New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-10
RUSSIA TO SEEK
ARCTIC EXPLORER
Will Send Three Ships to
Relief of SedOff, Who
Left Two Years Ago. 3
PLAY BY TOLSTOY
IN SCENARIO FOUND
Chief Character Is Man Who Has
Devoted Life to Wealth With
out Doing Good Works.

St Petersburg, April 2S.-The govern
ment has decided to send the steamers
Hertha and Andromeda and the motor
ship Tatiana to search for the Arctic ex-
plorer. Lieutenant Sedoff, who started for
the North Pole two years ago, supposedly
attempting the use of polar bears as
draft animals.
The relief expedition will be commanded
by Captain Isslianof. 1t will first pro-
coed TO the Pankratieff Islands. on the
coast of Nova Zembla and II Lieutenant
Sedoff should not be there the Hertha
will take the stores from the Tatiana and
fifty Siberian dogs and go TO Franz josef
Land. while the Andromeda cruises north
ward along the coast of Nova Zembla to
Cape Galania, the Tatiana meanwhile re-
turning TO Archangel. In case Of need,
the Hetha will winter at Franz Josef
Land. making expeditions by sledge and
a hydro-aeroplane. If these efforts prove
fruitless, a store will be erected and the
Hertha will return in the fall Of 1915 to
Archangel
An expedition is also being sent to the
Karische coast TO search for Captains
Brussiloff and Russanoff. who are also
missing.
Toistoy Owned 10000 Books.
NJ Bulgakoff, formerly secretary of
Count Tolstoy. who has been iecturing
on the contents OF the great writer's
library, says it numbered 10000 volumes
in thirty-two languages. The Russian
section comprised S,5o5 works; the Eng
lish, 3,4l5; the French, LOS. and the Ger
man, COZ.
Among the manuscripts found by NJ.
Bulgakoff after Count Tolstoy's death
was the scenario of a play. entitled
Peter Mytar." The chief character is a
man who has devoted his life solely TO
the acquisition OF wealth. He has per-
formed no good works. He falls seriously
i'll, and one night in a dream sees him
self being weighed in the scales on the
Day of Judgment.
The scales are turned in his favor by
an old beggar man, who lays in them
loaf which Peter Mytar threw at his
head TO get rid of him. Peter awakens
and RECEIVERS. He becomes as open
handed as he was close-hsted before, al
though his wife and others endeavor TO
MIN lfidl mo io'ioH eN'NAN''N@
only excites envy and jealousy among the
recipients. Eventually he allows himself
TO be sold into seryitude. \ friend dis
covers his whereabouts and then he flies
away or disappears"
Caspian Sea Sinking.
The scientific world in Russia has for
some time been occupied with the sinking
Of the Caspian Sea. The surface OF the
Caspian, which lies twenty-seVen yards
below ocean level, has. since June 1910
become continually lower. The shrinkage
is now even beginning TO be inconvenient
for navigation, az steamers In many
places cannot reach the landing stages
Technical Investigations have failed 10
find convincing explanation, though Pro-
lessor Shokalisk. commissioned by the
government to study the subject, has as
certained that the amount OF water con-
tributed by the rivers flowing into the
Caspian. especially by the Volga, has
considerably diminished. 1t Is therefore
noss,ble that the river water Is not suff1-
c,ent TO make good the loss caused by
evaporation.