was any serious trouble. Many of the men wanted to go out 
 with the natives, bul this was not advisable, and I would nol allow it. 
 The men could be of no use to the natives, would only be a burden in 
 the boats, ami make no end of confusion and trouble. The natives 
 had been able to run their own business heretofore and could do it 
 now without the help of white men: and this was only a subterfuge 
 of the men to share in the natives' catch. I adhered to my previous 
 determination that the natives and whites should be kept apart as 
 much as possible, and the white men should keep off the whaling 
 ground, except those who went in Mi*. Brower's boats. Krom these 
 we could get enough whale and seal meat for our purposes. Once
 
 !)2 
 
 Clil'lSi: OF THE I'. S. RKVKNL'E ( TTTKi! I'.EAK. 
 
 the order was understood there was in, 1 i*f>iil>l«- in enforcing it. though 
 I had i" statitl oil' many ingenious propositions to gel ;t i*< mi ii<] it. 
 
 The schooner li'nsi ■:■/" ami the steamer IJi-l lu-di n both engaged in 
 tin- whaling. Imii tin* other vessels to tin- cast of Poinl Harrow, briny 
 so far from tin- -round, did not. The season was the mosl successful 
 in years, theealch being \-l whales, la rye and small. Mos1 of llieiu 
 were unite small, but t hey furnished exeellenl food for the natives. 
 and with so many to be provided for a small whale would seem to be 
 eaten Up in ;t few hours. Kxcepl the choice [tarts of iins and flukes, 
 which go to the fortunate canoe catching the whale, the meal was 
 common property and was shared in by ihe whole populal ion. Alter 
 the meager living of the winter, this was a feasting time for these 
 uat i\es. and. besides, a la rue store for the summer was laid in. It was 
 not possible to save t he bet lies of some of the whales, and ol hers w ere 
 not recovered until days alter briny killed, and wen- thru unfit 
 for f I. 
 
 'Idle natives" catch of whalebone was aboul pi. (ton pounds, that of 
 
 Mr. l> rower's station aboul li'.ouu pounds, tlie I !< / r, th ,-, about •*>.< 
 
 pounds, and the Rush r in about .*ii 10 pounds. 
 
 All tin- men who were <>U1 on the ice kepi t he nisei ves in food, except 
 for a small amount of tea and coffee and some hard bread thai had 
 been reserved for the travelers and not used, in this way we saved 
 i'i.")ii pounds of Hour and small stores, which laler were distributed to 
 the vessels mosl needing them. The whaling continued until June 
 when the ice bee/an to break Up oil the edge of the Hoe. and the pack 
 came grinding in. closing up the lead, and keeping it closed until 
 j us1 bet'i ire y< m r arri \ al. 
 
 There were several accidents to the nalives from carelessness but 
 no one was lost, nor was anyone carried oil" by the ice. as soim 
 happens. It is very hard, rough, dangerous work at best, ami onl\ 
 resolute, strong men can stand the exposure and heavy strain on the 
 
 s\'st fill. 
 
 May- I Marled, with Captain Leavilt.of t he X> "'/>o/7. 1o \ isil his 
 vessels and 1 he others to ihe east of Point Harrow. We wenl b\ the 
 Rn.sfi ri>i. and I authorized Captain Collin to issue fresh meal to his 
 men l o 1 he extent of ! : , pounds per day. A sat isfactory rat ion table 
 had been submitted to me here by Captain Collin on my first visit. 
 April I. bul small stores were now disappearing, and the increased 
 ijiiaiility of meal was necessary to lake their places. 
 
 The steamers X> irpnrt and Ft<t,-h ss were fully ao miles from the 
 station, and it was a long day's journey to reach them without camp- 
 ing. \ei ii was done day after day by the ship's travelers in keeping 
 themselves sii|tpliet| during the winter, and we did il ourselves in 
 fourteen hours. There was now excellent order and contentment on 
 t hese i w 1 1 vessels. They were not not more than 2oo yards apart . and 
 less than oiiedialf mile front the shore. Then- was a heavv ridge of
 
 CRI'ISE OF THE I T . S. REVEXl'E CUTTEH I5EAK. 
 
 >3 
 
 grounded ice outside tliein which promised 1o keep off any crushing 
 that mighl come later. The few provisions and supplies were kept 
 in it house on shore to guard against loss ot' the vessels, by lire or 
 crushing and, as in the case of the />< I r» <h ,■< . a line was stretched 
 from each vessels to this house. Kveryt hing was equally divided, and 
 the ration was reduced to 1 pound of Hour per day and three-fourths 
 of a pound of deer meat , with tea and coffee. This was not sufficient, 
 and on my return from 1 he ./' ana I authorized an increase of meat to 
 H pounds. These two vessels were in such desperate straits for food 
 in the fall of L s ', 1 7 thai it took heroic work to keep them supplied, 
 and Captains Leavitt and MeKenna are deserving of great credit for 
 the way they brought their crews through. 
 
 The Fearless was formerly a Norwegian whaler, bill was now under 
 the Ndcaraguan Hag, though owned in San Francisco. I extended 
 to her throughout our stay the same measure of assistance as to the 
 others. There were on board the Fearless two of the men rescued 
 from t he X'i rn ,-fli . As 1 hey were without a ship and these vessels were 
 so shorl of provisions, 1 took them into the camp at Cape Smythe. 
 
 After remaining on the Xeir^ort two days I went on to the Jennie 
 with Captain Mason, of thai vessel, who had been visiting the Xen:- 
 port. 11 was a long journey of 4o to 45 miles over the ice of Smiths 
 Bay, and it was well into the nigln before we arrived at the vessel. 
 
 The Jennie was the tender to the llerschel Island fleet. She had 
 discharged hei* cargo there and was caught by the ice on her way out. 
 She was a large steam schooner, not as well fitted for ice work as 
 the whaling vessels, and had fallen behind on the way. She was a1 
 Poinl Kllice. about 4 miles offshore, and. though there was heavy 
 grounded ice about her, it seemed she was in a dangerous position 
 and mighl sillier when the summer came. There were many com- 
 plaints from 1 he crew, and all hands seemed discontented and in a bad 
 state of discipline. I think this was mainly due to the fad that the 
 vessel was away from all travel bin that of her own hunters, and the 
 long winter of idleness had been more than her people could stand. 
 Provisions were now very short, and there was scarcely enough fresh 
 meat to lasl more than ;i month. Small s1 ores were in more abun- 
 dance than on i he oi her vessels, though, and I arranged with Captain 
 Mason a satisfactory ration, increasing the fresh meat to 14, pounds 
 per day, and promised 1o supply that amount from the herd. I was 
 concerned about the safety of this vessel, and arranged with Captain 
 Mason to send them a canoe and canoe sled for traveling ovei the 
 broken ice iii case of serious accident. Being so far offshore the 
 danger of crushing was much greater, and should the wind come strong 
 from the south during the break-up the vessel might go off with the 
 whole field. 
 
 Returning by the Xeirporl, Fearless, and Tlosarin, I arrived at Cape 
 Sin yi he May In. During my absence many disputes had arisen among
 
 94 
 
 CRUISE OF THE [J. S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 the iimmi a ii< 1 othtM' people, and I was occupied several days si raight- 
 ening llicm out. After I mice assumed the authority the men would 
 be amenable to no one but me. and while I was away reserved all 
 their disputes for my return. The most serious one was between 
 Mr. K. A. Mellhenny and Tukaloona, a native. The latter was run- 
 ning a whaling canoe for Mellhenny, who claimed (he agreeinenl was 
 thai he should gel one-half the catch. A large whale was caught, ami 
 as Tukaloona gave him only one-foui'th of this lie took all the bone 
 to his house, and the native appealed to me. After investigating the 
 case thoroughly I learned beyond question that the agreeinenl was 
 to share alike, and taking all the bone in one pile I had it divided 
 equally. The agreement was then dissolved to pre veil 1 further 1 rouble. 
 This 'was the same kind of trouble I had anticipated with the wrecked 
 men if they were allowed to work in the native boats, and 1 tell 
 relieved that I had not permitted it in the beginning of the season. 
 
 At CapeSmythe, waiting my return, was a sled from the l>>lfi<lir> 
 with a letter from Captain Millard saying his crew had refused duty. 
 I was delayed several days by a storm, but .May 14 I took the sled and 
 started south for the vessel. The ('»() miles was too far for one day's 
 journey, and that night I camped at the deer herd. I had given Arti- 
 sai'look and I'tenna four boys to help them do the herding and tend 
 the young 'which wore now being born. There had been ll>7 fawns 
 up lo this date, and of these .'!.'! had died. This was a larger propor- 
 tion of deaths than usual, and I attributed it to the more severe 
 weather here than thai about Uering Strait, where the i\(^-v had been 
 before. 1 colli inued on lo the lit I ' iu <hr< on the 1 .">1 h and arrived that 
 nighl. The next day, after hearing what the master and the men 
 had to say, I learned that they had refused to haul wood when the 
 dog team was around, and complained they did nol receive sullicienl 
 food, and thai they also wanted to leave the vessel, as their terms of 
 shipment had expired in March. I reiterated in\ previous decision 
 that all men must slay by 1 he vessel without regard to terms of ship- 
 ment, and then turned the crew to. The food question I looked into, 
 and directed an increase of meal lo the same amount as at oilier 
 olaces ! ] lo 1 .', poll mis per day. 
 
 Al the differeiil vessels I inspected the men's food and endeavored 
 lo see ihat it was well cooked and wholesome, for with the reduced 
 niiioi.Mii the\ had lo live on it was necessary thai everything be prop- 
 erty prepared. boiled deer meal gave a nourishing soup in addition 
 to Hie solid mailer, and it was generally prepared in lids way. The 
 ipm-iion iii' Hie men's work was left with I he master, for there realh 
 was lit : le work I o do and il was only pul forward by I he men lo add 
 to ! he number of disputes. 
 
 While at I he llilnihri the weather suddenly grew very warm, I he 
 1 hcrtiioiiieter going above I he freezing point . and as 1 lie sun was above 
 the horizon ,dl the t wenl v-four hours ihe snow began molting very

 
 CRUISE <>E THE 
 
 REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 fas!. On the l'.nh I arrived back at Cape Smythe. The sudden rise 
 of temperature compelled us to go to work immediately 1o dear away 
 the snow from al) nit the houses and drain the water down by the 
 beach. Since our first arrival the thermometer had hovered about 
 zero, sometimes in April going as low as — i'o to — l'") and the north- 
 east wind prevailed almost the whole month. 
 
 It was not until May thai the sun began to make any difference in 
 the snow. The winter, as a rule, had been mild. 1 nil the fall of snow 
 was heavy. This could hardly be estimated, for (he wind kept it con- 
 tinually moving and piled it in heavy drifts wherever there was an 
 obstruction. There probably was a fall of from .'J to 4- feel on a 
 level, but the drifts in some places went right over the houses. \Y hen 
 the sun began to eat away the snow, the water settled through the 
 drifts and promised to Hood the houses, and men were kept busy dig- 
 ging and making drains all over the beach. With the moderate 
 weather it was possible for all of them to be gotten out of the houses 
 and kept out most of the day, and though il was a heavy tax on our 
 resources to provide 1 them with water boots, il was necessary for the 
 health of all. Baseball had been in vogue for exercise during the cold 
 weather when the snow was hard enough to give good footing. It 
 was excellent exercise and gave all soniel hing of interest to talk aboul 
 and furnished a relief from the idle monotony. Later when the snow 
 was off t he ground i.he games were resumed, and I required the men 
 to either play baseball or carry ducks from our shooting camp o miles 
 away, the exercise grew more popular. 
 
 When once the snow started melting, it went so fast thai by May -0 
 spots of bare ground began to show alongthe beaches. The water ran 
 out on the sea ice and on the ice in the si reams and soon the snow on top 
 of all was a mass of slush and water. The snow grew softer and the 
 water deeper until June ['•) when the ice at the mouths of the small 
 streams broke through and a Hood of water covered the sea ice for 
 several miles out. In a short 1 inie this water made holes through the 
 weak places and ran off, leaving 1 he hard sea ice bare, except in the 
 hollows where streams of water still remained. Oradually these 
 st reams on top and the warm current from 1 he south below ate through 
 these weak places, but it was nol n nl i 1 July thai the ice inside the 
 ridge began to break up into small cakes, and about the middle of 
 thai month il had all broken up and was float ing aboul with the wind 
 and current. The sun was now shining day and night, and though 
 the thermometer al times lowered to aboul the freezing point the 
 melting never stopped, and this continuous daylighl and sun had a 
 strong effect on both old and new ice. 
 
 During the winter, where there was no crushinglhe ice froze from 
 •5 to f> feel thick. There are no bergs in this part of the Arel ic Ocean 
 like those about Greenland, and the general character of the ice is 
 that of u'reat. rough fields and huge, irregular floating cakes thai are
 
 «♦♦; 
 
 Ci;UISK OF TIIK T. S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 fori i mm I I iy | lie c.iiii in ii; 1 1 cri ish i ng ;iti< I piling up of 1 lie fall and winter. 
 From in v own obscrvat ions and from the experience of others here all 
 the ice thai forms on a level (luring the winter and does not shelve 
 and [>ile up soon passes away in the following summer, together wilh 
 inueh of the old, large ice 1 hal was left over from previous years: l»ut 
 this loss is about counterbalanced by the accumulat ions of t he crush- 
 in <rs of the fall and winter. All the ice formed in the rivers and 
 lagoons melt s there and lias no effect on the anion nl in t lie ocean. In 
 this way the ice in the open sea is kept at about the same point, con- 
 tinually stirring about, summer and winter, with the winds ami cur- 
 rents, and seasons of greater or less ice are simply times when differ- 
 ent winds prevail, keeping the fields closer to the shore or blowing 
 them off ami leaving open water. 
 
 The heavy erushings of the " ridge " are caused by the ice first 
 grounding and piling up as it comes closer to the shore. This ridge 
 forms a barrier to the pack outside and generally is solidly anchored 
 b\ I )ecember or January. Attached to t his and extending some miles 
 offshore is what is known as the doe or, locally. " flaw." Kvcii in the 
 winter, when t he wind blow s off t he land t he pack drift s off, and a lead 
 of open water is made outside ihe "floe." There is always a slight 
 current in this lead running to the north, unless the wind is strong 
 enough to stop and turn it. In the late spring and suniniei this 
 northerly current increases at limes to "_' and '■> knots, but the 
 strength of it musi be more or less local and confined close to the 
 land, as evidenced by the drift of the Xcrnrch. This vessel caught 
 in the pack off Icy (ape in the latter pari of July, 1 s *. * 7 . gradually 
 worked offshore ami to the northward, passed Point Harrow in 
 Augusl, and during September was about !()<> miles easl <>\' that 
 point and aboul I'D miles from the land. In October she returned to 
 a position about 4" miles east of l'oint Harrow, ami then in November 
 disappeared. Her next appearance, in the latter pari of January. 
 was at Hefuge Inlet, about i'i i miles to the south of l'oint Harrow, 
 and going off from there she appeared again in February only 1 or ."• 
 miles from the l'oint. Thus for six months she had been drifting 
 back and forth within a distance of J.">u miles with l'oint Harrow in 
 the center, and all the time fast in the pack ice. This could not 
 ha\e happened if there was a conl inuous currenl in one direction. It 
 would seem also | hal the si renglh of the currenl is (dose to the land, 
 and while offshore there is a slighl drift to the north in summer. In 
 the \\ inter season, how ever, the ice is moved a bout a I most wholly b\ 
 I he wind. 
 
 During our winter journey we saw ptarmigan in large flocks in I he 
 , > ukon district and in more scattered numbers farther north. Occa- 
 sional ravens were seen until l'oint Hope was reached. I am told 
 t he\ are ■»nni el hues seen as far north as ( ape Lisburne, but not beyond 
 thai point. These and Ardic owls were the onlv birds we saw. but
 
 4^^ t 
 
 ■" , ■ ■ - ' '-I'.'
 
 CRUISE OF THE l". S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 97 
 
 witli i hi' coming of spring there came greal n umbers of d ifferenl birds 
 lo the Point Harrow region. A snowbird was first reported April 14, 
 but il was nol until May iliai any more than one or two a day were 
 .seen by the whole population. April CM wo eider ducks were reported 
 living by Ignavik : but during this month the birds of all kinds that 
 appeared were bill individual forerunners of the flights that were to 
 come in .May. In the early part of that month great Mocks of eider 
 ducks were moving northward along the lead of open water off shore. 
 This flight continued all of May and June, and the men oul whaling 
 not only kepi themselves in ducks, but from time to time furnished 
 us ashore enough to augment our food supply and vary the monotony 
 of the diet. 
 
 Jus1 as soon as bare spots appeared on the land eider ducks, geese, 
 jagers, owls, and loons began nesting in great numbers. For a short 
 time in June quantities of eggs were gathered by the men ashore and 
 by the vessels to the east. They did not remain fresh long, and with 
 >o many people as we had to care for they made but little addition to 
 the general supplies, and each man was allowed to keep what lie 
 found. About the 1st of July the male ciders began their flight to 
 the southward. They came from the east of Point Harrow along the 
 lagoons, crossed the sand spit at the head of Elson Hay. and flew out 
 over the ice beyond the ridge to the open water, which they followed 
 until out of sight. When the wind was northeast, they flew by the 
 shooting station established by II. I>. M. ship Plor^rm the winter of 
 1 s :,:;_:, 4 in <rpeat masses — flocks of hundreds, and one flock following 
 close on another. As soon as this flight began we established a camp 
 at the shooting station, composed of First Mate J. L. HI lis. of the Orcu, 
 and (apt. F. Aiken, formerly in charge of the refuge station, and two 
 natives. In ten days while this flighl lasted they shot and recovered 
 and set 11 to our camp 1 .loo eider ducks. Our supply of fish had given 
 out several weeks before, and these ducks no1 only filled the place on 
 our weekly ration, but also furnished an excellent change and addi- 
 tion to the food. The natives also secured, a large supply of ducks, 
 and the question of food was ended, as we now had but one month to 
 w ail for your arrival. 
 
 I saw that the supply of meat secured from the hunters was used 
 first, and reserved that killed from the herd to the last . I was anxious 
 to protect tlie lalter as far as possible and kill only enough to last us 
 til rough the season. After supplying t he vessels to the east . however, 
 I kepi our ice house filled with meat and ducks, while the Bel refit ,-< -. 
 being but a short distance from the herd, hauled her meat direct from 
 there as she needed it. All hauling was finished by the end of June, 
 for the snow was gone entirely from the land, and the sea ice was 
 honeycombed and rotten and covered with streams of water that had 
 to be waded. 
 
 The vessels lo the east had to be stocked with meat lo last until
 
 fls 
 
 KI'ISK OF TIIK ['. S. I'EVEXl'K < 'UTTER Mi AH. 
 
 Allli'USI l»l in- l-'i. as little 1 1 < > | m • could he had tlial they Would be oll1 of 
 tin* ice before thai lime. All through .lune this work went on. and 
 by unusual labor ii was accomplished, together witli the sending of a 
 la rue canoe and sled to the Ji-mi'^ for tin* safety of the crew of thai 
 vessel. 
 
 Tins lale hauling was very severe on the dons, as the honeycombed 
 ice lacerated their feel in a short time. ami even the boots thai were 
 made for their feel saved them very little. They worked wonderfully, 
 thouiih. and many would arrive back in such a state they could hardlx 
 stand up. I know no more faithful, enduring, hard-work i im an i ma I 
 than an Kskinio doi»\ There is no snow too deep, no ice too rouii'h. no 
 hill too s1 eep for the m to face, and as lon,t> as l here is life lefl in 1 hem 
 they will pull and si ru,u',u'le 1o dra.u' alonii'. Ill feil and abused, they 
 may seem sn.arlin.ii' and snappish, bin their faithfulness dwarfs all 
 other considerations. For my own team, which traveled with differ- 
 ent parts of the expedition more than two thousand five hundred miles 
 during the wilder. I ha"e only an affectionate twit itude for the way 
 1 hey carried us t hri uitih. 
 
 The work of the dou's and travelers from the ships ami station and 
 villages about I'oinl Harrow during the lonu winler was heroic, and 
 the hardships and st ruti'ti'lcs to niainla.in life there Acre "rand beyond 
 description. Some of the. journeys to and from the hunters on the 
 ! rack less ! undra. often dislances of more than two hundred miles, 
 were almost inconceivable to even those who know the country. 
 
