Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-16
THE RUSSELL PARTY SAFE.
His Wife Receives the First Letter for Over
Four Months.

Four Months.
letter was received yesterday from Prof
Israel Russell, the Alaskan explorer, by his
wife in this city, winch indicated that the
rumors of disaster to the party, sent out by the
Geographical Society. in the region of Mt. st.
Elias, Alaska, are wholly unfounded. His note
was brief one, dated at Yakutat bay on the
23d Of September. and stated that he had had
difficulty in obtaining passage back to sitka
and thence to the United States passenger
steamer had touched there, but 1t was SO
crowded that the captain could not give him a
berth. He was therefore waiting for another
steamer, possibly cruiser of the navy, which
would get there in a few more days This is
the hst note of any sort that Mrs Russell has
had from her husband for over four months.
and. though brief il was welcome beyond any
degree OF expression, especially in view of the
gloomy reports that have been received from
time to time and more so on account of the un-
fortunate circumstances attending the landing
OF the party at lakutat bay on their arrival in
Alaska, which were given a tinge of foreboding
OF evu by some writer's at the time.
PROBABLY AT sIrKA
According to the dates in the note Mrs. Rus
sell thinks that her husband is now at sitka.
and as he said that he would lose no time in
Washington in a fortnight. 4 here was no mem
tion of any further casualties attending the ex-
pedition.
1t is not understood how the captain of the
cutter Corwin should have made the error of
supposing that Prof. Russell and his party were
to have met him at Yakutat as this was not a
part of the program a; all The Corwin folks
may have touched at the bay, thinking to meet
the party by chance. and failing to do this
jumped to the conclusion that something was
wrong. The date of Prot. Russelrs letter shows
that lakutat bay was reached after the Corwin
touched there, for the dispatch in regard to her
mentions September l as the date of her ar
rival at the bay.
Mr.. Grove K Gilbert, chief geoloeist of the
United States geological survey, said to a srAR
reporter today:
"A dispatch from San Francisco, which ap-
peared IN the press dispatches last evening,
stated that anxiety was felt in regard to the
party and that the revenue cutter Corwin, hav-
Ing an appointment to meet the party at Yak
utat on September l, proceeded to the rendez-
vous, but obtained no news of the party In
point OF fact the program Of the party did not
include returning to Yakutat SO early as Sep
tember and it had no appointment TO meet
the Corwin- The party did reach Yakutat about
two weeks later and sent letters by the mail
steamship touching Yakutat on September 2S,
which letters have reached Washington. By
the courtesy OF the Secretary of the Navy it
was arranged that the U.S.S. Pinta should
transport the party from Yakutat, and they are
doubtless now en- route from Yakutat TO Sitka
or from Sitka to Port Townshend. The letters
state that the party is in good health and has
suffered no disaster since the unfortunate acci-
dent at the time of its landing in Icy bay Its
work has been, in general. successful The
Malasnina glacier was surveyed, reconnaissance
were run In several directions into territory
previously unknown and the height of Mount
st. Elias was determined by triangulation. but
tho attempt to ascend the peak was again
unsuccessful, the party being driven back, as
before, by storms. 1t is expected that Mr.
Russell will arrive in Washington about No.
vember l."