Читать книгу The Dyatlov Pass. The Hike of the Doomed through the Forbidden Areas. Book 1. The conclusions of Kochetkov - Aleksander Kochetkov - Страница 3

As is known from the criminal case files, a ski pole cut into several pieces, was found in the tent, belonging to the hikers from Igor Dyatlov’s group, which was evidenced by the participants of the search and rescue operations, Vadim Brusnitsyn and Vladimir Lebedev. This looks very odd, especially with respect to what happened to the Dyatlov group on the slope of the height «1079».

The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Vladimir Aleksandrovich Lebedev, April 20, 1959

«In the tent, we found a ski pole, whose upper end was cut off along a neat end notch, and another notch was made. This suggests that someone seemed to stay in the tent much later than the others, maybe for a day, because no one would cut a pole, which might still be useful, out of sheer idleness.»

A criminal case file, sheet 315

Indeed, why cut a ski pole, which may still come in handy. Suppose the hikers needed just a cut pole, which, in their opinion, could no longer be useful for one reason or another. To hunt down this complicated issue, one should review the testimony on this point of another witness, which is available in the criminal case files.

The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Vadim Dmitriyevich Brusnitsyn, May 15, 1959

«On top of all the things, a ski pole cut into several pieces lay, whereon the northern ridge of the tent seemed to be fixed. To resolve upon rendering a ski pole unusable, taking into account that the group had no extra ones, was possible only on extraordinary occasions.»

A criminal case file, sheet 368

Hence, Vadim Brusnitsyn also confirmed the presence of a cut ski pole in the tent of the hikers, found on the slope of the height «1079», which lent this important information some credibility, since the students had no need to lie and mislead the investigation. Moreover, prior to the interrogation, they were made aware of Article 95 of the RSFSR Criminal Code on the responsibility for perjury.

To figure out a secret of a cut ski pole is not an easy task, though it is all the same achievable. And unlike others, I will not read tea leaves, I will rather use what is available in the criminal case files. Thus, if the testimony of Vadim Brusnitsyn is taken as the basis for solving this issue, the two options for the development of the events are possible:

1) the group should have had an extra pair of ski poles;

2) some special events should have occurred, compelling the hikers to resolve upon rendering the ski pole unusable.

Let’s start with the first case scenario, which, in my opinion, is easier than the second one. And, as is usually the case in the investigations, to find an answer to a difficult question one should sift the whole lot of materials through, before the answer comes to fruition, which will correspond to reality, i.e. be based on the reliable facts, confirming its correctness.

Indeed, this matter is so intricate that it won’t be quite so easy to come to its understanding. Sometimes, the same people provide conflicting testimonies, which leads the researchers astray. And yet, if one does not jump to conclusions, but methodically compares the facts, it is possible «to separate the wheat from the chaff», as the saying runs.

The Protocol of discovery of the Dyatlov group’s camp site, February 28, 1959

«The overnight camp represents a snow-leveled site with 8 pairs of skis on the bottom. The tent is stretched out on the ski poles, fixed with the ropes. 9 backpacks, with various personal belongings of the group members, are laid down at the bottom of the tent, the quilted jackets, windbreakers are placed on their top, 9 pairs of ski boots are found where the heads should have been..»

Junior Counsellor of Justice, Tempalov

Witnesses: 1) Brusnitsyn, 2) Sharavin, 3) Kurikov, the Head of the detachment 4) Maslennikov.»

A criminal case file, sheet 2

It is strange, the Dyatlov group numbers 9 people, and there are only 8 pairs of skis, whereas 9 pairs of ski boots are found. Herewith, one pair of ski boots is found in the cache. Why do the hikers need 10 pairs of ski boots, having 8 pairs of skis? Something does not quite add up in the Protocol drawn up by Tempalov. To get to the bottom of the circumstances, one should review the testimonies of the witnesses, who were present during the inspection of the items in the tent.

The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Vadim Dmitriyevich Brusnitsyn, May 15, 1959

«8 pairs of skis were laid under the tent with their bindings facing down. Thanks to the dense snow cover, the tent was set up very firmly. Everything was covered with the packed snow, except for the southern ridge, fixed on a ski pole and tied to a pair of skis. No ski pole was under the northern ridge.»

A criminal case file, sheet 367

Now it becomes clear why Tempalov mentions 8 pairs of skis, rather than 9 pairs. The thing was that one pair was not under the tent, but next to it, as reported by Vadim Brusnitsyn. But he says nothing of the ski boots, so one should review the testimony of another witness, who was present during the inspection of the items.

The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Yevgeniy Polikarpovich Maslennikov, March 10, 1959

«In the Dyatlov group’s tent there were 9 backpacks, 10 pairs of skis, of which 9 pairs under the tent bottom, 8 pairs of ski boots, 3.5 pairs of felt boots (7 pcs.), several quilted jackets and other property. When the inspection of the tent was over, we dragged it to a helipad at a distance of 600—700 meters.»

A criminal case file, sheet 70

Actually, Yevgeniy Maslennikov reports of the 8 pairs of ski boots in the tent, rather than 9 pairs, which, in my opinion, is closer to the truth for a number of reasons, whereof I will tell you, but a little bit later. But the story with the skis has taken an unexpected turn. And now it is not clear who should we believe and who not. It turns out that on the slope of the height «1079» there were 10 pairs of skis, rather than 9 pairs. But one should not jump to conclusions, for, as a rule, this can mislead even an experienced researcher, without saying of those, who take only initial timid steps in this direction. So, please, arm yourselves with patience and hold onto your hat.