 I lax intr seen thai all 1 he vessels were supplied up to the time w< 
 could expect relief from you. there was nothing left but to wait 
 pal ient ly for 1 he break-up. lie fore it came, how ever, on July i'. we had 
 a violent southeast pile which gradually worked round to the south- 
 west ami west, jainmimi' 1 he *" pack "" hard atiainsl the ridti'e. breakin.ii' 
 and crack inii' it in many places, shoxduu' it farther in. and sendiiiLi' 
 crushes of the inside ice atiainsl the beach. One of these crushes 
 struck t he stern of 1 he schooner llnsn r'm. a1 I'oinl Harrow, and raised 
 her up on the ice above the level of the water. Passing under her, 
 ii took away her rinider and sternpost. tore her keel away, and sloxe 
 a hole in her how. All this happened in a lew minutes, but as the 
 vessel was clos,. up to the beach the crew l;' i it ashore safely ami saved 
 the rciiiaininii' store of provisions. I vished the vessel that nitihl 
 and found a camp had been made on the shun- near the wreck. I 
 arranged a it h ( apt a in ( 'oil in i hat the crew should remain where 1 hey 
 were; bin later, on account of some trouble with the men. I hroutihl 
 llicin lo ( a pi Snixlhe. canipinti them in a leni on the beach, where 
 ' hey could be under my su perx isii m. 
 
 Tin' masier and officers remained by the vessel until your arrival. 
 
 her --ear was sax'ed and finally disposed of. Later I heard 
 
 ■ 1 1 ; i 1 all the \essels had been tr really shaken up in this storm, bill no 
 
 Ms | o 1 1 e ! 1 1 e m .
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER liKAR. 
 
 99 
 
 The lii-Inilt /■/ was carried out with the field of ice she was fast in 
 and at one time was in danger of going off in the pack, bul when the 
 wind shifted to the west she was bronchi back to her original position. 
 
 The \< ir/it),-/ and Fearless were badly jarred, hill the heavy ground 
 ice outside of them kept off the worst of the crush. The Jennie 
 remained t'asi in the field aboul her and il was all shoved bodily 
 against the beach, where it piled up in places as high as 4<> feet. 
 Happily ih<- heighl of the storm did not last long, and outside the 
 damage to the Rasario the nel result was to break up the ice so it 
 could go off with the first favorable wind. 
 
 July -1 was made a real holiday in our isolated place. 1 made a 
 special effort to collect and provide an ample, and what then was a 
 luxurious dinner, to all hands. A lew bottles of pickles that had 
 been saved were given to the men, together with an extra allowance 
 of flour and meal : and enough dried apples had been saved from Mr. 
 Brower's stores to give everybody "pie/" Some atldetic spoils and 
 games were arranged and carried through, with such prizes as our 
 Straightened circumstances would permit, and an excellent spirit was 
 infused into all. Such things make the government of men in 1 tying 
 circumstances easier, and mark" a break in the dreary, monotonous 
 imprisonment that buries the thoughts most of the hardships thai 
 have gone before. 
 
 I found the greatest craving of the men was for some season- 
 ing in their food. The continuous boiled meat and bread would 
 sometimes pall, and after my arrival I collected from the outlying 
 vessels some tins of sage, savory, and thyme, and these seemed to 
 make a great difference in the food. Pepper was mosl craved, but 
 by spring there was little or none left anywhere. 
 
 After the whaling was finished the natives immediately began leav- 
 ing for the east . to 1 rade with the natives from the C'olville River and 
 others on the coast as far as Barter Island. This is a yearly trip 
 made bylhe Point Barrow natives to secure deerskins for clothing, 
 and also to fish in the livers during the early summer. Taking a 
 canoe ami outfil on their sleds they started across the tundra back 
 of the village ai Cape Smythe, and after traveling about lo miles 
 struck a river, from which, with short portages, they were able to 
 make their way through the network of streams and lakes until they 
 reached Lake Tesukpuk. A I tout the time they arrive this far 1 here is 
 sufficient open water for their canoes and the journey is continued 
 along the shore The return is made in the latter part of August or 
 in September, before the young ice begins to make. Many of the 
 C'olville River people also come to Point Barrow in June and July to 
 exchange furs for seal-oil and ammunition. A constant trade is thus 
 ma int a i ned along this as well as other parts of the Alaskan coast . and 
 in this way furs are passed along, in the ramifications of the trade, 
 from as t'ai easl as the .Mackenzie River, across the Bering St raits.
 
 100 
 
 CRUISE OF TIIK U. S. U EVEN UK CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 kick I hrougli t In* Siberian wilds to the Russian out posts— mink, 
 marten, Iteaver. and red fox skins being the principal articles going 
 from Alaska, and. in return, reindeer skins for clothing come from 
 Siberia. Formerly Russian tobacco and tea came to Alaska in this 
 way. I)in these have now been driven ou1 by the trade carried on by 
 t lie whaling vessels and t rading posts established in the count ry. 
 
 Karly in .Inly I planned and prepared an expedition in charge of 
 ('apt. A. ('. Sherman, consisting of eight men and two natives, 1o go 
 down i he coast as far as Icy (ape or Point Lay to the Hear, witli news 
 of our condition. At Point Barrow we had supplies to last until 
 August l'o, and at the outlying vessels except: the Belrericn- until 
 August 1". but there was always uncertainty as to tin* demands on 
 the supply on the vessels, and after August 1 our provisions would 
 be so limited thai another distribution would be necessary, and more 
 rigid economy than ever enforced. 
 
 The I'll rrdf-rt supplies were designed to last until August 1, as she 
 was farthest south and could expect relief sooner. However, on July 
 Is, T sent her 5i >' ' pounds of t he remaining (lour 1 hat had been reserved 
 for emergencies, as I was anxious that we should all fare as nearly 
 alike as possible. 
 
 Water was making along the beach very last in July, and on tin* 
 Nth the expedition started with a canoe, sled, and t wo weeks" pro- 
 visions. Their experience and arrival on the Htary-ni know of. 
 
 The reindeer herd was kepi all this time between Siinaand Refuge 
 In'ei, moving about between the places as the moss was ealeii off. 
 Though not so plentiful as in the region about ( ape Prince of Wales 
 and Norton Sound, there is ample \'r*-*\ in this section to support a 
 la rge herd. On account of our needs this herd was kept on 1 lie coast, 
 yet from all reports I believe thai farther back the moss is not only 
 heller but m itch more [dent if ul. The first fawns were born. April li'. 
 and births continued until the middle of June, making :!~>\ in all, 
 ami of these ill died or were accidentally killed after birth. It 
 was first thought that these deaths were caused by the cold weather, 
 In it as 1 hey emit in ued in t he same p report ion t hroughout , even in the 
 early pari of June, the weather could not be the cause. It was a 
 grealer n umber of deal lis I han usual, and it was observed thai nearly 
 all were lawns whose mothers were but 1 year old themselves, and 
 I .-on el u dei I thai I hese ha I f-grown mot hers were not si rong enough to 
 stand I lie severe t ravel I hey had been subjected I o so (dose to delivery, 
 and st ill bear young with stillieient si a in ina to live. 
 
 Art isarlook and (donna gave exeellonl and eoiistanl attention to 
 'lie Imrd. and the foil r '* boys" engaged lonv-dsl them soon adapted 
 themselves to | he work and became capable herders. At lirsl I he 
 reindeer were regarded with curiosily by 1 he natives, but later they 
 be^an i o see I he great usefulness of t he animals, and wonder how 1 hey
 
 ? 
 
 i 
 
 
 m 
 
 . . ~ . ,- ; ■'. . .
 
 CRl'ISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE (TTTKli BEAR. 
 
 101 
 
 could be secured. I was constantly asked by the better class of the 
 people if the reindeer were to be left there after we had used all we 
 needed, and if in some way their sous could not work in the herd, 
 learn the business, and eventually possess (\o('V themselves. Our 
 situation was too uncertain and I was too busily occupied to make 1 his 
 experiment, yet I do not doubt the willingness and the ability of these 
 people to become good deernien, for they struck me as being the best 
 natives on all the coast. It was not only at Point Barrow that the 
 reindeer were appreciated and desired, but everywhere on our route 
 from (ape Prince of Wales. The whole coast is well adapted for 
 them, and 1 know of not long t hat would be so beneficial as their inl ro- 
 duction in large numbers throughout all the northern part of Alaska. 
 
 The wild deer or caribou will soon be a thing of the past there. 
 The great demand of the miners for deerskin clothing will monopo- 
 lize all the supply thai can be had from Siberia, and in a very few 
 years the natives will be great sufferers, for nothing can take the 
 place of « lee rs kins with 1 hem. When herds are scat tered over the coun- 
 try at convenient distances 1 here are great possibilit ies of 1 ransporta- 
 tion, and. for food, reindeer meat can not be equaled in that region. 
 I'pon the arrival of the Bear there were o!M left in our herd, old and 
 young, and under your direction they were turned over to Dr. II. \i. 
 Marsh, representing the Presbyterian mission. Besides what was 
 used for the members of the expedition I distributed 12,481 pounds 
 of fresh meat from the herd among the people at Point Barrow, and 
 the addition of this when most needed, made it possible to bring the 
 men through without extreme suffering and sickness. 
 
 July ,11. — Mr. Thomas, first mate of the Xetrport, arrived at the 
 station, having made his way in a boat from his ship to the head of 
 Elson Bay. lie reported that on the 1-th instant the Xeirporl and 
 Fearless had been able 1o work free of the ice that had held them, 
 and two days later came as far west as Point Tangent, then gradually 
 to Cooper Island, but could get no farther. The Xeirporl was leaking 
 badly, but later on was taken into Klson Bay and the leak stopped. 
 Their provisions were getting so low thai I sent them :■]()() pounds of 
 sab meal, as the fresh meat would not keep in the warm weather we 
 were now having. On the lsth the Jeunie came in sight and worked 
 to within '■> miles of the other vessels, but as yet there had been no 
 communication between them. I learned later thai the Jeauie\s stem 
 was in bad shape and thai she also was leaking badly. Both vessels 
 were in such condition thai i1 was necessary thai they go to some 
 port for repairs as soon as possible. 
 
 During the first half of .July the wind blew from the southwest and 
 kept the pack hard in with no sign of movement, but on the 14th it 
 shifted to northeast and blew from thai direct ion almost steadily until 
 after vour arrival. It was several davs before an v effect was visible
 
 102 
 
 CKUISE OF Till-: l". s. HEVEXL'E CUTTEK BEAR. 
 
 on the ice. bin gradually a small lead began to show outside the ridge, 
 and it kept spreading until the :T>th instant, wlien the park was out 
 ol' sight t'foni the land. During these days the men in camp were 
 very uneasy and excited over the prospect of near relief from their 
 long imprisonment. 
 
 After your arrival and the men were sent aboard, the < quarters t hey 
 occupied were cleaned and turned over to their owners in good condi- 
 tion, and the work of the overland expedition was ended. The orders 
 of the Department were fully canned out and the imprisoned men at 
 Point Harrow were relieved from the bad condition in winch they were 
 found, succored and governed, to the effect that 1 hey were 1 urned over 
 to you in 1 he stale of good health you must have observed. The only 
 death after our arrival was that of Philip Mann, aged is years, nat ive 
 of New York, formerly seaman of the steamer Jf-sst< H. Krf-f-jntin.nl 
 heart disease. June s. ls'.is. The particulars of his death and the 
 post-mortem on his body are contained in Surgeon Call's report. 
 
 The final good outcome of the situation under which the vessels 
 were imprisoned at Point Harrow seems providential. When first 
 caught by the ice. in September. 1S!»7. there wcr^ iTo men. with 
 scarcely enough provisions to la si them until Jan nary. Vet t hey were 
 brought out of it in. August, IS'.'*, with no starvation and little suffer- 
 ing. A chain of fortunate, almost miraculous, circumstances, and 
 ext rao rd i nary and heroic labor, contributed to this result : first of all. 
 the intelligent work and good will of Mr. ('. A. Hrower. manager ol 
 the (ape Smythe Trading and Whaling Company, in giving the sup- 
 plies and resources of his station to the relief of the men: the good- 
 ness and help of the natives who denied themselves and were denied, 
 to support the white people: the miraculous coming in with the ice of 
 the wreck of the Xti ru rt-Ji with her provisions when they were most 
 needed: the appearance of wild deer in the neighboring country in 
 numbers before unheard of: the labors of the masters and traveling 
 men of the vessels, and the opportune arrival of the overland expedi- 
 tion, with its supply of fresh meat, at the very lime when the men 
 required correct ion in 1 he way of living, government . and an increase 
 of fresh food. Despite some shortcomings, the work folio-wed on suc- 
 cessfully from the beginning to the end of the long year, and though 
 there was disaster to property there was none to human life. 
 
 In detailing the work of the expedition. I have no1 dwell upon the 
 personal part of the t ravel with any intention to in agin f>' the dangers 
 or trials, bul simply to show some of the difficulties we encountered. 
 and which all people traveling in that country have to contend 
 against. Thai we overcame them was due to the enthusiastic labor 
 of all in ihe effort to carry out your orders: and to the help we 
 received from those living in the country ami from the natives. 
 The help of the natives to us and 1o the people at Point Harrow is 
 deserving of sonic substantial reward. I submit herewith reports of
 
 ; ;. , THE DOGS
 
 CRUISE OF Till-; U. S. REVENUE (UTTER BEAK. 
 
 L03 
 
 Second Lieut. K. 1*. IJertholf and Surg. S. .1. (all of independent 
 operations carried on by them. 
 
 Very respectfully, 1). II. Jakvis. 
 
 First Lieutenant, li. ('. #., 
 
 Com nm ml i mj ( )ri flu ml R( l/ef E.i'pt (lit ion. 
 (apt. Francis Tittle. K. ('. s.. 
 
 Com ma mli inj t . »S. Re re inn Cutter Rear. 
 
 REPORT <>/■' L1EVT. /•:. /'. liERTHOLF. R. < '. S. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 1. 1808. 
 
 Sir: I have the honor to subinil the following reporl of my move- 
 ments while separated from the main expedition, in accordance with 
 the written orders received from yourself, dated December 20, L8'j~. 
 
 On the even in g of December 21, the day after you had departed 
 from Kiyilieugamute, the dog's for which we were wailing returned 
 to the village, and. having bargained for their use, we were enabled 
 to resume our journey the following morning, taking Alexis and a 
 native boy along with us for guides. We traveled along the same 
 trail used by you and Dr. Call, receiving news of your arrival and 
 departure as we came to the different villages along the route, and 
 as advantage had been taken of our enforced stay at Lviyilieuga- 
 mute to alter the heavy sled brought from the ship so as to bring 
 the runnel's closer together and lake the sag out of the after ends of 
 them, 1 was not obliged to wait so often for Koltchoff to catch up with 
 that sled, and we made very good progress. 
 
 When we reached Akool u k pugamut e on the evening of the 22d, 
 I wished to cross the mountains in order to save a day. and if possible 
 catch up with you by the time we reached St. Michael, bin having no 
 tent for shelter in case we got caught in a storm on the mountain, 
 Alexis thought' it would be belter to go around the range, and thus 
 reach a village each night for shelter in case bad weather should set 
 in unexpectedly. 
 
 Accordingly we followed your trail, which broughl us to (huk- 
 wokt ulieugamute on the 2'kl and to Kogerehtehmute on the 2-41 li. 
 By this time my dogs' feel were very sore, for the thin crusl on the 
 snow, which the dogs broke through at nearly every step, cul and 
 lacerated the cushions of their feel so thai some of the poor little 
 fellows left a trail of blood behind them. Under ordinary circum- 
 stances when the dogs' feet become sore in this manlier it is best to 
 halt for a few days and allow them a rest, for the cuts seem to heal 
 very (piicklyin this climate. 
 
 As we could not afford to lose anytime, however, Alexis said he 
 would have the nat ive women in the village make •" boots" for the dogs 
 during the night. These boots are simply pieces of cotton drilling
 
 104 
 
 CKl'lSE OF THE C. S. REVENUE CTTTEK BEAK. 
 
 sewed together in such a manner as to lit over (he lower part of ilie 
 dog's fool, and then tied on just below the knee. This affords the 
 cushions of the feel protection from the sharp edges of tlie snow and 
 allows the cuts a chance to heal : hut even these cotton coverings won hi 
 be worn through in the course of a day's t ravel, and new ones must he 
 put on each morning'. Alexis sent one of our native guides to call the 
 women to our tent, but although he offered to pay well for the little 
 sewing necessary to make a supply of these boots, not a woman in the 
 village would work on 1 hem, beca use the previous day one of the village 
 nat ives had died, and their superstit ion forbade them to work the four 
 succeeding - days after a death had occurred in the village. They said 
 thai whoever did any unnecessary work before the four days "were up 
 would surely fall sick and die also, and t he only work that was neces- 
 sary from their standpoint, was taking the (ish from the traps and 
 preparing the meals. They wouldn't even repair their own clothing 
 during the four days, and not even the most liberal offers of tea, 
 flour, and tobacco from Alexis could induce them to brave their 
 superstitious fears, so we were obliged to make a set of boots our- 
 selves, as best we could, to last until we reached Chukwoktulik the 
 following day, where, as there had not been a recent death, we were 
 enabled to have a supply made properly. 
 
 The day we reached Chukwoktulik was Christmas, and as wo saw 
 quite a n umber of ptarmigan, or arctic grouse, on the road I imagine* I 
 I would have a fairly good Christ mas dinner I hat evening: but as I 
 had only a rifle with me I was unable to kill any. and when I reached 
 the village I was obliged to content myself with the usual meal of 
 pork and beans, hard bread, and tea. 
 
 All through this country I found the nalives e.\1 remely kind and 
 hospitable. Having no tent, we were, of course, obliged to sleep in the 
 native huts, and invariably when we came to a village and entered 
 the ka/.hinie the besl and cleanest corner was set aside \'ov our use. 
 The village people would lend a hand to unload the sleds, bring our 
 things into the hut. and see everything beyond the reach of the dogs. 
 If we asked for fish, it was immediately brought, even though their 
 supply was scant . and if any of t he nat ives had a seal 1 hey would cu1 
 mil the liver and give it to us, although that is considered by them a 
 delicacy ami they are very loud of it. In fact, the best they have, 
 such as it is. they will share willingly with the stranger, and when 
 you leave the village, if you give them a few cups of (lour or a little tea 
 or tobacco, they seem greatly pleased and think you are very liberal. 
 
 I never look pains to keep track of my personal outfit or the food 
 we had with us, yet I never missed a single article, and frequently 
 when we wore packing the sleds in the morning a native would bring 
 us some arl icle that had been left behind in the ka/.hinie. Once or 
 twice I was given some small article you or Dr. Call had discarded, 
 for Alexis told them I belonged to the same party, and they thought
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAK. 
 
 1<»5 
 
 you had forgotten the article in question and wished to ivsimv it to 
 the proper owner. For simple honesty and hospitality these natives 
 might be equaled, but they surely can not be excelled by any rare of 
 people. 
 
 < hi the :M1 h we left ( hukwokl ulik ami started 1 he last day's journey 
 before reaching to Andi'eafski. Having no thermometer, I had no 
 means of ascertaining the degree of eold until we reached that- place, 
 when I was somewhal surprised to find the mercury registering 15 
 below zero, for up to that time the weather had not seemed to me to 
 be very eold. Here we picked up the tent and stove you had left 
 behind to lighten your load, and proceeded down the Yukon River 
 the following day, but being obliged to lose half a day on the lower 
 pari of the river on account of a violent snowstorm we did uo1 reach 
 Cape Romanoff until late in the evening on December i".i. Here 
 Alexis first began to show signs of a serious illness, and during that 
 night he was in ureal pain and was unable to sleep at all. For the 
 previous three or four days lie had frequently complained of a cold, 
 with pains in the side, but neither he nor I thought seriously about it. 
 and indeed 1 would have been unable to do anything for him, fori 
 was not enough of a doctor to understand what was his trouble, and 
 besides, I had no medicines with me. The next day he was unable to 
 walk and was obliged to ride on the sied. Our other guide, having 
 developed some sort of sore on both his knees, also had to be car- 
 ried on the sled, so that all the running ahead of the dogs devolved 
 upon Koltchoff and myself, and thai uiglil we gol no farther than the 
 steamer //<"///. laid up in what is locally known as the "'canal." 
 aboul 1 - miles from St. .Michael, and did no1 reach the latter place 
 urn i 1 noon the following day. January 1, 1 s 1 . is. 
 
