Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-04-25

west and may find the cached skins OF
| the wrecked Kittiwake. Another Is
the college expedition which Mixter will
lead. This goes along the Aleutians to
and round the southern extremity OF
kamsehatka. then on up the. west
coast of this famous peninsular to the
i Gulf Of Penjinsk, which Is in the ex-
| IRENE angle between Kamschatka and
the mainland. Thence the trail will
lead overland to the mountains north
of that point for mountain sheep.
| Colonel Thayer had planned to have
one his collectors. Dixon. go. with
this expedition. as far as the Alutians.
drop out there and spend the summer
along these volcanic islands, getting
specimens of the rare sub-species OF
| ptarmigan and other birds and man,
mails which are to be found in these
lonely volcanic islands. But the Fed
eral Government has just set these
islands aside as a bird reservation and
all collecting. even Of scientific speci-
mems. must now stop. Hitherto per-
NIT has been required for this work
but one has always been granted to
reliable collectors. Now this privilege
is withdrawn. The plan, of course,
was to have the Mixter expedition pick
up Dixon on its return. Now the plan
in that form will have to be aban-
doned But there are still many OPP
Iportunities for the enthusiastic scientist
to increase the worlds knowledge of
bird life and the work for the museum
goes steadily on. additions being from
time to time made to the present large
collection. Yet the opportunities to OBJ
tain spoon billed plover and surf-brds
and their nests and eggs from Wran-
gel Island do not come every year and
ii is to be hoped that the lost skins
Twill be recovered
The region where the disaster took
place is far removed from all ordinary
lines of communication, yet news tray-
els even from such remote spots. 1t
Seems that Kleinschmit. who returned
from explorations in that region,
brought the first rumors of the disas-
ter. He had seen and talked with an
other northern skipper at Seattle. This
shipper told of meeting the kittiwake
in the frozen seas on her way home.
presumably with full collection, and
with her propeller disabled. She was
taken in tow and all went well for q
while, but presently storm came up
land so increased in severity that the
lrescuer was obliged to abandon the
tow to save his own ship. The Kitti-
wake was cut adrift in a binding
snowstorm not two miles from the
Hand and there can be small doubt
that she piled up on the bleak, inhos-
;pitable coast very soon after.
No one who has not seen this re-
zion can realize how bleak and inhos-
pitable 1t can be, even In midsummer.
The sea is never free from floating Ice
and alongshore, even in the warmest
weather, great foes often remain.
making a trip ashore a matter OF
mile or so over the ice. The Siberian
native of this coast is apt to be m
hospitable too, as much so as the ice
1 fields and cliffs In this he In IN unpleaa-
ant contrast to his neighbor across the
Straits The Alaskan natives are nos
! pitable and kindly almost to a fauis.
But the Chuckchis, or Mersinkers a.
they call themselves. and as they are
] known: to the whalemen and traders
i who ventured to their coast. are trh-
eulent and dangerous when they nave
| the upper hand Harry DeWindt the
explorer who spent some months wild
them alone. found his experiences
most disagreeable one and had to 81
ercise constant vigilance and tact anu
go constantly armed to prevent re
loss of his life.
/ typ to q day or two ago Kletusch-
midt's report was the only news OF the
expedition sobtainable since II sailed
away through the Straits in the sum-
mer of 1911 On getting it 1t was be-
lieved that all had persisted and that
the attempt wellld have to be classed
as one more of the numerous failures
which have always been the common
lot of Arctic explorers. But only yes
terday a cable came from Nome.
signed by Koren, telling of the loss OF
the Kittiwaks, that the collections nad
been cached, and that he himself nau
reached Nome, Alaska, In safety. That
is but meagre news, after all, but ~
shows that the worst has been escaped
| and that the collections may later pc
brought to civilization. The scientinc
world in general and ornitholoEists IN
particular win await further and more
complete reports with great interest,"
This expedition was not Captain ko-
ren's first experience collecting IN the
Behring Sea region; nor was it his hrst
mishap. on previous trip he was
wrecked in a small boat with COM
panion and two dogs and all were
thrown into the icy water The com.
panion sank almost immediately ana
the dogs one by one succumpadto the
grip of the cold, but Koren, persisted,
got to a spar and was eventually res
cused by friendly Eskimos. ~