New-York tribune., 1882-04-20
THE BURNING or THE RODGERS.

The luck of American explorers seems to
have utterly deserted them. After her hazard
Gus cruise and brilliant achievements during
the summer, the steamer Rodgers has been
burned to the waters edge, and her officers and
crew have been left TO face the hardships of
an Arctic winter The vessel was n whaler,
depending mainly on her spread Of canvas for
speed, and had been hastily adapted to the re-
quirements of a naval expedition in search of
the Jeanette. The ship is not serious loss,
although she deserved a better fate than that
which has befalen hcr-that of burning IN her
winter berth like an ignoble canal-boat Pub
lie Judgment must, OF course, be suspended
until the details of the disaster are received,
but the untimely destruction of the vessel
seems to imply negligence or carelessness.
Her commander is a most experienced officer,
and conducted the summer cruise with admir-
able Judgment. 1t is to be hoped that he will
have reasonable explanation TO offer for the
loss of his ship Ii was bad enough to have a
vessel dispatched to the Pole which Govern
ment Commission was constrained to admit was
not adapted for an extended cruise in high
lattudes. 1t was even worse to send a man
of war to look for her of Spitzbergen when
in an opposite quarter 7of the Arctic belt.
Worst of all is it to have the main body Of
rescuers smoked out of their winter quarters
and forced to share tent-life and starvation
diet with the Polar races.
The Rodgers returned to thegSibcrian coast
from Wrangell Island early in October, and
after searching in vain for a harbor set sail for
st. Lawrence Bay, on the Aslatic side of BcGr-
ing Strait, leaving behind Master Putnam with
the assistant surgeon, the pay-cerk, two sea-
men and a dog driver. A house was erected as
the winter quarters of this party, and they
were provided with provisions for year, with
pcmmcan for men and dogs, with sledges a
dog team and boat. In his instructions to
Master Putnam, bearing date October 5, Lieu
tenant perry promised to join him from St.
Lawrence Bay as soon as lie could travel
across country, adding that if anything should
happen to prevent the journey, the ship would
return for the sledgng party the following
summer as soon as the ice would permit. The
destruction of the vessel occurred after Ucto-
Der 1G, the date of the last dispatch from the
commanding officer to the Navy Department,
written the day after his arrival in st. Law
renee Bay. The catastrophe was sudden and
unexpected, and there conld have been no time
for saving any stores from the vessel The
officers and men, escaping to a desolate shore,
found themselves deprived of shelter and pro-
visions and forced to depend upon the charity
OF the savage races that inhabited the PENN
sula. Only one course was open to them.
They must drive in sledges across c0untry-it
is scarcely possible that they could have
marched in nidwinter across that barren waste
of snowdrits and ice-lummOcks-an join
their companions near Cape Serdze. The pro-
visions ammunition and shelter provided for
the party of siX men must be made TO exc out
the requirements Of the whole ships company
Of thirty men. Precisely how or when
the junction of forces was elected cannot be