 Upon our arrival 1 requested I>r. Kdie, the surgeon attached to the 
 military posl there, to examine the two guides and prescribe for t hem. 
 The native boy's knees were attended to, and as they were not seri- 
 ously affect ed lie soon recovered the use of them, but Alexis was found 
 to have developed a very bad case of pneumonia. lie was therefore 
 put in bed and turned over to the doctor's care, and for three months 
 was confined to his room, but the doctor finally managed to pull him 
 through and he left for his home some time in April. As Alexis had 
 been very fail h fill and his illness was undoubtedly due to exposure 
 while in the service of the expedition. I considered ii my duty to see 
 thai he was properly cared for. and before 1 left St. Michael I gave an 
 order lo the agent of the Alaska Commercial Company at thai place 
 to furnish nurses for Alexis, and whatever else Surgeon Kdie consid- 
 ered necessary to further his recovery. 
 
 As dogs were very scarce at this place and it was impossible to 
 obi ai n fresh t can is. I purchased from Alexis tin* best of the teams tint 1 
 had come with the expedition from Tununak, and remained at St. 
 .Michael unlil the cuts on the dogs' feel had healed.
 
 106 CRUISE <)F THE I", s. REVENUE CUTTER REAR. 
 
 In accordance wiili your letter. I delivered to I-'. Koltchoff your 
 written order terminating his connection with ilie expedit ion and 
 directing liini to reporl to Col. <;. \V. Randall. United States Army. 
 for duly in connect ion will) t lie ( Govern me in dec)- herd. 
 
 On .January ,- >. havine; obtained from t he company some necessary 
 articles of clot hi in: and provisions, I left St. Michael with one team 
 and the native hoy Vv<-i\ for a ii'iiide. and proceeded to Unalaklik. 
 reach in;: t here on t he evening of the si h. A few hours at' er lea vim;' 
 
 St. Michael I fell in with the ollttil of Male deuI'Lie U. Tiltoll of the 
 
 steam whaler / !< I r< tl< ,-, . who was on his way from I'oini Harrow to 
 San I-'rancisco. and who told me that he had met you and uiven you 
 all the information he had concerning' the state of affairs at I'oini 
 Harrow. When I reached the house of Mr. Knjdestadl . the 1 rader for 
 the Alaska Commercial Company ai Unalaklik. I found your order 
 to carry l. M| >" pounds of provisions across tin* country and nieel you 
 at ('ape Hlossoni. hut as I had only one team of does, and Kuii'lesladl 
 was 1 111a hie to furnish me wit h any more. I was obliged to remain there 
 unl i 1 yi mi r don's ret 11 rued. 
 
 Here I obtained bonis, socks, a parkie. and a sleeping baiz made 
 properh of deerskin, ami discarded t ne 1 orrespondiii.u' arl icles brought 
 from the ship, as the\ were not adapled to the cold weather we wviv 
 now ex peri en cine;. The i nit lit and provisions for myself and the nec- 
 essary natives weighed a little over •'! IMI pounds, and as there were no 
 villages on 111 v prospective route bet ween 1 he head of N orl on I lay and 
 (ape Hlossom. :!oi 1 pounds of lish had to be carried also, with which 
 to feci! the do_e>. so that, together wilh the 1 .000 pounds of provisions. 
 t here was a load of a boil 1 I .ni » > pounds to be t ran sport ed. This would 
 !•(.•< pi ire at N-asi four sleds, with the corresponding number of teams. 
 Inn as Kmdestadl informed me that I could irel one learn from his 
 ii.i1 I \ e- trader ai Koyuk. this, with the two teams you were to send 
 back and my one team, would make up the necessary four, and as 1 he 
 ■ i 1111 pound-. it' lish and •">' H ' pounds of flour were already at Koyuk. 
 thus leavine; lull si 11 1 pounds for me to haul from Unalakleel. I con- 
 cluded on the |nih to start for Koyuk. taking the sum pounds on m\ 
 team and ;i small naiive team Kimlesladl managed loenimu'e to ^o 
 :ii'. hopim: to meet your does ret undue, on the way. 
 
 Ma' :n_ lieen unable to obtain a l heriiionioler a1 S1. Michael. I was 
 unable '11 kee , a record oi' the t emperat lire : but on 1 lie h'.lh. when I 
 lett I nalakieet. the iiierciny registered .'Jo below zero. 
 
 I' "do w ; ne; 1 he same -eucral I rail almm which you had I ra\ eled. we 
 
 ed Kll'owik on the e\ellitiy of llle l>;ih. ,'llld oil tile i 7t ll stoppeti 
 
 ai shakio ik. iit'ter haviim traveled during the al'ternoon in the face 
 ot .1 \ uieiit snowstorm, which increased duriim tin uiejil to such an 
 '•\teiii ilia' on the i -s i 1 1 it h'iis impossible to see i'i i yards ahead, and 
 we \ ere o!ij ■_,-,] 1 o re 1 1 1 a i n o v e r a 1 the \ illauc 
 
 n ii ■_ of I he I 'ai li da w' i icd clear, and we resumed our joiirne\ 
 low a rd I na ktolik. In l he alien u. about an hour before we reached
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAK. 
 
 107 
 
 that village, I met your teams on their way to I'nalaklik, 1 >ui the 
 dogs looked pretty well played out, and the two drivers deelared they 
 could not accompany me to Kotzebue Sound until they had none to 
 I'nalaklik and obtained wanner clothing than they had on a1 the 
 time, for 1 hey said it was much colder across the portage l han in the 
 vicinity of St. .Michael. I therefore sent a note to Knglestadt, asking 
 him to send me at least one of these teams and an interpreter, and 
 told him I would wait at Koyuk until 1 heard from him. We reached 
 Cnaktolik late in the afternoon, and on the following day crossed the 
 head of Norton Sound on the ice and finally came to Koyuk. which is 
 situated a1 the mouth of the river hearing the same name. Here I 
 discovered thai the team belonging to the native trader al this place 
 and which 1 had expected to obtain had left the day before on a trip to 
 I'nalaklik. and as the native who accompanied me with the extra 
 team refused to go any farther. I was obliged to allow him to return, 
 and was thus left with one dog team with which to transport 1,000 
 pounds across count ry. 
 
 The following day, therefore. I sel out for (-i-olovin Iiay. three days' 
 .journey to the westward, where there was another of the Alaska 
 Commercial Company's t rading stations, hoping to be able to procure 
 t he necessary dogs at thai place. Again I was doomed to disappoint- 
 ment, however, for on my arrival I learned thai all the dogs belonging 
 to the station were absent on a trip into the interior of the country. 
 A few miles from here was the herd of (Government reindeer, and 
 there I went next, Mr. Ilultborg, the Swedish missionary al (-rolovin 
 Iiay. kindly accompanying me to act as interpreter with the Lapps. 
 foi" the superintendent of the herd. Mr. Kettleson, had gone up the 
 coast wit h you and Dr. ( 'all. 
 
 Soon after leaving (i-olovin Iiay I had an excellent demon st rat ion of 
 the [towers and strength of the Alaskan dogs. Mr. Flu It berg had 
 loaned me two of his deer, which left the village some time before we 
 did, and. as they were both harnessed to one sled, which carried but 
 one driver, their load was a light one. and they traveled fast. My 
 sled was very heavily loaded, as I was taking back with me some ext ra 
 provisions, rendered necessary by my enforced delay and the two 
 extra deer drivers I had now to provide for. I had with me two 
 natives for guides. Having allowed the deer to gel a good distance 
 ahead, we started, but my dogs could see the deer, and they started 
 after them al such a speed thai the two natives and myself could 
 scarcely keep up with t hem, and we all piled on the sled. The weighl 
 of we three, in addition to the heavy load the sled already carried, 
 would have stopped a dog team short under ordinary circumstances, 
 bm in their eagerness to overtake the deer The dogs did not apparently 
 mind the extra weight, and bowled along as fast as ever, and before 
 the (\i-r\' reached tin- base of the mountain we had to cross, the (logs 
 had caught up wil h them, and it required the united effort s of I he two
 
 1<»S CRl'ISE OK THE I". S. REVENUE (TITER HEAR. 
 
 natives ami myself to hold them in check. We now held thedou's 
 hack until the deer could li'el far in advance up the mountain, and. as 
 there was another sled coming behind with a heavy load. I told one of 
 my natives to wait for it and help the man who was driving it. for as 
 lonu as my doL>'s kept the •-cent of the deer 1 knew they would iu»l 
 need much assistance. ( )winu' to my i m per feci knowledge of the lan- 
 uuau'e. however, the natives misunderstood me. and both of them 
 started back for the rear sled. This released the dous. and. though I 
 dra.u'u'ed back with all my strength, they started up the mountain 
 siih — a rather steep ura<h — al a pretty:: 1 irait. liowlinir and si rain- 
 in ir in 1 heir eagerness to catch the deer, which they imagined wouid 
 afford them a meal, though by this time the wind had increased and 
 the snow was driving so thai I could nol see In van Is ahead. 1 he do^s 
 st ill had the scent. 
 
 Jiisi as the doe's dashed ahead I saw the t wo natives stall back, and 
 shouted for one of them to come alonu'. bin I saw he could nol c;i 
 us. and the blinding.' snow soon shut him from my siuht. The do^s 
 were now racinu up a pre! t\ " -t eep erade. drauuinu a heavy load alone-, 
 at a rale I would have thought impossible had 1 nol actually seen it. 
 and. a> I did nol know the proper trail and there was some danger of 
 u'eltinu' lost in t he blizzard. I put forth every endeavor to overi 
 the sled, and thus stop the does until my native could catch up. I 
 found I was unable to do it. however, and then tried the plan of ruu- 
 ri i i i Li' ahead and throwing' myself down on the head doe>. bin the re-' 
 of them soon dra^u'ed the traces from under me. and the whole team 
 would start ahead auain. Then [ thought if I could ".el nude 
 sle(l I i-oiihl raise one side up sllflicieiil in overturn it. so I waited 
 until I had cauii'hl my lireath. and then ran ahead, threw myself 
 between 1 he doe's, cuiliilll hold of t he m idd le t race, a ml a. Mow ed myself 
 In be 1 1 raided a Ion l" over the snow. This made t he doiis -lack en their 
 pace, bin st ill did nol stop I hem cut i rely, so 1 let myself back toward 
 the -led. -till hold in-' on to the t ra« e. until the whole of my body as 
 far a- my shoulders was under the sled between the runner-. We 
 were not li'oi iil 1- very fast now. and suddenly let 1 iny ji'o of the trace. I 
 diiL' my hands in t he snow . ami raised my back at t he same i hue. This 
 threw the sled over mi one runner, which capsized it and Iii'oul"1i1 the 
 'earn to a full slop. As soon a- 1 regained my feel ami shook the 
 -now out of my (doilies I discovered I had losi my mittens, tobacco 
 pouch, and cap. in the operation, but these articles were returned to 
 me by my nai i ve. who soon loomed up t h roiiu'h t he dri viiiL 1 -now . [ I . 
 had followed i he iraid< of the sleil. running' a- fast as In- could to catch 
 me. and had picked up my nii--im_: article- a- he came alone. I »\ 
 lid- lime He- -now had covered 1 he t racks of the deer and thedou's 
 hail lo-i their -cent, and I soon fell alnio-1 -orr\ I had not let them 
 
 keep on. for 1 he I'esl of the trip Up the luoUlllaili side was a case of 
 " ;. l-ll he -led."
 
 CIU'ISE OF THE I". S. KEVENUK C UTTER BEAU. 
 
 19 
 
 When we reached the suimnil and started down tin- other side we 
 found tli«' blizzard was local and eonfinod to the side of the mountain 
 svo had just come up. so we had a quick trip to the foot, where the 
 (-J-overnment deer camp was established. After considerable talking 
 I managed to secure from the Lapp herder in charge, five deer, five 
 sleds, and one driver, and as I had obtained two deer, one sled, and a 
 drivel' from Mr, llultberg, I returned to Koyuk with this outfit, 
 reaehi ng I here on 1 lie oi '1 h. 
 
 I found upon my arrival there two extra dog teams thai the trader 
 at ITialakleel had managed to send me, so I now had three dog sleds 
 and four deer sleds to carry my load, for two of the deer sleds were 
 for the use of the drivers, ami no other weight could be put on them. 
 The next two days m violenl wind and snowstorm prevailed, render- 
 ing traveling dangerous, ami it was not until February -d that we 
 finally got started across the country hound for Kotzcbue Sound. 
 
 On t lie hills along the shores of Xorton Sound and I Jay, and on the 
 hanks of the fixers (lowing into these waters, there is scrubby pine 
 and spruce- in abundance, from I'nalaklik to (-rolovin I Jay, 'ait after 
 crossing this bay to the wesl shore no more timber is seen on or near 
 the coast until Ilotham Inlet is reached. 
 
 Two hundred pounds were put on each of the deer sleds and the 
 remaining*' '<• divided bet ween the three dog sleds, but the deer prove* 1 
 1 o be unequal to their task, and two days later we were obliged to 
 reduce the load on the <\ci>v sleds to lad pounds each, t ransf erring I lie 
 surplus to the dog sleds which were, of course, getting lighter all ihe 
 t ime as t lie dog food was consumed. We traveled along the Koyuk 
 Kiver the firsl day. but. as the snow was so deep and sof*1 that the 
 dogs sank nearly out of sight, we were oblige*] to tramp back ami 
 forth on our suowshoes ahead of the dog teams, beating down the 
 -now to enable them to drag the sleds along, so that we made but 
 la miles (luring ihe day. ami thai night camped on the banks of the 
 river w here ihe brush was thick and plenty of dead st icks for firewood 
 was available. 
 
 The next day. the .'id. we had much the same soil of road during 
 the forenoon, but after we had stopped in the middle of the day for 
 something to eat. the guide struck" across the tundra to avoid a long 
 bend in the river, and we found the going very much better, for the 
 wind had blow n away the loose snow during The night . leaving a fairly 
 hard surface totra\el over. We were now Hearing the head waters 
 of the Koyuk. and began to come across isolated clumps of scrubby 
 pine tree-, iii one of which we made our camp for the night, having 
 traveled about :.'<• miles since morning. 
 
 On ihe 4th we left ihe Koyuk Kiver, a Her a few hours* travel, ami 
 struck across the country, reaching that night the banks of one of 
 the small streams forming the head waters of the IJuekland Kiver, or, 
 as the natives call it. the [vongak. From here we followed the gen-
 
 110 CHl'ISE <»F THE l". S. REVENUE CTTTEU HEAR. 
 
 eral course df lllis fixer to its mouth, keeping inosl of the time Oil tilt? 
 hank aii'l cutting across 1 1 1 « - tundra In avoid the many bends ami 
 twists nf iliis winding stream, ami finally reached Kscholt/ I Jay on 
 the evening nf 1 he st h. 
 
 The eounlry between Norton sound ami Kscholtz I Jay is very hilly 
 ami mountainous, bin when not traveling on the rivers mir guide 
 escape I <- 1 i inbing any of the mountains by leading us along gentle 
 rolling valleys, from which we could see the hills ami mountains 
 surrounding us. apparently, in all directions, bin the guide appeared 
 t ho roughly familial' with the country, for lie wound in and out anions' 
 these hills, ami generally managed to keep to a pretty level road. 
 We crossed and sometimes followed for a while quite a number of 
 small streams, all of which I learned were tributary to either the 
 Koyuk or the Uuekland river. Deer moss was abundant along our 
 entire route, and the guide declared thai the whole of the surround- 
 ing eounlry was of the same character. Indeed, native tradition ha- 
 il thai in pasl year- t he wild deer were plentiful in thai sect ion of the 
 eounlry. and even of late years small scattering herds are sometimes 
 seen. Along i he rivers brush is pi cut if ill. and a considerable number 
 of small scrubby pine 1 rees grow on the hills and on the bank- along 
 the upper part of these streams near their head waters. 
 
 Ah hough the country through which the guide led Us wa> prac- 
 tically uninhabiled. but two isolated and migratory families being 
 in ei with, we came across several clusters of old. half-de>i roved mil i ve 
 huts, which the guide told me used to be villages, and for each of 
 
 which he had a name. The | pie who used to live here were either 
 
 all dead or had removed to sonic dislanl part of the country, so thai 
 now no one lived peniianeiii ly on these two rivers. This seemed 
 si range to me. for there were plenty of trees for firewood, and 1 saw 
 hu ml reds of t rack - of' fox. beaver, mart in. ami ot her animals, and in 
 the summer there miisl be plenty of fish in the rivers, bin the guide 
 
 offered no explanation as to win the natives had left such - 1 
 
 hunting 1 grounds, except that he guessed they wanted to go some- 
 where else. 
 
 When we lei't Koyuk I was anxious as to how the combinai ion of 
 deer and K-d< i nio dogs would work, for t he latter have not yd 1 came. I 
 to appreciate t he di fie re nee I iet w ee|| the d oi 1 1 es1 i c a n d the wild dee)', 
 and their instinct teaches them to attack a '\*^-)- whenever 'lew come 
 a en iss , uie of them. It was all right during t he day. for then the (logs 
 w ei'e ha rtiess,.(| to t he sieds a ml cou hi he rest rained, bin al night . when 
 ■ lie dogs were turned loose, there was some danger of I hi ■ 111 geti : g 
 .1 m on g t In- i leer ami either killing them ur <-n u-i ng ;i stampede I'll is 
 
 as surmount ed. however. h\ driving l he deer l ra i n a i 
 iii't w o to ; he ici'un rd of our eainp ami picket ing t he deer w ii 
 
 its ,;• a g i feeding ground, a- by 'his arrangement tin- dogs 
 
 coiiid not scent the (jeer ami would remain ipiieih al the 'amp all 
 nigh'.
 
 curisr: of tin: u. s. kevexi/e cutter i-.kai;. 
 
 Ill 
 
 During 1 his l rip across the peninsular I was niucli surprise! I to find 
 thai the performance of the deer was no1 nearly up to the expecta- 
 tions I had Conned from hearing of their powers, for there was not ;i 
 single day thai the deer train was able to keep up with 1 he dog 1 can is. 
 and frequently we were in camp and had the supper prepared long 
 before the dec)' hove in sight. The load on I he deer sleds was v{>}-\ 
 light l l)in 15t) pounds), and the moss w as plent iful : yet I was obliged 
 in remain in camp one day on t lie K nek land Kiver to a 1 low i he deer to 
 rest . and when we reached the mouth of I he river the drivers informed 
 me that the deer would give oiU unless they had anolher days resi 
 before going on. 
 
 At the moil 1 li of the Kuckland Kiver. on the west bank, are the 
 remains of an did and deserted village called Inooktut, and about a 
 mile fart her up the river on the same side is an old log house built by 
 a while trader some years ago. which was occupied, when we arrived, 
 by an old native man and woman, together with their one son. We 
 camped in this house on the nighl of the *th and remained there for 
 the whole of the '.M h in order to allow the deer to rest, but on the 
 evening of the laHcr day. when I began to make arrangements for the 
 nexl day's move, the nat i ves with me refused to go any farther. They 
 would give no reason for their refusal, which was quite in keeping 
 with the native custom, for when they make up their minds to do or 
 not to do a certain thing, they do not see the need of offering any reason 
 for their act ion. if. indeed, they have a reason save thai of following 
 the benl of their inclinations. Here was a serious slate of affairs, for 
 there were yel some so or !io miles to be traveled before reaching 
 (ape Klossom. my provisions were badly needed ai thai place, and 1 
 was belli ml hand as ii was. owing to 1 he delay in gelt ing 1 ran sport a 1 ion 
 at the lead of Norton Kay: and the nearest village ai which I would 
 be able to procure more dogs was several days" journey from here. 
 
