The Nome nugget., 1921-07-30
NOME MARINERS
 VISIT 'COLDEST
 SPOT ON EARTH"

To traverse tha: vast stretch of little known territory lying between :he mouth of the Ko'yina River and the aacisnt city of yakutsk, Siberia, wis iting enroute the town of Neikshan- world, was the experience last winter of Capt <. K. Gudmundson, master of the Nome trading schooner Polar Eear,. who returned recently from the EalyIna River section after more than a yaa1's absence. during which he se- cured small fortune in fus and ivory products.
 t'apt Gudmundson and Einar ol- son. who accompanied him in the ciD- pacity of interpreter. also enjoys the uniQne distinction of being the. first Ancercan citizens tc cross the great Si'5e ian uplands lying between "a kutsk and the kolyma delta. In ac- oomplishing the remarkable journey Capt. Gudnundson and his companion traveled more than 4SoO miles in the dead of winter. crossing three noun tain r.ang.s and visiting numerous na- tive tribes whose existence is scarcely known save to students of ethnology and who possess an en.irely distinct type of civilization from that of the Alaska abonigines. All bu. about 800 miles of the journey was made by rneans of dog and reindeer teams, v ~flich last are commonly used in that part of the world for transportation purposes as are dogs in Alaska. The four hundred miles each way was inn rneeEately to and from Yakutsk, was made on horseback.
 Capt. Gudmundson's adventurous journey was made for the purpose of confering with the Russian authori- ties in charge of the Yakutsk province regarding an warranted seizure of the furs and other cargo of the Polar Bear by the officials at Kolyma, acting on orders from the Siberian govern Inent seat a: Omsk. As later events disclosed the seizure order was given as result of misrepresentations made, according 70 Capt Gudmundson, by the Russian trading firm known as karioff Brothers, who are said 70 b" much adverse to sharing the Siberian fur trade with foreign traders.
 The Polar Bear with Capt. Gud nundson and crew of five men, con sisting of Hans Carlson. ma:e: l.. \. White, engineer; Einar Olson, inter nrcter. I'd Eric Wilson al Peter J Parlson, scamen, left Nor,e June A last year, following receipt of an ap- peal to the Nome Chamber of Com Inerce from the Russian authorities at Anadyr to send relief to the starvation threatened residents of Kolyma. Ow- ing to unusual ice conditions along The North Siberian coast, no vessel had heen able to reach Kolyma during the preceding three years. The Russian steamer Stavrapool had vainly a.- tempted to reach Kolyma with sup plies during the previous summer and was later frozen in in the vicinity of Cape Surge. A number of traders had also attempted to reach the iso- lated district but could get no nearer than several hundred miles.
 As result the people of Kolyma were reduced to great extremes for food, clothing and other supplies. In making their appeal for succor .he Anadyr authorities gave assurances that vessels sailing from Nome would not be molested in any way so long as there were no violations of the laws of the land. The only stipulation made in connection with the matter was that vessels engaging in trade must call at