The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-31
FIGHTING WITH ARCTIC ICE.
Vain Effort to Establish "A Trading Rou t
to Siberia. ess3


to Siberia. egsa
From the New York Tribune.
While Russia has been constructing a
railway through Siberia and Manchuria
that shall capture much of the traffic
with the Orient that was once conducted
by shippng-and British shipping at that
England has been attempting to open
up trade with Western Siberia by Water.
An expedition was fitted out las summer
for the mouths of the Yenesei and Obi.
Five vessels We're dispatched on this mis-
sion, one at time, but all departing dur
ing the latter part of July.
The venture was the fourth of it's kind
that has been undertaken within a few
years. But the disastrous result which
has attended it will probably discourage
any further attempt to establish COM
merce with Siberia by sea- One vessel
was wrecked in Arctic waters. Two 9TH
ers reached London late last month and
the remainder of the fleet was expected
to arrive soon thereafter. The stories told
by the returning mariners remind one of
the experiences of those who go in quest
of the pole. Terrific storms, dense foge,
swift currents and floating ice were en-
countered And only the pluck and skill
of the navgators saved them from a still
more awful fate.
Most of the voyage lay to the north of
the 10th parallel of latitude After the
fleet had passed North cape it headed for
Kara sea, a region enclosed on the west
by Nova Zembla and one or two adjacent
islands and on the east by northward
projection of the Siberian coast To enter
Kara sea it was necessary to pass
through Yugor strait, which separates
the island chain from the mainland. But
20 miles from the entrance on Aug II.
the fleet met a good deal of ice and fog.
From that time on for fully three weeks
hat wit no
elements was waged.
The Lorna Doone wooden vessel
which had been especially strengthened
for this service went ahead. The Buc-
cancer, the Greyfriars, the Mancestria
and the Arthur followed. At 9 p. m. 1t
was deemed best to anchor and when day
dawned again the ships We're completely
surrounded by ice. During the next few
days they We're torn from their anchor
age by gales and marine currents The
cables snapped like wrapping Irvine The
iron and steel vessels were badly dented
about the bows, and had not special fog
signals been prearranged the fleet would
have been scattered hopelessly. Separa-
ton frequently occurred. but the ships
would find each other again. Their pro-
pellers remained intact though they of
ten proved unable to drive the ships
against the ice and currents.
From l6 to Is days elapsed before the
entrance TO Aug0f STRAIT was reached.
There then remained the passage of the
strait. the crossing of the Kara sea and
the turning of point much farther north
before the mouth of the Obi would be
sighted. The Yenesei was still more dis
tant. But the Lorna Doone stranded
near the western end of the strait and
never went further toward Siberia. The
BucCaneer stood by ready to render aid.
The other three ships finally pushed
n * a AIJry nd ON
chored few miles from the western end
of the strait.
But the ic" was now thicker and more
densely packed than before: the iron
ships could not fight it and the com
mander of the expedition signaled orders
to abandon the project and start back,
Return, however, was not an easy matter.
Hardly had the three vessels which had
penetrated Kara sea reached the western
end of Yugor strait than they all went
ashore in a gale.
After IS hours the wind changed and