The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-01-18
TOLLS SIBERIAN EXPEDITION.


tons Of recent years was Baron Tolls
expedition in 1893 to Arctic Siberia and
| the new Siberian islands. This enter
prise was organized by the st. Peters
| burg Academy of sciences, and it's pri-
mary purpose was to investigate the
| report of a Siberian merchant that the
perfect body of mammoth had been
discovered near the Arctic sea. AL
though many fragments of these ami
mails have been found, the bodies or
even the skeletons have rarely been in
a state Of good preservation. and the
st. Petersburg Academy of sciences has
more than once demonstrated its will
ingness to investigate the reports that
such prizes are attaina bic. There is
always a large probability that these
reports are inaccurate, and Baron Toll
was told to examine not only the NAM
moth find, but also to explore the very
little known tundra region west of the
Lena river.
The hopes with regard to the NAM
moth were not fulfilled. The spot in
dicated was some distance inland, di-
rectly south of the New Siberian
islands. Small pieces of wool-bearing
skin, parts of the extremities and the
lower jaw of a young mammoth were
dug from the entalluvial sands that
had covered them after they had been
washed by the Sanga-Yolyakh river out
of post-tertiary beds in which they
were originally buried. The skull was
broken and the tusks had, OF course,
become the spoil of some hunter.
In his subsequent journeys Baron
Toll, with his comrade, Lieut.. Shileiko,
visited the New Siberian islands, and
explored the Arctic tundras for nearly
fifty degrees of longitude.
In the most southern of the New ST.
berian islands Baron Toll found under
the permanent ice sedimentary de-
posit made in sweet water, and thus
apparently found where this island was
q part OF the mainland. In this deposit.
mixed with pieces OF willow and the
bones of mammoths and other post
tertiary mammals, were complete
trees, fifteen feet long, with leaves
and cones. This interesting discovery
shows that at the time when the NAM
moth wandered over north Asia and
Europe tree vegetation reached the
74th degree of latitude, and so it's
northern limit was at least two hun
dred miles north of the line that now
marks its boundary in that direction.
The baron makes some interesting
observations on the present animal life
OF the islands. He says the only win
ter inha abitants of the archipelago are
white mice, which he found there in
great quantities in the spring. They
furnish abundant food to one or two
varieties of gulls, and also to white
bears. which were frequently met.
The mice were in state OF feverish
activity, travelling from one island 20
another, and making the long journey
over the ice to and from the continent.
while geese and gulls, which abandon
the islands in the fall. were returning
TO their summer haunts-
The explorer observed some of the
vaga-ies of the Arctic spring and sum-
mer climate. When Baron Toll made
his first visit 10 the islands in Nav.
1856. the temperature was far below
lAlc AEcSZ1HS k'CAnA At tAlc SAME peElC0
last year, however. warm rainy DAYS
were the forerunner of summer. and
two months later. on the coast of the
Arctic ocean. in latitude sevenrv-two
degrees, the temperature was ninety
three degrees Fahrenheit above zero,
-ivaling the cog days OF this latitude.
The heat intensified the plague OF
gnats. and the baron thinks ne has
discovered the real usefulness Of these
pests in the Siberian tundras- He saws
they greatly annoy the wild reindeer.
keep them on the move and drive them
within convenient reach OF the few
scattered inhabitants of that region:
50 gnats and mosquitoes, he thinks.
serve useful purpose as FOUNDERS up
o. game for the benefit OF the Arctic
cousins OF our Esquinaux
Geologists will find much OF interest
in the record of Baron Tolls work in
the region west OF the Lena river
drained by the Anabar, region that
had not heen.IiSitsl- bzxa European