Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-12-30
Young Mans Long Trip.

BY the time this letter reaches you or
within a few days afterward, you will
have with you in America a young Eng
lishman, who proposes to take a novel
journey, says a London letter to the
Philadelphia Times. The young Eng
lishman is Harry de Windt, and his
journey will be from America to Europe
by land It will take him two years,
cost him f5OOO and he will be the first
man who has ever performed it. From
this it will be gathered without diff
Guilty that Mr.. de Windt is a man of
leisure and practical traveller. This is
true, in fact as an amateur explorer he
has not many superiOrs, for he has just
returned from a trip through Siberia, in
which he inspected the Siberian prisons,
and his first journey was from Pellin to
Calais by land. He comes of a we'll
descent. His sister married Baiah
Brooke of Sarawak The idea of the
present journey was given to him at
Nikolaiefsk. Siberia, by Capt. James
Adair of the American sealing schooner
Ada, with whom he discussed the cues
ton Of the longest possible journey by
land. Capt. Adair said that he had
crossed Behring straits seven times on
ice. and, counting that as land, the jour
new from New York to Paris would be
as long one as man would care to
take. The idea struck Mr.. de Windt
he would accompany him on such trip;
the captain, with true Yankee spirit.
jumped at the offer, and the bargain was
struck
Mr.. de Windt's party for the journey
will consist of himself and Capt. Adair
and Mr.. de Windt's servant. George
Harding, who has accompanied him on
all his trips, and his escort, which will
be procured at Vancouver by Capt
Adair, will consist of some thirty Indians
and half-breeds, all well armed, for the
journey through Alaska will be danger
Gus one, especially at Cooks inlet, not
on account of the natives, but the min
ers. Mr.. de Windt said to your CORE
spondent:
Only plan, roughly, is to make my way
slowly across America, to reach the Pa
cifc coast and while waiting for favor
able weather to complete my party. |
shall stay in Vancouver for three weeks;
servant and then go right away by the
end of March. Leaving Sitka and pass
ing Mount St. ELIAS. shall penetrate
the unknown portions of Alaska and
after reaching Nulato, 300 miles from
Prince of Wales cape Ghe most westerly
point of America) nothing can possibly
be heard of me for eight months-that is
to say until I have traversed Alaska,
crossed the Behring straits on the ice to
East cape (the most westerly point of
Asia) and reached Yakoutsk in Eastern
Siberia-a distance Of not less than 5000
miles. During great portion Of this
section of the journey shall have to live
underground. The wind storms, known
as bourga. will be a serious danger, be-
cause while they last there is a chance
Of the traveller being buried The cold,
too, will be terrible I shall have four
months of darkness at Anadyrsk in
Eastern Siberia. point two months
journey from Behring straits. | leave
civilization at Sitka British Columbial
and return to it at Irkoutsk, six months
journey from Behring straits and within
300 miles of the Chinese frontier
Behring sea will be crossed with the
aid of sledges. and the journey will take
ten days or SO, as the ice hummocks
make progress very difficult. The jour,
dangerous that Mr.. de Windt has ever
undertaken, and he will cover not less
than 10000 miles.