The Alaska daily empire., 1921-12-06
TRADER CLAIMS S0VIETS CRUSH
 ALL AMBITION
Capt. Gudmundsen B C k from Year in Siberia
 Doesn't Like Bolshevik.


 "If you find anyone praising the Soviet government. send them over to Russia on a trip of investigation; they will never talk Bolshevik doe urine again." is the statement or Capt c. K. Gudmundsen, master of the schooner Polar Bear" who re gently spent year in Siberia in the Kolyma district on trading eX- petition.
 Everywhere you travel in the country there is hunger and want, the children are either born dead or die shortly after birth for the lack of proper nourishment and the evi- dence of graft and corruption are to be seen on every hand" he contin- ued. There is no liberty as the people are crushed by the iron hand of the Soviets."
 Has a Concession
 Asked about the trading concession that press dispatches stated Captain Gudmundsen had in Siberia he said that in his trip to the interior of Siberia he had visited at the capital of the state of Yakusk, on the Lena River, city of the same name, and had been given a trade concession in that state by the Committee on Commerce. He said that he did not consider the concession worth much on account of the unsettled condi- ton of the country and the unre- liability of those making the conces- sion.
 Interesting Trip
 Captain Gudmundsen' story of his trip to Siberia reads like a romance and is a tale of hardships and ad ventures seldom equaled. It is told by him in a most matter of fact man ner as if it was all in the days work.
 Captain Gudmundsen. with crew of five men, left Nome on the little Arctic trading schooner Polar Bear in the spring of 1920. They were going to Siberia in response to wire less appeals for help sent to the Nome Chamber of Commerce. Their boat was fully equipped with food stuffs for the relief of hunger. The vessel went around East Cape and landed near the town of Kolyma. on the river of the same name, in the state of Yakusk. The Polar Bear was the first boat of any size to visit the town in four years and the inhabitants of the district had not tasted bread in three years. When the vessel sailed up the riv- CT the bells in the city were ringing in honor of the boat and crew and the whole population was holding a meeting of thanksgiving
 The Polar Bear was boarded by the representative Of the local Soviet. who wished to put an armed guarl on board. Captain Gudmundsen said The first man who came aboari with arms will be shot on sight, that the American flag was the only pro tection that was needed
 Captain Gudmundsen immediately furnished each house in the com munity with tobacco, tea and pilot bread and received the thanks of all He was informed by the Soviet rep resentative that he could not trade with individuals, but must do his trading with the Soviet This he did until he had secured all the fox skins that the local Soviet had. There was still plenty of cargo left and the people had furs left, but he was forbidden to trade for them as the furs were supposed to belong to the community. He did it anyway and the people secured some of the food that he had, but the food was all seized and taken away from them
 Captain Gudmundsen then made arrangements with the people to leave the town and meet them about SO miles away, where the trading was carried on without the knowl edge of the Soviet and the people received what provisions he had brought along
 Frozen In
 It was in July when he landed at Kolyma and had been there for sev- eral weeks and his ship was entirely empty of provisions of all kinds. He had even given away the medicine chest which he gave to hospital to be used for the treatment of the poor people. The ship was staI ed for the return trip to Nome, but the ice was so bad no progress could be