USA > Alaska > History of Alaska : 1730-1885 > Part 11
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Lieutenant Waxel, accompanied by nine men well armed, went to pay them a visit. They beckoned them to come to the boat; the savages in return beck- oned the strangers to disembark. At last Waxel
7 Müller states that the name was applied to the group, while an officer of the navy, with the expedition, in a letter published anonymously, says that only the island which furnished the water was named after the deceased sailor.
84
DEATH OF BERING.
ordered three men to land, among them the inter- preter, while he moored the boat to a rock.8
Expressions of good-will were profuse on both sides, the natives offering a repast of whale-meat. Their presence on the island was evidently temporary, as no women or children or habitation could be seen, and for every man there was just one bidarka, or skin canoe having two or three seats-the Russian term for an improved kyak. No bows, arrows, spears, or any other weapons which might have alarmed the strangers, were visible, and the Russians went about freely among the natives, taking care, in accordance with strict injunctions of Waxel, not to lose sight of the boat. Meanwhile one of the natives summoned courage to visit Waxel in the boat. He seemed to be an elder and a chief, and the lieutenant gave him the most precious thing he had-brandy; the savage began to drink, but immediately spat it out, crying to his people that he was poisoned. All Waxel's efforts to quiet him were unavailing; needles, glass beads, an iron kettle, tobacco, and pipes were offered in vain. He would accept nothing. He was allowed to go, and at the same time Waxel recalled his men. The natives made an attempt to detain them, but finally allowed the two Russians to go, keeping hold of the interpreter. Others ran to the rock to which the boat was moored and seized the rope, which Waxel thereupon ordered cut. The interpreter in the mean time pleaded with the Russians not to abandon him, but they could afford no aid. As a final effort to save the interpreter two muskets were discharged, and as the report echoed from the surrounding cliffs, the sav- ages fell to the ground while the interpreter sprang into the boat. As the ship was making ready to sail next day seven of these savages came and exchanged gifts. This was on the 6th of September. After a
8 The interpreters accompanying the expedition belonged to the Koriak and Chukchi tribes, and were of no use in conversing with the natives, but they were bold and inspired the islanders with confidence, being in outward appearance like themselves.
85
EXTREME SUFFERINGS.
very stormy passage land was sighted again on the 24th, in latitude 51° 27'.9 There was a coast with islands and mountains, to the highest of which Bering gave the name of St John, from the day.
The position of the ship was critical. Finally they escaped the dangerous shore, only to be driven by a storm of seventeen days' duration down to latitude 48°. Disease spread. Every day one or more died, until there were scarcely enough left to manage the ship. " The most eloquent pen," said Steller, " would fail to describe the misery of our condition." Opinion was divided whether they should seek a harbor on the American coast or sail directly to Kamchatka. Bering was profuse in his promises to celestial powers, slight- ing none, Catholic or Protestant, Greek or German. He vowed to make ample donations to the Russian church at Petropavlovsk and to the Lutheran church at Viborg, Finland, where some of his relatives re- sided.
A northerly course was kept until the 22d of Octo- ber, when an easterly breeze made it possible to head the unfortunate craft for Kamchatka. Only fifteen casks of water remained, and the commander was so reduced by sickness and despondency that the burden of affairs fell almost wholly on Waxel. On the 25th land was sighted in latitude 51° and named St Maka- rius. This was the island of Amchitka. On the 28th another island in latitude 52° was named St Stephen (Kishka). On the 29th in latitude 52° 30' still another island was discovered and named St Abram (Semichi Island). On the 30th two other islands were sighted and mistaken by the bewildered navigators as the first of the Kuriles. On the 1st of November in latitude 54° they found themselves within about sixteen miles of a high line of coast.
9 The latitude of the land was variously reported by Waxel, and subse- quently by Chirikof from his examination of journals, at 51° 27', 52° 30', and 51° 12'. It is safe to presume that the St John's mountain of Bering was situated either on the island of Umnak or on one of the Four Peaks Islands. Sokolof was of the opinion that it was Atkha Island. Zap. Hydr., ix. 393.
S6
DEATH OF BERING.
The condition of the explorers still continued critical. Notwithstanding sickness and misery the decimated crew was obliged to work night and day, in rain, snow, and cold; the sails and rigging were so rotten that it was dangerous to set much canvas, even if the crew had been able.1º At last, on the 4th, the lookout sighted land. It was distant; only the mountain tops appear- ing above the horizon; and though the Sv Petr was headed directly for the land all day, they could not reach it. An observation at noon made the latitude 56°.
