``They're in fair spirits'' Crawford said of the crew which includes a Russian a Japanese and an Australian. ``They're surviving of course but they were down to their last three days of food.'' The crew arrived on Wrangel Island on Sept. 2 to make a documentary on polar bears. The trio had intended to leave Oct. 15 but was delayed by bad weather. The weather has also kept Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry from being able to carry out a helicopter rescue. The three had been holed up in a cabin on the island's northeast coast about 550 kilometers 350 miles west of Alaska. The crew's food supplies have been dwindling and residents of a Russian village about 130 kilometers 80 miles from the hut had been trying to drive a snow tractor to take emergency supplies to the crew. The effort had been slowed by bad weather. The temperature has been around minus 30 Celsius minus 22 Fahrenheit with a strong wind. The crew has a diesel generator a computer a cellular phone and access to e-mail but was running low on fuel news reports said. rs APW19981201.1291.txt.body.html APW19981201.1453.txt.body.html