The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-07-18
Wha1ers in the Icy Prison
Now Beyond Reach
Of Want.
Overland Relief Expedition Under
Lieutenant Jarvis Reaches
It's Destination.
BY LIEUT.. J. G. BERRY, u. r.. S.

UNITED STATES RELIEF STEAM
Err BEAR, at Cape Prince Of Wales,
Boring Straits, Alaska, June 23.-The
Bear dropped anchor off the village
here this afternoon and Captain Tuttle
and / went ashore to see the man who
succeeded in driving 400 reindeer from
here to Point Barrow, $50 miles, and re-
turning to Cape Prince of Wales, HOO
miles in all. His name is w. T. Lopp
He is the teacher of the public school
here, and, like all of the school teachers
in this region, he is also missionary.
But that should not be laid up against
him, because he is really friend Of the
natives and believes in helping them to
improve their condition in this world.
With him the desire to aid humanity is
superior to the trading instinct. Mr..
Lopp is a handsome man of medium
height, sQuarely built, has brown hair
and a mustache. He gives the impress
sion of great strength and endurance.
His expression of features is that of a
mild, patient, yet determined man. Two
years ago, in the dead of winter Mr.
Lopp and his wife went to call on their
next door neighbor, Mr.. briggs, at
Point Hope, 27O miles away. They
stayed there a week and then drove
their reindeer team back, having COW
cred a distance of at least $40 miles.
Probably half of the herd here be-
longs to the natives, they having &C
quired deer for their services as herd
ers. A few miles from here an Eskimo
gentleman named Artisarlook (people
call him Charley owned a herd of
about 100 deer. When Jarvis came
along. Charley cheerfully gave his deer
to the Government, and he and DR.. Call
drove them to Cape Prince of Wales to
Join the others. Jarvis, meanwhile. had
pushed on and collected the Prince of
Wales herd. The natives here were just
as nice about it, and Mr.. Lopp not only
turned over the deer in his charge, but,
at great self-Sacrifice, left his wife and
three children among the natives here,
with no white person near them, and
started for Point Barrow.
Jarvis and Call started ahead on dog
sleds following the coast. On the next
day Lopp left his reindeer station, a
few miles back of this place, and set
out with over 400 deer and seven herd
ers. He took no dog teams because the
deer are apt to be stampeded by dogs.
The herders are to receive $50 a
month for their services. None of them
know what a dollar is and are likely to
trade a dollar for a string of beads
worth a nickel. If the Government pays
them in rifles or -four, and the United
States always gives good measure,
their respect for the dollar will be enor-
nous.
All but four of the herders were sent
back from somewhere near Point Hope.
From there Mr.. Lopp and four natives
drove 400 reindeer all the way to
Point Barrow. This is fact, and not a
cowboy story. Arrived at Point Bar
row, Charley and one other herder were
left to take care of the whole herd.
The expedition has been perfectly
successful. But in sending out the ma
tives to shoot wild reindeer, Of which
they brought in over 700, Charles
Brewer, agent of the Liebes Trading
Company, did more for the whalers
stranded there than this whole expedi-
tiop would have accomplished had they
received no other aid. Yet in the
were at hand there. The fact that,
owing to Mr.. Brewer, there has been
no real need of outside assistance
should not detract in the slightest de-
gree from the credit that belongs to
the members of the Arctic relief expe-
dition. Lieutenant Jarvis, Lieutenant
Bertholf, DIR. Call and Mr.. Lopp, to say
nothing of Charley and the other herd
ers, went through great hardships and
did wonderfully good work. The rest
Of us had q very lonesome winter away
from civilization and showed our good
intentions, although we could do moth
Ing more.
When Jarvis reached Point Barrow
he found everything in good condition,
thanks to the energy and good judg-
ment of Mr.. Brewer. There was no
suffering from hunger, nor had there
been any. Mr. Lopp says he fattened
up on the rations that the suffering
whalers gave him while he was there.
Jarvis did find, however, that the
men were too closely packed into two
houses while the officers were living
in comparative luxury. So he took
charge of affairs and made the officers
take their share of the men into their
house. His action may have prevented
considerable sickness.
He reports that two men have been
lost. The cook of the Rosario, name
not known to me. was frozen to death.
and q man named Kelley of the Orca
fell into the stern hole of the Belvidere
and was drowned. The stern hole is a
clear place which the crew keep around
the stern of a vessel frozen in the ice
so IndI the TuOQcT ana screw can De
worked in case of necessity. There
have been two cases of scurvy. now
nearly cured. The names of the VIC
tins have not been sent down
Briefly told, the story of the over
land expedition is this: Lieutenant Jar
Wis and DR.. Call left Tununak and went
straight to st. Michael. thence to
Unalaklik, thence to Golovine Bay.
There they met DR.. Kittleson. assistant
superintendent Of the United States
Reindeer Station, and now in charge of
the station. He was on his way from
Port Clarence to Unalaklik with the
Government herd of reindeer. but turn
ed back with Jarvis and piloted him
over the moutains to Point Rodney.
Then he returned to his herd.
At Point Rodney DR.. Call was left to
come along with Charley and his rein
deer. while Jarvis lost no time in
reaching Lopp.
Mr.. Lopp's house was buried in the
snow and the door was reached
through long tunnel. Mrs. Lopp met
him at the door and promptly told her
husband that there was a native there
who spoke English. They let him in
and Lopp said, who are wou?" Jarvis
told him to guess. He guessed
briggs from Point Hope. Jarvis
told him to guess again. Finally he
suggested that Lopp could find out for
himself If he would kindly brush the
snow and ice off his face. This was