From Rimma Kolevatova's testimony Case file 270:
"The funds allocated for the organization of such hiking expeditions are very scarce. This was a 22-day ski trip to remote areas in winter conditions. Naturally, it is supposed to have a supply of nutritional products, in particular, each hiker needed to have an inviolable supply of chocolate (just as they had a box of matches each in the breast inside pocket of the suit). The institute allocated to each student only 100 (one hundred) rubles as an aid, which, of course, was not enough. The remaining funds were collected by the group members themselves, amounting to 350 rubles."
* * * * * * *
From Dyatlov's plan for the expedition Case file 207:
Cost estimate |
- Roundtrip fare
130 х 11 = 1430 rubles
- Travel by car
50 х 11 = 550 rubles
- Meals at a rate of 16 rubles
per day per participant
16 х 20 х 11 = 3520 rubles
- Purchase and rental
equipment – 200 rubles
________________________________
Total: 5700 rubles
|
1300 rubles for 9 people
Received 1000 1100 rubles from the trade union committee
We have 1100 rubles for the expedition
* * * * * * *
* * * * * * *
By origin the money on the Dyatlov group were:
1100 from the committee, looks like they remained in Dyatlov
3850 (350 each) to enroll in the expedition, should be in Lyuda
Personal money in their pockets, some of them are missing, but there is no logic unless only some bodies were tampered with
Expenses that we know of:
- Lyuda spent 200 for a fabric that is used for summer clothes and she curses herself to have done this foolish purchase only because she had the money for the expedition. Surely she intended to return the money when they got back.
- Nine tickets for the train (not ten), Lyuda hid under the seats. Feeling guilty?
According to Dyatlov's calculation above this amounts to 585 rubles (nine tickets of 65 rubles in one direction)
- Food, according to Dyatlov 16 rubles per person per day for 20 days = 3200 rubles
- The 700 found in the tin can with films, I believe those were set aside to be returned to Bienko and Yudin.
According to my calculations Lyuda had 3850-200=3650
I believe Lyuda bought the tickets or else Dyatlov would have insisted on buying the correct amount, he won't take the risk.
Tickets: 3650-585=3065
Food: 3065-3200=-135
The food was not bought all at once. I believe this is what made Lyuda postpone when she would admit to Dyatlov the shortage of 200 rubles. I believe that maybe she thought that she could cover it for longer, it was not a lot of money after all but Dyatlov kept the public money on him. So she had to tell him. Then my speculation is that he decided to put aside the money (the 700 in the tin can) they had to give back to Yudin and Bienko.
Was this the cause for Lyuda's bad mood? That the money was running out, maybe she hadn't told Igor about the 200 rubles spent on cambric aka batiste?
This has nothing to do with the tragedy, only explaining Lyuda's sulking which has always intrigued me. Why was she in such a bad mood?
This is not the most important observation about the money in the Dyatlov group though. I will point to something that is characteristic in many aspects of this investigation. The fact that things do not add up.
Money is left at the scene i.e. robbery is not the motive. But how come Krivonischenko, Kolevatov and Zolotaryov have no money on them, none whatsoever? Unless they were misplaced prior to the official discovery of the tent and bodies. For example when they were brought to the Ivdel morgue, undressed, examined, and then returned back to be officially found again. Read more details of this theory from book "1079".
We do not have Lyuda's notes of the expenses, what was bought, when, how much did it cost etc. This is also explained by the theory that someone else made the labaz where the supplies were found because the original labaz was taken apart not expecting the massive search operation. When the searchers read the diaries and started looking for a "labaz" this is when the one we know of was found, with products like sausages, sugar and cocoa not touched by the animals for a whole month. Dyatlov's original list of food supplies and the notes how much everything cost when they bought it, all this is missing. The case files contain what was found, not what the group carried with them. More troubling is that the rest of the papers are found in Dyatlov's field bag, but nothing about food supplies.
Lyuda's diary is not included in the case files and not all the pages were scanned. It is not known where the original diary is.
* * * * * * *
From Lyuda Dubinina's diary:
23 january. It’s the last day of preparations and everything has been quite hectic. From eleven in the morning I was scampering between stores buying different bits and pieces. I foolishly bought five meters of cambric that took a whole day cost 200 rubles.
I discussed with Vladimir Askinadzi what could have been the fate of these "five meters of cambric". Here is what he said:
The word "foolishly" itself says a lot! The purchase was not planned or listed. Lyudmila simply "ran into" another "deficit" and, like any woman of that time, could not resist. She probably had to stand in line for a while.
I think the money was public, otherwise she would not have remembered about the purchase.
Dyatlov could forgive this "initiative" since Gordo did give him some money (this is my personal assumption!).
Lyuda could have kept it at home only with Dyatlov's consent, since it was bought with public money. At that time, public property was treated very honestly. Most likely, she left it at home, and would have paid the money (with Igor's knowledge) after the hike. We used to do that. All things bought along the route (books, some things, etc.) were bought (with my permission) sometimes with public money, taking into account that at home they would be returned to the common fund, since after the hike money is always needed to pay for unforeseen expenses for preparing reports, stands, etc.
Askinadzi's original comment in Russian:
Само слово «Сдуру» говорит о многом! Никакими планами и списками покупка не была предусмотрена. Людмила просто «налетела» нечаянно на очередной «дефицит» и, как любая женщина того времени, не смогла удержаться. Наверняка пришлось ещё постоять в очереди.
Думаю, что деньги были общественными, иначе бы она о покупке и не вспоминала.
Дятлов мог простить эту «инициативу», поскольку Гордо всё же дал ему немного денег (это моё личное предположение!).
Люда могла его оставить дома у себя только с согласия Дятлова, поскольку он куплен на общественные деньги. В то время к общественной собственности относились очень честно. Скорей всего она оставила его дома, а деньги (по договорённости с Игорем) внесла бы после похода. Мы в своё время так делали. Все вещи, купленные по маршруту (книги, какие-то вещи и т.д.), покупались (с моего разрешения) иногда на общественные деньги с учётом, что дома они будут возвращены в общую копилку, поскольку после похода деньги всегда нужны для оплаты непредвиденных расходов по оформлению отчётов, стендов и пр.
* * * * * * *
Valentin Yakimenko is describing a similar incident: "Once on a trek, one participant, tempted by the thought of the condensed milk in his backpack, secretly from the group ate one can. Regretting afterwards, he told Igor about this. Igor did not scold or shame him. He kept silent. And then he said: "When we return to Sverdlovsk, you will pay the cost of the condensed milk to the group’s cash desk." This case was remembered for many years..." From Ural Stalker 2009 №1