Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-21
A BLEAK REGION.
Il Sailors account of Wranget Land.
San Francisco Chronicle

sodH francisco OTlrOn1cle.
There are in all probability not more
than about twenty white people living who
have ever set foot on Wrangel land or
Flowers island, two names by which the
maps of the day distinguish an incom-
pletely traced shore line in the Arctic
ocean from the black dot farther to the
south named Herald island. The youngest
person who ever roamed over the insular
waste is unquestionably Frank Smith, of
the American ship Alfred D. Snow, now
lying at Vallejo street wharf Young
Smith was one of the crew of the steam
whaler Belvidere on her last years whaling
cruise in the Arctic, under command of
Capt. l.. @. Owens, who has penetrated the
frozen regions of the north for successive
seasons for over a quarter of a century.
The Belvidere had spoken the revenue
cutter Thomas II. Corwin in August, 1881,
III the Arctic, and learned Of Capt. Hoop
er's purpose to take possession of Wrangel
land, which, until the boating party of
Lieut.. Reynolds, of the Corwin, had al
ways been supposed to be vast continent.
he being recorded as the first to land
there. One week after the Corwin had left
the Belvidere made for the southeast end
of the island. Two boats were sent out
from the Belvidere, and she cruised about
for two days. Smith was one of the party.
and his impressions, as narrated to re-
porter were as follows:
las soon as we got ashore, we saw the
signal planted by Lieut.. Reynolds, small
American ensign fastened to a slender
piece of driftwood, driven int the soil,
such as it is. The island rises abruptly
from the ocean, though not precipitously.
There is no beach to speak of, the land
having an average elevation of ten feet
above the surface of the water. 1t is sur
rounded by deep water, and from sound
ings that our party made we found an av--
erage depth of ten to twelve fathoms at a.
distance of ten feet from the shore.'
"What is the nature of the soil?" asked
the reporter.
There is no earth to speak Of" replied
the youthful mariner, laughingly.- 1.-THE
soil is formed, almost entirely. of what
seemed to be large black pebbles of a
sandy nature. Between these grew a green
and thin three-bladed grass, resembling
very much the wood-tick grass of the east
ern states" t
What was the size of the island?"
Il should Judge it had circumference
of about $50 miles. The island is a fiat
table land. AS you go toward the center
you come across numerous ponds and
marshes of brackish water. The only veget-
alton you see there is a small pinkish.
odorless flower with four petals and the
familiar rock moss. The soil is what you
might call peat. It is not mushy. but
elastic, reminding you when you walk on it
of the give" in cork. Everything is black,
just as if it had been smeared with coal
tar. You find piles of driftwood every
where
Washed up by the waves?''
''They would have beea," was the reply.
''but the fact is that the island during some
seasons is entirely submerged under the
ice. 1t is a well-known fact that in some
seasons the island is lost to sight. and that
is undoubtedly the reason why Capt. De
Long, of the Jeanette. did not as he was
instructed to do, leave any account of him
self. There is no animallife on the island.
was told that there were squirrels. but
what would they find to feed on? 1 did not
see anything. Ducks and birds make a
resting place on the island, and in open
seasons the Mesinker natives come from
the American shore to fish and to hunt
walrus. These are the natives from which
relics. of the lost whalers, yigilant and
Mount Wollaston were obtained Desolate
and uninviting as the island is, it was
sort of atwo-days' picnic for us; and our
party was glad to get an opportunity to
stretch our legs little. The Belvidere
was the last to see the crew of the Arctic
relief ship Rodgers on the 2Sth of last
October, the crew being then at ST. Law
renee bay building their winter quarters
There is large amount of corruption,
no doubt, in politics, but small amount
of the artic is left outside. Here is an in
stance: William Young, aged ninety
three, won a wrestling match and run
mile in five minutes at an Illinois fair. 1t
is charged that the other wrestler was
bribed, and the timekeeper for the race
also accused of corruption; but all agree,
including Young himself, that Young is a
wonderful old man.