 My interpreter, a half-breed Russian, had been listening to the con- 
 versation among 1 he natives, and he in formed me he drew from their 
 talk thai they realized I was unable to obtain other means of trans- 
 portation in that mil -of-i he-way place, and thought ii was a good time 
 to force me to increase 1 heir paw thus showing a marked similarity to 
 the ad ions of some of t heir more enlightened white brethren in civili- 
 /.ation. Hut there was no help for it, as I was obliged to have their 
 t earn-, so 1 was forced to listen to i heir demands. They linally decided 
 to go on with me to ( 'ape I Mossom if I would agree to pay them about 
 double t he original consideral ion. and. in add il ion. engage t he sled and 
 team belonging to i he old man in whose house we were slaying. Keini» 
 anxious to go on. and feeling myself entirely dependent upon the 
 assistance of llieir learns, for the deer had shown their inability to 
 carry much of a load. I agreed 1o their conditions, but made a mental 
 reservation to hold them to their original agreement when we had 
 reached the point I was aiming for and I could dispense with their 
 slei Is and services.
 
 11-2 
 
 < i;n-i: of the r. s. revexpe < itter leak. 
 
 < >n tlif NKirni iiii nl' February 1", therefore, we wnv again on the 
 move. and after t raversing Kscholtz I Jay on the ice we crossed the 
 narrow neck of land on the southern end of the Choris Peninsula, 
 and camped for the night on the shores of Kotzebue Sound, on tin- 
 site of a desei'te<l village, which furnished us with lirewood. The 
 next day we proceeded along the shore to the northward, and as the 
 ice was smooth we made splendid time, reaching' the native village of 
 Kikiktaruk. about lo miles north of Cape IJlossom, on the evening of 
 the 11th. having made a little over on miles during the day. The 
 deer were unable to travel thai distance in one day, so the drivers 
 camped on the way and reached the village the following forenoon. 
 Here 1 found Rev. Roberl Samms, a Quaker missionary, with his wife 
 and young lady assistant . ami. having learned from them t hat neither 
 you nor the deer herd had as yet passed thai way, I proceeded to 
 make myself as comfortable as was possible in my tent, for their 
 house was si) very small that it barely served for those who already 
 
 occupied it. 
 
 At this place there are bin live native huts, with a populai ion of 
 some t hirty people, the remnants of a ouee numerous and prosperous 
 people. Inn t he scarcity of food in later years has com pel led the migra- 
 tion of this | ribe also, so thai now there are but few of t he old inhabi- 
 tants left, and 1 hey are so very poor t hal star vat ion almost continually 
 stares them in the face. A few miles to the southward of this place 
 is what is known as the '* Rendezvous,* 1 where the nat ives from all 
 over the count rv assemble during t he summer months to trade anions 
 themselves and with t he vessels thai happen along. They even come 
 from as far as Kasi Cape, on the Siberian coast : but of late years the 
 influx of while 1 1 mm i into 1 he co u nl ry has lessened t he necessity for 1 he 
 nat ives coming so far to t rade among t 1mm n selves, ami where in former 
 t hues l here were at t his summer eneaiiipnuuil many 1 hoi i sand-- of peo- 
 ple, now I j tun js a large number, and 1 his number is growing less each 
 yea r. 
 
 I had intended to settle with my natives ihc next day and -end 
 'hmn hack, but as you arrived the next evening 1 turned over my 
 whole out tit to you at thai i hue. After you and Dr. Call left for Coin l 
 I lope cm the 1 ,">t h. I occupied the t line, while wait ing for Lopp and the 
 <\<-i'\- herd, by hauling lirewood from the mouth of the N'oatuk Ri\ei 
 to replace t ha1 which we had used from Mr. Saninfs supply, for there 
 «;h no drift wood nearer to 1 he village. 1 ha n over on the mainland ai the 
 mouth of the a bo\'e-iiMMi1 ioiied river. Mr. Samms t hermonieier was 
 now regi>i ei'ing between :!.") and C> below zero, and as I was obliged 
 in live in in\ i en i . wail ing was very disagreeable under 1 hese condi- 
 ii"ii-. and I was ver\ glad when Lopp arrived on the iMh. lie had 
 crowed on the ice with the deei- \\i')'<\ from (ape Kspenberg to Cape 
 K ru/fiistern. reaching the latter place the previous morning. 
 
 At the village of An \ ok. near Kruzenstern. he was given your lei ter 
 ug him where I was waiting for him. and he had come over to
 
 CRUISE OF THE 1". S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 113 
 
 Kikiktaruk with dog teams, leaving his deer behind for a rest. As 
 all my natives and their teams had been sent hack to Koynk. and you 
 had taken my own team with you. I 1 raded with the natives of K ikik- 
 taruk for a sled and a few dogs, upon whicli I carried my personal 
 outfit and camp <i; ear, and on the l'.Mh Lopp and I started for Anyok, 
 [jacking' the provisions on the dog teams lie had brought, awl the deer 
 train I had brought with me. which, according to your instructions, I 
 still retained and now turned over to Lopp for service with his herd. 
 He was very glad to get these seven extra deer, for several of his own 
 sled deer had died since leaving Cape Prince of Wales. 
 
 We reached Anyok on the evening of the l'.Uh. and as the weather 
 •lid not look promising it was decided not to start from that place 
 until t'ne iMst. by which time the deer herd would be pretty well 
 rested. <)n the morning of the -1st the sled deer were caught and 
 harnessed, the sleds packed, and the whole outfit moved up the coast to 
 the westward, I keeping with Lopp, but having my own dog team and 
 guide, so as not to add to his load. The next few days we had a suc- 
 cession of violent blizzards, rendering it impossible to make much 
 headway, and causing us to lose two whole days, during which time it 
 was impossible to travel at all. in consequence of which it was not 
 until the -7\ h that we reached the mouth of the Kivalena River. Dur- 
 ing one of these storms a small number of deer became separated 
 from the main herd and were lost, but were afterwards recovered and 
 cared for as set forth in my report to Captain Tut tie, dated July 1 ~>, ls'.tS. 
 
 In accordance with your instructions I now parted from Lopp and 
 the deer herd and proceeded up the coast toward Point Hope. When 
 1 reached Cape Seppings on the ->\\\ I learned from some natives 
 that you had gone back to the Kivalena River to meet Lopp. so I 
 waited there until your return on March i\ when I accompanied you 
 to Point Hope. 
 
 From Cape Kruzenstern to Point Hope the shore is lined with an 
 almost continual succession of lagoons from two to five miles in width, 
 excepl where the mountains come down to the sea at Capes Seppings 
 and Thompson. These lagoons are separated from the sea by a nar- 
 row sand spit, which, being covered with snow during the winter, 
 forms an excellent trail along which to travel from 1 he sound to Point 
 Hope. Some of these lagoons are connected by small openings with 
 the sea, but the most of them are entirely isolated and are really 
 lakes. On the inside, where the foothills begin, the deer moss is abun- 
 dant and brush is plentiful, especially along and near the numerous 
 small streams that empty into these lagoons; but while there are 
 plenty of trees about the mouths of the Xoaluk and Kowak rivers 
 and on the hills as far as Cape Kruzenstern. no limber is seen after 
 leaving thai cape. Even along the Kivalena. Kookpuk. and Pit- 
 inegea rivers there is no timber, though there also the brush is plen- 
 tiful. All along the sand spit from Kruzenstern to Point Hope drift- 
 wood is abundant, and is replenished each year by the trees thai the
 
 114 
 
 CRUISE OF TIIK l". S. REVENUE Cl'TTER BEAR. 
 
 rivers (lowing into t lie sound bring down during the fresh els after tin 1 
 ice breaks up in t he summer. This is nat lire's provision for t he fuel 
 for t he Kskimo. 
 
 Though the coast from Kru/.enstorn to ('ape Soppings is uninhab- 
 ited, we came across the remains of several old and deserted villages 
 scat 1ei'e<l a1 intervals along our route, and my guide in formed me that 
 in former years many people lived along these shores, and gained 
 their living by hunting the seal, walrus, and whale: but as the whale 
 and walrus have been gradually driven norlh by the vessels hunting 
 them, these people have been obliged to migrate to better hunting 
 grounds, and are now scattered about in di (fere id parts of 1 he count ry. 
 
 An account of my movements and services from the time of my 
 arrival a1 Point Hope until I rejoined the Bear the following .Inly is 
 detailed in the report to Captain Tuttle, already referred to. which 
 report was made in accordance with the written instructions with 
 which you furnished me, prior to your departure from Poinl Nope for 
 Point Harrow. 
 
 Respectfully, yours. K. P. Pertholf. 
 
 SicoiiiI Ln uh tin ill , /,. ('. S. 
 
 Firsl Lieut. I). II. .I.XRVls, R. ('. S.. 
 
 ( 'oui iiki ml i mi ( )n flu in! ]\iln I' K.rpi il il urn . 
 
 'REPORT OE Sl'RO. s. ./. CALL. R. r. N. 
 
 Se item her 1 . is; is. 
 
 Sir: In accordance witli your instructions. I have the honor to sub- 
 mit the following medical report of the Overland Relief Kxpedilion 
 • luring the eight months of travel and isolation from the time we 
 were put upon the beach at Cape Vancouver, December Pi. 1 S 1 1 7 , 
 until the P. S. Revenue ('niter lliar arrived and returned with us 
 August Ml. IS'.ts. 
 
 Knowing from past experience in the Ai'ct ic 1 hat all whaling vessels. 
 before leaving San Francisco, were furnished with a medical chest 
 containing most of the ordinary medical and surgical supplies. I did 
 not deem il necessary to take more medicines than were needed 
 for our own immediate use and thai of any special case met with on 
 I he t ra m p. My out lit . 1 he re fore, consisted of a small leal her grip eon - 
 laining. besides a few general remedies in tabid form, the following: 
 
 ; pocket surgical case. 1 dozen assorted surgical bandages, 
 
 1 hypodermic case. ., roll isinglass plaster. 
 
 1 stetlioM-npe. .■. dozen surgical sponges, 
 
 pound lint. !, dozen pair snow glasses. 
 
 1 roll rublier adhesive plaster. 1 inch. ; ' ; dozen toothbrushes, 
 
 i fever t heniionii'ter. 
 
 <>n account of the prospect ivo low teinperal lire t lie liquid prepara- 
 tions were reduced to a m i n i in u in. and were. S ounces A. ( '. K. inixt ure.
 
 u 
 
 4. 
 
 <
 
 CRFISE OF THE F. S. REVENUE Cl'TTER HEAR. 
 
 115 
 
 4 ounces tincture chloride of iron, 1 ounces Friar balsam, and one- 
 third dozen extract finger. 
 
 The medicine grip was an ol)ject of considerable care, and was 
 always given the wanncsl and inosl protected part of the sled, tout, 
 or ka/.heem. I>y taking this precaution none of the liquid medicines 
 was destroyed by freezing. 
 
 Al Tununak. the people were in the midst of an epidemic of influ- 
 enza, varying in intensity from the nasal and laryngeal catarrh to the 
 more serious complications of bronchitis and pneumonia. This was 
 quite serious ami interfered to some exlenl in the selection of our 
 guides, as in the case of Kaleniifs son, whose attack of pneumonia 
 compelled him to remain behind. 
 
 The stai'1 we made on the LSth of December, l s • ' 7 . and while those 
 in charge of the expedition continued well, the natives on the third 
 and fourth day began to show signs of exhaustion. Their coughs 
 grew worse, and after a short run or spell at the lead, they would 
 return to the sleds complaining of pains in the head and chest and 
 remain until almost driven again to their work. Quinine during the 
 day and Dover's powders at night, whh an occasional dose of tincture 
 of ginger, enabled them to reach Andreafski, where Karpa. our lead- 
 ing guide, was left in the hands of friends. 
 
 At the Kennedy River, a branch of the Yukon, where the steamers 
 Alii-i, Mfi'irin, and Dit'ijer were in winter quarters, the two remain- 
 ing natives wIki had come with us from the coast were pronounced 
 unlit for further travel and left there. This epidemic of influenza 
 must have spread throughout the whole Yukon delta, as Lieutenant 
 Bertholf reports that he, too, was much annoyed in the same way as 
 ourselves, and before reaching St. Michael Alex. Kaleniifs attack had 
 resulted in pneumonia and became so serious thai the patient was 
 carried on the sled from (ape Romanoff to St. Michael, where lie 
 remained for two months under the care of Dr. Kdie, the post surgeon. 
 
 I ~ini/:/ohl:. January 7. — An interesting case of native surgery was 
 met with here. There were three persons, an old man. his wife, and 
 his son. occupying t wo small huts. Noticing thai the old man's legs 
 were off a 1 the middle third, I inquired t he cause, and was told by the 
 old woman that a few years ago he was caught out in a blizzard and 
 had his feel and legs frozen, and thai later she had chopped off the 
 frozen part with a long knife. From I'naktolik across and along the 
 shores of Norton Sound to (-rolovin Hay and on to Poinl Rodney, 
 Art isarlook's home, there was no call from the expedition for my 
 services. 
 
 The following day after your departure from Poinl Rodney your 
 instructions were attended to. and the reindeer herd and equipment 
 gotten under way to join you northeast of (ape Prince of Wales. In 
 these eleven days nothing serious occurred. Among the minor inci- 
 dents and frostbites that gave but little trouble there was one. how-
 
 116 
 
 CRl'ISE OF THE L T . S. REVENUE (TTTER HEAR. 
 
 ever, on January 17. which taujrhl me a lesson thai I did nm soon for- 
 «jf**t , ami I iv which others may [irofit . We were slow ly advancing ahuiir 
 the coast, jusl north of Apikt all u k. in one of those indescribable bliz- 
 zards will) tin* thermometer •)•' lielow zcroatiil the velocity i>t' t he w i ml 
 about J-i i miles an hour. The deer lines attached to my left arm 
 liecame loose, and to lighten them I removed my deerskin mil. My 
 hand was moisl and warm. Im1 in about twenty seconds alter coming 
 in contacl with the cold air ii had lost all sensation, and required ten 
 or lift ecu minutes of vigorous slapping to restore the circulat ion. 
 
 Sim rn i' if, F' lav n i ru i>tlt. — This marks i he beij'inninn' of a few of the 
 most interesting days of our tramp. Perninyuk. an Kskiino doctor. 
 was eiiii'au'ed as i>uide to Point 1 lope. 1 1 is reputation as a " 1ml; nicdi- 
 cine man" extends from Port Clarence to Point Nope, and before 
 many "sleeps" had passed I was made aware of my insignificance. 
 All alonu' the route he was asked for his professional services, and on 
 several occasions, you remember, lie became so eloquent and demon- 
 strative that we were compelled to ret i re. "Shamanism " is fast losing 
 its attraction, and superstitious power upon the younger general ion, 
 lieinii' practiced now mostly by the older generation and by those 
 ha vi hi;' lit t le intercourse with t lie white people. Formerly this Kskiino 
 astrologer was all powerful, and often used his calling as a means ol 
 Lcrat i fy iiijn' his own personal desires and ambitions. For example, ai 
 Pi out Parrow a uat i ve was t aken sick : he called in his " devil dri\ er." 
 t he doctor, and though he had paid him well for tin 1 few seances, he did 
 not recover, and was then informed by the doctor that the compensa- 
 tion was loo little and unless he paid more he would never recover. 
 The " shaman "' levied another tax of whalebone, ammunition, fur. 
 and clothes, and soon his patient was able to be around. Then the 
 medical attendant informed the poor man that unless he served him 
 for 1 wo years, body and soul, yivinin' all he possessed at the lime and 
 all he iniu'lil earn during his two years of slavery, he would auain 
 suffer, and finally die. The poor, deluded patient served his time 
 without a murmur, and even if the demand had been made for his 
 wife or daughter t here was no alternative but to submit . 
 
 As in the shaman's or Kskimo's belief in a future stale there is lit- 
 tle k now n. Their customs so met inies lead one to think 1 hey ex peel to 
 return to earth after death, as the folio wiiiir incident will illustrate: 
 A Point Hope woman died before Lriviim birth to her child. Three 
 days afterwards, three or four old women, armed with their Mint 
 knives, repaired in the place of burial, removed the body of the child. 
 and buried it. lieinir asked wh\ lhe\ did this, t hey answered thai if 
 a woman died under the above circumstances she could not return to 
 t he e;uM h a.Ltain after death. They have no concept ion of the Peitv. 
 their one fear beitm the devil's power, and the one j^real thought and 
 de-dre iv to appease the wrath of hissatanic majesty. If this fails, 
 then t hc\ rcsorl to means to frin'hten hi in. and t his accounts for 1 hose
 
 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE ('UTTER HEAR. 
 
 117 
 
 terrifying dancing costumes, tils, trances, t ricks, and sleight-of-hand 
 performances which characterize one of these howling meetings. 
 
 I'aiiif l>(t rrotr, April 1. — At the ]U 7 n tit r< . when we arrived on the 
 I'l'.tli ultimo, there were seven or eighl eases of disease treated, the 
 mos1 serious being Captain Millard, who had Ween dangerously ill all 
 winter wit h chi'onic cyst it is. 
 
 On the.'jiith. the next morning after our arrival at Point IJarrow, 
 the shipwrecked men and their quarters were inspected. Those few 
 occupying ipiarters with ('. 1). Urower and K. A. Mollhenny were, in 
 fairly good health. Coming to the old '" Kelly house." the worst state 
 of affairs existed. The 7" or so men were in a most pitiable condi- 
 tion. Their white, emaciated faces looked like specters as they peered 
 at us from their cold. dark, and frosty berths. They were in all stages 
 ( if weakness, exhaustion, and despair. Four eases of scurvy had devel- 
 oped, two of which were in a dangerous stage of the disease; others 
 complained of dysent cry. loss of appet ite. and insomnia. The remedy 
 was close at hand, and consist eel of removal, better food and clothing, 
 and t he enforcement of hygienic regulations and exercise. The scurvy 
 eases were put upon an increasing diet of fresh meal, and tincture of 
 iron and lime .juice prescribed. This last remedy, being on hand in 
 limited quantities only, was reserved for such eases as they occurred. 
 Under this new regime and the medical treatment, the beneficial 
 results were quickly apparent, and before the month of April had 
 passed all t he seriously sick men were able to be out and take the 
 prescribed exercise. 
 
 [)r. Richmond .Marsh, the Presbyterian missionary, up to this time 
 had furnished medicines and services whenever called upon. The 
 doctor received me kindly, and though our schools differed materi- 
 ally, he extended to me. both professionally and personally, during my 
 stay at Point IJarrow, many courtesies, withoul which 1 would have 
 worked in a great disadvantage, lie was well supplied with medicines 
 and surgical apparatus, all of which he freely placed at my disposal. 
 
 Another source of medical supplies "was due to the forethought of 
 Mr. C. I), lii'owei'. who secured from the wrecked ship Xtt ra rt-lt , on 
 one of her almost miraculous visits, the well-filled medicine chest she 
 had on board and transported ii to his house. There were also a few 
 medicines a1 the old refuge station, the remains of the Government 
 supply before the station was abandoned. These were handed over 
 to me by Mr. Mollhenny. I note this with much satisfaction, as the 
 people in almost every village, as we journeyed overland to Point 
 IJarrow. required my professional services and had drawn so heavily 
 on my medical supplies that very little remained. 
 
 About April in. while tearing down the old "Kelly house." some 
 of the boards containing rusty nails were left lying around, and the 
 result was that several of the crew were seriously crippled with punc- 
 t ured feet .
 
 lis 
 
 CRUISE OE THE IT. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 The tooth forceps were very useful, and many of the men escaped 
 nights ami days of torlure by the removal of an offending "^rinilcr." 
 
 Siiniliiij. M<i(j I. -The lirsl nionlli of Covernmenl and medical 
 supervision sliowed a mosl grat i lying change in tliehealtli and spirits 
 of the shipwrecked crews, and the only serious case of sickness was 
 thai of Lieutenant Jar vis. who was attacked on the 111 li instaul with 
 tonsilitis. Il proved to he quite serious and continued for a week. 
 necessitating 1 he postponement of his tour of inspection of the ves- 
 sels to 1 he east ward. 
 