" It would be impossible to describe," says Steller, " the joy created by the sight of land; the dying crawled upon deck to see with their own eyes what they would not believe; even the feeble commander was carried out of his cabin. To the astonishment of all a small keg of brandy was taken from some hiding-place and dealt out in celebration of the sup- posed approach to the coast of Kamchatka."
On the morning of the 5th another misfortune was. discovered. All the shrouds on the starboard side were broken, owing to contraction caused by frost. Lieutenant Waxel at once reported to the commander, who was confined in his berth, and from him received orders convoking a council of officers to deliberate upon the situation. It was well known that the fresh water was almost exhausted, and that the ravages of scorbutic disease were becoming more alarming every day. The continuous wetting with spray and rain became more dangerous and insupportable as the cold increased, covering with a coat of ice the surface of every object exposed to its action, animate or inani-
10 Müller writes: 'The sickness was so dreadful that the two sailors who used to be at the rudder were obliged to be led to it by two others who could hardly walk, and when one could sit and steer no longer another in but little better condition supplied his place.' Müller's Sammlung, 51. The commander was still confined to his cabin; the officers thoughi scarcely able to walk, were quarrelling among themselves; the crew were dying at the rate of one or two every day; no hard bread, no spirits, and but very little water; dampness and cold; and to all this was added the almost certainty of impending disaster. Sokolof, in Zap. Ilydr., ix. 395.
87
SHIPWRECK OF THE 'SV PETR.'
mate. Soon the council came to the conclusion that it was necessary to seek relief at the nearest point of land, be it island or continent.11 The wind was from the north, and the soundings indicated between thirty and forty fathoms over sandy bottom. After steering south-west for some time the soundings decreased to twelve fathoms, and the vessel was found to be only a short distance from the shore. Then at the com- mand of Waxel, over the bows of the doomed ship, down went the anchors of the Sv Petr for the last time. It was 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The sea began to rise, and in less than an hour a cable broke. Then other cables were lost; and just as the despair- ing mariners were about to bend the last one on board, a huge wave lifted the vessel over a ledge of rocks into smooth water of about four fathoms, but not before seriously injuring the hull. This action of the elements settled the fate of the expedition; there was no alternative but to remain for the winter on that coast, ignorant of its extent and location as they were. It was on a calm moonlit night that the stormy voyage of over four months was thus suddenly ter- minated.12
All able to work were landed to prepare for disem- barking the sick. A preliminary shelter was con- structed by digging niches into the sandy banks of a small stream and covering them with sails. Drift- wood was found along the shore, but there was no sign of any timber which might be made useful. No trace of human occupation was visible. On the morn-
11 Steller maintains that Bering refused to give the necessary orders, sup- posing that it would still be possible to reach Avatcha, and that he was supported in his opinion by Ovtzin; but the contrary opinion of Waxel and Khitrof prevailed. Sokolof, in Zap. Hydr., ix. 397.
12 A letter of one of the officers says: 'In endeavoring to go to the west we were cast on a desert isle where we had the prospect of remaining the greater part of our days. Our vessel was broken up on one of the banks with which the isle is surrounded. We failed not to save ourselves on shore, with all such things as we thought we had need of; for by a marked kindness of providence the wind and waves threw after us upon the shore the wreck and the remains of our vessel, which we gathered together to put us in a state, with the blessing of God, to quit this desolate abode.' Burney's Chronol. Hist., 172-3. See also Sokolof, in Zap. Hydr., ix. 399.
88
DEATH OF BERING.
ing of the 8th preparations for landing the sick were completed and the work began. Many of the unfortunates drew their last breath as soon as they come in contact with the fresh air, while others ex- pired during the process of removal. During the day following Commander Bering was carried ashore. He had been daily growing weaker, and had evidently made up his mind that he must die. Four men car- ried him in a hand-barrow well secured against the air. Shortly afterward the last remnant of the unfor- tunate ship was torn from its single cable and came upon the shore. Steller searched in vain for anti- scorbutic herbs and plants under the deep snow, and there was no game or wild-fowl at hand. The only animals visible on land were the pestsi or Arctic foxes, exceedingly bold and rapacious. They fell upon the corpses and devoured them almost before the survivors could make preparations for their burial. It seemed to be impossible to frighten them away. The stock of powder was small, and it would not do to waste it on beasts; it must be kept for killing men. The sea-otter was already known to the Russians from a few specimens captured on the coast of Kamchatka, and among the Kurile Islands. Soon the castaways discovered the presence of these animals in the sur- rounding waters. The flesh seemed to them most pal- atable, and Steller even considered it as anti-scorbutic. The skins were preserved by the survivors and subse- quently led to the discovery of a wealth that Bering and Chirikof had failed to see in their voyages of observation.13
Some relief in the way of provisions was afforded by the carcass of a whale cast upon the beach. It
13 At that time the Chinese merchants at Kiakhta paid from 80 to 100 rubles for sea-otter skins; 900 sea-otters were killed on the island by the crew of the Sy Petr; the skins were divided equally among all, but Steller was most fortunate. In his capacity of physician he received many presents, and he bought many skins, the property of persons who in the uncer- tainty of living held them in light esteem. His share alone is said to have amounted to 300 choice skins, which he carried with him to Kamchatka. Stel- ler's Journal, 172, 175, passim; Muller, Sammlung, 54-5.
