The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-21
THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION


roLEsADLy CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT THE
STEAMER SEEN ny THE wHALERs IN THE
ARCTIC OCEAN WAS THE yEANNErrE-wHAT
rHr NATE or THE SEA BREEzE AND CAP
TAISs MEILoE AND JESIEoAN SAY.
lBr TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
SAN FnAsclsco. Nov. 2O 1879.
A. there has been some doubt expressed whether
the steamer seen Herald Island in the Arctic
Ocean by the whaling zoe; really the Jeanette
l endeavoured to-day to set the question at
rest. invited J.. r.. Thurman. mate
Of the whaling vessel. to photo
graphic gallery. where ! could place before
him good picture Of the Jeanette. as she passed
out Of this bay ON the sth OF July last. then
asked "a that was the steamer seen by him
ON the "a and Sd Of September last. Mr..
Thurman looked very sttentiveiy for some
time .t the photograph and was cautious in his
answer. some men might at the first glance have
calculated That's her" but he slow. evidently
bringing back 10 memory what he had In the
frozen seas In the winter aud comparing 1t
with the coGnier-prcsontiment OF the vessel
before him IN holiday attire. surrounded with
steamers and yach,s.. dying their bunting and
ssroamsrs IN all the glory of national rejoicing.
when he was through with his examination and
reflections be said. That looks like the steamer.
ohn WAS Dark ftEEeus ana when saw her sue
had all sail out. all her head sails. forstop.
maintop. Hailantsaii ana spankcr. could not see
the body OF tho steamer ice intervening be-
tween the steamer and the bark. which. from my
point o. view. seemed 10 be- high the steamers
rails. whoa hr-t saw her she was in latitude 30
deg. 40 min NORTH longitude about i7c deg. west."
THE srKAxER sKxS.
In consulting the account given by the captain Of
the Breeze I noticed the hrst mention Of tho
Jeanette September 8. while had before tele-
graphed the HKasLD that IL the day previous.
nsnarking this discrepancy TO Mr.. Thur.
man. be corrected me thus;--"our days
from. meridian TO meridian What would have
becn a landsmAns Tuesday evening. September ..
was the whaler's early part % sept. g." From the
log OF that date he resa--Fine breeze from south;
steering from northwest along leo; six r. N.
got around point % ice. Sea breeze steering north
northwest; In mid part sail came Ina sight to wcst-
ward; then about haif-past nine o'clock; We
laid abzek during night; thought In morning from
appearance OF sail she had done Ike
wise; about -four O'Clock seemed only
few miles distant. and discovered IL . steamer
and doubtless the Jeanette; we hauled mp north
northeast and north. making the point OF the
western ice. the steamer being still further
ahead OF us; between seven and eight o'clock wind
freshonod from SOUTH with fog and squalls. 80 that
the steamer hid from our view for an hour or
40. then suddenly In sight again; hauled up
northeast ON wind. working southwark, and Jean
nette apparently did same"
NO SEws GOOD NEWS
Mr.. Thurman expressed great regret that the Sea
Breeze dad not communicate with the steamer; but
signal passed between them particu-
lar effort made to do The leo
threatening TO cloee to the southwark OF
them suggested prudence and immediate
h.. x.tu a.
strange that the Joannette did not signal the Sea
Breeze and forward by whaler correspondence. but
in this is particularly good news The
Jeanette had only parted with the Fanny
L. Hyde less than . week before. and by
that schooner sent heavy mail all that the COM
mander expected to send TIL he had something To
say from higher ATTITUDES. The only thing that
was possible to have communicative the depar-
ture OF Nordenskjold from HIS winter quarters
ut Kolintchin Bay. but. as Captain DeLong
well understood that the fact would DO known 70
tho world long before anything he could send on
the subject. he very properly kept ON his course.
making the most OF his opportunity to steam
through the broken ice open water before he was
encircled for the winter.
THE STATEMENTS MELLoR yESrEaAx
Mellor OF the Northern Light. says he hrst
the Jeanette tho afternoon OF september 2. sno
close in to Herald Island. In about IA deg.
east longitude and 10 deg 81 min north latitude.
The from her stack visible to all on board
the Northern Light.
Captain j. Jenirsan. Of the Il pic Bird. was In the
neighborhood Of Captain Mellor the day that the
latter sighted the Jeanette. and thought Captain
DeLong was trying to work into the northwest
current of Herald Island. The island bore to
west northwest by compass. and these two whalers
might have been distant about twenty-five or thirty
miles. These latter statements confirm Captain
Barnes first report and render 1t certain that
Captain DeLong seeking to reach wrangel Land.