Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-11-28
CITY AND DISTRICT


- ASsA Win the NAt0fnltSt VINE D0s
Them FrOsa the Sands.
aEAoRIALs OF THE kxPEpITIoN THAT pIscoy
kRsD ALAsKA--A rERRIBLE ExPERIENcE OH
THE Alaska COAsT-rHE SEARCH FOR \
sEA-cow,
Among the exhibits soon to be placed in tn,
Sahonai Museum are some Interesting relic,
taken from Boring Island, near the coast o
kamschatka. They consist OF elass beads
grape shot and fragments of brass plate with
Russian armoriai bearings upon it. These
rehc were found on the spot where, lac
years ago, Vltus Bering aud his crew of n msn
~intered, and where Berng and 80 Others Der
lsheo- They were found on the site OF
the winter quarters by Prof Stejneger. of the
National Museum. The fur company Of Hutch
inson, Kohl, Phiiippeus d Co., having invited
the museum to send . scientist to Berinq
island to gather specimens OF the iora, fauna,
meyer, who went there In $50 and spent q wear
anu nail In various scientific pursuits.
THE STORY OF vIrUs BERrSG.
Tne professor Ia q genial Norwegian, and, in
answer TO the inquiries OF STAR reporter said:
TO Vltus Bering belongs the honor, although
lea from the east His IL the first expedition
of which we have authentic Information which
SET out from Asia for the exploration of Amer
lea. On his first voyage the explorer sailed
through Berfng straits without sighting the
American coast, which was at that time hid
den by the fog. He sailed some distance north
east and then retraced his course, but was
again prevented by the fog from discovering
the coast Of America. On his return he as,
serted that America was separate from Siberia
This was doubted and even denied by the
geographers OF the day, and Berfng made his
He never lived TO see bis theory indicated,
although he sighted America and discovered
deadly seorbnte had already attacked his sys.
tenn. The majority of the crew were soon
down with this disease and the re-
sci to Boring Island, where the sick
were carried ashore and winter quarters pre-
tine E. Pss4 aate dss
rocks and was wrecked. Boring and about
thirty others, out Of a crew Of seventy-seven,
naturalist and physician, lived through the
winter, built boat from the timbers of the st.
Peter and returned home"
SAILING AROUND THE ISLAND.
while there you circumnavigated the
island, did you not?' asked the reporter.
~Yes," said the professor with a smile, 81
made a voyage around the island in an open
boat .:x, II was rough experience assure you. :"
COW" said the scientist. "The sea cow is now
extinct Steller IL the only naturalist who ever
Of The remains OF this rare sn sPe for
the National Museum. I also desired to visit
the bay Of komandor, where Bering wintered
On the 21st of August, 1882, when we set forth
in an open sloOp boat, which Was loaned to me
by Herr Hofrat n Won Greonitski, the Russian
eInplOye of the fur company, and myself. Our
tent consisted OF an old sail. We took some
bareback, salt meat, cooking utensils, DC We
took no delicate food, as l made . rule TO live
the same As my men, Alter waiting in vain
we set sail into the fog. 1t was a most uncOm-
iortable voyage from beginning to end, but the
Ing 8 winter quarters were simply TERRIBLE"
BATTLING WITH THE Waves
WAS the weather very cold:" asked The
STAR man.
mo. The temperature is very bearable, but
me ,a iain ana i1g ana wind were most unc0m-
wind increased until it blew q hurricane and
II began 10 rain. The waves dashed into the
the wind howied and yelled among the cliffs.
by liberal promises of spirits 1 animated the
beyond the feadland was Komamdor' where
Boring wintered; but 10 was already dark and
saw plainly that we could not reach it that
night. nasty council was held and it was de-
termined To battle with the Impossible no
longer. but to land where we were. With great
difficulty We managed TO drag the boat up onto
the shore to spot sheltered toy . sand down.
Here We built fire from the damp driftwood,
and after liberal allowance OF tea and toddy,
oil our boat and sank to sleep. The weather
WAS simply appalling. 1t Son became almost
as Wet o'neath the shelter as Without. The
waves reared upon the beach and the wind
howied among the rocks AL through that
dres,ry night my thoughts were with Berng
and his crew; who had lived and suffered here
in our immediate neighborhood 14O years
before. In my mind contrasted ,thsie r}seraie
and despair. This was not fiatteriny, but 1t en-
courlsed and sustained me in the misery and
disconiio or Of those hours. The thoHsat that
WA ON the very spot where once Steiler and his
corapaniOns had winiered aroused my pride,
and sank 10 rest in spite Of storm and rain
with new courage in my heart.
During the whole OF the 2Sth we could do
nothing but crouch beneath our tent and move
our things from place To place, wherever IL was
On the 29th the weather cleared somewhat
and We were able to dry our stores and coliec-
tons. set out TO recon hotter In the direction
OF komandor. The coast here Is somewhat
broken and forms . little harbor, but the fate of
Behring'S vessel, which anchored there, would
but lily attest its security"
FINDING THE RELICS.
"f spent two days digging in the sands and
exploring at Komandor," continued Mr.. Stej-
meyer, land Is q reward for nv toll found a
quantity Of glass beads, probably used in bar
menfs of a brass plate with Russian arrnorisI
bearings upon il, &c, which had lain there one
hundred and forty years Near by were the
OF wood, buried in the sand, showed where the
survivors had built the vessel on which they
returned The exact spo, where Bering was
bluff near by and IL is supposed beneath
this bluff lies the dust OF one OF the first and
most successful of Arctic explorers. A superSti-
tious fear possessed my men during the two
days which passed upon this spot They re-
garded with horror my digging for relics. A
curtain OF fog, they told me, hangs always over
this spot. and though the weai her il lair TO the
north and south, it is always foul mere when
any one attempts 10 disturb the resting
place OF the dead explorers, and indeed in the
little time 1 was there i saw nothing TO dis
prove their assertions FINALLY I Welded TO
their entreaties and We proceeded on our way
On september LIST VIC arrived at Gavan, the
point Of departure, utterly weare0 OF our yoy.
age. was laid up with rheumatism, unable TO
move TOR days after our return. Indeed.
might have been lying there yet had not Capt
Sandman, the company's steamer, given me
some porous plasters. Ii only knew whose
plasters they were i would ask you to give the
Inventor u little free advertising"
THE SEARCH FOR THE SEA-C0w.
"Did you succeed in your search for a sea-
cows skeleton
IL gathered some specimens replied the
professor. (which are now on exhibition at the
National museum Among them il q com plete
skeleton. At Cape TOlstoj, August ~, while
hunting. Mr.. Osche discovered tue skeleton of O
seas-eow, with nearly every bone ia place. II
was, however, much decayed, and only a few
bones could be carried away. When Steiler
wintered on Boring Island the sca-eow existed
in large numbers. He is the only naturalist
who ever saw one alive, and the account he
gave Of IL Is undoubtedly correct. II had
short fore legs and No hind legs. 1t had q tai
like . whale, and, unlike the seal, wairus o.
whale, il ted entirely sea-weed. Indeed, i,
resembles more tile elephant aud pachy derms