The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1882-05-16
DE. LONGS FATE.
Could He Have Been Saved Had the
Search Been Differently Conduct
cd?
Special Dispatch to the World.

euI
Special Dispatch to the World.
WASHINGTON, May 6.-Mr. George
Kennan, of this city, whose knowledge
OF Siberian life was obtained in an ex
perience of three seasons there, and who
understands the nature OF both coast
and inland in the vicinity where the
Jeanette crew landed, said tonight,
speaking of De Longs loss, that COM
biIation Of misfortunes seemed to have
attended his adventures from the time
that the boats separated in the gale of
the Lena Deltas.
81 have no doubt" said Mr.. Kennan,
"that De Long knew perfectly well where
be was going according to the means he
had of information about that region
But his maps were imperfect. They had
been supplied from the photographic
Office here, whereas he should have been
furnished With a full set of Russian
maps Had he been equipped as Nord-
ensjold was be would have been able
within lay after landing to have reach
ed the settlement of upper Bulun, oi
which no mention is made in The Amer.
ican maps. Instead of that he travelled
directly away from the settlement for al
least 100 miles and at time when neither
he nor his men had strength to spare
l can understand why he should have
landed where he did, because on the
maps signal tower is marked at thai
spot. He assumed that settlement
must be near by. Now, signal tower
on that coast is not q light thouse, as
might be supposed, but consists merely
of structure Of boards and dirt on
which fires may be made when vessels
are expected along the coast I should
say, moreover, that in the condition in
which he and his men must have been
after he had landed, worn-out, frost bit.
ten, half starved, that they could no,
possibly have survived an early winter
storm If they had encountered one, as
is, likely. On the other hand, could
prompt assistance have been sent them,
or could they have found refuge in q
settlement, they would have had chance
to recuperate before winter came on
sufficiently to breast it 1t is not YET
tine to criticise the management Of En-
gineer Melville, for he cannot answer
for himself at present. Allowances
should be freely made, l admit, for his
finding himself in an exhausted condi
tion IN strange country, among people
with whom he could not establish intelli.
gible communication. Yet it seems TO
me there can be no doubt that he com
mitted grave mistake in turning back
from the search for De Long in Novem-
ber. He says that tae natives refused
to 90 further and that there we're heavy
drifts of snow. Snow rarely falls there
in single storm to depth Of. over two
feet and it drifts only in ravines. As to
the o5stinacy of the natives, all Siberian
travellers, / suppose, have had expe-
rience with that. They are surly set,
and often need driving. but they can be
driven, and Fshould think the urgency
of this case was strong enough to have
justified it. recall once having had to
show a revolver to induce pair of ma
tive drivers TO hitch a sled, but they
knew What a revolver was and obeyed.
The greater part of nv travels, however,
were with Cossack guides, who are ex
cellent, and / will venture to say that
could man knowing the country and
with Cossack drivers have met Melville
when he landed he could have gone over
every part of the delta within three
weeks b. e-
Referring to the number of huts that
seem from accounts to have been found
bv De Longs party, Mr. Kennan said
that they were comparatively plenty in
that region, being put up for summer
use bv the natives while fishing and
hunting and abandoned at the end OF
the summer season The settlements
mentioned iu theevarious dispatches and
marked upon the maps consist, Mr.
Kennan says. of from four to twenty
houses, the latter constituting quite a
place. r.
mT. htuBdn dblIIituASo tuc al
the Lena mouths to any one of several
reasons. Among them he thinks il likely
that the current made that point the
most accessible, although the mouth oi
the Indiguka was in actual distance much
nearer, as were also the Yuma and Ko.
lyma, the Lena heing-to the westward oil
these rivers. Another and possibly 8
controlling reason that might have led
them 10 seek the Lena was The .knowl-
edge that steamers navigsted its upper
waters. In response to an inquiry why
he thought De Longs entire party might
not have kept on with Noros and Min.
derman. Mr.. Kennan said that these two
were p, ,obably the only men ofthe party
fit to push ahead with any rapidity and
thst the others shifted about afterwards
and died of slow starvation and freez-
ing. h2s .t.sH te e