The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-19
A Land Where Wives Can Be Pur
chased at Fifty Dollars a Head.
EeastinS on Raw Frozen fish and Boiling
Hct Tea-A Descriptive Letter of
Rare Interest.


Mrs. Julia Schuetze, OF this city, from her
son, Master William Schuetze, U. S. N, who
went with Lieutenant Harder to search for
the survivors of the Jeanette in January,
1882:
YAKoUTsK, Eastern Siberia, Dec. z, 1882.
By the time this reaches you you will long
since have learned of my whereabouts and
movements through the kilograms sent from
Irkoutsk, but still | suppose a short descrip-
tion of what we have done and intend to do
will be interesting, though it will be ancient
history two or three months hence. sent
my last letter TO you i'll June last 1t was
necessarily short owing to the great hurry we
were in to leave for the mouth OF the river.
We made the passage down the river to Blu
lun In nine days-a distance of 900 miles.
We had contrary winds and grounded many
times on the numerous shoals of which the
Lena is full The weather at times was dis
agreeably warm and the mosquitoes simply
feroccus. | had heard of these pests of tine
Arctic regions; but their number and thirst
for ''blood" are beyond description. We
found that the native horse-hair masks or
hoods, and heavy bucKskin gloves tied around
the wrists afforded but little protection.
They can sting through heavy flannel shirts
with great ease.
Frequently all hands were obliged to get
overheard and haul our small vessels off the
sand bars. On the whole, however. we had
fair trip to Bulun. We passed few natives
huts between Aldan and Shigausk, but saw
not over half dozen natives at the latter
place. One would expect from look at the
chart to find quite town. Years ago it was
q town of some importance. At present,
however, there are only the priest and his
family and two or three Takouts to be
found. The little wooden church can be
seen for some distance, and besides 1T there
is nothing to attract attention but few I'M
occupied mud huts jourbas) of the Takouts.
Bulun, at the time of our arrival. was al
most deserted-the inhabitants being scat
tered along the river attending to the sum-
mer fishing. We remained in Bulun day
only and then proceeded to our working
field, the delta of the Lena. We stopped at
Kumak Surka on our way down, distributed
some presents which we had brought for
the natives from Eisenhower in the shape OF
calico dresses and tobacco, brick tea. guns,
etc; procured as n guide Cutear VASTLY
VASTLY Koolgarl the man who was
found by the whaeboat's crew. and
few days after reached Seem
ovialact (winter quartersl viii
lage at the eastern mouth of the Lena
river. On our way ont we passed in sight of
De Longs and crews graves. Just on the left
of the river where it flows into the delta.
The natives who live on the delta are mostly
TumgueS or q mixture of that race with the
Takouts. In winter they live in small viii
lagos, which are collections OF comfortable
with mud and sods. In summer they wander
all over the delta in pursuit OF reindeer and
wild geese. The latter they kill in large
numbers in the moulting season-June, July
and August / saw in one village of four
huts more than 4 600 geese which had been
strung up to be kept for future use. There
were no natives in the village no guard was
needed to protect the store of provision
their condition was too high. When the
birds are ready to fall from their supports
the natives say they are (pireway sort) first
class In the fall and winter. the fishing
season, the inhabitants live almost solely
upon fish and tea. The latter they drink in
large quantities and boiling hot. During the
summer months very few fish are caught.
Reindeer also are scarce in the Tumguse
larder owing to the almost total absence of
firearms The animals are watched until
they attempt to cross one of tine numberless
branches of the river, when the native
rushes up in his canoe and with long spear
dispatches the animal in the water.
DIVISIONS OF THE DELTA.
The villages are situated in three dis
tinct divisions in the delta, and in winter
the natives can be found in no other spot, I'M
less they may happen to be found making a
sledge journey between villages, or on a tour
of inspection of fox traps, with which, one
may say, the country is literally covered.
OF these districts one is situated at the east
ern mouth of the delta, and comprises three
villages, Arruella and Seemovaact where
Danenhower and party lived for forty DAYS
after being found, and Buikoff, or Tamuse, as
ghe natives call it. The second district is at
the northern mouth OF the delta. About
geven miles from the mouth are the villages
of Kitach. Nooth, Bulun and the deserted
village of Lagastye The latter is marked on
the charts and is the one sought by De Long
when he landed. Poor De Long and party
however, landed about twenty-five miles
eastward, and, marching directly SOUTH died
of starvation and cold on II small island near
the southern limit of the delta.
The third district Is at the mouth of the
west branch of the delta. and comprises the
villages of Arru, Titan, Turrach and Janal-
ach. Turrach is marked on tine charts In
September all the natives retire to their vii
lagos, and soon after October, when the riv-
ers are frozen, the fishing season begins, The
nets, made of white horsehair-and well
made, too-are set under the ice, and fish in
great numbers are taken They are the fin
est fish have ever eaten, and have become
quite used TO taking them native fashion,
raw and frozen hard. The fish is cut in strips
and taken with little salt. Two or three
kinds are caught many weighing forty
pounds and over The natives congregate
as described. near the mouth OF the river be-
cause the fishing there is better than in other
parts OF the delta
After we had reached Seemovaasch we
began the search. HARDER and crew in the
whaleboat OF the Jeanette, which had been
left at Tamuse, searched the coast TO the Jana
liver, and in n dory with two of our men
and two natives in their dugouts searched
through the delta to a point marked Bas-
kin on the chart in northeast delta.
This search occupied nearly one
month. Upon our return we
moved the schooner up 10 place called Mat
Way, where De Long aud party are buried, or
rather near there, at the point where the
Lena flows into the delta. Then l and Il crew
of four, accompanied by Ensign Hunt in the
whaleboat, made search through the delta
10 the WESTWARD and along the coast to the