stefansson-wrangel-09-16-030

Melnyk

November 16, 1925.

Dear Mr. Melnyk:

I was delighted to receive this morning your very valuable letter of November 5th. As you say, it is too bad that I did not have this information before the book was published.

Your letter rounds out the sad story of Wells and Wrangel Island. It should be a part of the history of the expedition and there is a bare chance that it may get into the English edition, which is not going to be published until February. I infer from the general tone of your letter that you want me to use the information in it. This can be done in no way so well as by printing the entire letter. I am, therefore, making a copy of it and sending it at once to my publisher in London, urging him to include it if possible.

You say at the end of your letter that I may write you for more information. I should like it very much, and it would be of considerable importance, if you would write me at the greatest possible length about what you learned from either Wells or his Eskimo companions about Wrangel Island, or anything connected therewith - how Wells joined up and on what understanding, how the Eskimos joined, anything about their voyage to Wrangel Island and their dealings with Mr. Noice. But most particularly I would like to know their impressions on landing, and anything they learned then either from what they saw or from what Ada Blackjack told them.

Then the story of the winter is important. You have said they found plenty of game. Could you enlarge on that at all? Do you remember what they told you about what kind of game it was, how they secured it, and whether there was a great deal of game which they did not secure either because they did not t ry or because they lacked skill or equipment? Did they tell you about the weather in Wrangel Island as compare with either northwestern Alaska or North Cape, Siberia, as to snow, storminess, cold, fogs, length of seasons, etc.? What did they say about driftwood for fuel and housebuilding? What did Wells think about the amount of fox and bear skins that could have been secured by his natives had they hunted energetically (you have already mentioned that he cimplained about them on this score)?

What do you think of the newspaper statements about

Melnyk

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what the Russians told Wells and what Wells told the Russians when they landed? Especially, did he ask them to take himself and his party from the island, and, if so, what was his motive in asking them to do that?

You seem to be the only person to whom we have access that has valuable information about certain phases of our expedition. I hope you will, therefore, write me promptly, at as great length as you can, about these and any other things that occur to you. It is possible that if the letter comes quickly, I might be able to get it, or information from it, into the English edition.

If after writing me this first letter you latet think of other details, I hope you will send them on.

Just as a sign of my appreciation, I should like to send you those of my books which you do not happen to own - since you speak of having read some of them with interest, and wanting to read whatever is printed. So please tell me which of my books you now have.

I am enclosing a carbon of the copy of your letter as sent to my English publisher. You doubtless had no thought when you were writing that your letter would be published as written, so I have taken the liberty, as you notice, of making some very slight changes, without altering the meaning but only making it a little clearer in places by dividing and shortening the sentences, etc.

Mr. Ivan Melnyk, c/o Hudson's Bay Company, Hazelton, B.C.