The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-12-07
had PERILOUS EXPERIENCES
With Six Others Was Marooned on An
Arctic Island without Fire or
Food Through Stormy Night -
Seals Add to Horrors.

Back from the land Of the aurora
oorealis back from the northern coves
where seal and ice and snow are all
one sees, and back from the loneliness
Of life in the sequestered parts of the
world, comes Edwin Lamb, wireless
operator in the government service
He is the guest of his parents, Mr.. and
Mrs. w. s. Lamb in Congress street
while on month IS leave Of absence.
Mr.. Lamb has had an interesting
and an adventurous trip, for by no
means is romance all gone from life,
if one happens to be the wireless man
on board Of government cruiser, in
speeding the lighthouses Of the far
north, especially if all the crew Of
thirty men go ashore and get wildly
and woohly drunk with booze intended
for the consumption Of iron throated
northern natives, and threaten the life
Of the officers, including the wireless
man.
Kukui Sails for Northland.
Mr. Lamb sailed last spring on the
good ship Kukui on an inspection trip
of government lighthouses which took
him north as far as Cape Sarichef
where there is no vegetation, even in
the few short weeks Of summer, ex,
cept a tall, rank, unpalatable and
unwholesome grass and various mosses
1t was while returning from this
trip that the Kukui dropped anchor
off Kodiak and the crew was given
permission to go ashore, which it did
It's members proceeded to make the
most Of their opportunities and came
back uproariously drunk. They at
tackled the mate and there is no telling
what might not have happened in the
lonely, frozen, northern port had not
the officers been armed and at the
point of guns demanded the surrender
of the mutinous men. They were
quelled and as soon as the Kukui
reached a place where they could be
replaced the entire crew was dis
charged.
Bath Regarded as Strange Rite.
"The Alleutes who live on the
Aleutian islands are strange native
tribe who exist on fish mostly and get
what else they need from the trading
stations by bringing in the hides of
fox, about the only animal that sub
Bists on their islands. They wear
wierd looking mucklucks made, not of
the hide, but of the membrane directly
under the hide, of the seal It is a
queer looking fabric, air tight and
water tight and protects them more
than it would seem possible, from the
rigors of the climate. OF course they
have other garments under it. Bath
ing is considered by them a luxury
belonging to southern chimes, and it
is only in July that they ever think of
risking their lives by indulgence in it.
Marooned on Seals Rocks.
"The most exciting experience
had on the trip" said Mr.. Lamb
was on the route to Nome. We had
reached the spot on a lonely rockbound
island where the government intended
erecting lighthouse and we were to
go ashore The cold was intense. The
day was clear and bright and our
whaleboat was swung down from the
Kukui and we were lowered into il
and rowed away to the island. When
we attempted to make our landing we
found the rocks literally covered with
seals. We had to drive them awav
with guns before we could make a
landing, and they growled and barked
and snarled and showed their CLEAN
ing white teeth at us like pack of
ravening water wolves.
Blows Up Big Storm.
After we were ashore we went on
with our work without noticing that
the wind was blowing up terrific
waves. Before we could get to our
boat, for we had had to Chamber 800
feet up the rocks in a somewhat peril
Gus ascent before we came to where
we wanted to work, we found the
waves were so vicious there was no
chance OF our living through a trip To
the big BOAT. Perforce we decided to
camp on the island and there we staid
marooned without shelter and without
fire or food, in a storm which brought
enough warmth so that heavy rain
began to fall. All through the night
we could hear the angry snarling and
growing of the seals, and although
the veterans among us assured the
Others that the seals would not attack
us as long as we did not disturb them
it was far from feeling happy or Sc
cure that we were.
Don't Have Colds at Pole.