The San Francisco call., 1897-11-06

row, and assert that if Uncle Sam had not
sold the provisions the lives of hundreds
of men would not have been placed in
jeopardy.
1.-The Point Barrow relief station should
never have been abandoned" said Captain
E. W Newth of the Jeanette yesterday.
Even If it was never required by the
VIII alers, it was of use every winter in saw
ing the lives of scores OF Indians. Now,
unless some relief reaches the imprisoned
men during the winter, l do not know
what the outcome will be. The outlook is
bad-very bad.
THE winter started in very early in the
Arctic this year. and it was only by a
scratch that 1 got my vessel out. We had
killed a whale. and after securing the
bone, were lying at anchor, when | saw
the Narwhal under full steam, chas ing
whales as l thought. l followed, and that
night anchored near Smith Point. The
next morning l got up very early, and
climbing to the crows nest took good
look around for whales.
What | saw made me get the vessel un-
der way in hurry. The ice was closing
in On me on all sides. While the Jeanette
was fighting her way out l looked back,
and there, about ten miles away, was the
i'm prisoned feet still at anchor. Our fight
for liberty took US through $50 miles of
new ice and 1 tell you we were glad TO
reach open water again"
The perilous situation of the impris-
oned whslers was thoroughly discus sed
by the captains of the returned vessels
yesterday. They were one and all of the
opinion that now was the time for the
Government to make some use of its rein
deer stations, and that If supplies could
be sent from st. Michael to Dawson by
means of the deer they could certainly be
sent to Point Barrow. 1t was pointed out
bv the different captains that last winter
Mr. Lopp, the teacher at Norton Sound,
had made the trip over the ice 10 Point
Hope and back just for pleasure; that
perintendent Schelmann of the deer sGa-
ton, in order to test the endurance of the
animals, had made the tfip from Port
Clarence to Nushagak and back, and that
Lieutenant Stoney, while surveying in the
vicinity of Kotzebue Sound, had made
several trips to st. Michael and back with
dog teams during the winter.
,"What l would suggest" said the old
est wbaler in the group, sis this: Let the
Government instructColonel Randall to do
the same for the VIII alers that he is to do
if necessary for the miners in Dawson
City. Then the revenue cutter Bear
should be fitted out and Cap ain Healy
placed in command of Ter. I'll gamble
on it that he will take the cutter as far as
Nunivak Island. From there the relief
party cou d reach the deer stat on on the
north side o. Norton Sound with the aid
of dog teams. At Norton Sound Charlie,
the Indian keeper, has about 200 deer, and
they could bs used 10 take the party to
Cape Prince Of Wales, where there is an
other herd OF $50 or 400 reindeer.
s'From that p ace to Point Hope would
be the hardest part of the journey, but
when Mr.. Lopp made it for pleasure
surely the rescue party could make it
when human life IS al stake. OF course
there is no certa nty that the venture
would be success, but still it would be
infinitely better tnan making no venture
at ALL
Lieutenant George M. Stoney, United
States navy, believes there is a chance TO
succor the icebound whalers although it
is slim chance and desperate one. But
for humanity's sake, he says, it ought to
be undertaken at once and by the Govern.
ment.
Lieutenant Stoney has had much expe-
rience in northern latitudes and has ira
versed large portion of Alaska, during
which he made several long journeys
over the snow and ice. the longest of
which being of fifty days duration. He
was one of the officers on the Rodgers,
that was sent in search Of the Jeanette