Review of Berings First Expedition, 1725-30. 139 
of it had been transported safely to Okhotsk. Since more re- 
mained I sent twenty-seven men to Yudoma Cross to bring over 
the rest of the material on pack-horses from that place, who 
returned in May. 
In this region in winter time from Yakutsk to Okhotsk and 
other distant places people always travel on foot in parties of 
eight or ten, hauling their own sledges after them. Those be- 
longing to our command, when sent from Gorbeh to Okhotsk, 
brought down ten or fifteen puds or more, the snow being seven 
feet deep in places and travelers in winter being obliged to dig 
. out a camp every evening, down to the ground to keep warm. 
June 30, Lieut. Spanberg in his newly built vessel sailed across 
the sea to the port of Bolsheretsk with a cargo of outfit and sup- 
plies and the material for the shipbuilders and workmen of our 
command, sent to Kamchatka to get out the timbers for a vessel, 
being ordered to return again for us. 
July 3d, Lieut. Chirikoff arrived from Yakutsk with 2300 puds 
of flour, according to my instructions. 
August 21, we loaded the new vessel which had returned from 
the land of Kamchatka, and another old boat which had been at 
Bolsheretsk, with the flour, and the whole command then at 
Okhotsk proceeded across the sea to Bolsheretsk. The officer 
who had been left to guard the provisions which had not arrived 
from the wintering place on the Gorbeh river was directed to float 
them down again and take a receipt from the authorities at Ya- 
kutsk and endeavor, the following year, to deliver to the com- 
mand in Kamchatka some part of the provisions, iron and tar. 
It was necessary to take the supplies from the mouth of the 
[Bolshoia] river to the post of Bolsheretsk by water in small 
boats. At the post were fifteen houses inhabited by Russians. 
For the ascent of the shallow river small boats had been built as 
I desired that the outfit and the most necessary part of the pro- 
visions should be transported to the upper Kamchatka post, a dis- 
tance of 120 versts by water. The transportation between Bol- 
sheretsk and Upper and Lower Kamchatka in winter was entirely 
carried on by the use of the native dogs. Every evening it is 
necessary to dig out the camp in the snow, in order to get shelter 
from whirlwinds of snow which in this region are called poorga. 
If one makes camp in an open place free from snow, these snow 
squalls are liable to overwhelm the party and they may perish. 
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