The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-23
REINDEER FOR ALAOKANS.
Lieutenant BertkOlf Making TUr-
chases in Siberia.

He Reports to the Interior Depart
nent Concerning His NiSsion-The
Tuubu~c Animals Large and
Strong shipping Arrangements.
An interesting account Of his travels
throush Russia and Siberia has been Civ
en- by +. p. Bertholf- Acting Disbursing
officer Of the. Interior Department in
report made TO the Bureau Of Ed
ucation. Lieutenant BerthoIf has been
charged with the mission to Siberia. to
purchase reindeer. 10 be transported 70
Alaska for the use OF the natives He
records his efforts in this direction up
TO the time of his report The report is
dated April p, and. as the traveller states
therein. should have been received by the
last of June, but arrived during the past
week.
Lieutenant BerthoIf writes from Okotsk-
Siberia. where ne arrived April 20 He
states his intention TO leave that place
two days later for OrIa. Recounting his
travels. Lieutenant BerthoIf says he left
St Petersburg February . While in
that city he engaged an interpreter who
continued the trip with him ON Febru-
airy q he left the city Of Moscow, Rus
STA. for Irlzutsk- Siberia. which he reach
y
tersburg had preceded him ana at ITk-
utsk. through the courtesy of the Cover
nor General the chief of police was de-
tailed to aid and advise him In ITk-
utsk. Lieutenant BerthoIf purchased
T,avosla "a covered sled. in order that
he might push forward. travelling night
and day He also secured an outfit for
himself and his Interpreter, consisting Of
fur clothing. arms, and provisions
on March Is he took his departure from
Irkutsk for Yakutsk. travelling with post
horses. The posts are from twenty-five TO
thirty versts apart The distarCe Of 2,5oi
versts Is usually covered in twenty days
by the mail Lieutenant BerthoIf. how
ever. was provided with paper by the
/ Governor General. directing the stations
to furnish horses without delay. lie
travelled rapidly. reaching Yakutsll on
March y, after fifteen days travel. The
road was very bad in some places and
/ several accidents occurred AT VftIeu The
pavoska was = much damaged by acct
! dents that he found 1t necessary to Isur-
/ chase another
From yakutsk to OBotsk IS another So
called post road The trip Is made with
horses, reindeer, and dogs, and special
. sletis are necessary which he was re
qUired 10 purchase The Yakutsk work
men are show like the native. as Lieutea-
ant BerthoIf states, and Nhe sleds noJ be
ing ready made some delay was occasion
ed He was unable to leave Yakutsf1 un-
til April 6. The distance. 1I31 versts can
: be covered in eight daTs The first half
was made by the travGler in considerably
| less than four days, when the weather
| became bad
Snow fell for SIX days. and the storm.
was terrific, the wind blowing \ gale and
| the snow. falling necessarily. The trail
/ was completely effaced- Before the com
| mencement OF the storm, however, the
| traveller had changed his motive power TO
! reindeer The cad from Okotsk near
] Yakutsk. TO Alden Lieutenant Bertholf
/ says was caravan route. and tea was
| the principal commodity carried On the
| trip he passed, during the storm, from
/ JaB to fifteen of these caravans. camped
| awaiting the abatement OF The storm to
| proceed. On the traI made by LIeuten-
ant Bertholf-s reindeer, the caravans
! started At Okotsk-
/ Al Okotsk. Lieutenant Bertholf made
1.-THE acquaintance OF. an Ex-Governor Of
/ Yakutsk. who gave what ne considered
| valuable Information in regard to the
/ purchase of reindeer From him. Lieu
tenant I5y1JIIsJIE svyzIIrz5 tlr.se rsoee5
bic to get reindeer IN the Gishega region,
| where he had Intended to 20, but that the
/ deer mus. be secured by barter. as the
/ Chuckachees and KoJyaks, Who inhabIt
| the district do not know nor want mon
| ey. The deer owned by them he also
/ learned were small. The large deer. as
| Lieutenant Bertholf also knew from his
| own experience. belong 20 the Tunhuse
/ natives. the central part Of whose country
| Is at Orla OF Takinsk- This Information,
| Lieutenant BerthoIf verified by other en-
/ qUiries-
he states that from what ne has seen
/ the Tunhuse deer are large and strong.
| Difficulty may be encountered, however,
| in persuading the Tunhuses to sell many
deer The selling Of deer he states IS
| new 10 them and although they did sell
! their sales had never been IN as large
| quantities as wanted for Alaska Rich
TGnhuse, he learned dwell In the neigh
| borhoOd Of OTia, and have many thou
sand deer 70 sell
Lieutenant Bertholf states that ne has
met with one RusChuJof who agrees to
per head. and have them ready for trans
pOrtatiOn al Drfa at any specified time IN
| the summer of 1902. This man has furnish
Cd him some valuable information, and.
the lieutenant learns, IS a responsible
! person. The Governor Informed Lieutcn-
| ant BerrhoTf that BuscnutOf is able 10
live up to his engage meTlts- Buschutof.
/ however. could not agree to furnish more
/ than from sos to 1,ga9 deer, 70 continue
| each year succeeding
| Lieutenant Bertholf is hopeful Of Sc
| curing some large deer this year at Orla,
! and states his plan He considers the prob
/ lem Of transportation to Alaska 4 diff
| cult one The f-st steamer leaving VIadi-
| vOstok in the spring, he has asceTtaiued,
! stops AT OTla en- route TO OkotSk. He
proposes TO go TO OrIa, purchase there as
| many deer as possible and he mas funds
! for # he can charter the first steamer
! that comes along he intends to do SC
| II this does not become possible. and he
! has deer. ne viii go to FIadivOstOk.
| charter steamer. and go to St
| Lawrence Island OF Port Clarence
The distance from Alaska to
Orla he notes. IS 100 niles and VIII re
| fuire a steamer from twelve TO fifteen
| days 10 make the trip.
| If Lieutenant Berthclf Is compelled TO
| undertake the NisrivoStok plan he esti-
! mates ne viii require ADDITIONAL funds He
| suggests that il would facilitate matters
IL il could be arranged 50 that he might
draw funds at FiadIvOstOk when ne ca
bles from there.
The report was transmitted from OkotsI.
to Yakutsk by Il cossack, whom he brought