The San Francisco call., 1898-02-14
CAPTAIN TUTTLE'S
 OFFICIAL REPORT.

CAPTAIN TUTTLE'S
 OFFICIAL REPORT. Tells Secretary Gage of the Landing
 of the Expedition to Rescue
 the Whalers.
 WASHINGTON, Feb. 13-The Secre- tary of the Treasury to-day received the following report from the captain of the Bear:
 Seattle, Feb. 13, 1S9S
 Secretary of the Treasury: The Bear arrived at Unalaska at noon of Decem- Der g. coaled and watered there and sailed for the north at 1:35 a. m. on the l1th, arrived off the southeast cape of St. Law renee Island at D. m. on the 18th, where ice was encountered, and on December If ice was forming rapidly. Cape Nome was ninety-six miles distant: l conclud- ed that the vessel would be frozen in long before the Cape could be reached, and therefore turned and steamed south ward for Cape Vancouver, which was reached at S:5o p; m. on @ the 10th, too late Lieutenants Jarvis and Bertholf, Dr. Gail and MT. Koltchoff, with their outfits and mails for St. Michael and the north, were landed on the 16th about five miles from the village of Tununak, Cape Vancouver Lieutenant Jarvis made arrangements with the trader of the village to guide and assist his party to St. Michael which place the trader said could ibe reached in ten days via Andreafski. On account of bad weather and running ice the Bear overland. We sailed from Vancouver at $40 a. m. on the 17th, and called at the Seal Islands on the 2oth and Fist All well bedaper thers a We AT aHrvea wa at IT, Th- branded seals are returning to St. Paul Island. F. FUTILE, Captain.
 Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Howell tonight, in conversation with The Call correspondent, expressed him. self as we'll pleased that the Bear had landed the overland party so nearly ac- cording to the programme, although it would have been much better for the overland party if the Bear could have reached a point nearer St. Michael.
 Captain Shoemaker, when seen early in the evening, had not yet seen the re- port of Captain Futile. He said: My calculation was that the Bear would reach Sledge Island about December 15, or between that and the 20th, for the Bear would only stop at Unalaska to take coal and water 1 was not sure that the Bear could land the party in Norton Sound though I believed that it might be done. I calculated that the party would start for Point Barrow after making arrangements for the deer and that the Bear would return to Una laska and winter there and then start north as soon as the ice broke in the spring or early summer"
 As this was before Captain Shoe maker had seen Captain Tuttle's report if shows that his calculation was cor rect
 Captain Shoemaker said further: "ot course the orders to Captain Futile left matters largely to his discretion, but we did not expect that any great amount of provisions could be hauled overland or packed by the deer, the intention being merely to drive large herd of them to Point Barrow, where they would be slaughtered for meat and that the additional food supplies would be carried by the Bear and would reach there in July. Since then, however, l have talked with men from that coun- try who are familiar with the drawing and packing capacity of the deer and they say that each animal ought to pack 100 pounds. but even II they were only able to pack fifty pounds each five hundred of them could carry 25, 900 pounds of provisions and this. with the deer meat, would have maintained the whalers until the Bear arrived in July"
 Captain Shoemaker said that as far as he knew there was no intention of detaching any officers from the Bear. 'I cannot understand how such a re- port could have originated" said he. "I do not see how we could detach any officer from the Bear before her cruise is ended, for she cannot be reached. will understand the situation better, though, after I have seen the full re- port of Captain Futile, which I under stand is coming from Seattle by mail"
 Captain Shoemaker said furthermore that the Corwin would soon be fitted out for a northern cruise, and that 1t was likely that she would follow the Bear to the whalers' relief. This de- pended however on Captain Tuttle's report and later developments. He said that the Corwin would be sent to Alaskan waters, at any rate, where she could find plenty of employment when the spring and summer rush to the Klondike set in.
 Captain Shoemaker asked the corre- spondent concerning the report that the Thrasher would be equipped by San Francisco parties and that she would try to beat the Bear to Point Barrow. If she beats the Bear she is a good one," said the captain, who is very proud of the vessel. "The Corwin is a smaller vessel and might possibly for that reason be able to get through the ice and round the point to Point Barrow sooner than the Bear but the Thrash CT cannot do it. think that no vessel ever left a port so we'll equipped for such an expedition as the Bear. It cost the Government $15,000 in addi- ton to the amount furnished by The Call and other parties, so that the total sum for her equipment approx imated $25,000."