The Washington times., 1908-03-01
F ace $500 Mile s
Through Barren
WildS of TraCklcSS
Anadir Region.

shores. I suppose the majority OF the
rivers they find viii be frozen, except
few with exceptionally swift cur
rents, They viii have to keep a distance
back from the shore in order TO avail
themselves of this aid and in so doing
viii be up against difficulties equally
insUrmountable presented by the hills.
What strikes me as most foolish
IS their insistence on taking this north
eTn itinerary instead Of avoiding the
extreme cold and the mountains by
striking south from East Cape to Ana
dyrsll. ana from there coming along
the government trail by way or Pen
jinski, through Okhotsk to YatUsk.
Their purpose would be served equally
we'll. and The scheme would bear some
ear marks Of feasibility. As il stands
at present 1 candidly ADMIT that I don't
see how it can be accomplished"
Remnants Experiences.
Probably the foremost authority Of
the day on Siberian geography as on
Siberian social and political conditions
ig George KEENAN,, author OF Tent Life
in Siberia" and tho still more famous
Siberia and the Exile System" Some
paigning in Cuba" and The Tragedy
OF Peelee.''
Mr.. KEENAN,. with a acknowledging for
adrenturers who undertake hazardous
expeditions. very cfrcumspectlv evaded
saying that the New York TO Paris run
was impossible. Above all things he
said, do not quote me as saying that
This thing can't be zone. Experience
Las taught ME to be careful with that
word impossible %
Nevertheless. the veteran globe trot-
ter did not hesitate 20 point out some
of the problems that would present
themselves.
He stared with Mr.. Dall's leading
argument.
No Regular Communication.
There is no communication between
East Cape and the Alaskan shore by q
regularly established route he pointed
out. Steamers can be chartered TO go
across: sometimes they are successful.
very often not.
Arriving on the Asian continent the
first thing that stares them in the face
VIII be the question of fuel. IN my wan
behring's through the southern part OF
Anadir found stretches Of 300 miles
with no sign OF timber 1t is stin
10 keep warm and at the same time
comply with the imperative requirement
Of reducing their cargo to the lowest
minimum Is E..-r than can see.
"If they do reach this region and
make intelligent observations Of certain
fundamental facts the trip will have
been worth while. even II they do not
pull all the way through For the effect
OF the extreme temperatures on ma
ChineTys gaSOlene, OIL and rubber tires
Will open up an entirely new and fas-
chatting line Of investigation. 1 know
from experience that II is impossible
to FIRE gun with a particle OF grease
on IL, even in comparatively mill tenn
perature for those parts. How they
lubricate will be only one of the many
points Of interest in their adventures.
The Intense Cold.
when was in the region much
farther south in the direction OF V1adi-
vostok than they will strike our records
showed 81 degrees OeioT zero in the
daytime. No readings were taken after
sunset
They can hope to depend but little
on aid from human beings. The Chuk-
chi tribes are the only signs OF human
life they will find. These tribes wander
from place to place in search OF grazing
LneN
nave nerds numbering several thousand
each. Once in long while they may
ind a settlement after leaving Mini
Kolymsk. not before.
DTifted Snow.
''The hard drifts which they are sure
10 encounter for eight months in the
year viii constitute anothe- impedlment
Danish the idea that the snow ever
e..
and remains as dry as dust until the
July sun melts it into crust. All win
ter long it is being blown into drifts
and these drifts are bigser than any
thing you are likely t. see elsewhere.
on the perfectly level COUNTRY they form
into a series Of dunes These impose a
severe strain on the sledges which are
as staunchly constructed as any vehicle
/ know The broken rivers which may
be impossible because Of The blocks of
ice In their swift currents will be the
biggest obstacle of all. 1t viii be a
wonderful accomplishment if they per-
form what they set ouJ to do"
Most Illuminating OF all are the rem
lniscences of Harry De Windt. who, in
1901 set out from Paris to New York.
and whose itinerary was practically the
same through Siberia and Alaska as
that which the autoists hope to traV-
eTse in the opposite direction De WiDdt
the climatic conditions and topograDh =
of the northland, which are recorded in
his From Paris to New York By
Land"
Failed in First Attempt.
Before making the successful tour he
previously attempted TO cover the route
in the opposite direction. leaving New
York in 1896. He reached the Boring
Strait at a season when it could not be
crossed, after encountering many hard
ships IN Alaska. While awaiting an 3D.
portunity to reach the Siberian shore
he was so herassed by the natives and
his provisions ran so low that he was
obliged to defer the expedition.
He spent five months ia the Anadir
region. leaving Yakutsk February is
and arriving at East Cape June IS.
Dogs and reindeer froze to death or
dropped down exhausted in that trip
across the Arctic inferno" His hands
and feet we're frequently frozen, and
4 many times he was on the verge of
starvation. He had 10 fight against the
elements, and keep a vigilant guard
against the trickeries Of his native
guides. At Verkhoystank he exDeri-
eneed the lowest temperature, seventy
eight degrees below zero. He Rad little
trouble in crossing the Lena river, which