 TiK.sfhuj, June 7. — About !) p.m. an Eskimo arrived from the ice 
 pack and reported to Dr. Marsh that one of their boat headers had 
 Ween accidentally shol through the arm with a whale bomb. The doc- 
 tor immediately repaired to the scene, about four mi les away, and found 
 the patient almost dead from hemorrhage, the bomb having passed 
 through the wrist of the left hand. The "shaman' 1 had been called. 
 and after applying a tourniquet around the arm bet ween t he shoulder 
 and elbow, outside the heavy fur clothing (being loosely applied, it 
 failed to stop the flow of blood ). lie began his customary incantat ions. 
 Seeing 1 hat the devil was getting the better of him, he had sent 1 he (log 
 team for help, but left the patient alone on the ice. Dr. Marsh quickly 
 applied another and more efficient bandage, placed the patient on the 
 sled and brought him in; but by the time he reached me he was nearly 
 dead from shock and loss of blood. In a short time, after the hypo- 
 dermics of strychnine and brandy, the old follow slowly raised his 
 head and feebly announced that he would die. The wound was par- 
 tially examined, dressed, and the man made comfortable for the night , 
 and the next morning, alter a thorough examination, il was decided 
 not 1 o ampul at e. About a week later, being obliged to make a trip 
 to the eastward to inspect the vessels there, the patient was left in 
 charge of Dr. Marsh. When I returned, the first visit was to see the 
 injured man. and upon asking the doctor how he was. he replied thai, 
 against his instructions, his charge had consulted a "devil driver," 
 and he had decided not to do anything more for him. The patient's 
 wound showed the waul of daily dressing, and. removing him near 
 inv quarters, he was U-<\ and treated until our departure, when he 
 had so far recovered thai he had a fairly useful hand. In order to 
 understand the nature of such an accident, it is necessary to know 
 just what a whale bomb is. These project iles are made of brass, and 
 a re about 1 o inches long and one inch in diameter. The poinl is t rian- 
 gular a ml has 1 hree sharp out t ing edges. 1 he head having a one-eight h 
 inch projecting rim. Considering the relation of the eight small 
 bo nes of t he carp us wit h t he bra n olios of the radial and ulna r a H erics 
 and nerves, it seems incredible thai such an instrument should pass 
 through these parts without severing one of the main arteries and 
 ca using ih-at h from hemorrhage. 
 
 ( M'ten. one is sorely templed to ail opt the \h\ Marsh's plan of dealing 
 with the Eskimo in reference to shamanism, for while there is no
 
 CRUISE OF THE i\ S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 119 
 
 question thai it is useless ami very often docs much harm, one can not 
 m a day change or destroy the native habits and traditions by such 
 methods of opposition, any more than can one expeet his missionary 
 views to be accepted bv many of the while residents, if one adopts a 
 spirit of antagonism. I believe the final result of medical treatment 
 and care of this man did more to weaken his faith in 'he "devil 
 drivel " than the refusal to do anything for him. When he after- 
 wards broughl me several valuable slabs of whalebone as payment 
 for my services, n was. of course, refused, and he ihen realized that 
 t he ■" white doctor" was an improvement in many ways over his mil i ve 
 '" devil dri ver. " 
 
 On Friday, May i )( k Lieutenanl Jarvis returned from an inspection 
 lour df the vessels, and soon after fell an "itching and lightness"" 
 aboul his forehead. lie applied a cooling lotion containing, among 
 other ingredients. gum tragacanth ami glycerine, bin his forehead 
 became in a few hours twice its original size, yd without a symptom 
 of pain. This condition continued to increase for a few days, and 
 before it disappeared the affection had attacked the whole face and at 
 one time (dosed Ids eves completely. The affection was one of local 
 cellulitis and was due to 1 he fad thai all winter his forehead had been 
 protected from exposure, while on the day of his a rrival from this last 
 trip, the weather being unusually warm, he had thrown back the hood 
 of his "art igge. "thus permitting the dired rays of the sun to beat 
 down upon his brow. The 1 1 eat lneul was left to nature cut i rely, and 
 when the affection reached the numerous lymphat ics of the neck it 
 soon disappeared. 
 
 T/mrsiIfii/. Mmj ^;._At [-JA't p. in. I left the house on a sick call 
 to the vessels ill the ice pin miles to 1 he eastward. There were three 
 sleds, two of which were loaded with deer meat, and the third, to 
 which 1 was assigned, carried food for the dogs, consisting of white 
 whale meat obtained during ;i recent hunt. The weather had been 
 mild and llie -mow was sofl and slushy, and for many miles we were 
 com pel lei I to make on r way over hummocks of ice and to wade t h rough 
 depressions filled with water. We finally reached the first vessel on 
 i he t hi rd day. and after an inspect ion of 1 he ships I found l he general 
 hea It h of t he crews fairly good, the only cases requiring my ai lent ion 
 being one of nasal polypus, two of dysentery, and three of influenza. 
 The care and cleanliness observed on these vessels, (.'specially on the 
 X< irnnri . showed that their captains had laken every precaution 
 aga insl si'-k uess and d isease. 
 
 Leaving the .\V/c^o/'/ and l<Vn ,-li ss, the two nearer ships, on the 
 night of the mli. I arrived at Point Harrow about midnight on ihedh. 
 having been ;iwa\ on this -dek call twelve days. 
 
 'I'n, S ihi //. ./////, /, -The usual daily medical inspection indicated a 
 vasi improvement in the men. and though I seldom returned without 
 being ('(insulted, it was for some si i gin acute gast rie or intestinal affec- 
 tion, which was of i em porary durai ion only. Two cases of pneumonia
 
 12i 
 
 CKI'ISE OF THE I'. S. KKVEMK ( U'lTKK BKAK. 
 
 ,'uihmiu I lie Kskinios occurred. I » 1 1 1 as in each case only a small area of 
 one limit' was a fleeted, they nruvcivi!. 1 mention this because never 
 yel anioliu' these people have 1 me1 wit 1 1 a case of double pneumonia 
 t hal was n«)1 fatal. 
 
 The only deal h al Pom! Harrow which I have in reporl is lhal of 
 Philip Mann, who died suddenly on the ice aboul 7 p. in. .lime >■. 
 lie was a l>ou l ai ) yt ars of au'e and. having symploms of 1 1 cart t rouble, 
 had been caiitiom'd auainsl eiurairhiii in any violent exercise. Imme- 
 diately after eating an unusually hearty meal he assisted in si a nine, 
 a sled and beuan running alon;>- with t he out lit . when he sudden 1 v fell 
 upon the ic4' and expired. Al tic autopsy, which I performed the 
 next day. assisted by Dr. Marsh, il was ascertained thai lie died of 
 fatty heart. 
 
 ( >n Sat u rd ay. June Jm at '.'.;}•> a. in., with one Kskinio. 1 sel out on 
 a sick call tn t he /!> In den . lyiiijH' in the i<'e i>ii miles 1o the southward. 
 My iMpiipineiil consisted of live dous and a sled, carrying mi!- sleeping 
 ba.us. food, iiiedii-i lies, shotgun, and ammunition. Then' beinin' no 
 snow mi t he la ml. we were ci mi pel led to lake to t he ice alone- t he coast . 
 The pasl warm weal her. melt inii' 1 he snow ami breaking oii1 the lake- 
 and hiju'ooiis. had covered the shore ice with water and broken it up 
 to such an exlenl thai our progress was slow and the work very hard, 
 so that we were three days in reaching the ship. 
 
 Captain Millard had improved y really since our arrival on the Jiitki 
 of lasl March. There were only I wo ot her eases i e< purine t real nienl . 
 one of dysentery and the oilier of liearl trouble. I bmiain i im ' here 
 three days. I h'l'l mi t he morn in. li of t he :ji u li ot .1 une. and. after anoi her 
 four days of hard haiilinu' 1 hroiiLih 1 he rain and sleet. I arrive* 1 at Poiul 
 I {arrow July '■'>. havinu' been "one nine days. 
 
 77/// i-sihi ij, Jul;/ .'a'. In tin' pa si four nionlhs there have been se\ 
 era! cliildbirt lis anions the Kskinios. ami their inaiiaii'einenl of an 
 acc< Michel i lent . when compared wit h our civilized met hods, is ext reimdy 
 interesi iuu. if nol insl rucl ive. 
 
 A> a rule parliirition anioliu a people so purely natural is altended 
 with mi bad results, but when ciisloms and t radii inns prevenl them 
 from extendinu lo I hei r women the care and kindness llmyum* to 
 their do'_i>. il is oflen altended with fatal coiise(piences, Kver\ 
 woman, married or single, nnisl rely upon herself entirely, in ihe 
 lyiim-in ■.imv house. When the lime arrives, she nnisl retire lo 
 -nine hill "I' lent . somet iines previously prepared for her. and there 
 U'i lhroiie.li the ordeal absolutely alone. Ii may be many deureo 
 below free/.inu'. or iii the I o-. ram. and si eel of a su miner blixxa rd : bin 
 t he superb ii ion- of deal h. bad luck, and disaster, a re so firmly grounded 
 in tic minds of ihese simple folk, lhal nol "lie will venluiv near her 
 while she is iii trouble. She assumes a sipiat t in,"; position, with \\<-r 
 knee- apart and sometimes sliuhlly raised b\ means of a block of 
 wooi I. 'fhe |e^> are Ih'.xed ii pmi t lie I hi^'hs. su pport i lie. ' 1 In* hips. Thus 
 she aw a Us, ami. during t he inl ervn Is of uteri lie spasms she pulls from
 
 CRl'ISE OF THE ('. S. UKVEXUK CUTTKli BEAK'. 
 
 121 
 
 her 1 1 end eight or leu hairs and plaits them into t he lignt ure which she 
 will use in tying the umbilical cord. I "nlcss sonic previous i liter fere ncc 
 wit li the life of the child has been attempted, complications seldom 
 arise, and 1 lie first stage is not of long dn rat ion. She takes the human- 
 hair string and lies the cord in one place, and cuts il with a flint 
 knife, it being considered bad luck to use any other kind of knife. 
 The baby is rolled in a piece of deerskin and laid aside until the 
 placenta appears, which latter is disposed of by hiding it away. The 
 mothe:' seems to have suffered little, for she is soon up. and. the devil's 
 spell being broken, she is now permitted to receive the assistance of 
 her friends. I>ul il is not always thus, as the following authentic 
 cases will show : 
 
 Case !: Cripple, the result of frostbite: age, 2S; pregnant; unmar- 
 ried: bright and industrious. IJoth legs off at 1 he middle third; walks 
 on her knees, ma king sometimes four or five miles a day. She occupied 
 a hul together with an old native, and, when her time had come, he 
 bust led her out in a blinding snowstorm and closed the door. Securing 
 three sticks and a piece of canvas she quickly made herself a rude 
 shelter, where her child was born, which soon froze t o deal h. The next 
 morning she was assisted back into the hul by the whites, when 1 he old 
 Eskimo quickly ret ired through 1 he window, ban' and baggage, declar- 
 ing that he would soon die: and strange to say he actually did die 
 within three weeks" lime from that day. thus verifying the native pre- 
 diction of death to all who assist a woman in childbirth or remain in 
 the same place as the woman during any part of thai time. 
 
 Case - : While a parly of nat ives were coming from the interior to i he 
 coast, one of 1 lie women, being pregnant, was unexpectedly taken sick. 
 Instantly all hands deserted her. and she was left alone on the plain. 
 Her child was born, but the placenta failed to be delivered. Iloth 
 mother and child died, and the scene was never again visited. 
 
 Case:!: Woman returning home along the beach gave birth to a 
 child. She removed the placenta, placed the child to one side of 
 the trail, and then proceeded to the village and engage* 1 in her usual 
 d nl ies. Some parties afterwards found the child, which had died, and 
 buried it . 
 
 These horrible customs are no respecter of persons, and the most 
 influential are often subjected tothis same inhuman treatment. The 
 maternal instinct of every Eskimo woman, married or unmarried, 
 generally prevents any desire to destroy her offspring before or after 
 birth, and consequently abortions are rare. When, however, the 
 destruction of the fetus is attempted, il is done by jumping on or 
 kneading the abdomen, or by giving a stroke or slap over these parts. 
 Violent exercise, work, or sport, will sometimes cause this uninten- 
 tional loss, the most frequent cause being the blanket tossing. 
 
 Surgery is crudely practiced by the medicine men, and their treat- 
 ment of simple fract ures is deserving of considerable credit . Placing 
 the limb in as natural a position as their ignorance of anatomy will
 
 122 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 admit, limy apply strips of lliin wood or whalebone ami secure them 
 with bandages, or by tyiney I )islooa1 ions fare badly, and their nian- 
 aeemenl is similar to thai of a frad lire, t he resull beine, \ cr\ ' oft en a 
 useless limb. 
 
 Hemorrhage from an ex 1 rem it y receives a con si rid or of sonic sorl . 
 bnl often it is loosely ami improperly a pplic(l. and deat h is i he result . 
 Nature in surgery, as in many other instances, comes to their re-eim. 
 riicre are now nat ives hobbl inc.' around at I'oinl Harrow w it h the lo-s 
 of one or !)i)i h lcii's. hands, or arms, who had no assistance from white 
 men or a sure-eon. and I inighi say thai almost all of these case- are 
 d lie to frost bile. In time, t lie dead and fro/en s1 nnip having inisi-nsi- 
 tion. is ctil and chopped away by some member of the fa mil v. and 
 after a lone; and slow- process of granulation ami slon^hin^, licalinu 1 
 follows. For some reason the Eskimo refuses to wear artificial limbs. 
 Cases operated on nearly ten years au'o are still on their knees, and 
 1 lie anion nt of work and 1 ravel in e t hey do is astonishing. 
 
 P>efore closine; t his interest i i i Li* subject. I in list speak of some of 1 he 
 amputations performed by one or two of the captain-- of the whaline 
 fleet. Their fearlessness and t lie results are soniel inics remarkable, 
 and would call forth the praise ol our most expert operator--. I men- 
 tion in 1 his connect ion ( apt . ( icoi^c I J. Leavitt . who la" ely ci mi ma m md 
 the steam whaler A ' n-purt. who wrote as follows: 
 
 T urn Lrlad f have the dates of most of Tin- ampntadons -ince tlie ships >-;m 
 winti-rinii' at [ Terscbel [sland. The lirst was on a man l>eh nuMmr t' > t: 1 1 - - .1/",// / >. 
 Ili'iin in Marcli. 1 S '.M. llalt' tin- ritdit feet wa- Taken off. the instrument u-"d 
 ncinn 1 a hutch er kni fe ;.ad a hack saw. ' aptain Tiitoii In i-s'u^ the joh. ft \va- 
 the first attempt of tlie hind up there, and putting the panmif under chloroform 
 which was >>ur ef our line wa- a slew proces-. \\m placed the hot tie under r he 
 man'- nose, nnd after lc tool taken a wdiit'f we would a-k Inm it he w<-v- -]> ep\-. 
 'fid- was kept .p fur half an hour without any effect. We then made ;1 paper 
 cone, pat in - >me wa-m -at u rated with chh <v 'form, and tie- man went riu'ht off. 
 If was a cut square arm" tlie tout. Aft.-i tic cutting, the ed_es wc'" drawn 
 *■ '_■■• her a- far a- 1 icy would come and yauze. well ".Teased placed over ■ : .-• cur. 
 followed i iy ah-urh>n1 ruttm saturafed with Friar's hal-ain. After mm uay- 
 •he hanMaee- were removed and fresh "ii- put mi in the same manner. F< >r a 
 wa-h we u-.-d carh. .lie acid. It turned ..ur well, hut the hie n>e. or the hom- m 
 : ■ : ur Tue eruw- i ni. wa- a lonu' time healiii"'. Two larye tees and thiee fin"*er- w.'iv 
 ampniaied rhe -ame month: Tiltun "lead sur-feun." and Eodfi-ai and my-df 
 a--istaut-. 
 
 i/''/-'/«.'. • . 1'otli fetu . ur t iie iie-r part ef heth feet, were amputate 1 :r 
 man hidun-jije to tlie \ n rn-lml Tla-e feet w.-re taken utf w.dl nack. in., -ame 
 way a- wdi ii the i.rla r ampntatiun-. with the ditference that after the f. .ut wa- c ;t 
 *. . 'ii-- liujje. a piece ut' cauva- wa- pui mi and the flesh liauh'd hack' and tic i >• <n<-< 
 ' -■ " 'W .a';'. In thi- way a tlap was fuianeil. and tie- wdiole husine-s tuned nut 
 
 ' • TV Wed indeed. 
 
 1>ii-' ml' r -. - '..—Six linger- and three tee- were amputamd 'ruin a man 
 1 1- iniuniii; In the 'II, i-iisjii r. ( 'aptain Tiltun wa- the head -uricii. wfiih- jt.dtish 
 and m\ -••' ;' wre the a-si-tant-. 
 
 />■'■■ ml" r .- . ,'-•-". Amputated a tineer trum the riudit hand uf Mr. Tiltun. tlie 
 -'■ n i oftic r ot tile All .ni mil r.
 
 CKFISE OF THE V . S. REYKNTE < 'I'TTER BEAK 123 
 
 Ffbniarji ■',. ISW. — Amputated a finger from a man belonging to the .Jcdniwttc 
 
 Fcbrtifirif /,'. IS'.n;, — Amputated part of one foot from a man belonging to the 
 Brhiyii. From the time this man was put under the influence of chloroform until 
 he came to. only thirty minutes intervened. Iodoform was the only antiseptic I 
 used in all my surgery. After such operations as these I used cocaine or morphine 
 (whichever I happened to have' to deaden the pain, using from half to a full 
 grain, as was necessary. My next big contract was taking off the right arm of 
 Mr. West, the third officer of the Xnnirrh. on June '20, lN'M. The arm was 
 amputated a few inches below the shoulder, cleaning off all the burnt flesh. In 
 putting a ligature on the large artery, gut was used. The small veins were touched 
 with caustic. Aftei bandaging the arm. a compress was kept on, in case of acci- 
 dent, until the ligature was removed. On the 2sth of June 1 had to make a 
 second operation, this time laying open the whole shoulder, and taking the bone 
 off to within an inch of The joint. Disarticulation, as I understand it, means 
 un.iointing. Well. 1 did not do that, but left. I should say, one inch clear of the 
 joint. 
 
 The other case of amputation of the arm was in the case of the native boy you 
 saw. ( lutside of a few fingers and toes, these are all the amputations I know of 
 on whit'' men. 
 
 From December '. )s . 1 *<).">. all surgical work was done by me. with Captains 
 Bodfish. ( 'ook. and McKenna assisting. Chloroform was used in every case, with 
 no bad results. 
 
 All Tiie subjects we worked on have Turned out well, and some of them better 
 than the case you saw. I have not studied medicine nor done any dissecting, nor 
 had I ever seen anything of the kind done, until I was compelled To do it while at 
 Her-chel Maud. 
 
 Yours, sincerely. (tKokok B. Lkavitt. 
 
 Snow blindness is tlit' most t roublesome and frequom acute affec- 
 tion of the long Arctic day. The lii'st cases were mel with about the 
 1st of May. and occurred as often on the moist, hazy days as in the 
 bright, (dear weal her. The onset is sudden and intensely painful. 
 Photophobia and oechyniosis are always present in a marked degree. 
 The t real ineni consists of rest . smoked glasses of di fferent degrees, and 
 a mixture eo in posed of cocaine, grs. viii. and boraeie acid ( powdered ) 
 gl's. X. and water, ?i. Pse 1 or a drops in the eye every two or three 
 hours. Most of the eases treated were natives occupied in hauling 
 deei' meat from the inferior or whaling on the ice Hoe. 
 
 Milennial ism. I believe, is rare, the most pronounced case coming 
 mole]- mv observation being thai of a native called "' Mobility." He 
 had been confined to his bed with the chronic aid ieular variety, for 
 two and a hall' year--. Little remained of him save a skidd on of large 
 and distorted joints covered with skin, reminding one of an Aleutian 
 mummy. 
 
 Influenza attacks the natives soon after t he snow disappears and 
 again .just before the cold and frosts of winter. Not only does this 
 occur at Point Harrow d u ring these months, but it is so throughout 
 I he whole coast of Alaska from Attn to 1 he Mackenzie River. lake 
 the "grip,'' unless co in]) beat ions arise it runs a short and mild course. 
 At ( ape Prince of "Wales, however. 1 understood from Mr. hop]) that 
 t he attacks were o uile fatal. I '■' men having died t his spring. For 1 he
 
 lL'4 ('Rl'ISK OF Till', l". S KKVKNl'K (TTTKK I'.F.AH. 
 
 coiiiili. rmitis. ;i iii I headache, so l roublesome in this aft'eci mn, I have 
 found the following prescription an excellent one. and carry ii on 
 board in la rue quant ii it's: Amino, nil u\. ~i : codeine. l:ts. iii : spts. chlo- 
 roform, "iii : mist lira- elvcyrrh coin p.. ad. ~ vi. A tnblespooufu! 1 hree 
 t inn's a day. 
 
