The Evening critic., 1882-02-09
THE LOST JRAuNErTE.
An Interesting Dispatch from Lieut..
Jocu Daueu hover.

Inc IOliONluk uiSptltn hiOul iflcut. Ddu-
enhowcr dated Irkutsk, February a, has
Just been received at Paris "De Longs
party is between stations Buleur (Bolinor)
and sasteroucs, (Ustolonsk) in a narrow
wilderness eighty miles long, devoid of
habitation and game. Jerome J. Collins
volunteered to stand by the dying seaman,
Hans Erickson, and let the others Of De
Longs party push south. The new search
builds huts and goes over every inch of the
region, which is plowed by heavy drift ice
every spring.
1--WE visited Nordcnskjolds winter quar-.
ters and found that he was safe before we
entered the ice near Herald Island. The
general health of the crew during the
twenty-one mouths drift was excellent.
No scurvy appeared. We used distilled
water and bear and seal meat twice week.
No rum was served ont. Divine service
was regularly held. We took plenty of
exercise. Everybody hunted. Game was
scarce. We got about 80 bears, $50 seals
and six walrus. No fish or whales were
seen. All possible observations were made
during the drift, the result showing
northwest course. The ship was
keeled over and heavily pressed by
the ice most of the time. The men
tai strain was heavy on some of the
ships company. The result of the drift
for the first five months was forty miles.
There was cycloidal movement of the ice
The drift during the last six months was
very rapid. The soundings were pretty
even. There were eighteen fathoms near
Wrangel Land, which was often visible
seventy-fve miles distant. Tho greatest
depth found was eighty fathoms and the
average thirty-fve. The bottom was blue
mud. Shrimps and plenty of algological
specimens were brought up from the bot
tom. The surface water had temperature
| of twenty degrees above zero.
"The extremes of the temperature were
as follows Greatest cold, SO degrees below
zero; greatest heat, Al above zero. The
| first winter the temperature was 33 degrees
below zero. The second winter it was 80
below zero. The first summer the mean
| temperature was 40 degrees above zero.
| The heaviest gale showed a velocity of
| about so miles an hour. Such gales were
not frequent. Barometric and therno.
metric fluctuations were not great. There
| were disturbances of the needle coincident
with the auroras. The winters growth of
ice was eight feet. The heaviest
| ice seen was 90 feet. Engineer
Shocks heavy truss saved the ship on
November 81 from being crushed. The
telephone wires were broken by the move-
ment Of the ice. The Photographic collec-
ton was lost with the ship. Lieut.. Chipp's
1900 auroral observations were also lost.
The naturalists notes have been saved
Jeanette Island was discovered May 16 in
latitude 76 degrees AZ minutes north, longi-
tude 15S degrees Sc minutes east. 1t was
small and rocky and we did not want it,
Henrietta Island was discovered and visited
Oh May "a, in latitude n degrees min
utes north, longitude 157 degrees 80
minutes east. 1t is an extensive is
land. Animals are scarce and gla-
| ciers plenty. Bennett Island lies in
latitude 76 degrees 35 minutes north, longi-
tude 14S degrees 20 minutes east 1t is
very large. On it we found many birds,
old horns, driftwood and coal, but no seal or
| walrus. Great tidal action was observed.
The coast was cold and rocky. The cape
on the south coast was named Cape Emma.
"We drifted back during the first week
of the retreat twenty-seven miles more
than we could advance. The snow was
knee.deep. We had to go thirteen times
over and over the track, seven timos with
loads.
| "Lieut. Chipp's boat did better than
ours (Melville's) during the afternoon of
September 12, the three boats having got
clear of the ice off Seminovsky Island at
noon of that day. About dusk he was q
thousand yards off our weather quarter,
and lowered sail as if rounding to. We
lay to for twenty-four hours under tri-
angular drag. Nothing was seen Of Lieut.
Chipp's boat at daylight. He could not
get back to the island in northeast gale.
He was unable to carry his share of the
provisions observed q strong easterly
current near the Lena Delta. There are
masses of driftwood between the Siberian
Islands. Jack Coles mind is not wholly
alienated. He has not been violent for
twelve days, but is happy and harmle IS
Getting home may restore him."