89
THE LAST HOUR.
was not very delicate food, but proved of great ser- vice when nothing better could be had. It afforded also the material for feeding lamps during the long dreary nights of winter. No distinction was made in the division of food between officers and men; every one had a fair and equal portion. Lieutenant Waxel was now recognized as general manager, the com- mander being beyond duty. Misfortune and misery had toned down the rough aggressiveness of the lieu- tenant, and nearly all of the wise regulations there- after adopted must be credited to him, though he frequently acted upon Steller's advice. Both did their utmost to give occupation to all who were able as the only remedy against their mortal enemy, the scurvy.
Toward the end of November Khitrof and Waxel also were prostrated by disease, and the prospect before the castaways was indeed a gloomy one. The excursions to different parts of the island in search of food and fuel became more and more contracted, and dull despair settled upon the whole community.
As for the commander, no wonder he had longed to return; for it was now apparent to all, as it may have been to him these many days, that he must die. And we can pardon him the infirmities of age, dis- ease, and temper; the labors of his life had been severe and his death was honorable, though the con- ditions were by no means pleasing. Toward the last he became if possible more timid, and exceedingly suspicious. He could hardly endure even the pres- ence of Steller, his friend and confidant, yet this faithful companion praises his firm spirit and dignified demeanor.
It was under such circumstances that Vitus Bering died-on this cold forbidding isle, under the sky of an Arctic winter, the 8th of December 1741, in a miserable hut half covered by the sand which came trickling down upon him through the boards that had been placed to bar its progress. Thus passed from
90
DEATH OF BERING.
earth, as nameless tens of thousands have done, the illustrious commander of the expeditions which had disclosed the separation of the two worlds and dis- covered north-westernmost America.
On the 10th of December the second mate, Kho- tiaintzof, died, and a few days later three of the sailors. On the 8th of January death demanded another vic- tim, the commissary Lagunof, making thirty-one up to this time.14
At length the survivors began slowly to improve in health. The ship's constable, Rossilius, with two men, was despatched northward to explore; but they learned only that they were on an island. Later the sailor, Anchugof, was ordered southward, and after an absence of nearly four weeks he returned half-starved, with- out information of any kind. Another was sent west, but with the same result. It was only then that many would believe they were not on the shore of Kam- chatka, and that it depended upon their own exertions whether they ever left their present dwellings, cer- tainly not very attractive ones, these excavations in the earth roofed over with sails.15 The foreigners formed a separate colony in one large cavity. There were five of these, Steller, Rossilius, Plenisner, Assist- ant Surgeon Betge, and a soldier named Zand. Waxel occupied a dwelling by himself and another private domicile had been constructed by the two boatswains, Ivanof and Alexeïef. All the others lived together in one large excavation.
The provisions were by no means abundant, but
14 A list of the effects of Bering and the petty officers, preserved in the naval archives, contains: 3 quadrants, 1 chronometer, 1 compass, 1 spy-glass, 1 gold watch, 1 pair of pistols, S copper drinking-cups, a few pipes, 1I books on navigation, a bundle of charts, 2 bundles of calculations, 7 maps, and 8 dozen packs of playing-cards. With the exception of the playing-cards, all were sold at auction in Kamchatka, and brought 1,000 rubles. Sokolof, in Zap. Hydr., ix. 10, 11.
15 Nagaïef, an assistant of Sokolof in the collection and digestion of docu- ments concerning the expedition, states that he found original entries of Waxel and Khitrof in the journal, to the effect that after Bering's death the only two remaining officers declared their willingness to temporarily resign their rank and put themselves on an equality with the men, but that the latter refused, and continued to obey their superiors. Morskoi Sbornik, cvi. 215.
