The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-15
CRUISE OF THE BEAR.
The Cutters Various Missions
in the Arctic Ocean.
A TRADING AND CATTLE SHIP.
Revenue Omcers Bartering with Natives
Passengers Accomm cd ated.
UNITED STATES STEAMER BEAR,

Ou cuf mere from u cruise VIC
found late file Of the Posr-IsTELLIGEycER
mailed to Us by some kind friend, and
thinking that friend may be one of the
many readers OF your paper. l drop you
these lines descriptive of our cruise.
We sailed from Port Townsend May Is
in company with the naval feet. We
made the run to this port in eight and one
half days with fair weather The York
town and Albatross remained with US a
few days. The Adams went via Sitka and
the Rush via Sand Point.
Shortly after our arrival the small
steamer Challenger was taken possession
of by the United States marshal for illegal
seal hunting in Boring sea. She made
raid on st. Georges island about the 18th
of November last and captured number
OF seals, thirty-hve skins of which were
taken by the marshal
After filing our bunkers with coal We
cruised among the seal islands until June 3.
We furnished transportation TO the special
treasury agent from St. Paups to 81.
Georges and waited for him to return.
The wreck OF the Alexander was on ST.
Paul's. She had gone ashore in April and
the crew of nineteen or twenty men was
landed on the island. Our special treasury
agent and the agent OF the sealing COM
pany came to some satisfactory arrange
ment by which transportation was fur
nished them by. the .cerasany's ship.
From 81. Paul's we steamed to st.
Matthews island where three men were
left last fall TO hunt polar bear. We found
one of them, the other two had gone across
to another island q month before and
since then nothing had been heard from
them. We took the lonely man with US
lsfo ,aa oil al
that compose the st. Matthew's group,
but found no trace OF the other two.
We found rather amusing diary kept
by one of the men in which he described q
polar bear hunt by the officers of the The
It's. Pheasant and Danube. 1t seems they
got six bears. and most of them were shot
by these three hunters. but of course the
officers claimed them, which, as the diary
expressed it, was pretty tough on me and
Jack and Frenchy."
From st. Matthew's we steamed to st.
Lawrence and there inspected the new
government schoolhouse that had been
erected last winter for the benefit of the
natives of Kings island. We got into
very heavy ice between the 10th and 18th
OF June and broke one blade of our pro-
peher. it being two and one-haif feet wide
and seven inches thick where it broke, so
we must have been among very solid ice.
We had several walrus hunts while in the
ice, resulting in capturing SIX and when
We arrived at Kings island, about June
Is. the carcasses were given to the natives,
who left the skins and heads to US. The
heads are of no use, except as curios The
hides are used by the natives to cover
their boats with, and also used in building
their summer houses and making lines,
etc.
From there we went to Golovine bay,
where We had beautiful weather. warm
smooth and bright, and no ice was seen.
There We carried news to some miners
who had been working q claim all winter
that their company would send no sup
plies this year, SO they would have to
abandon the work. Capt. Healy took
them to st. Michael's. where they could
get passage south on the st. Paul. After
that we started on our regular
business for the summer, which
was to transport reindeer from
Siberia to the American side, start
ing government reindeer ranch at a har-
Dor called Port Clarence, about fifty miles
south of Cape Prince Of Wales. We made
five trips across on this business and
brought altogether $50 deer. We lett them
in charge of two white men, who were ap-
pointed by the government, and four
native herders that We brought from
Siberia. We visited all the coast of Siberia
from the south head of Anidov bay to
Cape Serdge Kannir, and bought deer
whenever We could find camp of natives
who would part with them for pots. pans
kettles, axes, saws, files, rifles, -four or
calico. In fact, We must have had a regu-
lar variety store concealed somewhere on
board. The government had appropriated
SIS 600 and 81, 200 or 81, 500 had been raised
by Sheldon Jackson by private subscrip-
ton to carry this scheme through. So We
had lots OF funds. Besides. all the time
they were trading for all kinds of curiosi-
ties, HOUSEHOLD goods, boats, fishing and
whaling gear used by the natives, making
collections for the Columbian exhibition
next year. All this kept US very busy
until the 18th Of August. Wewere regu-
lar trading and cattle ship-a new business
for most of the revenue officers, and one
which some did not relish.
We were in the Arctic from August Is
until the end of the month. We went
almost direct to Point Barrows. where we
landed coal and supplies for the Refuge
station there, and changed the keepers.
Capt Borden, who had been in charge for
five years, was superseded by Mr.. Stew
ems. who had been a school teacher. A
young doctor from Michigan was made
school teacher.
The shore whalers there had caught
twelve whales this year. and we took on
board IL, 900 pounds of bone and some peo-
pie who wanted TO reach civilization. We
carried them 10 Unalaska. There had
been some trouble about the schooner Sill
yer Wave. She had been wrecked and
sold last year. The new owners hired the
same captain 10 get the schooner off,
which was soon done. The original owner
claimed that there was fraud in both the
wreck and the sale. The captain of the
cutter had instructions 10 seize the vessel
until the matter could be legally settled
She WAS found this year aground again in
3 lagoon near Icy cape. The cutters crew
got her aaoa,. found her sails and rigging
slowed away ana took possession of them.
The schooner was lowed to Grantley har-
Dor and anchored in a safe place The two
owners will have 10 fight the case in the
courts. We took a last look at the deer
ranch at Por, Clarence. and arrived at ST.
Michaefs on September 3. There we
found a new trading comrany-I think
they called il the North American Trans
portation Company-stranded on the
beach at ST. Michael's. They had steamer