The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1895-11-23
FATE OF A RUSSIAN COLONY.
Evevy Man Left on Halls Island, In p
ring Sea, Eaten by the Bears,

Evevy Man Left on Halls Island. In Be-
ring Sea. Eaten by the Bears.
From the quarter deck of the Unit.
ed States revenue steamer Corwin,
lying off Halls island, at the north
erly end of st. Matthew's island, in
Boring 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, half fallen
walls, and said they were ruined
barrabaras. The barrabara is the
Aleutian house, built half under
ground. Some of the gentlemen wish.
ed to explore the interior of the is
land in hopes of finding signs of val
liable minerals.
Mr.. Douglass, how about going
inland here?" inquired the captain.
We'll, Idon'tknow, sir" said the
pilot. Il wouldn't care much to go
at this time of year unless the party
was large and 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 chock
full of bears, and in the breeding sea-
son they're mighty ugly!"
How does it happen that there
are so many polar bears on St. Mat
thew's and Halls islands," asked
the captain. This must be about
the southern limit of their range"
We'll, l 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 here, and the bears make homes
on the island among the rocks and
caves They breed here, and as more
come every year from the north
they naturally get plenty. So long
as they find enough to eat they won't
trouble anybody unless cornered, and
once food gets scarce they'll attack
anything. One look at what's left of
those barrabaras mas always been
enough exploration tor me in these
parts.
There's a sad story about those
old houses, sir, continued the pilot.
"a good many years ago the Rus
slams thought they'd form a settle
ment here. So they sent a ship with
I don't know just how many people
10 make a start. No doubt the set
tiers We're a hard lot-convicts of
one sort or another-the Russians
often made such use of their hard
citizens. But that's neither here nor
there. They We're human beings and
were put on shore right here, and
they built or dug, whichever you
like to say, those barrabaras. Pro
visions for a year we're given them,
and they We're told to 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 so she did, but the settlers
were not doing anything that the
visitors could see. They hoisted nc
signal and made no sign of life al
all, and when q party from the ship
landed a grewsome sight it was they
saw. The tops ripped off the
barrabaras, and everything was
knocked about. Not a living thing
could they find. Some moldy pro.
visions were left, and, worst of all,
some human bones, not whole skele-
tons lying as though the people had
been starved or had died of disease,
but just human bones spread about
the floors, and some of EN- outside
on the ground.
mot a bit of writing was found
Nothing at all to say how or wheI
the trouble came. Water was plenty,
and provisions, too. and only the
bears could account for the wipins
out of the little colony. They mus
have corralled the settlers in the
dead of winter, when the pack ice il
all around the island, and hunger
makes 'em fierce, and then they mus
have torn off the roofs of the hut:
and made short work of the people
The ship sailed away, and the Rms
slams never tried to COLOMBO the is
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