 Scurvy seems lo confine its attacks, so far as my observations ^o. 
 i . white people entirely. I quote from a recent authority, who says: 
 ■•Ii i> a const it ut ional malady, due to the consumption of improper 
 diei. ami especially to the employment of a diet characterized b\ the 
 aiiseiice of vegetable?.: " audanain. " absence of variety of diet, bail 
 water, poorly ventilated quarters, and iusullieient exercise favor the 
 development of i his disease." all of which is i rue enoinxh when speak- 
 ing of the hi.e'hly de\'(doped nervous organization of the while race: 
 but for ihe plileuiiial ic. i ndi ffereiit . nerveless Kskimo these theories 
 do not lmld ii'ood. Their diet is not a varied one. and vegetables ai'e 
 comparatively unknown to them. Their houses have scarceh an\ 
 vent i hit ion. winter keeps the majority (dose indoors wit houl exercise. 
 and the water in summer is often quite bad. Anion- iheni and the 
 nal ives of t he Aleutian Islands I have met wit h less than a dozen eases 
 approaehiii". this disease. These were in children from one to six 
 years of a^v. and there was some doubt about the diagnosis boim: 
 co, -reel. Neither do these people have any opportunity of u^;n_ 
 sodium or p itassium salts. 1 he absence of which is n'i ven as one o| t he 
 causes of the malady. The consumption of quantities of uncooked 
 f. i id. oils. fats, and their poorly developed nervous organization are 
 certainly i in [tort ant factors in producing immunity from scurvy umoiiu 
 the Kskimo. 
 
 ."syphilis, except in the sequehe. was Hot seell ainoni; the wrecked 
 people. There was one case of neglected specific ; !':'is. which had 
 
 lassed t hrouirh the acute sta.u'e. resulting in the loss of vision and 
 idherenl iris. The patient did not improve nndei treatment. 
 Vnion.u' the Kskimo this disease, in the primary sta.u'e. is not met with 
 is often as the profession and laity a re led to believe. My experience 
 m this ,-o;ist of Alaska, from Point Harrow to Attn, dates from 1 ^>A 
 iml I must confess thai I never yet have seen, iii a unlive of either 
 se\. ilie initial lesion of this disease While at I'nalaska for nearly 
 live years. 1 visited once and sometimes twice a year, professionally. 
 e\ cry village from Attn to St . Michael. Tin 1\ cases of 1 his nal lire 
 
 w ere I Wo I | |ei 1 her of 1 lie in li a t i Ves i . o 1 1 e of the sof 1 a lid one o|' the 
 
 ha id variety, the hit ter beiny on I he lower lip of a 1'orl utruese on a 
 
 passim: whaler. Those laruc deep, dest met i ve. and foul-smelling 
 ulcers so frequently seen in the villages oil the coast of the Ale ill ian 
 Islands ma\ be the result of hereditary syphilis; yet the life, habits, 
 ipiaiiers. and food of the people in these sections of Alaska arc pro- 
 ductive of the very worst tonus of the scrofulilic lesions. 
 
 The i real meiil consists in keeping 1 he ulcers (dean, t he applieat ion 
 of basiliein ointment to the ulcers, and the internal Use of iodide of
 
 CRUISE OF THE ('. S. REVENUE Ct'TTEU BEAK. 
 
 1-25 
 
 potassi inn. Very few cases resist this t real nieiil it' conscient iously 
 earrie<l out, 1ml t lie good results of summer are only temporary, ami 
 often during the cold and inactive winter the glandular and cellular 
 tissues again break down, only to run the same destructive course. 
 
 Sunburn is a troublesome affection of summer only, attacking 
 usually those on the '" flaw "" engaged in whaling. The first calm, 
 bright, warm day. with the glare and reflection of the sun on the ice. 
 the face and lips are seorehed. Idle following day may be one of 
 dampness and fog, which del aches l he bu nil epidermis and leaves the 
 true skin exposed. This, again, before twenty-four hours, may 
 receive the bites of a cold, icy wind, which cracks deeply this tender 
 surface of the face and lips, until 1 hey have the appearance of having 
 been slashed with a knife. The dark skins of the Kskiino resist the 
 attacks of 1 he sun ; yet t hey. too, show considerable peeling. 
 
 Suicides are not confined to wanner climates, for we had 1 hree cases 
 in our midst to record. The first was- - Kelly, one of the men of 
 the />'< / >'< 'I' r(-. lie had been suffering from an incurable malady, 
 which, with the gloomy prospects before him, had so worked upon his 
 mind, thai in a lit of despondency he jumped into the stern hole of 
 his vessel and was drowned. The second was •■ Met duly." the Kskiino 
 mentioned above. Afflicted with chronic articular rheumatism for 
 nearly three years, he had often begged his friends and relatives to 
 kill him or furnish him with the means to accomplish the end him- 
 self. After months of waiting his opportunity came. His little 
 brothel's were playing wit li a knife near him and left i1 lying within 
 his reach. Anchylosis of his elbows, wrists, and lingers prevented 
 his using the knife upon any oilier part bin the supra-clavicular 
 space. Here he forced it downward, and. severing the subclavian 
 artery, soon expired. The third case of suicide is related by Mr. 
 ( '. I). Ib'ower. and was one of the ill-fated crew of the X" ra ,'r/t. 
 Thirty of these men, after abandoning t heir ship, had attempted to 
 reach the shore, and all bu1 fifteen had died from exhaustion and 
 starvation before they were finally rescued. The one in question 
 wrote a note to his sisler. and then gradually fell back to the rear. 
 where he soon after shot himself. 
 
 The Kskiino has no marriage ceremony. The children's future in 
 this respect is arranged at an early age by the parents, and at the 
 age of N or b') the girl .joins her husband, usually at his home. If 
 children are born, this relation is faithfully adhered to until the end: 
 but if the union is childless the man seeks another wife. If there is 
 no bet rot ha 1. the mot her of the young man seeks a bride for him. and, 
 when found, takes her home, where for a time the prospective bride 
 assumes the pari of a servant, under the direction of her future 
 parents-in-law. If the young man is pleased with the domestic capa- 
 bilities of the girl, the compact is sealed, and with the dogs and sled 
 the couple set out on a weddi ng I rip into the interior to engage in the 
 annual fishing and hunt ing.
 
 12ft CRl'ISK OK TIIK I". S. RKVKNl'E Cl'TTKR lil'.Al;. 
 
 Somet hues, it' ! In- w i I'c is Milky ami disobedient, the liusliaiid a<l min- 
 isters in her a sound thrashing, which often, instead of improving 
 matters, causes her to run away, never to return. 
 
 This seldom occurs, however, for the woman is too valuable a pari 
 of the Kskimo's household to receive any other than the besl of treat- 
 ment. She has a voice in all 1 he home councils, and no 1 rading or d is] to 
 si 1 ion of goods lakes place without her wishes having' been consulted. 
 
 Polygamy is noi common, though if a man is influential and well 
 !o do he may lake an extra wife, who is sub jed to the win ms and con- 
 trol of his first choice, which latter always remains the ruling queen 
 of the establishment and the mother of his children. The Kskinio is 
 quite generous in his domest ic relations. For instance, if his brother's 
 wife dies, he willingly consents to a division of his own household, 
 and presents his brother with one of his wives. Again, if a man 
 wishes to go the interior to hunt and fish, and his own wife is not 
 strong enough to endure the hardships and give him all the help 
 required, he changes wives with a friend, and all goes well during the 
 temporary separal ion. 
 
 The burial of the dead among these northern tribes differs ver\ 
 much from that of the natives of southeastern Alaska, where crema- 
 tion was once universally practiced. There was one exception, how- 
 ever thai of the medicine man. lie being possessed of a power and 
 spirit which they wished to preserve, his body was hidden in the 
 cliffs. Wherever civilized teachings and influences have been intro- 
 duced, the dead are placed beneath the surface, and though the cere 
 niony of disposing of the remains of the Kskinio may differ, there is 
 one thought which seems in be uppermost in their minds, and that is 
 to place the body where it may not lie seen and is protected from 
 their dons and t he wild ani mals. 
 
 Al Si. Lawrence. King, and the Dioniede Islands the dead are hid- 
 den among the rocks and cliffs, wrapped in their deerskins, and all 
 their belongings, such as beads, finger rings, bracelets, and tobacco. 
 an- -l ri'wn about l he body. 
 
 The (huckche deernieii of norl heasi ern Siberia place the corpse 
 and all its belongings on ihe sled, and after slaughtering the dead 
 man's best deer, the horns are added to the oulfil and hauled several 
 miles from the village. Here the horns are placed a1 one end of 
 oblong formation of rocks surrounding the body, which lies on the 
 top of the ground. Several of these oblongs are also seen near ihe 
 ba-e of ihe granite cliffs about a mile from ihe present village on Si . 
 Law rence Island. 
 
 (in Sledge Island, which is a shorl distance from the mainland ol 
 Alaska, is found the nearesl approach lo a coffin. The bodies are 
 hidden in boxes made of poles and logs of drift wood, and slighth 
 elevated. Several masks of the medicine men can be found around 
 the l: ra ve>. 
 
 Along ihe Peach of the coast of the lierinu' Sea and the Arctic
 
 

 
 v?r 
 
 
 ■<:.&-■'
 

 
 CRITSE OF THE U. S REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 127 
 
 Ocean one sees poles and logs of driftwood set upon cud in conical 
 piles. Kach of these piles surrounds an Eskimo body. These monu- 
 ments are sacred, and will not be disturbed or used for fuel unless 
 the native, from association with white people, has lost his fear of 
 the consequences. 
 
 The most interesting graveyard in Alaska is at Point Hope. It is 
 situated about a mile from the village, on slightly elevated ridges of 
 sand and gravel covering the undulations of an extinct glacier. .Most of 
 the bodies are raised four to six feel from the ground and supported 
 with structures made preferably of the jaws and ribs of the whale, while 
 others are constructed of driftwood. Should a death occur in winter, 
 when the snow lies on the ground hard and dee]), the bodies are laid 
 out on the surface until the summer, when the snow disappears and 
 enables the relatives to find material to build one of their scaffolds, on 
 which the body is then placed. The most reasonable explanation for 
 this method of disposing of the dead and that of leaving them on the 
 surface is that the ground is always frozen hard even in summer and 
 the thaw never extends deeper than 1 2 to IS inches. These elevated 
 graves are in all stages of ruin and decay, and scattered about beneath 
 them, almost entirely hidden by the beautiful forget-me-nots, are the 
 bones and skulls of the dead of many past generations. 
 
 A1 Poinl I>arrow the bodies are now generally inclosed in boxes 
 made of Lumber furnished by whites, and. owing to the influence ot 
 the missionaries a few are buried. 
 
 Some of 1 he most serious cases treated at Point Barrow from March 
 i".i to Augusl 1. ls'.is, are. Abscess, pelvic, I: abscess, axillary, 1: 
 anannia. •'!; bronchitis,?: corneitis, 5; constipation, lo; dysentery, 2: 
 heart disease. 2: influenza, _<>; iritis, specific, 1; laryngitis, chronic, 
 1 ; nasal polypus, 1 ; neuralgia, U; pneumonia. ■!: rheumatism, 4: snow 
 blindness, ).'!; suicide, 2: syphilis, hereditary, '•»: scurvy, 4; diseased 
 teeth extracted, 11; tonsilitis, 4: wounds, gunshot, 1; wounds, punc- 
 t ured, ii; won nds, incised, 7. 
 
 It is not alone in city offices hung with gilded pictures, or waiting 
 rooms filled with rich and appreciative patients, that the pleasure 
 and comfort of 1 he practice of medicine is found. There is no port ion 
 of the habitable world, from the most learned and scientific of the 
 Old to the simple and primitive of t lie New, but that recognizes and 
 receives with gratitude 1he services of a true and conscientious phy- 
 sician, and though the good-natured and docile Eskimo may not be 
 able to express in words his pleasure for what you have done, he pos- 
 sesses facial expression and gesl ures which are unmistakable, and tell 
 you without doubt that for you services, if he possessed it, he would 
 lay at your feel the whole world, and therein lies your compensation. 
 
 Respect fully, yours, 
 
 S. .1. ('all. SmyntH, H. C. S. 
 
 First Lieut. 1). II. .Iarvis, R. ( . >.. 
 
 ( 'mil nni ml i in/ ( )f( fin iid Rt-ln1 K.rpiil it toil.
 
 MoVKMKNTS OF THE RKAIi SIM K .11 \K •>:•}. Isiis. 
 
 I'NIi'KD STATKS IiKVKXIK (1 T II-; 1; IlKAK. 
 
 Seiitfh . Wash.. Seph nil» ' /■'. /V'/V. 
 
 Sn;: I have 1 lit* honor to report the arrival of the I". S. revenue 
 si earner lit a r at Seattle, Wash., at 11 a. m.. September 1 •'!. I v ' ls . I'nun 
 Point Harrow. Alaska, with the members of the overland relief expe- 
 dition and the oftieers and seamen from the \v reeked wlnilers < > 
 Jf ssi H. Fit i iiki ii . Rush rio, .\'"'"/''7/. and tile sehooiier L. ./. K< n < 
 of Seattle, wrecked al Point Hope. Alaska. AuiiUsI I'.t. Is'.ts. a!M | | 
 res[)ect fully su bin ii t lie following report of the nio\"emenls of t he H< <> <■ 
 since my letter of .III lie i'.'5. da lei I at Si . Mieliael : 
 
 Such art icles as Lieuteiianl .Farvis had mentioned as heinv; indis- 
 pensable were, so far as obtainable, procured a1 Si . Michael, and lli-v, 
 leather IJarnuin. of the Catholic mission, came on board al ihai [ilace 
 for passau'e as my .u'uest . i !a \ i nu informal ion that the mail w 'as l o We 
 (hdayed at ("nalaska for an imhdinite time. I concluded to start I'm 
 the north, and left St. Michael al 4. .'So p. in.. July 7. 
 
 < )n the M h a shorl stop was made a 1 Ixin^'s Island, where 1 he nal i ves 
 
 were found in e; 1 condition. From Kind's Island proceeded to Port 
 
 Clarence, which was reached at a.-Vi a. in.. .Inly '.'. Four vessels ol 
 the whalinu Heel and three for Kotzebtie Sound thai were found ,i1 
 anchor there were hoarded and examined. 
 
 < In I he loth, while on the way to t he watering place, a si up w as made 
 al the reindeer station. Mr. IJreviii' had idven ottl so much of his 
 provisions on orders of t he overland expedit ion t hai he was now shorl 
 himself, so I li'avc 'ini ■'><"> pounds of Hour and a pounds of tea. eredil 
 lo;- which will he n'iven ill his bill nuainsi t he o\ erhllld ex pedit ion. 
 From the reindeer station proceeded to the walerinc; place to the 
 sou 1 h ward of ( 'ape Uiley. reach i n.u' 1 here I 1 .-'!' > a. in. The hoiler was 
 Mow n dow n and watering ship commenced. Hoiler was refilled and 
 the I'resli-waler tanks were full a. in. of the li'lh. Steam was raised 
 and at i\oa p. m. yoi under way for l'oi:.: dpencer. anchoring there 
 at !._•"' p. m. 
 
 I > urine; our absence from the watering place t he si earner 77/ •■>is/n . 
 from San Francisco, with supplies for the whalers in tin- north, and 
 the schooner Unim ,,-.n . with supplies for II. Liebos's iradinu slatioiis 
 in I he north, arrived. Mr. KollchofT, who was laiuled with the over- 
 land expedition at (ape Vancouver, came up on the Thrnslit r and
 
 CKflSE OF THE 1*. s. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 12!) 
 
 came on It tare 1 the Bear\:> report. I had heard incidentally while al 
 Si. .Michael thai Lieut enanl Bu'iholf, in obedience to orders from 
 Lieutenant .larvis. had discharged Ivoltehoff at St. Michael on Jan- 
 uary 1. Instead of reporting at the reindeer station at 1'nalaklik 
 as ordered, he had gone overland with .Mi-. Tilton, who came down 
 from t lie wrecked whalers. K tltcliofT said Lieutenant Berlholf had 
 given him a paper, the contents of which he claimed to he ignorant 
 which lie had given to Lieutenant-Colonel Randall, United States 
 Army, commanding' at Port St. Michael, and thai Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Randall, with Mr. Shepard, agent of the Xorth American Trading and 
 Transportation Company at Fort Get There, had sent him to assist 
 Mr. Tillou to carry out the mail. I told Mr. Ivoltehoff that he had 
 better go 1o the l'ort Clarence reindeer station and await the arrival 
 of Dr. .Jackson, who was daily expected. 
 
 On the llnrnr.ii were two natives from Point I [ope who had accom- 
 panied Mr. Tilton from Point Hope to San Francisco. II. Liebes &, 
 Co. had provided for them after their arrival at San Francisco and 
 sent them back on the schooner Bonanza. As the ice might prevent 
 the Bonanza from gett iiiii' to Point [[ope for sonic time, transporta- 
 tion was given them on the Bear. 
 
 At 11. on [>. in. July [2 go1 under way and stood for Cape Prince 
 of Wales. Anchor was let go off the cape at 5.15 a. in. July L3, when 
 Rev. Mr. Lop]> and natives came on board. Delivered to them such 
 articles as we hail been able to procure at St. Michael. An account 
 of all articles purchased! or delivered from the ship's stores, also of 
 what is now d ne to people iii the north on account of services ren- 
 dered to 1 he overland expedition, is being prepared by Lieutenant Jar- 
 vis, who can not finish it until lie lias conferred with II. Li cites it Co., 
 at San Francisco, in regard to prices, as their agent at Point Barrow 
 had instructions not to set any prices. That would be done at San 
 Francisco when his accounl of expenditures to the shipwrecked men 
 reached the office. II. Liebes & Co.'s agenl at Point Hope charged 
 some prices thai appeared too high. Lieutenant Jarvis has a copy of 
 his bill and will endeavor to have Liebes it Co. make some red net ion. 
 
 At li.liia. m. .July F> got under way and stood into Bering Straits. 
 At noon stood to the eastward for Kotzebue Sound, which place was 
 reached and an anchorage made oil' Cape Blossom at :?.:}<) p. m. Three 
 barks at the anchorage were boarded and examined. They were 
 loaded with prospectors and their supplies, bound for the rivers (low- 
 ing into I lot ham Inlet . A native present ed an order from Lieu tenant 
 Jarvis, which was filled. I could not learn thai there were any more 
 natives on board who had orders, but heard thai some on shore had 
 them. As it was aboul 1<> miles to tin 1 village, I could not wait for 
 them to come off. so at ( » . i?< ' p. in. go1 under way and stood for Point 
 Hope. At li.i'n p. in. July 15 anchored off Nelson's trading station. 
 between Cape Thompson and Point Hope, where Lieutenant Bertholf
 
 130 
 
 CKI'ISE OF THE !". S. KEVENt'E (I'TTEK I'.EAK. 
 
 roporlod cm hoard. lie had made Nelson's house his headquarters 
 since his arrival at the station. The two natives hrought from Port 
 Clarence were landed here. Lieutenant Bertholf had carried oul his 
 inst ruct ions (a copy of which is appended) in a manner which met 
 in y en 1 ire approhat ion. In add it ion to caring for t he st raved deer he 
 had d est roved ; he st ills used hy the nat i ves in in ami fact uring lienor, 
 and his presence prevented any of the while residents from entering 
 into 1 he man ut'acl are of it . 
 
 At !».(!.") a. in. July 10 got under way and steamed for Poinl Hope, 
 anchoring off t he village t here at 1 1 .< la a. m. Coin muni eat ed wit h the 
 Rev. Dr. Driggs, in charge of the Episcopal Mission. No whales 
 having heen taken in 1 he spring whaling, the natives would he very 
 shorl of food during t he coming winter, and nearly all of them had 
 gone down the coast to endeavor to ealch a supply of salmon for 
 winter use. At l._'i p. m. steamed to 1 he laches' stat ion and anchored 
 for the night . 
 
 At '.'. h") a. in. .Inly 17 steamed to Nelson's station and look on 
 hoard a nat ive. who asked to he taken to Point Barrow, and a1 I..'P> 
 steamed to 1 he nort hward around I'oinl Hope. At 1 1 . 1 ti p. m. passed 
 Cape Lishurne and sighted the lirst drift ice seen in the Arctic. 
 Laid course to make the land het ween Point Lay and ('ape Beau fori. 
 in order to meet any hoats Lieiitennnl .larvis ntigln have sent from 
 Point Barrow. 
 
