Evening star., 1915-03-07

lantly, ficking away his cigarette
"1ll go" Before that instant the
thought had never entered his head.
A few hours later he was on his way
to Seattle. His sole equipment on
leaving was a supply of smokes and a
change of linen. His only embarrass-
ment on getting away-and that he did
not regard seriously-was the fact
that he had no overcoat. A $3.50 a
month lieutenant cannot afford Beau
Brummel wardrobe. That morning the
rebuilding and repairs. and before
Bertholf could notify him OF the
change of plans. had ripped it to
pieces. However, telegram to Seat
tie had arranged for an arctic outfit
to be ready for him on arrival there.
Early in December. 1897. the revenue
cutter Bear landed the relief expe-
dition on the ice three miles off Nun
ivak Island on the Bering seacoast of
Alaska, 100 miles south of Point Bar
row IT was remarkable that the
ship could have reached SO northerly
point at that season. The fact that
sh" was built for ice work with eigh-
teen feet of solid teak in her bows ac-
counts for her ability to do 1t.
Equipped only with such supplies as
they could carry on their backs, the
three members of the expedition start
ed off in the black Arctic night. They
were Lieut.. d. II. Jarvis and Lieut.. +.
L. Bertholf and Surgeon S. ]. Call of
the revenue cutter service.
Nine hundred miles they walked over
the ice to Cape Prince of Wales, one
of the government reindeer stations
There they gathered up 500 reindeer
secured the services Of some Eski-
mos and with them started on the eight
hundred mile drive to Point Barrow.
There is no necessity of dwelling on
the horrors. the trials and the suffer
ings Of the march. 1t was in April
when they finished the journey and
brought the deer to the starving and
"a Ia
Not an accident had happened, not
a deer had been lost.
Til. $50 whalers were not of the
highest type OF citizenship. They need
ed lot of governing. and that was
the officers job. For their own well
being. physical. mental and moral. sys-
tematically they were made to work
There were mutinies OF sorts. None OF
them got very far. Berthof can handle
men. That. by the way. Is one of his
marked qualities.
Through the service he is known as a
disciplinarian, strict and efficient. But
sailor men who serve under him, just
like those whalers. come to know that
he has their interests at heart and will
fight for those interests; and they, as
the whalers did. hold him in high re-
spect and affection. He is the idol OF
the enlisted man.
All hands at Point Barrow came
through the winter in fine shape Ir
July. 1888. the Bear arrived and took
out to civilization the crews of those
vessels which had been wrecked, while
the other refugees returned on theiI
own vessels.
On their return to the states Lieut.
Bertholf and his two fellow oficer,
of the relief expedition found to their
amaZement and deep chagrin that the
United States had been In a war and
that the war was all over without any
of them having had a chance to get In
ii. Their disgust was profound and
soul -racking. But an appreciative Con
gress salved their injured feelings
somewhat by awarding to each a medal
of honor and comforting upon then
that unusual distinction. the thanks
of Congress.
Uncle Sam marked Lieut.. Bertholi
down in his book as handy young
man for arduous jobs. Uncle San
found. among other things, that Bert.
holt had learned Russian and Eski.