stefansson-wrangel-09-37-043

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Vladivostock to capture Wrangel Island, according to
Capt. E.Putta of the American trading schooner ’Iskum',
which arrived here Thursday." (home)

"Aug.1, 1923: Wrangel Island ship faces seizure by
Reds. Soviet as alternative demands passage for its
troops in relief expedition home. Harold Noice, head of
the expedition to Wrangel Island for the relief of Allan
Crawford of Toronto and his party, of the original V.
Steffanson expedition, marooned there since 1920, has
been advised by an announcement of the Soviet authorities
at East Cape, Siberia, that unless his ship, the ’Donald-
son’ calls at Petropavlosk, Kamchatka, for proper clear-
ance, and also at East Cape for a contingent of Red guards
to be taken to the Island, the vessel will be confiscated.

Although Crawford and his American assistants, E.
Lorne Knight of McMinnville, Ore., Fred Maurer of New
Philadelphia, Ohio, and Milton Galle of New Braunfels,
Texas, raised the British flag over the Island when they
landed there, the Island is claimed by the Soviet govern-
ment , which desires to send Red guards with the Noice
expedition to enforce the payment of taxes on any furs
taken by the Crawford party, according to information
received here. The ’Donaldson’ is scheduled to sail from
home tomorrow.

Captain Noice had previously been informed that the
Soviet authorities at East Cape were antagonistic to his
expedition, and planned to avoid Siberian waters while en
route to the Island, which lies off the north-east Siber-
ian coast."--

"Aug.5, 1923: Plans Rescue from Soviet. (home) Harold
Noice, leading an expedition to rescue Allan Crawford from
Wrangel Island left here tonight in the power schooner
’Donaldson’ on his mission, despite threats from across
the Behring Sea that Soviet authorities were planning to
capture him and Crawford.

Aboard the 'Donaldson' was a man who had signed a K
to remain two years on the Island, which is in the Arctic
Ocean north of Siberia. In this way Noice hopes to estab-
lish possession of the Island, Crawford having gone there
in 1920 at the instance of V. Steffanson, Arctic explorer,
to run up the British flag."

"Aug.24, 1923: Protest Island Seizure. Moscow says
raising British flag on Wrangel Island is invasion. Foreign
Minister Tchitcherin has sent a note to the British gov-
ernment protesting against the raising of the British flag
on Wrangel Island by V. Steffanson, the explorer.

Wrangel was incorporated into Russian territory in
1821-4, the note says. In 1910 Russia built lighthouses
on the island, and undertook other works there, and in