 Ati - p. in. July Is made the land to the southward of Point lav 
 and steamed along in sighl of the heach, keeping a good lookout for 
 signals or boa 1 . At I.- 1 ' p. m. anchored off a nat ive village i o soul h- 
 ward of Point Lay. where natives came on hoard and reported that 
 no whit e men had passed hy. 
 
 At i'.l"ia. in. July li* under way to the nort hward. and at >'■■ a. m. 
 sigliicda native hoat coming off 1 h rough t he ice. It came aioni:»ide 
 at ii..')0, and contained a parly from Point Barrow . sent h_\ Lieutenant 
 Jarvis, in charge of (apt. A. ('. Sherinan. of the wrecked steamer 
 ()rc(i. The parly was taken on hoard, wit h 1 heir hoat . and the \ essel 
 proceed ei 1 to within ."> miles of Icy Cape, where we came to anchor at 
 -.'■)•") p. in. on account of heavy ice ahead. 
 
 Lieut ena in Jarvis informed me that t he schooner I'o.sn r/a had heen 
 crushed hy the ice on July '2: crew all saved. His last information 
 from the vessels in the eastward of Point Barrow was on June pi, 
 and at that lime t hey were all right. The I>> I re<l< r< was all right on 
 Pine hi. hut shorl of provisions, and Lieutenant Jarvis Imped ( could 
 gel some to her. where she lay. at the Sea Horse Islands, some so 
 miles from Icy ('ape. The men at Point Barrow were all right. »\ilh 
 provisions enough to last until August la. If the lUnr did nol 
 a rri ve hy Autrusl 1 . he t hough t it hesl to start some of 1 hem down t lie 
 c( ia-sl 1 o meet the vessel. 
 
 At ■[.'.)') a. m. July l'o made an attenipl to gel through the ice to
 
 

 
 ('Kl'ISE OF THE r. s KE VENUE Cl'TTEK l',EAK. 
 
 131 
 
 the northwestward. Worked until 2.20 p. in., when tin; at tempi was 
 given iii). and stood tolhe sontliward until lo p. in. before getting 
 clear of the ice; 1 1.40 p. m. anchored to the sou t li ward of Point Lay. 
 
 On the 21st fresh northerly winds and drift outside kepi us at 
 anchor t hroughout 1 he day. 
 
 At S.:J0 a. in. .1 uly 22 worked 1 h rough the ice to Icy Cape, anchoring 
 there at 12. .v> p. in. Ice still heavy to the northward and westward. 
 
 On July 2'), there appearing to he little or no change in the ice, 
 concluded to send Lieutenant Handel in the native boal lo carry pro- 
 visions to the Bel vei I V n and then proceed to Point Harrow ami coni- 
 inunieate with Lieutenant .larvis. At '.l.oo a. in. Lieulenant Hamlet 
 slarled with 4oo pounds of (lour, !Mj pounds of corned beef, and So 
 poll mis of beans for 1 lie lit I r< ih r> . and sonic small stores for Lieut ena nt 
 .1 arvis. 
 
 Uemained at anchor off lev (ape until July 2'i, the ice frequently 
 compelling us to shifl anchorage to keep clear. At 4.2o a. in. July 
 2'). the ice appearing to have opened, stood around Hlossom Shoals, 
 ami at noon laid course for I'oinl Melcher; (j.20 p. m., a dense fog set- 
 ting in ami the water shoaling, came to anchor; 11 p. in., the fog 
 lifting, found we were off Wainwright Inlet. Gol under way and 
 slood along the coast. Snowing at intervals. 
 
 At 2.oo a. in. July 27, off I'oinl Melcher, went behind the ground 
 ice and anchored to await the drifting by of the floe ice: IJ.4U p. m., 
 the ice looking more favorable, stood for Point Harrow outside the 
 ground ice. We passed through fields of heavy ice until 11 p. m., 
 ami then found comparatively open water. Saw the lUlnthn in 
 I'eari May. but the ice would not allow us 1o approach wilhin 10 miles 
 of her. and 1 he re fore did not stop. 
 
 At •") a. m. July 2S sighted the relief station at Point Marrow. 
 Heavy ground ice, with open water inside, extended from Point Shed- 
 don to Point Marrow. There being no opening through it. at s a. in. 
 made fast on the outside, at a point a mile to the southward of the 
 slat ion. 1 he H< <i r beinjj the first vessel to arrive 1 his season. Lieuten- 
 ant J arvis and a la rye party came across the ice to the vessel. As he 
 had issued rations to the wrecked men until the oOth of July, I 
 directed most of them to remain where they were, ashore, until the 
 rat ions w ere consumed. TweiHy-six. however, were taken on hoard 
 ini med lately. 
 
 On 1 1 1 < - 2 '. ' 1 1 1 the steam whaler Jt uniirfft arrived and made fast to 
 the ice to the southward of us. The steamers Fea.rh-xs and Xt irjuiri 
 appeared to the eastward of Point Marrow, but could not get around 
 the point on account of the ice. Keeeived news from the \eifpoi'f 
 thai she was leaking badly and needed oakum, spikes, and nails to 
 make repairs. These articles were furnished immediately. Nothing 
 was heard of the Jemi it <■, st ill to the east ward. If it had been known 
 she was out of danger, the wrecked men could have been taken on
 
 132 
 
 CRI'ISE OF THE 1". s. KEVENIE Cl'TTEH KHAR. 
 
 board and the lit u r could have start «•<! on the return trip at once. 
 A> ii was. I tin Mi.irlil i' would not be prudent to leave until I was 
 assured of her safety. On July :jn, iw; more of tlie shipwrecked men 
 came on hoard, increasing the number to '.t7. In the afternoon of the 
 *>* > 1 1 1 there were laru'e piece-, of ice drifting' aloni>' wit h t he cui'ivni . 
 Fearing they niiuhl strike the vessel and pari the mooring lino. >zn\ 
 under way and steamed into an indentat ion in the ground ice where 
 1 lie si rn iner .1'iiiiin Hi was made fast. A suitable mooring place w as 
 found and the vessel made fast t o t he ground ice. On the obth I . i . - 1 1 - 
 lenanl Hamlet arrived. He had delivered the supplies to the fitlr<- 
 '/'/'. ami reported thai a> soon as a southwest wind came to clear 
 away the ice she would start for Port Clarence for coal. The vessel 
 was in yood condh ion. 
 
 On Auu'tisl 1 si and ~J<\ loose ice would drift in and pack around ihe 
 vessel where she lay in the i ml en 1 at ion in the ice. As there was onh a 
 trifling pressure, no danuer was anticipated. Al 2 p. in. Au.u'usl ■"■ 
 came a sudden pressure of the ice, the four forward fasts carried 
 away, and the vessel forced astern about five feet. The pressure then 
 coining auainsl (lie starboard side forced the porl side against the 
 iri'ound ice. A poini of ice under water abreast the engine room. The 
 weakest place in the vessel, a> there a re no at h wart ship t iinber» l here. 
 forced the purl side in sufticient ly to buckle the engine-room tlooi' 
 plates. Men were immediately senl with ice chisels and the ice cut 
 away. As soon as the ice was removed the pressure al that point 
 ceased and the floor plales dropped hack into place. The alter >ec- 
 tion of the rudder was sprung aboul an eighth of an inch. The ice 
 was cut from around the rudder and the pressure on t ha1 removed. 
 So far as can he seen (while i he vessel is in the water) no material 
 damage was done by the nip. A vessel less strongly const r net ed would 
 ha vc I )cen crushed al once. 
 
 When the weal her cleared up ii could be seen thai ihe pack had 
 swum;- in upon ihe uround ice. Ihuiiii in the indentation was lie- 
 only 1 hinir 1 hal saved ihe ■!< mi/nth and ihe Jit ur. Knowing thai if a 
 soiilhwol u'ale - 1 > i • u 1 1 o ■ ii], the pack would auain move and nothing 
 could save the vessel, I had a laru'c quantity of provisions bronchi on 
 deck and placed >o they coidd readily be passed to ihe ground ice in 
 the event of another nip. The ship's papers and books were al-o 
 packed read.\ for removal. From the .'id unlil the 1 1th of An.iiiM »ve 
 remained in suspense. On the morn inn' of the .'id t he .A mm came in 
 
 -:_!/ to the eastward of Poini Harrow. During the fore u lie- 
 
 ./'"///'. /•''"/•' >>. a nd \ ' ii-jiurf ii'ol around Point Harrow and came 
 down inside the ground ice to a.breast where we were. Thoe ve»el-. 
 were all -diort ot' provisions— 1 he A' ifpnri and /'' ufh ss short of coal. 
 The\ were supplied with such (plant it ies a> coidd be spared from the 
 !'>■ Hill- foi' the >ame have a!read\ been senl to their owners.
 
 CRUISE OF T1IK [\ S. REVEXl'E Cl'TTER MEAIi. 
 
 133 
 
 Several days were spent in dragging the articles over the very rough 
 
 ice oil sled>. 
 
 ()n the 5th, o'.il reindeer were transferred to I >r. Marsh, Oovern- 
 nienl school-teaehei', who also represented the Presbyterian mission. 
 As lie was without provisions to maintain the herders, and the camp 
 equipage was worn out, no provision having been made for their sup- 
 port by the mission, the following articles were given them from the 
 ship's stores: 1 a »<" » primers, l<»0 carl ridges (.4a-. 70), \-j\ pounds pow- 
 der, i' brooms, 5( > pounds soap. '2 axes. 1 shovel, I box copper rivets, 
 1 tern. 1 camp stove, - (,(l pounds pork. -'in' pounds coffee, 17<1 pounds 
 beans, and 1 4< > pon nds sugar. 
 
 ()n the 7t li an allempt was made to blast a channel through the 
 ground ice to the clear water inside. After expending lot) pounds of 
 powder (1<H) pounds borrowed from tlie X^irporf ) the attempt was 
 given up. The eifecl upon the ice, which averaged :•$<> feel in thick- 
 ness, was so slight thai sufficient powder could not be procured to 
 blast out a channel. While the blasting was going on. Captain 
 McKenna, of the Ff-nrh-ss, got his vessel under way and endeavored 
 to help by ramming the ice. His efforts were, however, useless. 
 
 On the 14th the ice offshore commenced to move rapidly to the 
 northward. On the morning of the loth, commenced using small 
 blasts of powder 1 to remove spur pieces of ice near the ship. During 
 the morning a lead broke through the ground ice to the southward of 
 us. In the afternoon the tee offshore commenced to disappear, and 
 the pressure on the vessel diminished considerably, but there was 
 >till several yards of ice heavily packed between us and clear water - . 
 A strong northeast wind coming up, all sail was made and thrown 
 aback to help press the vessel off. At ti.lo p. in. the F^n fleas and 
 \~< ii-j,t,!-: got under way. steamed ou1 through the lead. ;iud came 
 down abreasl of us with the intention of pulling out the pieces of ice 
 until we were \'\-a\ .lust ;is 1 hey were commencing a dense fog came 
 up. and large quantities of heavy drifl ice commenced to come in, 
 obliging them to stop and seek shelter from the ice. 
 
 The morning of the 10th the fog lifted, showing clear water about 
 :?oo vards distanl . and blasting was again commenced to clear away 
 the ice. Lieutenant .larvis and Dr. Call came on board with the part 
 of the l'» I /•' dt /■''.-< crew that had been at the station. At 7.i'"> the 
 ./< a n in Hi was deal' of the ice and steamed to 1 he southward. I win-. 
 surprised to see her leave without offering to assist us, but I after 
 wards learned from Captain Xewth that he was ill in his bunk at the 
 time. When informed thai the Ji-(inneH> was dear, he had asked the 
 male about the fjin,\ and had been told by him that she would be 
 clear in about fifteen minutes. I'uder these circumstances he told 
 the male to take the Jen n in-He to a safe place. 
 
 The A'"-"7>o/7 was at anchor at Wallapi. ■'< miles distant, and when
 
 184 CRUISE OF THE I*. S REVENUE Cl'TTER BEAR. 
 
 al b' o'clock Captain Leavill saw t ha1 the lUnr ha<l uoi moved, lie 
 <i - ol his \'csst'l nuclei- way to come to our assistance. lie arrived in 
 time to make fast to one piece of ice. and when that was out of the 
 way l lie lit a r was free, a 1 id steamed loan anchorage ofl' I Jet'imc Inlet . 
 which she readied al 1. ■">•"> p. in. Here the FinrU-xs came alongside 
 ami was <i - i ven 1 •"> tons of coal. Captain Xewt h of i he .}< a ma ff< lieinu 
 loo ill to conlinin with his vessel, was taken on board for passage 
 home. Mr. C. 1 >. IJrower. Liebes's au'enl at I'oinl Harrow, ilesired 
 in aeeompa uy Lieutenant Jarvis to San I'Tancisco to sat isfaetori 1\ 
 adjust the claims on account of the shipwrecked men. and ua- a 'cm 
 ^'i\'en passage. The (\ct'\- herders who accompanied .Mr. Lopp were 
 also Liiven passage to their homes. 
 
 The /•'< 1 1 i-li ss haviim been north several years, some of her crew 
 desired to exchange with the shipwrecked men who were willinu to 
 remain. This they were allowed to do. At '■'.-'> a. in. Auii'usl 17. uoi 
 under way and stood toward the Sea Horse Islands. Fou' sel in ami 
 much drift ice was met. and at -I p. m. stood to southward in make 
 the laud. At 7 the l'o<j lifted, and at 7."n sighted the whaling Meet al 
 anchor to 1 he east ward of Sea Horse Islands. Al s..V> anchored near 
 the Heel, consisting of t he AJi ■'■mi <hf. I ' '« 1 r, ,1 ', ,; . / '!< ,ir],, i nl '. k'n ■ 
 Win. lltiijliss. Finrliss. and X< if/inri. The men of the crew of the 
 lli In :li ri brought by us from I'oinl Harrow were put on board tlieir 
 
 Vessel, and six of the shipwrecked lliell left to join whalillU' \essels. 
 
 The /linr remained to ".ism the people on the ships an opportunity to 
 prepare mail. 
 
 ( Mi the morn i ii-' of l he 1 si h t w o sick seamen were received from tin 
 I! 'riiltfi for t ransportat ion toa hospital. Al 1 J. b » p. in. iroi under was 
 and si ood lo the wesi ward, and al 1 _. I 1 ' anchoret] near 1 lie schooner 
 Hi i in i a in. supply \ esse] for .Mr. C. 1 >. I > rower's stat ion. Finding 1 here 
 was an ample supply of pot aloes on the schooner, and the supply mi 
 ' he //, i ■ be inn e\ ha listed. I purchased t well ty- five boxes for l he crew 
 and ihe shipwrecked men. They will be included in II. Liebes A 
 Co. "> hill. Al I..i.i^i| under way ami stood for Illossom Shoal- Al 
 7 a. in., bciiiti' around the shoals, laid course for I'oinl Hope, which 
 w as reached at -v--;i i a. m. on the l'i it h. 
 
 ( om m u n icai e<] with the shore and learned thai on the previous das 
 I he schooner Lmiisi .1. I\inini/.it\' Seatlle. ssasin a d a n u'ei-oi i - posi- 
 tion :u the breakers near Cooper's station. - miles east of I'oinl Ik 
 Started immediately for t he place, a ml upon arris' in, .' 1 here found 
 vi-sM'i broadside on t he beach and in a posit ion where the /»'• << 'could 
 be of no assistance on accoiini of the shoal water. The masteroi' the 
 vessel eanie on boa rd and said the vessel was full of water and ! he 
 caru'o ruined. He recpiested passage for himself and crew to Seal t le. 
 and boaissvere lowered and sen! ashore for them and their effecls. 
 A iiiist\ surf was runuinu'. and il was with difficulty they were taken 
 off. Two uatises came on board with a communication from Dr.
 
 s I f 
 
 i X
 
 CRUISE OF THE V. S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR. 
 
 135 
 
 Sheldon Jackson, addressed to whocvci' was in charge oi" llic reindeer 
 near Point Hope, directing thai the deer he turned over to the two 
 natives, who were Government herders. Col under way and steamed 
 to Nelson's whaling station, where Lieutenant Hcrtholf went ashore 
 and directed thai the deer he delivered according to Dr. Jackson's 
 request. The three herders who had heen in charge of ihe t\cc}' were 
 taken on hoard for transportation to their homes. 
 
 The master of the wrecked schooner informed me that the year's 
 supplies for the three missionaries a l (ape Blossom, Kotzebue Son ml, 
 were lost with the rest of the cargo of the vessel. As they could not 
 live through the winter wit hout supplies. 1 deemed ii my duty to 
 call at Cape Blossom to inform them of their loss, and to offer them 
 passage to St. .Michael or elsewhere, and accordingly the vessel was 
 headed lor Cape Blossom, winch place was reached al 1 -.-< ' p. m. on 1 he 
 •_Mst. Lieutenant Bertholf, knowing where the mission was located, 
 was sent ashoiv to proffer the aid. The harks Hoyden Brown and 
 X'li'Hn rn Litjlit were at anchor off the Cape, and Captain Whitesides, 
 of the XorfJtf-nt LujJil, informed me thai he was waiting for passen- 
 gers and had nearly the full number engaged. 
 
 The Kotzehue Sound gold rush was a failure. lie had heen in the 
 sound a couple of months and had not heard of any gold strikes. He 
 estimated that at least three-fourths of the 2,00(1 people who were 
 there, many of 1 hem with two years' provisions, would return. There 
 were live harks at the southern end of Kotzebue Sound taking in 
 ballast prepai .'tory to taking passengers from Cape lUossom. In that 
 case there will he no lack ol transportation for those who desire to 
 re1 urn. 
 
 The schooner ^Efiia, of San Francisco, having losl her anchor, was 
 given a ooo-pound kedge, 1 he owners at San Francisco to replace it 
 on hoard the i'x nr upon her arrival. Al 11.45 p. m. Lieutenant 
 Bertholf returned on hoard. The missionaries, having obtained sup- 
 plies from returning miners, were going to remain at their station 
 during the winter. Some articles needed by Lieutenant Jarvis to 
 payoff natives at Cape Prince of Wales for services in the 1 overland 
 expedition were purchased from Captain Whitesides. of t he X<>rth<-ni 
 Li * I hi . 
 
 Lieutenant Bertholf reported that he had met a number of men 
 ashore who claimed to be stranded miners and who wished a passage 
 on the Jli'ir. As the vessel was already overcrowded and there were 
 other means of transportation at hand, their request eoidd nol be 
 granted. 
 
 Al l.-<) a. m. on the _-'M gol under way for Cape Prince of Wales, 
 which was reached al 1" p. m. the same day. Rev. W. T. Lop]) came 
 onboard to settle accounts of the reindeer portion of Ihe overland 
 expedition. .Mr. Lopp said that by the terms of the agreement with 
 Lieutenanl Jarvis the Treasury was responsible for the return of the
 
 136 CRUISE OF THE U. S. REVENUE ('UTTER REAR. 
 
 deer lie drove to Point Iinrrow. If Lieutenant .lards ha«l nol made 
 this agreement In- would lnii have uiven up the <l<-<-r or none with 
 tlit'in. Without 1 1 1 « - r< • i i n 1 « •< ■ r ,- 1 1 1 • 1 tin- assistance i>i' Mr. Lopp the 
 relief expedition would have i> - ojie no fart he i'. so Lieiiteiiani Jarvis 
 was obliged to accept the terms. As 1 > 1 1 1 1. "it; deer had been returned 
 by the Interior Department a.u'en1. ami there was no prospeei ot 
 receiving any more from that source. In- requested thai the deer 
 remaining at Point Harrow and Point Hope he returned to him and 
 Charlie Art isarlook. pjs head, with increase, beiny; due Charlie. 
 
 Tic- captain of a whaliuu steamer that was to leave in a few days 
 for Point Barrow had agreed to carry Mr. Lopp's herders to that 
 place. I accordingly sent diiections to Dr. Marsli to turn over the 
 lierd to Mr. Lopp's herders, who will start them south as soon as the 
 weather is favorable. Mr. Lopp expects to be reimbursed for the 
 expense of driving the deer back to his mission. The herders .-it 
 Point Hope were sent orders similar to those sent to \)v. Marsh. 
 
