stefansson-wrangel-09-16-029-003

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he would lay a complaint against Noice before you.

Then the Red October visited the Island. All their
furs and all property was confiscated, including rifles and cartridges,
and the whole party was taken aboard. All men, women and children were
put on military rations, same as the sailors of the ship were getting.

The flagpole that was put up by Crawford and the rest
of the boys, was out down, and another that was purposely brought by the
Russians put up on a concrete foundation. The two Soviet ensigns, one
woolen, the other made of tin with S.S.S.R. stencilled on it, and nailed
to the pole, were put up with great ceremony, with everybody present.
The woolen ensign was taken down and the tin one left on the pole.
Pohotographs of everything were taken also.

I am sorry I cannot show you the pictures, which later
on I was able to procure from the same expedition, as I have given them
to a reported in the U.S., who was to write some articles for magazines
and use those pictures for the illustrations. But months have passed
and I have not heard anything of the reporter and the pictures.

The ship visited Cape North, and, as I have mentioned
before, decided to winter there. To make the Eskimos more comfortable
and give them a chance to hunt seals, they were given their rifles back,
were put ashore, and quartered in an empty house that belonged to Mr.
Karaeff, a Siberian trader, the same one that came to the rescue of
Captain Barlett when he was traveling along the Siberian coast in 1914.
Wells stayed on the ship.

A month later (Sept. 28) a severe storm from the South
pushed the ice off the shore. Although there were only 40 tons of coal
on the ship, it was decided to try to reach Providence Bay (180 miles
south of East Cape), where some 300 tons of coal were stored up.

When they reached East Cape there were only 10 tons
of coal left, and the woodwork of the ship was torn down for fuel. There
was serious talk of going to Port Clarence, putting the Eskimos on their
native land, getting some coal, and then proceeding to Providence.

But, I think, they were afraid to call at an American
port. Finally they succeeded in getting some 25 tons of coal at East
Cape, broke up an old schooner that was beached there for the winter,
and on that fuel we reached Providence Bay.

The whole party was treated very kindly, and I have
heard orders being given to all men not to maltreat Wells and his party
of Eskimos.

While at Petropavlosk, Wells was told not to try to