The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-08-17

leave me with the natives anu c0ul
come on when I recovered. He said h
would do no such thing, and that W
should all go on together or stay.
FINALLY, they got me upon s!edg,
and hauled me to the boat, and w
started up the river. In Two hours WI
encountered young icemaklng, and hal
to turn back. was more pleased al
that than anything, | can tell you, for
was suffering frightfully from my feet
''The flesh had fallen from my toes as
far back as the second joints, and the
bare bones were protrudlng and causing
me great pain. My heels were in almost
as bad condition, and my legs and thighs
were one great live blister from frost
bite. All | could do was to smear grease
on them.
'tFor 40 days | laid upon my back at
that native village. Food was scarce
with the natives, but they shared with
us everything they had, and in every
way treated us far better than l know
the majority of people here would treat
them under similar conditions.
cat the end of the 40 days Russian,
| Kousma, by name, came to the village
and he by signs, gave us to understand
that there was a Russian official at a
larger village short distance south.
We knew that if we could get the ear
of any official we could get relief by
sending word of our plight to Washing
| ton.
''The Russian said he would take
word of our distress to this official and
would return inside of seven days. The
place he spoke of was Bulum, but it
was Is days before he got back. Then
he told us that on his way to Bulum he
| had met two other Americans of our
expedition, who had been in Capt.
belongs boat He said they were
looking for help for the rest of their
| party.
'Tnese two men we found were No
ros and Nindemann, the former of
whom called to see me only recently at
my home in Brockton. From them we
learned that after the river Lena had
frozen over so that the captain and his
party could travel, they had proceeded
southwark until weakness overcame
them. When they agreed they could
| go no further, NOros and Nindemann,
| as the two strongest men in the party,
were ordered to go ahead and endeavor
to get help for the others.
| who kousma had told us of, came to
! uoI SVllu llC iloVlVu dOCul anu SoOlt plO-
cured dogs and sleds and had us all
dragged to Bulum.
''Do you know that when we we're all
on the sleds, ready to leave for Bulum
one of the native women came running
up to me, and with a few softly spoken
words and very kindly expression in
| her eyes, tied a warm shawl about my
head to protect me from the cold. |
suppose she had received it from some
traders up in that district at some time
or other. But the simple act showed
the kindly spirit the natives, one and
all, displayed toward us.
AT Bulum we met Noros and Ninde
mann, and after hearing their story,
| Engineer Melville and Fireman Bart
lett with three or four natives and
sleds, went back to the relief of the
captain and his party.
FOUND DEAD BODIES.
''They found only the dead bodies,
every one of the party having died.
They secured the records and papers of
the captain and returned to us at Va
kutsk, wither we had gone while they
were off on that trip.
| cat that place l received surgical
treatment, and was feeling pretty good.
| A Russian doctor, who is an exile, am
putated the bones of my toes. He didn't
have all modern facilities to work with,
and in fact cut the bones with what l
should call pair of tinsmith's shears.
The operation panied me at the time,
but gave me relief afterward.
| THE natives had been kindness itself
to us, and all that they did was done
without the faintest hope of remunera-
I1,3% ho1
cat Yakntsk we managed to commu-
sending word of the loss of the ship and
the condition of our crew.
when Melville returned from his
search for the captains party we re-
ceived orders to start at once for home.
We got as far as Irkutsk, by lake Bal
kal, and were royalty entertained by the
Russians. / have had a warm spot in
my heart for those people ever since,
for they were the most hospitable per-
sons ! ever met. We remained there
two months awaiting orders.
eve split into two parties. | had
charge of the first and Lieut.. Danen-
hover Of the second. | had six men
with me, and the lieutenant was to
come along behind. Engineer Mel
vile had preceded us and gone home to
America. We had been on the road
two weeks, when l stopped at some
place to get telegraph orders.
Il found telegram saying Lieuts.
Harder and Schultz were on their way
to meet us, and l was to intercept
them. l telegraphed to Krasniorask
for them to wait for me, and when we
got there they we're waiting.
''The lieutenants told me that they
had been sent out by the government
to search for some traces of the re-
mains of Lieut.. Chip and his crew.
They asked me to 60 back and pilot
them, and 1 consented to do SO. l re-
ceived permission from our govern
ment to 60 back again.
eve went to the mouth of the Yana
river on the east, and the Olenck river
on the west, and searched the whole
coast and the delta of the Lena river
between those points. We found no
trace or sign of the party or it's boat,
and there is no doubt in my mind they
foundered the night l had my feet
frozen The last we saw of the second
cutter that night of the great gale she
was making very heavy weather of it.
Gas memorial to the lost boat S
crew we erected a cairn of stones on
the coast, and set up great wooden
cross at the top of the mound.