New-York tribune., 1881-12-21

student of Arctic geography said to correspondent
of THE TRIBUNE this evening, in reference to the
dispatches announcing the finding of the officers anu
men of the Jeanette that he did not thlnK the lAc'
that the third boat had not been heard from neceS-
slrily argued that she was lost She mlghI nave
sought the nearest point on the mainland or sho
might have fallen in with Russian hshing Doa'S
which are usually to be found in the summer ID the
region Immediately north of that portion OF Sloeia'
where De Long and his companions made their ap-
pearance.
"Do you understand that the Jeanette was
undertaking to 90 around the north OF SlDer!@'
was asked.
mo do not understand that it was DE Long
purpose to attempt to 60 around either the American
or the Asian continent. / suppose he intended to
push as far mol in as he could, and find ont how lar
it was possible for vessel to 60 toward the pole.
Polar explorations VIA Behring's Straits have not
before been attempted All previous expeditions
have gone north from the Atlantic. In 1873 a
French naval officer by the name OF Lambert under
took to get mp an expedition TO explore the Arctic
Ocean north of Behring's Straits but he died while
the preparations were being made. Attention was
directed to that region however, and it has been
talked Of great deal since that time. Expeditions
over the ice have been undertaken by RuSsIans
from many points along the Siberian coast, but
after proceeding certain distance
to The north they have all been
stopped by open water. This has led to the belief
which has long been prevalent that there was
permanently open north of Siberia. and IL was
with a view to test that fact and TO explore that sea
that / understand. the De Long expedition was
sent out Wrangell spent four winters north of the
Siberian coast attempting TO get to the north, Ou'
he was always stopped by the open wafer
,rt 1T; OF l,a cnTItb bp
extremity of Wrangcll Land on the 2d Of September,
1879. Ii seems probable. therefore, that she must
have spent two winters in the ice-in the open pack
Probably when DcIOng got far enough to the
north of Wrangen Land to find that instead
of its being a continent it was merely
an insignificant island, he turned to the west,
passSg north of Wrangell Land. don't think the
Jeanette could have visited the New Siberian
Islands because the Russians go there every winter
and VIC should have heard from her From the TACT
that she was crustcd on the 11th Of june il seems
certain that she must have been wintcrnC that
winter in the open pack since she could hardly have
cot out of any winter harbor early that IN the
season The point where the crew came ashore Is
about 500 miles from where the Jcannctte W.
crusted Idon't understand why, in making tn"
escape, they found it necessary to 90 so far
TO the westward as the month of the Lena. That
whole northern coast of Siberia ls 20 be sure, Eor-
rbe barren country but the Russians are thcr" IN
considerable numbers fishing at the mouths Of all
the rivers through the summer. In the winter they
abandon the coast and live in villages further in
land 1t would have been Lieutenant De Longs
natural course to make for the point of the
main land and then cruise TO the east west in
search of a settlement; and he ougt to have found
fishing stations in the summer at the mouths oi the
Yana and Sudlgirka.
"This information, received today. has been
three months on its way; that Il, II was three
months getting from the month OF the Lena; where
Do Long landed, to Irkootsk the nearest telegraph
station The first really civilized place that De
Long ard his men viii strike is lakootsk, on thc
Lena There they will find everything that they
want and from there it is all easy travelling. In
fact there is regular post route from Yakootsk -
ST. PctcrsbuIs"