91
A NEW CRAFT BUILT.
great care was exercised in distributing them, keeping always in view the possibility of a further sea-voyage in search of Kamchatka. The principal food was the meat of marine mammals killed about the shore, sea- otters, seals, and sea-lions. Carcasses of whales were cast ashore twice during the winter, and though in an advanced state of putrefaction they yielded an abundant supply to the unfortunates, who had ceased to be very particular as to the quality of their diet. In the spring the sea-cows made their appearance and furnished the mariners with an abundance of more palatable meat. The only fuel was drift-wood, for which they had to mine the deep snow for eight or ten miles round. The winter was cold and stormy throughout, and the approach of spring was heralded by dense fogs hanging about the island for weeks without lifting sufficiently to afford a glance at the surrounding sea.
A council was now held and some proposed sending the single remaining ship's boat for assistance; others were of the opinion that the ship itself, though half broken up, might still be repaired; but finally it was determined to take the wreck entirely to pieces and out of them construct a new craft of a size sufficient to hold the entire company. A singular question here presented itself to these navigators, accustomed as they were to the iron discipline of the imperial service, Would they not be punished for taking to pieces a government vessel? After some discussion it dawned on their dim visions that perhaps after all the punishment of their dread ruler might be no worse than death on that island. Hence it was solemnly resolved to begin at once; the wreck was dismantled, and in May the keel was laid for the new vessel.
The three ship's carpenters were dead, but a Cossack who had once worked in the ship-yard at Okhotsk was chosen to superintend the construction, and he proved quite successful in drawing the plans and
92
DEATH OF BERING.
moulding the frames.16 The lack of material and tools naturally delayed the work, and it was the 10th of August before the vessel could be launched. She was constructed almost wholly without iron, and meas- ured thirty-six feet in length at the keel, and forty- one feet on deck, with a beam of twelve feet and a depth of hold of only five and a half feet. She was still called the Sv Petr. The vessel had to be provi- sioned wholly from the meat of sea-animals.17
On the 16th of August,18 after a stay of over nine months on this island, to which they gave the name of Bering, at the suggestion of Khitrof, and after protracted prayers and devotions, this remnant of the commander's crew set sail from the scene of suffering and disaster. On the third day out, as might be expected from such construction, the vessel was found to be leaking badly, and within half an hour there were two feet of water in the hold. Some lead and ammunition were thrown out, and the leak was stopped. On the ninth day the hearts of the unhappy crew were gladdened by a full view of the Kamchatka shore, and on the following day, the 26th of August, the juvenile Sv Petr was safely anchored in the bay of Avatcha. The survivors were received by the few inhabitants of Petropavlovsk with great rejoicing; they had long since been given up as dead. They remained at the landing-place to recuperate for nearly a year, and finally proceeded to Okhotsk in 1743.19
16 He succeeded so well in his undertaking that he received as reward from the grateful empress the patent of nobility. Sammlung, xx. 394.
17 Zap. Hydr., ix. 413. The author of the Sammlungen states that when the sea-otters disappeared in March the Russians had recourse to dogs, bears, and lions, meaning of course seals (seehund), fur-seal (seebär), and sea-lions. Sammlung. xx. 393.
18 Sokolof makes the date of departure the 12th. Zap. Hydr., ix. 413; obviously an error on the part of some one.
19 In the church of Petropavlovsk there is still preserved a memorial of this event; a silver mounted image of the apostles Peter and Paul with the inscription, 'An offering in memory of our miraculous rescue from a barren island, and our return to the coast of Kamchatka, by lieutenant Dimitri Ovtzin, and the whole company, August 1741.' Polonski, Kamchatka Archives, MS., vol. xiii.
93
CHIRIKOF'S SUBSEQUENT VOYAGE.
Before he had fairly recovered from the effects of his last voyage, Chirikof made another effort to see something more of the American coast which he had found. He commanded the Sv Pavel again, but the only officer of the former voyage now with him was the pilot Yelagin.20 Sailing from Avatcha Bay the 25th of May 1742, he shaped his course due east. His progress was slow, and on the 8th of June he sighted the first land in latitude 52°. Only the snow- covered tops of high mountains were visible above the fog and clouds which enveloped the island called by Chirikof, St Theodore, but which we know to-day as Attoo. A series of southerly gales then set in which carried the ship northward to latitude 54° 30'. On the 16th of June, owing to the wretched condition of the vessel, it was deemed best to return to Kamchatka. On the way back the Sv Pavel passed within a short distance of the island where at that moment Bering's companions were still suffering. Chirikof sighted the southern point of the island and named it St Julian. The expedition reached Petropavlovsk the 1st of July.21
20 Müller, Voyage, 112, maintains that Chirikof intended to search for Bering; but Sokolof scouts the idea upon the ground that he could not have had the faintest suspicion of his whereabouts; it was then believed that Bering and all his crew had perished. Sokolof, in Zap. Hydr., ix. 414.
