The Red Cloud chief., 1881-12-08
The ~lelaarttr.

The Ie.aaettr.
Tho fate nj the Jesna~sts 10 mys-
.ery tha, d ere loax BE- ~secoD.anied
o. tie "A ne feeisns Il public suspense
WHICH followed ih. dissppesrsnre OF
SIR John Frankin Two years have
pas.ei since the gallant lii;1e Scsscl
passed. Rom human ken u va on the
81 of Srptember. 1879. thaS she sas
tas; sSokea by . uhllcr. She wzs thca
heading moth IN The dircsiioa II
Wrshgvll Land. well proSisaslf-i foe =
cruise of three Years. manned b. 4
picked crew of thirty-,wo men. add
commanded by an officer who hsd had
experience in ArCtis cxpiorz; % There
has tces 40 s'gu since thai day- The
two msssing wbs,eTs. which xc-r seen
about the ssme tine. were driven BY
the ice does toward TN ASIAN eoaS, one
wrecked and the other shsn lone5-
There is s;iI. good ground for believing
that the .jeannett- reached Wrzngea
Land. The Corwin. following her
curse 50 lar ~ the records ran. sp-
preached that mysterious coas; ayear
ago without catching a glimpse 81 he-.
and now the news comes thai; the at
tempt has been repeated and 4 landing
effected. bat that no traces OF the
missing steamer have been found. The
coast was 20 extensive 10 be thorough
Is explored. and The Corwin too fragile
q craft tn be detained in such dangerous
waters. 50 hat the evidence that the
Jeanette did no, reach her hrst desti-
nation n by no means conclusive. She
may have wintered there and then
headed northward. The presumpt on
that she was compelled to look else
where for winter quarters Is. however.
greatly strengthened by the Corwin's
fruitless search.
While il was Licutenan, DE Longs
expectation thai he would be- able io
skirt the eastern edge OF Wraugell
Land and winter there. II VA also his
liked determination To take advantage
Of open water and Ia push northward.
The Corwin has deserted on this latest
voy an open sea leading no one
knows whittier. save in the direction Of
the Foe. IL is possible that the Jean
nette's commander was tempted by the
clear water TO push ahead and 10 search
for 4 harbor 10 the unknown seas near
or TO the Pole. IL he succeeded In fore
ing In entrance and in finding ar IN
choragc beyond the horizon which
closes in upon Wrangell Land. he would
have had the opportunities for eSplora-
tion of which he was in quest. So open
n season rs the present would.
however, have enabled him to Sc: his
face homeward. and the Corwin would
naturally have seen a of the jean
nctte in the vicinity of Herald Island.
The safest conjecture that can tie made
under the circumstances is that the lit
tie vessel was carried by the ice toward
the east, and that her commander. find
ing that il would be- impossible Ia push
north. has directed his energies To max
ing his way to the Atlantic. The fact
that the Siberian coast has been tolcr-
ably well explored this season dimin-
ishes the chance that the Jeanette was
swept away with the whalers and
wrecked in the quarter where they have
been found. Ii is certainly premature
TO assume that the fate Of the Jeanette
is already sealed by the Corwin's dis
closures.
Wrangell Land. it must be borne in
mind, is n coast line Of undetermined
extent. The Admiral whose name il
bears never caught a glimpse of it. but
merely reported its existence from
statements made to him by natives Of
the mainland. Captain Hooper. of the
COrwin. who was 50 fortunate q year
ago rs to approach il on a very clear
day. described il in his official report
as covering at q distance Of twenty-five
miles an arc of the horizon of about
fifty degrees. At the southern extrem-
ity were three mountains apparently
5000 feet high and entirely covered
with snow. while northward was q
chain of rounded hills gradually APP
preaching the sea level. 1t was Cap
tain Hooper's opinion that Wrangell
Land was a large island. and possibly
one of n chain of islands pass ng en-
tirely through the Polar regions TO
Greenland. That there are other isl
ands lying north of it in the direction
of the open water which he has himself
deserted this season there can be little
doubt. IL is possible, therefore. that
the Jeanette. while unable to land in
the quarter which has been visited by
Captain Hooper, went forward beyond
the reach OF any relief ship. and that
she will vet reappear bearing tidings Of
remarkable discoveries. The eSpedi-
ton under Payer and Weyprecht re.
turned a few years ago from the Far
North after its existence had been
despaired OF. and although the ship had
been lost very high ATTITUDES had been
reached, and an entirely new group Of
islands and a stretch OF coast line OK.
plored.-N. Y. Tribune.