At East Cape. Ashore-A Siberian Village-The Arctic Hunter's Luxurious Home-Arctic Cemeteries-Botanizing on the Siberian Shore-Tracing the Ice Floods. Steamer Corwin, East Cape, Siberia, July 1, 1881.

• Main Author: Muir, John
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarly Commons 1881
• Subjects: Environmentalist; naturalist; travel; conservation; national parks; John Muir; history; pamphlets; journal articles; speeches; writing; annotation; Anchorage; Arctic; Burrows; East Cape; Scud; ice pack; Siberia; walrus*
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/164; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmb/article/1163/viewcontent/123.pdf

AT EAST CAPE. rTritten July 1, 1881 IP si . ? jtshore—A Siberian ViHRKe-Tiie Arctic tlun- ier's l-uxurioiis Home—Arctic Cemeteries —Bot.aniMMs oa tine sitoerian whore—Trac- iBisr tiie Ice Floods. Steamek Corwin, \ t • * East Cape, Sibekia, July l, 1881.]" After getting our search party on board at Tap- kan, we found it Impossible under the conditions of ice and water that prevailed to land our Tchu- chl dog-driver, who lives there, and who had come off with the party to get his pay. He was in excellent spirits, however, and told the Captain that since he had received a gun and a liberal supply of ammunition he did not care where he was put ashore—Cape Serdze, East Cape, or any point along the shore or edge of the Ice-pack would answer, as he could kill plenty of. birds and seals, and get home any time. The dogs and siedges were left in his care at Tapkan, to be in readiness in case they should be required next winter. Speeding southward under steam and sail we reached East Cape yesterday at§ A.-M, By this time the wind was blowing what seamen call a " living gale" whitening the sea, and filling the air with blinding scud. We found good anchorage, however, back of the high portion of the Cape, opposite a large settlement 01 Tchuchi. A~SBEBIAN. VILLAGE. • This morning Mr. Nelson and 1 went ashore to see what we could learn. The village here, which we passed'through.'on our way up the mountain~-siGe, consists of about fifty huts, built on a small, rocky terminal moraine, and so deeply sunk in the face of ihe hill that the entire village makes scarcely more show at a. distance of a fe'w hundrea yards than a group of marmot burrows. The lower portion ot the walls is built of moraine bowlders, the upper nortion ana the curving beehive roof of driftwood and the libs-ot whales, framea together ana covered with walrus hide or airt. "During Jhe winter they are entered by a low tunnel, so as to exclude the cold air as much as possible. The floor is simply the natural, dirt mixed into a dark hairy paste, with much that is ...