stefansson-wrangel-09-16-029

Melnyk (See "Wrangel Is." for original)

Hazelton, B.C., November 5th, 1925.

Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Esq., New York, N.Y.

Dear Sir:

I have just finished reading your book, THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND, and must express my appreciation of your writing. I am, really, fond of all your books and miss no opportunity to read your articles in different magazine, because I also like the North.

But the chief reason that I am writing this letter to you is to give you some information of the late Charles Wells, whom I have met in the North just three months before his death in Vladivostok, and actually spent these three months in close association with him.

I only regret that I did not write to you before you have published your book, as this information would certainly give you more light on C. Wells' certain happenings after he and his party of Eskimos had left Wrangel Island, as the newspaper extracts which you reproduce in your book were intended more to create sensation that to give facts.

Nevertheless, it is better "late than never," so this little bit of information might still be of interest to you.

It was quite a surprise to me to find on page 311 of your book an extract from a newspaper, which says that I, as a member of the Russian Expedition to Wrangel Island, have brought to Vancouver "graphic details" of said expedition, etc. It is rather a shame that American-Canadian papers will never print the story as it is told to them but will change it and make a sensation out of it.

I was in charge of the Hudson's Bay Company's Post at Cape North, on the Siberian coast at the time of the arrival of the Red October there from Wrangel Island, and, as we were liquidating the whole business with the intention to pull out of the country, I certainly was glad to see some ship by which I might get out of there. In fact, I was waiting for the Russian ship, Stavropol, which on her return trip from Kolyma, was to call at Cape North and take me out. But, as the season was getting late and ice conditions very bad, I lost all hope of getting out that year (1924).

Then all of a sudden (Aug. 29) amongst the ice the ship appeared on the horizon and finally came to Cape North. At first

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I did not know what ship it was and suspected least of all that it was from Wrangel Island.

I went aboard and was ushered to the cabin of the "Head of the Expedition," B. V. Davidoff, and Captain Voyeykoff. After the greetings, I was questioned about ice conditions at and around Cape North, the nature of winds, and my opinion on the possibility of getting out of the ice. The trouble was that they were getting short of coal and the ice was impassable. Finally, not to endanger the ship and the lives of eighty men on board, they decided to wait for the offshore winds that would drive the ice away.

But as the northern winds prevailed, packing the ice against the shore, with no leads in sight, they were obliged to prepare themselves for spending the winter at Cape North.

In the meantime, on finding that I was Canadian, the heads of the expedition took quite an interest in me. Only Commisar, an ex-sailor, regretted that"it wasn't Stefansson instead, as he (Commisar) would show him whether Wrangel Island belongs to Canada or Soviet Russia." Captain Voyeykoff introduced me to Charlie Wells. I was very glad of the acquaintance and was very much interested in the man that had spent a year on Wrangel Island.

I have expected Charles Wells to be a man of middle age and robust, but was rather disappointed in that. He looked rather too old and frail (not strong) to spend his time on Wrangel Island, although he was well built. One of his eyes was bandaged, and he told me later that while on the Island he began to lose the sight of one eye (and did not know what was the cause of it) until he could not see at all. Nevertheless, he was a pleasant man to meet and to talk to.

He told me of the tragedy of four men on the Island (in 1923) and his own experience there.

All that I am setting down here he did not tell me in one continuous story, but in disjointed extracts.

He did not have a very successful winter, as the Eskimos that were with him were a lazy bunch, and as long as they had plenty for their stomachs refused to go to the traps. Game was plentiful throughout the winter. He kept a diary and meteorological observations.

He was very angry at Harold Noice for not discharging from his ship everything he had for his (Wells')party. One article that Wells spoke of, and I remember it well, was woolen underwear, which was put on shore by Wells himself and later it disappeared, and the party was in bad need of it. He actually accused Noice of appropriating many things of the cargo, and said that as soon as he came back to the U. S.

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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

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communicate with anybody, and an officer was sent to the wireless station with notice that, should Wells ignore their order and bring any message, it was not to be transmitted but returned to the ship.

One of the Eskimo women had some throat trouble, and Wells' sore eye was improving but slightly. They were taken to a doctor in a hospital for examination and medicine was given them.

On all occasions I served Wells and the Eskimos as their interpreter.

Our entry into Vladivostok port was with great pomp. The Red October was met by two torpedo boats and escorted to the inner harbour. Then the Commander of the Russian fleet came aboard and paid tribute to all the men for the "great services rendered to the Soviet Republic."

Wells was taken to a first class hotel, although it was rather dirty looking, as are all the hotels in Vladivostok, and told that all he had to do was to live there and wait, as one of the members of the expedition was to go to Moscow to make a report. Wells was told by the administration of the expedition that all arrangements had been made with the hotel management as to the expense of his living there, and that he did not have to worry about it. But four days later Wells was notified by the hotel management that he would have to pay his own expenses or get out of there. Such were the instructions of some local official. He said that his office was not going to bear the expenses.

It appeared then that Wells actually was under the care of two different institutions: one to pay his expenses, the other,political, to decide his fate. And the one that was supposed to pay refused to do it. The man that would have had the definite say about it was off to Moscow.

Wells was desperate, as he was penniless. I advised him to go to the British Consul (or rather British Trading Mission with the rights of a consul) and apply for help. He did so and was refused such help. It looked to me as though the British Government did not wish to be tangled up in Wells' case in Vladivostok, as its position there was already not favourable.

But the same day (or another) my manager asked me for some particulars of C. Wells. I told him. Then he sent me to the hotel manager to tell him that, in case the Soviet Government refused to pay Wells' expenses, the Hudson's Bay Company would. I cannot say who actually paid Wells' expenses, the Hudson's Bay Company, or the British Trading Mission through the Hudson's Bay Company.

I left Vladivostok on the 19th of November, 1924, but did not have the chance to say good-bye to Wells. He was living in the hotel comfortably, but was not very well. He had a bad cold.

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On reaching Tokyo, I went to the American Consul, Mr. Stuart, or Steward, I think, and told him of Wells' case, showed him some pictures from Wrangel Island, etc. He was very much interested in the whole story, and took notes.

On reaching Vancouver, I remembered that your company had an office in Carters Building some years ago. Through your office I desired to communicate with you. But your offices were there no more. Only recently I managed to get your address through the National Geographic Society.

Some time later, the press brought news of Wells' death in Vladivostok. A friend of mine has sent me some clippings from the local paper (Japan Advertiser), where Wells was acclaimed a hero who had died a martyr in the Bolsheviki's hands, without medical help, in a dirty Russian hospital, between dirty sheets, etc. I do not believe in that story, and, as far as I know, nothing of the kind happened. Russian hospitals, although not as modern as American, are clean, and patients, irrespective of their nationality or creed, are treated to the best of the medical staff's ability.

I do sincerely hope, Sir, that this little bit of information will be of interest to you. Should you like to know anything else about my association with Wells, please let me know and I shall gladly inform you to the best of my knowledge.

I remain, Sir,

Yours very truly,

(Signed) Ivan Melnyk

c/o Hudson's Bay Company, Hazelton, B. C. Canada.