The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-17
FATE OF A RUSSIAN COLONY.
Every Man Left Oh Halls Island, In
Behring Sea, Eaten by Bears.

--s
New York Sun.
From the quarterback of the United States
revenue steamer Corwin lying OF Hairs
island, at the northerly end of st. Mat
thew'S island, in Behring sea, the captain
and several officers were looking toward
the shore. Douglass, the pilot, had just
pointed out something under the cliffs that
looked like low, fallen walls. and said they
were ruined barrabaras. The barrabara is
the Aleutan house, built half under ground.
Some of the gentlemen wished to explore
the interior Of the islands in hopes of
finding signs of valuable minerals.
Mr.. Douglass, how about going inland
here?" inquired the captain
well, don't know, SIR said the pilot
Il wouldn't care to go much at this time
of year, unless the party was large ana
we'll armed Any one can see from here
what a forbidding country it is and it's
sure to get worse when you reach it, It's
chocll full OF bears and In the breeding
season they're mighty ugly!
How does it happen that there are an
many polar bears on st. Matthew'S and
Halls islands,? asked the cap.a-ii. '!4..s
must be about the southern limit of their
range"
well. suppose. sir, they come. down
from the Arctic on the field ice following
the seal and the walrus. The winter pack
reaches way south of mere. and the bears
make homes on the island among rocks
and caves. They breed here and, as more
come every year from the north, they
naturally get plenty. So long they find
enough to eat they won't trouble any body
unless cornered and once food gets scarce
left of those barrabaras has always been
enough exploration for in these parts.
There's a sad story about those old
houses, Sir" continued the pilot. "A good
many years ago the Russians thought they'd
form settlement here. So they sent ship
to make a start. No doubt the settlers
were hard lot--convicts of one sort or an
7other-the Russians often made such use
OF their hard citizens. But that's neither
here nor there. They were human beings,
and were put on shore right here; and they
hull 6rrsr hi
those barrabaras. Provisions for a year
were given them, and they were told 20
skirmish round and see what they could do
in the hunting line. Then the ship sailed
away, promising to call round next year and
see how they were getting along.
And she did, but the settlers were
not doing anything that the Visitors could
sign of life at all, and when a party from
the ship landed a grewsome sight 1T was
they saw. The tops were ripped off the
barrabaras and everything knocked
about; not living thing could they find.
Some moldy provisions were left, and.
skeletons lying as though the people had
been starved or had died of disease, but
just human bones spread about the floors,
and some of 'em outside on the ground.
mot a bit of writing was found; nothing
at all to say how or when the trouble came.
only the bears could account for the wiping
out of the little colony. They must have
corralled the settlers in the dead of winter,
when the pack ice is all around the island
and hunger makes EN- fierce, and ten they
must have torn off the roofs of the huts
ship sailed away and the Russians never
tried to coloniZe the island again.