Indeed, the events have taken an unexpected turn, and it proves that on the slope of the height «1079», there were 10 pairs of skis instead of 9 pairs. This seems to be fantastic, despite the fact that the hikers did have an extra pair of skis, which was left in the cache, as you know. And, nevertheless, Vassiliy Tempalov agreed with the opinion of Yevgeniy Maslennikov, which is supported by the information, available in the criminal case files.

The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Vassiliy Ivanovich Tempalov, April 18, 1959

«An ice-axe and an extra pair of skis were found near the tent. An unlit Chinese flashlight lay on the tent. 9 backpacks, 9 pairs of skis, all of them lying under the tent bottom, 8 pairs of ski boots, 3.5 pairs of felt boots, quilted jackets, and a lot of rusks, a half-bag of sugar, a large amount of concentrated food, porridges, soups, etc., cocoa, axes, a saw, cameras, the students’ diaries, documents and money were found in the tent.»

A criminal case file, sheet 310

According to the Protocol of Tempalov’s interrogation, 10 pairs of skis were found on the slope of the height «1079», i.e. 9 pairs under the tent and 1 pair at the entrance. Moreover, Vassiliy Ivanovich said that 8 pairs of ski boots were in the tent, not 9 of them, as he had previously stated. I wonder what made Tempalov change his mind in respect to the discovered skis and boots? After all, it was not for nothing that he suddenly supported the opinion of Maslennikov, thereby admitting his own mistake.

The Protocol of discovery of the Dyatlov group camp site, February 28, 1959

«All found items were transferred for the inventory and delivery to… the base of the Head of the search and rescue detachment, Maslennikov Yevgeniy Polikarpovich, wherefore this Protocol was drawn up. Junior Counsellor of Justice, Tempalov.»

A criminal case file, sheet 2

What a striking picture! Did Tempalov, Brusnitsyn and Lebedev really make a mistake in counting? And Yevgeniy Maslennikov, who the items were handed over to «for the inventory and delivery», after their inspection, found that the inventory did not correspond to reality. But how could this have happened? The three persons could not make a mistake just like that. Something is wrong here. Undoubtedly, an explanation for this strange event should be found somewhere in the criminal case files.

The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Aleksei Alekseyevich Chernyshov, March 11, 1959

«The tent was set properly. The snow was trampled and a flat site was prepared, the skis were lying on the snow with their sliding surface up, the tent bottom was already put on them. The quilted jackets were laid at the bottom in the tent itself (away from the slope), the empty backpacks were laid out in the tent. On the same side of the tent (towards the slope), the personal things of each hiker lay. In the right corner, near the entrance, there was some food: cans of condensed milk, concentrated food, etc., 8 pairs of ski boots and 7 felt boots were lying along the length of the tent, on the side of the slope.»

A criminal case file, sheets 89 and 90

Hence, the Deputy Head of the united search and rescue detachments, Captain Chernyshov, on the one hand, confirms the fact that there were really 8 pairs of ski boots in the tent, but on the other hand, he does not say a word of the number of skis. And the situation with the actual number of skis starts to look hopeless, remaining one more contradictory piece of information, which is, most likely, to remain unexplained.

The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Georgiy Vladimirovich Atmanaki, April 7—8, 1959

«There was no sense in continuing the further inspection of the items, and so, they put everything back in its place until the investigator’s arrival, having first raised the tent and pulled out the three pairs of skis, since the dog handlers were walking on foot, and the rest of the skis were used by us to mark the places where the bodies of the dead were found.»

A criminal case file, sheet 215

Here is an answer why those, who were sorting out the items in the tent, were mistaken with the actual number of skis. The thing was that at the time of drawing up the Protocol by Vassiliy Tempalov, the searchers took several pairs of skis for their needs. A fair question arises: «Why did they not share this important information with the Head of the united search and rescue detachments, Yevgeniy Maslennikov, and he, in turn, with Vassiliy Tempalov?»

The Protocol of interrogation of the witness Yevgeniy Polikarpovich Maslennikov, March 10, 1959

«Brusnitsyn was the one who was mostly engaged with the tent, and he would tell of the location of the items in it better than me. Considering that a prosecutor, Comrade Tempalov, and a sufficient number of people were near the tent, I went down to the search and rescue detachment, because it was necessary to activate the search for the people.»

A criminal case file, sheet 70

That was why Tempalov changed his mind concerning the number of skis, found on the slope of the height «1079». But, as is often the case with the investigations, after answering one question, there arises another, no less important one: «Where did the extra pair of skis, which had not been there at the beginning of the hike, come from?»

The Protocol of inspection of the items, found at the scene, March 5—7, 1959

«The clothes, found on the body of Igor Dyatlov, were listed in the autopsy report: a fur sleeveless jacket, trimmed with blue satin. Yura Yudin said that that sleeveless jacket belonged to him and he handed it over to Sasha Kolevatov on January 28, 1959».

A criminal case file, sheet 13

It turns out that Yura Yudin gave Sasha Kolevatov not only «a fur sleeveless jacket, trimmed with blue satin», but also the skis and ski poles. And this event took place in the 2^nd Severnyi village on January 28, 1959. But how then did Yura Yudin get to the 41^st Kvartal, having lost not only his fur jacket, but also the means of transportation across the terrain, covered with deep snow? And why did the group leader let the sick comrade go alone, without being accompanied? I will provide the answers to these fair questions in the next chapter of my work, dedicated to Igor Dyatlov’s group.