21 As this last attempt of Chirikof ends the operations of the expedition which accomplished the discovery of the American coast, the official list of all those engaged in the enterprise in its various branches, taken from Bering's private journal, will not be out of place. The names are arranged according to rank as follows: Captain-commander, Vitus Bering; captains, Martin Spanberg and Alexeï Chirikof; lieutenants, Dmitri Laptief, Yegor Endogurof, William Walton, Peter Lassenius, Dmitri Ovtzin, Stepan Muravief, Mikhaïl Pavlof, Stepan Malygin, Alexeï Skuratof, Ivan Sukhotin, Hariton Laptief, Ivan Chikhachef; midshipman, Alexeï Schelting; mates, Sven Waxel, Vassili Promchishchef, Mikhaïl Plunting, Andreïan Eselberg, Lev Kazimerof, Ivan Kashelef, Fedor Minin, Sofron Khitrof, Abram Dementief; second mates, Ivan Vereshchagin, Ivan Yelagin, Matveï Petrof, Dmitri Sterlegof, Semen Cheliuskin, Vassili Rtishchef, Vassili Andreïef, Gavril Rudnef, Peter Pazni- akof, Marko Golovin, Ivan Biref, Kharlam Yushin, Moïssei Yurlof, Andreï Shiganof; marines, Vassili Perenago, Joann Synd, Andreïan Yurlof; naval cadets, Mikhaïl Scherbinin, Vassili Khmetevski, Ossip Glazof, Emilian Rodichef, Andreï Velikopolski, Fedor Kanishchef, Sergei Spiridof, Sergeï Sunkof; commissaries, Agafon Choglokof, Fedor Kolychef, Stepan Ivashenin, Ivan Lagunof; navigators, Ivan Beluï, Mikhaïl Vosikof; assistant navigators, Dmitri Korostlef, Nikita Khotiaïntzof; boatswains, Niels Jansen, Sidor Savelief; boatswain's mate, Fedor Kozlof; boat-bnilders, Andreï Kozmin, William Butzovski, Henrich Hovins, Caspar Feich; assistant surgeons, Ivan Stupin, William Berensen, Peter Brauner, Sim Gren, Thomas Vinzen-
94
DEATH OF BERING.
In the August following, and before the survivors of Bering's party could reach that port, Chirikof sailed for Okhotsk.
dorf, Henrich Schaffer, Elias Günther, Kiril Shemchushuykof, Moritz Ar- menus, Andreas Heer, Ivan Paxin, Henrich Hebel, Mikhaïl Brant, Matthias Betge, Johann Lau; academicians, Gerhard Müller, Johann Gmelin, Louis Croyère; Professor Johann Fischer; adjunct, George Wilhelm Steller; stu- dents, Stepan Krashennikof, Fedor Popof, Luka Ivanof, Alexeï Tretiakof, Alexeï Gorlonof; instrument-maker, Stepan Ovsiannikof; painter, Johann Berkhan; draughtsman, Johann Lursenino; translator, Ilia Yakhoutof; sur- veyors, Andreï Krassilnikof, Nikifor Chekin, Moïsseï Oushakof, Alexander Ivanof, Peter Skobeltzin, Dmitri Baskakof, Ivan Svistunof, Vassili Shetilof, Vassili Selifontof, Ivan Kindiarof, Vassili Somof, Mikhaïl Gvozdef; assistant surveyors, Mikhaïl Vuikhodzef, Fedor Prianishnikof, Alexeï Maksheïef, Ivan Shavrigin; assayer, Simon Gardebol; mineralogists, Dmitri Odintzof, Friedrich Weidel, Elias Schehl, Zakar Medvedef, Agapius Leskin, Ivan Samoilof. There was also one parish priest, with six subordinate members of the clergy. The following is the naval roster of Bering's command as dis- tributed among the various divisions of the expedition.
ROSTER OF BERING'S COMMAND IN 1740.
On the Ships of
On the Double Sloops
RANK.
Bering.
Chiri- kof.
Span- berg.
of Span- berg.
with Arctic Exped.
In the White Sea.
Total.
Captain Commander.
1
.
. .
. .
Captains .
1
1
Lieutenants.
1
1
. .
1
3
2
8
Midshipmen
1
1
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