Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-02-09
THE JEANETTE SURVIVORS
Dispatch from Lieutenant ID Am enhe " err
The Search for belong and
HIS Party
Pros Inch Of Ground
Carefully surveyed-Life ON the
Jeannette.-

NEW YORK, February S.-The following
dispatch from Lieutenant Danenhower, dated
Irkutsk, February 4th, has just been re-
ceived here: "DeLongs party is between
the stations OF Buleur (BolinoiD and Sister
DUCK (Ustolonsk), in narrow wilderness
eighty miles long, and devoid of habitations
and game. Jerome J. Comins has volun-
teered to siani by the dying seaman,
Hans Erickson, and let the others
of Belongs party push south.
The new search builds huts and goes
over every inch of the region, which is
ploughed by heavy drifts of ice every spring.
LIFE ON THE JEANETTE.
We visited Nordenjkold's winter quarters,
and found he was safe, before we entered the
ice near Herald Island. The general health
OF the crew during the twenty-one month s
drift was excellent. No scurvy appeared.
We used distilled water and bear and seal
meat twice a week. No rum was
served out. Divine service was regularly
held. We took plenty of exercise. Every
body hunted; game was scarce. We got
about thirty bears and two hundred and
fifty seals and six walruses; no fish or whales
were seen. All possible observations were
made during the drift, the result showing a
northwest course. The ship was keeled over
and heavily pressed by ice most of the time
The mental strain was heavy on some of the
the first five months was forty miles. There
a cycloidal movement of the ice The
drift Tor the last six months was very rapid.
The roundiDgs were pretty even; they were
eighteen fathoms near Wrangel Land, which
was often visible seventy-6ve miles distant.
The greatest depth found was eighty faith
oms, and the average thirty-five fathoms;
the bottom was covered with blue mud.
Shrimps and plenty oil algological specimens
L.. l. Il L
of the water had temperature of 20o above
zero. The extremes of the temperature of
air were: Greatest cold, $50 below zero; and
the greatest heat, 40 above zero. The first
winter the mean temperature was $50 below
zero; the second winter, $50 below zero.
The first summer the mean temperature was
40o above zero. The heaviest gale showed
velocity OF about fifty miles an
hour. Such gales were not frequent.
Barometric and thermometric fluctuations
were not great. There were disturbances of
the needle, coincident with auroras. The
winters growth of ice is eight feet; the
heaviest ice seen was twenty three feet En-
gineer Schooks's heavy truss saved the shin
November 2lst from being crushed. The
telephone wires were broken by the move
ment of ice, and the Photographic collection
lost with the ship. Lieutenant Chips, with
two thousand auroral observations, was also
lost. The naturalists notes were saved.
Jeanette Island was discovered May 18th,
in latitude 76o AZ north, longitude 1889 So
east. 1t was small and rocky, and we did
not visit it. Henrietta island was discovered
and visited May Oath, in latitude TO s.
north, longitude 1879 so east. 1t is an extern
sive island-animals scarce and bears plenty
Bennett LIsland lies in latitude 76o So
north, longitude 14So 90 east 1t is very
large. On it we found many birds, old
horns, drIftwood and coal, but no seals
or wolves Great tidal action was observed.
The coast is bold and rocky. The cape on
the south coast was named Cape Emma.
We drifted back during the first week of
retreat twenty-seven miles more than we
could advance. The snow was knee deep.
We had to go over and over the track seven
times with loads. Lieutenant Chipps's boat
did better than ours (Nlelville's) during the
afternoon of September 18th. The three
boats having got clear of the ice off Semi
vinosky Island at noon that day, about dusk
he was thousand yards off our weather
quarter, and lowered sail as if rounding to-
We lay to for twenty-four hours under TRAN
gular drag. Nothing was..seen of Lieutenant
Chipps's boat at daylight; he could not get
back in northeast gale. He was unable to
carry his share of the provisions. l observed
a strong easterly current near Lena delts.
There were 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 harmless;
getting home may restore him.