The Cordova daily times., 1920-10-19

NOME, Oct. 19.-After four year stay in the almost untracked Polar regions east of the Mackenzie river, during which he acquired remark able collection of relics of earlier explorers and numerous quaint and odd curios obtained among the little known Eskimo people designated by Stefansson as the blonde Eskimo, Capt. Joe Bernard, whose earlier ex- ploits in the far North have already won him wide fame as a voyager returned to Nome. with his stout lit tie schooner Teddy Bear. Bernard end his vessel pulled into the roadstead after a stormy trip down the North west Alaskan coast. Bernard was accompanied on his adventurous cruise by A. Anderson who is in- terested in the venture which has kept the schooner far beyond the border of civilization for the past years, and also by male member of the so-called blonde Eskimo" tribe whom Bernard brought down with him expressly to show to the world what kind of people they are. The name of this example of Mir. Stefans sons much advertised blonde" is Apuktwana. In appearance he is little different from the Eskimo of this section. His home is in the bleak region along the Southern shores of Coronation Gulf He is stout built with a light copper colored skin, straight black hair and possesses sparkling dark brown eyes. The cut of his clothes is about the only thing by which he may be distin- guished from the local Eskimo. Bernard says he is an average eX- ample of the males of the blonde" tribe Bernard. like other recent wis itors to the Coronation Gulf region, is in no degree inclined to endorse stefansson's description of the al- legged blondes and says while there are some of them who have reddish brown hair and light eyes, they are scarcely light enough to be con- sidered blondes, even by an extra ordinary stretch of the imagination. Capt. Bernard is figuring on taking ! the quaint savage to the outside to put him in his proper light before the world.
 During his stay in the far North Bernard has had experiences enough to fill several books. He and the Teddy Bear spent the greater part of their four years absence in the region between the Ade1atde Penin- sula and the Southeastern end of Victoria Land. TO years of the period was spent at Taylor Island, small island situated in Victoria strait. a short distance east of Vic tOria Land. He also visited King William Land on the east side of Victoria strait and obtained from | that section a number of relics of earlier explorers. some of which may l have been left by the Ross or Franklin expeditions in 1929 or 1S45 ! respectively He also obtained a | considerable number of curios from the little known section of the con- tinent shelf known as Boothia Felix Land.
 Bernard left Nome in the Teddy Bear during the summer of 1916 and arrived at Taylor Island in August 1917, after traversing the southern border of the Beaufort Sea, Dolphin Union strait and Coronation gulf.
 Owing to adverse ice conditions he was unable to leave that point with his schooner until September 1919. He had intended to push further to the eastward during 1918 and pos sibly make his way to the Atlantic coast, but the plan was thwarted through the Teddy Bear being frog en in for two years at Taylor isl and. After getting away from the island. Bernard attempted to pro ceed farther east, but having got a late start, the schooner was unable to proceed far before being again frozen in, this time at the mouth of the Kagrok river on the southern shore of Coronation gulf. During the winter Capt, Bernard visited King William Land and adjacent sections,