The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-13
!

When Nansen steamed into the mouth
OF the fcnisei. thirty miles in width and
the banks out of sight on either hand.
he passed into the region OF big figures
in geography. II is fifth In length Of
the great rivers OF the world: measured
along its Angara and Selenga tribu-
taries IL has a length of some 5000
miles. It's drainage basin is go. 900
square miles, the seventh in order OF
magnitude upon the globe Its sources
are in tho mountains of northwestern
Mongolia at an elevation of mile IN
air, its course through the Monaghan
plateau is at an elevation Of 1000 feet.
AT Ieniseisk IL is 233 feet above the sea
Through the Angara tributary II drains
Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the
world. In the lower. northern reaches
the ice goes out of the Yenise! in flood
thirty feet high about the beginning OF
June. These seasonal freshets exert a
great sculpturing effect upon the river
banks. photographers have established
the equation of erosion as that the
power of flowing water to remove stones
and gravel is increased by the sixth
power Of its velocity. This means that
II the food doubles the velocity of a
stream the erosion IS increased by sixty
four times The soil through which the
lower Ncnisci Carves It's course Is
structurally of the tundra type. This
is usually "A product Of glaciatiOn. but
I hansen has made particular search in
his voyage up the river and reports his
inability to discover any evidence OF
glaciers. We must then regard this
tundra formation as an aluvion laid
down by the rivers. which are now
sculpturing II into new forms.
The present fleet on the Yenise. COM
prises three steam tugs owned by the
Government and nine lighters, They
owe their presence TO the needs OF
transportation in the war in 1905. when
the railway was taxed to It's fun CapaC-
ity with troop trains. Originally there
were sN steamers. hut two were
! wrecked in the breaking up Of the ice
and one was sold for the navigation of
the obi. In that war year the Govern
ment despatched twenty-five steamers
across the Kara Sea and after great
delays. they all reached tho Yenise!. In
the war need the duties at Ycniseisl,
were removed and there seemed pros
poet Of the establishment Of regular
trade. the next year the duties were
restored and there was a complete check
to the commerce.
Nanscn's voyage up the Yenise from
Nosunovsk Island To Yeniseisk oCCu-
pied eighteen days in motor boat sent
for him by the provincial authorities.
As far up as Yenlscisk the river is sell
dom less than mile and a half in
width and frequently broader. But Il
Is shallow for most of its width and
! LOO, A.
and keep the channel in its meander-
ings. The northern tundra through
which the river flows is mainly a
wretched bog as far AS the timber line
even within the region of the first
larches the soil Is mostly morass. IN
the upper reaches where dec!duous trees
make their appearance the landscape is
more pleasant, for the white birches add
their peculiar beauty to the prospect
Day after day the country along the
river was duh and fiat, It was not
until the last few days that the banks
showed anything but mud and rapids
between rocky banks began to appear
The expedition was never very far
from social amenities, such as they
were. Even when struggling 10 find a
way through the ice on the Yamal
coast SamOyedes came off in canoes 10
inspect the voyagers. Nansen came into
more comprchending acquaintance with
others OF this human group on the
lower reaches of the Ycnisei, where inn
perfect interpreters were at hand. lie
does not venture 10 assign the Samo-
yedes to their particular place in the
scheme of human races; the problem
Is yet far from solution. They have the
reindeer culture: there is nothing t.
show that II Is exotic with them; vet
we cannot assign them to the grca,
body of men of reindeer culture, since
| their spiritual culture and, so far ms
Is known, their linguistic possessions
point quite In another direction. They
| are a harmless folk. Unfortunately al.
| dicted To strong drink when they car
get II. and in their land So far removed
from police regulation the traders finC
good market. They arc rapidly falling
| before the zymotic diseases which Eu,
ropean contact has introduced and hid
fair soon to become extinct.
| No part of Siberia would seem natural
| without its exiles, although the drafi