Evening star., 1896-07-04
voYAGING TO THE FAR NORTH.
Talk With a Mariner Who Goes for
business, Not DfscOYery.

Talk With a Mariner Who Goes for
business, Not Discovery.
From the Seattle Post-Intellgencer.
| Miner w. Bruce, known in Alaska to al
most every person, native or white, within
that vast region. will sail for the north in
the schooner Ella johnson of Cook Inlet
fame some time tomorrow. Miner Bruce
las been in Alaska for a good many years.
and Is familiar with the geography and
customs of the country as the merchant is
with the Interior of his store. He has writ
ten a book on Alaska which has been pc
rused by thousands of people in the United
States, and has pI epared an excellent map
of the coast Of that country and Of east
ern Siberia.
When the Ella Jotnson sails tomorrow
she will have ten men aboard. besides the
leader. about 100 tons of merchandise for
trading and some lumber. She will go
first to Unalaska. and from there to st.
Lawrence bay, Siberia At East cape, the
most eastern point Of Siberia, two men will
be left. who will gather herd Of reindeer
together, to be called for on the return of
the schooner. The lumber going up Is for
the construction of their winter quarters,
and two years supplies of food will be left
with them. From East cape Mr.. Bruce
will go to Cape Hope, at which point the
the natives. He will then return to East
cape, and taking on the reindeer gathered
by the men left there. will proceed up the
Siberian coast In an attempt to reach the
far northern point. Cape Onman. which lies
In SO degrees 20 minutes north latitude,
about -he crossing of the Arctic circle. On
the way he VIII stop at Cape SerdZe, and
will enter Kolinchin bay.
This bay on the Siberian coast is as great
In extent as Cook Inlet and has probably
never been entered before by a vessel man
ned by whites. This is the very heart of
the Siberian reindeer &C untry. The REIN
deer taken win be brought to the United
States reindeer station at Port Clarence
and put off. Mr.. Bruce will then 20 back
to Siberia in the Ella johnson and remain
until driven out by the ice He expects to
pass through Bering straits on the return
before the middle Of September
In 1898 he took fourteen deer from that
side. and they ere taken to San Francisco
In little schooner, seven dying during the
three moths at sea. OF the seven that
reached San Francisco. only one is
living. 1t is at Leschi Park in this city. A
quantity OF moss on which the animals
feed was gathered, but rar out after a
month, and during the remainder of the
voyage the brutes sustained life on cabbage
and bread
This is the only instance where reindeer
have been bought from the Eskimos by
private parties" said Mr.. Bruce at the Oc-
cidental Hotel last night. The natives are
very supe-stitious and seem to think Ii will
bring disaster on the rest of the herd IL a
few arc sold. to white men and taken out
OF the country They will kill the deer and
sell the meat, but not the live animal so
! can't tell about the success of this expe-
dition- I fearful of lot being able to
buy them. For that reason / will estab-
lish the station at East cape to gather
reindeer Up during the coming winter and
spring. so as to have them ready to bring
across next summer. This will be the first
time / have ever gone into the interior. The
fna
ship to barter. They never Use money, and
! will take e iot of WirC Chesters along to
exchange. Through the Russian envoy at
Washington 1 have obtained the permis-
IBERIA.
Il wish you would particularly impress
on peoples minds that / am not going up
to look for Nansen- 1 vas offered 81 600
yesterday by a prominent newspaper to
send them news as to Nansen's wherea-
bouts ard whether he had reached the
pole. / am not going to look for him, and
Will make every effort to get down again
by next fall OF course, IL 1 should hear of
him l would make attempt to reach
him.
"Nensen will. in my opinion. be first
heard from in eastern Siberia. He went up
on the Atlantic side in June, 1893, with
twelve men in his party. His idea was to
get as far north as possible In their vessel
get frozen in the ice and be carried by the
currents right over the pole. He based his
sticks picked up IN 1892 on the northern
coast of Greenland, which we're proven to
be those used by the Alaskan Eskimos
They were thought to have drifted all the
way over from Alaska. My theory is that
they dropped off some whaler.
II don't take much stock In the theory
of currents drifting over the pole. but be-
neve Nansen's expedition to be the best
that has ever left for the pole. 1t Is thor
oughly fitted out. and Nansen Is a man
well fitted mentally and physically for the
undertaking g About April last 1T was re-
ported that Nansen was returning, but 1t
was proven to be without foundation. De
Long. who got the furthest north, was
stuck in the delta of the Lena river. If he
had come down through eastern Siberia he
would have come out all right Nansen,
who is well acquainted with the history Of
former expe ditions. will probably take that
course.
Il will notify all the Eskimo of eastern
Siberia ard Alaska, so far as am able, to
look out for Andre. the Frenchman who Is
going to attempt the finding of the North
pole in balloon. He is now fitting out in
France / understand several European
governments are backing him. He will go
as far north possible in a vessel, and
then. when the wind seems favorable, will
mount in a balloon. depending on the air
currents to watt him over the pole The