Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-03-15
A PLUCKY TELEGRAPHER.
eoME OF THE ADVENTURES or
GEORGE kENNAN.

zArss Ysars Iseyond the Pale Of civniss-
tisa-now the Catastrophe tn Ds rsug
anA nis Comrades Of the Jeanetss Exps-
ditiea Might Have Teen Averted.
Especial cOrrrspoudencel
NEW YORK. March l8.--6o much at.
tcntion has besn attracted Of late to the
subject Of Siberia and the Russian exile
system BY the writihgs and lectures Of
Mr.. George Kennan, and there being Q
movement on foot in America 10 smelio-
rate II posaible the condition Of the
unfortunate victims Of Russian rule,
that Il seemed TO me recently an inter-
view with tho now famous traveller
might unearth some bits Of his personal
experience that are not known to the
general public.
Mr.. Kennan b apparently between
forty and forty-flve years Of age, but pos
sesses that peculiar elasticity Of move
ment, NOT TO say temperament, which
makes him appear much younger. His
figure h slight but sinewy, indicating
good deal Of reserve power mingled with
that peculiar nervous force that IL often
found In journalists and telegrnphcrs (he
belongs, by the way, to the latter schooD.
and his face Is strongly marked with the
resolution that has carried him through
% many dif{icultiea Withnl, no Is evi.
IDENTIFY keen observer, retentive In his
memory, exact In hts facts and admira-
bly, descriptive In his style Of narrative.
! asked him TO give me of hand q
brief story Of his life and how AZ young
American no became 30 much Interested
in Russian travel. Plunging into the
subject, in medias res, as tho lawyers
say, he answered:
My father is probably the Oldest hv-
ing telegrapher In the United States, be-
ing now 81 years Of age. As the man.
ager Of an Office ON the Wade, Speed
and o'Reilly line In Norwalk, o., where
I was born-the first line built In the
west--he taught me the Morse alphabet.
and on my sixth birthday. before was
able to read manuscript, sent my first
dispatch. At the age Of 10 was reg.
ularly employed in q telegraph office.
At tho outbreak OF the war, though but
. mere boy, ! went to Wheeling, Colum-
bus, and finally TO Cincinnati. being all
the time anxious TO get into tho tclc.
graph corps at the front, then under the
control Of Gen. Staeger. an old acquaint-
ance Of my father. In this. however, !
failed.
Mr.. Perry Macdonald Collins mean
while had projected an overland limo
from America to Europe by way Of
British Columbia. Behring straits and
Alaska to Siberia, tho object being TO
obtain communication with Europe
without employing the ocean cable.
which at that time was not working
with regularity. After surveying the
route he came back, interested the West
ern Union company, and an agreement
was made with the Russian authorities
10 construct limo to California, thence
to Behring straits, up through Alaska
and on to the mouth Of tho Amoor river.
Here the Russian government WINS to
meet uB with its lines from st. Peters
burg. This enterprise attracting my at
tention, wrote to Gen. Staeger. asking
for q position In one Of tho exploring
parties to be sent out. He did not reply
TO tho letter, but one night came to tho
instrument In his Office and, being q
practical operator, inquired for me.
! answered over tho wires. He asked:
"Can you get ready TO start for Alaska
In two weeksr' "Yes," replied, II can
get ready In two hours" "You may
goi" was the message that came back.
was then 10 years Of ago. Proceed
ing to California with one Of tho parties
OF the expedition, I remained there un.
I'll July, 1855, when with three others l
started ON small trading vessel for
Kamchatka, landing on Its peninsula
after a tedious voyage Of forty seven
days. Then began life OF adventure
and hardship which lasted two years,
and took me over Siberia from Behring
straits down to the Okhotsk sea, our OBJ
ject being to locate the most desirable
route 10 the mouth Of the Amoor river.
During this period travelled six or eight
thousand miles on dog and reindeer
sledges, horseback and in canoes, fre-
quently camping out OF doors six weeks
ct time In winter.
After the successful laying Of the Sec
ond Atlantic cable, I received notice In
the autumn OF 1867 that our enterprise
had been abandoned. As the circum-
stances have not been published, they
may be Of interest. We had large force
Of men at work, and were cut OF from
communications from the civilized world.
Occasionally, however. vessel would
come into the Okhotsk sea, and every
spring we would go down TO tho coast
70 watch the horizon for the smoke that
rose while the crew were trying out their
whale oil, hoping to get news from the
civilized world. We had q whale boat in
which we could go out short distance
to sea, and, in the summer OF 1867, OBJ
serving In the far distance welcome
cloud that indicated the presence OF .
whale ship, we manned our little craft
and started TO board her.
As we approached the captain paid lit
tie or no attention to US, thinking we
were only q party Of natives. Finally,
however, we succeeded in climbing on
deck, and walking aft said to the cap
tain: "Good day, sir. What Is the name
OF your vesselT' You never saw man
look more astonished, for, being dressed
in the costume Of the country, he did not
expect TO find in me one Of his own race,
or hear his own tongue spoken. As soon
as he could catch his breath he exclaimed:
"Good Lord! Has the universal Yankee
got up here2 Where did you come from7
How did you get here? What are you
doingY And then followed q welcome
the warmth Of which you must imagine.
His name was Capt. Hamilton, and his
bark the Sea Breeze, from New Bedford.
On parting the captain gave US bundle
Of newspapers, some Of them year old,
and presented us with liberal supply Of
provisions. AS soon as we reached shore
we built camp fire and sat down to re-