 At U.4-") a. m. on the J.'Jd pM under way for Port Clarence, which was 
 readied at ! p. m. Pound steamers./"////'. X' "'j/orf. and 'i'hr^lrr 
 and the bark ./. I). V> /< rs anchored in the bay. Captain Sherman, of 
 the wrecked whaler ( Jrm, came on board for passage down : also Anton 
 Roderik, from the X> n-jmrt. At s.i'a <r«»1 underway for St. Miehael. 
 <)u the way made a call at K inus Island, and at Point Podney to land 
 ( 'harlie Art isarlook. 
 
 St. Michael was reached at :i.4~> a. in. on the L'dh. The vessels in 
 pori were boarded and examined. Lieutenant Jarvis and Lieuti naiit 
 IJerthoIf went on shore to arrange the bills owed by the overland 
 expedition to the North American Trading and Transportation Com- 
 pany and the Alaska Commercial Company. Kijjfht of the shipwrecked 
 whalers, having obtained employment ashore, left llm vessel. The 
 business ashore Im-milt finished, at 1 1 . ]~> p. m. August id uot under 
 way for I'ualaska. which was readied, after rather a roiiidi passage. 
 at l.o.-) p. hi. August :il. II. M. S. riii-'ismil was found in port, and 
 on the I'd of September II. M.S. . 1 iiij/hidii and //•///•//.* arrived. The 
 usual courtesies wen- exchanged with each. 
 
 The boiler was blown down and [(reparations made for coaling and 
 water inn 1 ship. At 1.1a p. in., having I'm i shed watering and coaling. 
 and all preparation-, eompleted. cast oil" from the wharf and -teamed 
 out of the harbor. At \.~>~> p. in., beine. through Cnalua Pass, vet 
 coin^e I'm!- ('ape Hattery. Polish weather was experienced the lir-, 
 four day- out : after t hat moderate and fo^.uy. Waddah Island was 
 siuh'ed at l'. 1 .") p. m. September 1_. and a stop was made to commu- 
 nicate wit h t he I )epart incut by telegraph. Port Tow - use ml was reached 
 at - a. in. Pith. A dense to-' and thick -moke compelled us toandior 
 until >'> a. in. Then, the foy partially lifting, u'ot under way for Seat- 
 tle, which was readied at 11 a. m., September PJ. after an absence of
 
 CRUISE OF THE I". S. REVENUE (TTTEK BEAR. 
 
 187 
 
 nine months and sixteen days, niosl of the time spent in a dreary 
 country and very inclement weather. 
 
 The officers ami crew bore the monotonous isolation with the great- 
 est patience, complaints boiny; almost unheard of. The courage, for- 
 titude, and pei-severanee shown by the members of the overland 
 expedition is deserving of the highest coinniendat ion. Start inu - over 
 a route seldom traveled before by do»' sleds, with a herd of over 4-00 
 reindeer to drive and care for, they pushed their way through what 
 at limes seemed impassable obstacles, across frozen seas, and over 
 snow-clad mountains, with tireless energy until Point Harrow was 
 reached and 1 lie object of the expedition successfully accomplished. 
 
 I respectfully recommend liiat the heroic services of First Lieut. 
 1). 11. Jarvis. Second Lieut. K. 1'. Bertholf, and Sunj\ S. .!. (all 
 should meet with such recognition as the 1 )epart iiient sees fi1 to 
 bestow. 
 
 As mentioned in my letter of June i'-'S. 1 S'.is, Rev. W. T. Lopp and 
 Charlie Arlisarlook, who ijave up their herd of reindeer, left their 
 families, and accompanied the expedition to Point Barrow, are deserv- 
 ing of substantial rewards for the sacrifices they made and the hard- 
 ships t hey end urod. 
 
 Respectfully, yours, F. Tittle. 
 
 ( 'a pin i n . R. ( '. S. , 
 Com nunuliiKj I'. S. Rpretuif- ('iiih r Bear. 
 
 The SK( UETARY OK THE TREASURY, 
 
 W'nslu'uij/nn. I). ('. 
 
 I . s. Revenue Cutter Bear. 
 Sniffle, Wnsh.. September !■'. IMS. 
 Sii;: In accordance with verbal orders received from yourself, I 
 have the honor to submit the following summary of medical reports 
 for the time during which ! have been in charme of that department, 
 from December 1"). 1S'.i7. to Septem ber la, IS'.iX, both inclusive: 
 
 Whites male i . ... . .. . 51 s 
 
 Women and children < white . ..... ... i-\ 
 
 Natives nudes i . . . . _ _ . _ .... 75 
 
 Nativ s women ami children i ... 'J:>5 
 
 Officers and crew ... CSC 
 
 Ti 'till number treated . ... ._ . .... . ... .... 1.557 
 
 The prevailing diseases were as follows: Consumption, pneumonia. 
 pleurisy, heart disease, gastritis, tonsilitis. diarrhea, constipation. 
 dyspepsia, neuralgia, muscular rheumatism, tubercular irlands and 
 joints, gonorrhea., syphilis, orchitis, synovitis, cystitis, eczema, pedic-
 
 13* CRUISE OF THK U. S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 
 
 lili, minor injuries to limbs and head, uterine diseases, la grippe, 
 nasal catarrh, conjunctivitis, and scabies. 
 
 One death at I'nalaska, Mrs. Shaishnakoff, aijod do, cancel' of the 
 stomach and liver. 
 
 The crew at present are in excellent health, with none on the sick 
 
 list. 
 
 Kespect fully, yours, 
 
 K. II. Woodruff, 
 
 .l.ssis/a nf Sit f<jro/i. I . S. Re re nut differ ]><<i r. 
 
 (.'apt. Francis Tuttlf, li. ('. S.. 
 
 Com iiHUtdtny.
 
 APPPX DIX. 
 
 I'. s. Revenue steamer Beak, 
 
 Cape \'<(ncou n r, Alaska, December 1'!, 1897. 
 
 Sir: Vou are detailed to take charge of the overland party from 
 the Bear for the relief of the whalers at Point Harrow. Lieut. E. 1'. 
 Bertholf, Revenue-Cutter Service, Surg. S. J. Call, and F. Ivoltchoff 
 will comprise the party from the vessel. Inclosed are instructions 
 from the Department by which you will be guided as far as practica- 
 ble. They are so full as to cover every point and leave me little to 
 add. The party will be under your sole control, and you will make 
 such disposition of them as may seem most advisable to you. under 
 any and all circumstances. 
 
 Whenever it becomes necessary to employ natives and their outfits 
 of dogs and sleds, or procure provisions from them, make a note of 
 the art iele*. and amounts promised for same; if practicable, give the 
 natives a copy to present when the Bear is met, and the articles will 
 be delivered. 
 
 The Department does not, in its letter, mention the whalers to the 
 eastward of Point Harrow. If you hear from them, use your own 
 judgment as to what can be done for their relief. At this distance and 
 utter lack of knowledge of their circumstances, it is impossible for 
 me to give any directions. I shall leave Pnalaska as early as there 
 will be any possible chance to get through the ice. If St. Michael be 
 open I shall call there. If not. Port Clarence and Cape Prince of 
 Wales will be visited in search of news of the expedition. I hope to 
 reach Point Hope early in July. Should any of the whalers be there, 
 will land provisions enough to last them until I return from Point 
 Harrow. If any pail of the expedition should be along the shores, I 
 suggest you direct them to make smudges of heavy smoke to attract 
 attention on board the Bear, should she be sighted. A good lookout 
 will be kept from the vessel for such signals. In conclusion, any 
 matters that may come up that are not covered by these instructions 
 are left to your own judgment, and whatever you do will meet with 
 the approval of the Department. If opportunity offers, communicate 
 with meat Pnalaska. and leave information as to your progress at 
 Port Clarence, Cape Prince of Wales, Kotzebue Sound, and Point
 
 140 
 
 < Kt'lSE uK I'll 
 
 -. KKVEMK < TTTEK HEAR. 
 
 Hope to be | < i < • k < ■ < I tip «ui the arrival of tin* />"//■ a1 these places 
 Also, if possible, send copies of all communications to the Depart ment 
 Kespecl fully, yours. 
 
 F. TUTTLE. 
 
 Captain, J'. C. .S'.. Cam nin n<! "i inj. 
 First Lieut. i>. 11. .Iakvis, K. ( '. S., 
 
 I'. S. Ii\ /-in 111 Stiiiunr l!i n r. 
 
 Overland Relief Kxpki»ii i< in. 
 
 k'/ijil a injii mufe. Ala.ska. I ')>-<■< /,,/„ ,- .'</. /v.'-y 
 Sir: Not beinu 1 able To obtain dogs at this place, as expected, and 
 the team> on yours and Koltchotf's sleds being nearly worn out. 1 will 
 go on ahead with my sled and Dr. ('all's sled and leave you and Kolt- 
 clioff with Alexis Kalenin to come mi as soon as the necessary dogs 
 return. Lose no time in following and come direct to Andreafski. on 
 the Yukon, and from t here to St . .Michael. [will make what arrange- 
 ments I can top you at both places, and should you nol reai'h either 
 place before I leave. I will leave all necessary instructions for your 
 guidance. Anything you may need for your journey can be obtained 
 by drawing on the Alaska Com me renal Company at both places. 
 Kespecl fullv. vours. 
 
 D. II. J.XKVIs. 
 First Lit nt, mint, /,*. ( '. ,s'.. 
 ( ■nmimimliinj On rtami /'< t'nf /•/ lifimi. 
 
 Second Lieut. K. I'. IiKKTFH >LK. K. < '. S. 
 
 <>verlaxi> Relief Kxpeditiox. 
 
 / 'inilakl, , /. . llash-a. .hmmirij .L ' 
 Sir: I inclose a list of provisions thai I have left with Mr. Kdwiu 
 Knglestadt. of this place, to be filled, and which are to be 1a ken across 
 the portage be! ween Notion Sound and Kschollz I Jay to Cape I Jlossoni, 
 Kot/ebue Sound. 1 have engaged Mr. Knglesiadt and ihree teams for 
 the trip, and upon your arrival you will lake charge of the outfit and 
 proceed with i Iii-iii to Cape Blossom. A little north of the Ksk'mio 
 rendezvous ai thai place is Mr. Robert Samins. a (Quaker missionary, 
 and you wid awaii there my arrival or smdi orders as ! may send to 
 you. I will leave here in the morning for (ape I'rince of \\ ales. 
 \'er\" re>| M'd fullv. 
 
 I). II. .L\K\ Is. 
 
 First l/n nt, mini. /.'. ' '. -S. . 
 Cnmmamlimj On, -taint F'tnf F.r/„ <l i* in,, . 
 second Lieut. L. I". Kertik »lk. R. C. S.
 
 CKl'ISK OF THE 
 
 REVEXCE (TITER BEAK. 
 
 141 
 
 List of i>n,rixioi,xti> he taken t<> Cape Bl< 
 
 Flour 
 Butter 
 
 Rice . 
 
 Beans 
 
 Sugar 
 
 Tea 
 
 Tobaco 
 
 Bacon . 
 
 Coffee 
 
 Bread. - 
 
 One-half box baking powder. 
 
 ( hie-half tin matches. 
 
 10 pounds smoking tobacco and cob pipes, for nie personally. 
 
 r,()0 
 ,'0 
 VI 
 
 S(| 
 
 ,10 
 
 40 
 
 loo 
 
 'to 
 
 ion 
 
 Overland Belief Kxpeditiox, 
 
 Fond Rod nt ij, Alaska, January '". USHS. 
 Sir: You will remain hero until the arrangements to move Ail isar. 
 look's reindeer herd are completed, and will then proceed by way of 
 Port Clarence with this herd to join me on the north side of ('ape 
 Prince of Wales ai the point where t lie reindeer herd of that place is 
 located, which is about l'o miles distant from the cape. 
 
 1 will leave for that point this morning, and you will follow with as 
 lit t ie delay as possible. 
 
 Kcspeet fully, yours. 1). IL.Iarvis. 
 
 Firs! La nU ik i nl. R. (.'. S.. 
 ( 'oni mo nd i ikj ( )r< rla iid Rilaf F.rpi d dion. 
 Surg. S. ,|. « ALL. 11. C, S. 
 
 < ) V E R RAM) REL] E F K X P E I) IT [OX. 
 ('"jti Rlos.som, Alaska, Ffhrna nj /J, 18'^H. 
 Sir: You will remain at this place until the arrival of the reindeer 
 herd in charge of Mr. \Y. T. Lopp, and consult with him as to ils 
 further progress to Poim Barrow. Should the necessity arise you 
 will proceed with the herd, but if not. after determining the route it 
 shall take and seeing it well stalled, you will proceed to Point I Tope 
 for further instructions. I would, suggest that the route along or 
 near the coast to Kivalena and then across to the northward of Cape 
 Beaufort would seem advisable, in that the herd at all times will be 
 within reasonable communication with Poim Hope. Turn over to 
 Air. Lopp the provisions at this place and make any other arrange- 
 ments he may need. i will proceed to Point Barrow along the coast, 
 and will endeavor ■ o have communication opened between t hat place 
 and Point Nope. 
 
 Respeet fully, your*. I). II. Jarvis. 
 
 Firs/ Li> Ft tied, R. C, S.. 
 (Join ma nd i tuj Or/ rla nd RFtif f Fvpt d d ion . 
 Second Lieut. K. P. Bektuolf. R. C. S.
 
 142 
 
 CKl'ISE OF Till 
 
 KEVENT'E (UTTER HKAU. 
 
 OVERLAND KELIEK K.XI'EDITION. 
 
 Point //o/», Alaska. Marrl, .7, /.W.V. 
 
 SlK: I will leave here lo-day, loget her wit h Surgeon Call, tor Point 
 Harrow. You will remain liere and care Cor ail matters relating to 
 the overland relief expedition in this region, and carry out tin plans 
 we have discussed for the return of Mr. W. T. Lopp and the deer 
 herders in the. spring, and also for 1 he assistance of the members of 
 the wrecked crews from Point Harrow to this place, and noon iheir 
 arrival make arrangements for tlieir care. 
 
 (live your at tention to the illicit distilling of spirituous liquor bv 
 the natives here, and take such action as you may deem necessary 
 for the enforcement of law. A particularly noticeable murder was 
 committed here last fall by two natives, Avulik and Shukiirana. 
 Take such action as you may deem necessary for apprehending the 
 murderers and collect inu' evidence. 1 will communicate with you from 
 Point Harrow whenever possible, and keep you informed of affairs 
 there if occasion offers. I'pon the arrival of the ( . S. revenue cutlei 
 //'"/•. report to ("apt. F. Tultle, commanding. 
 Kespecl fully, yours, 
 
 I). II. .lAKVIS. 
 First I jii ali -tut ill , /,. ('. s. 
 ( 'out ma tal iiaj ()firtanil Rita! F-i'/xil // ton . 
 Second Lieut . K. P. Hektholk, P. ('. S. 
 
 Cai-e Smythk, Alaska. March ."■>. /sn.s\ 
 |)K\i; SIR: The crews of the Orra, Freeman, lie! rider*-, and llie 
 survivors of t lie .V" rurclt would respect fully ent real you, in compain 
 wit li I he doctor of t he Hear, to visit our quarters and inspeel thein.lo 
 do what lays in your power to obtain a change for us. 
 
 We think thai some arrangement can be made. We have no facili- 
 ties for keeping ourselves clean. There is one man at present under 
 the care of Dr. Marsh for scurvy, ami another man is confined to his 
 bed with all the symptoms of scurvy. In .justice to all we have no 
 complaints to make, but there are evils which we can not avoid, but 
 which you ca n reel it'y. 
 
 James McDonald. 
 
 For t/i' ' > ■<■". 
 Phil. Manx. 
 
 For fin F<<< mo 
 John Keeefe, 
 
 For the Het,;,h ,-, . 
 Titos. <T Lord, 
 
 For tltt' Xa ra relt.
 
 CKl'ISE OF I'll!'. I. S. REVENUE CUTTER HEAR. 1 4. 9 > 
 
 I'oixt Harrow, Alaska. ./>///' -'. is'.is. 
 
 Sir: Herewith we have the honor to submil the resllll of the post- 
 mortem exaniinntion held on Hie body of Phillip .Mann, wlio died 
 suddenly yesterday evening: 
 
 The bruin, luniks, stomach, liver, kidneys, intestines, and bladder 
 were normal. The heart was very inucli enlarged, pale, and non- 
 resistant, with large accumulations of fat around the base, and the 
 walls were twice the normal thickness. The aurieulo-ventricular 
 opening and mitral valve were defective and showed many calcareous 
 deposits. 
 
 I'i-diii the above conditions we conclude thai the subject died of 
 
 fatty heart. 
 
 Uespect fully, yours, S. .1. (all. 
 
 Su t'ljt nn, II. ( '. S. 
 
 II. K. .Marsh. M. I).. 
 
 .. issisfing. 
 First Li'-ut. I). II. JARVis, K. ('. S.. 
 
 < '■ im nut ml i mj < )fi r'ut ml L'iIu !' I\.r/j<-ti il inn . 
 
 An;, II III of thr rrin.lrrr 
 
 Received from Artisarlook.. .... . 
 
 Bought at Point Rodney . . . . 
 
 Received from Mr. \V. T. Lopp et ai 
 Bought at ( 'ape Prince of Wales 
 Receive I i'r< an Taotuk. ... .... 
 
 Received from G-overnment herd 
 Received trom (iolovin Bav herd 
 
 d in Hi 
 
 ■In ml I'.rjx'ilition 
 
 Losi and killed i n route 
 
 Killed tor food at Point Barrow 
 
 Died at Point Barrow ... 
 
 V-V.', 
 
 Fawns horn at Point Barrow- 
 Fawns died at Point Barrow 
 
 Remaining at Point Barrow . 
 Received at Point Hope 
 Killed fi >r food . . . 
 
 448 
 
 fi(i 
 
 ISO 
 
 1 
 
 '247 
 
 201 
 '2.-) 4 
 (54 
 — 100 
 
 :m 
 
 Fawns horn at Point Hope 
 Fawns died at Point Hope . 
 
 Remaining at Point Hope . 
 
 Total deer remaining at Point Barrow and Point Hone 
 
 48 
 439
 
 144 
 
 ckitsi: of the r. s. kevenfe cutter hear. 
 
 overland Relief Kxfedition. 
 
 Ratal Ratlnoij. Alaska. .1 a n nil r if .'". l*!)K m 
 Received from Artisarlook (Charlie), native of t his place. \ '■>'.) t'ei 
 (Ice r for l lu- use (»!' 1 he overland relief expedit ion 1o Point Harrow . 
 
 These reindeer a re given to 1 he l"n i ted States Treasurv I )epart nie 
 with 1 he understanding thai 1 hey are to he replaced in the summer 
 ISMS, i(io- ( .j j 1( . r with the estimated increase in the herd for ihe comii 
 spring, a bo in ni fawns, thus making -1 •"> reindeer in all to he replace 
 Should this nol be done the coming season, the inci'ease of the |'< 
 lowing year will have to he considered in the settlement. 
 
 I). II. J \ i; vis. 
 First Lit aft mi ///, /-,'. ('. S. . 
 ( 'mil nin in! i hi/ ( )n riti in' I't lit I L.r/ n 1 1 1 1 it 1 1, . 
 
 OVERLAND RELIEF KX PEDITI ( >N. 
 
 ('apt I'rnift ft' Waits. Alaska. Janiia iS'.iS. 
 
 Received from Mr. \V. \Y . Lopp, represent inn the American M 
 sionary Association. -'.<- reindeer for the use of t he overland reli 
 expedition to Poinl Barrow. Alaska. 
 
 These reindeer are given to t he 1'iiiled States Treasury Deparime 
 with the understanding t hat they are to be replace* I in the summer 
 1S!)S, together with the estimated increase in the herd for the comii 
 season, about 14<» fawns, thus making 4-'!i' reindeer in ali to 
 replaced. 
 
 Should this not he done the coming season, the increase of ihe l'< 
 lowing year will have to be considered in the sett lenient . 
 
 I). II. Jarvis. 
 Fi rsi Lit alt naiil. R. ( '. s.. 
 ', 'on: n:a ndiiKj ( >r< rla ml RtiaJ L.fjn a :l n >>i 
 
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