Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-03-21
The ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
Melville's Report to the Secretary
Of the Navy.
sUFFGRINGS OF THE SURVIVORS.
Details Of the Search for the Jean.
nette's Commander.
Material Aid Promptly Furnished the De-
voted Band

Material Aid Promptly Furnished the De-
voted Band.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE REcoRp-uSIosl
| WASHINGTON, March 2Oth.-Ths report Of
Lieutenant Melville to the Secretary of the
Navy is at hand, dated Yakutsk, Siberia,
January 9th. Lieutenant Melville says:
THE LENA RIVER.
We made the landing st the mouth of the
Lena river September 10Th. four days after
the dispersion of the Jeannette's three boats,
and reached settlement called Bukoff Sep
tember 26sh. Ice was making in the river on
the next day. made an effort to get up the
river with three native pilots, but after
grounding very often the pilots insisted upon
returning, and our condition did not warrant
me in advancing, for most of US were very
much exhausted, suffering from frozen feet
and legs and lack of food, the majority being
unable to walk. The natives gave us quar-
ters and limited quantity of fish and dried
geese. On October 10th Russian exile
named Koosmah Guymayeff discovered us
accidentally. He gave US salt and all the
food his scanty supply allowed, ard agreed
to go to Belun to inform the commaudant at
that place of eur presence, and obtain food
and transportation. He started October
18th, and was to have returned in five days,
| but he did not return until October 29tb,
| when he brought
SMALL SUPPLY OF FOOD,
And reported that the commandant would be
at Bukoff November 1st with deer and sleds
to carry the whole party to Belun. On his
| way back, October 26th, Koosmah met two
of the first cutters crew at Kumouk Snaka,
and they gave him brief note. 1 immedi.
ately started with dog sleds for Belun, hoping
to anticipate the commandant on the way,
but he Lad reindeer, and travelled by differ
ent route. John w. Danenhower, having
recovered the use of his eyes, was placed in
charge ef my party. with orders to follow me
| to Belun as soon as transportation could be
obtained. 1 arrived at Belun November I'd,
| and found the two men in a very exhausted
condition.
THE DE LONG PARTY.
| From them learned the following particu.
lars of what transpired subsequent to October
| lat, the date Of the latest of Lieutenant De
Long'srecords: The party crossed the Lena to
| the west bank October 1st at summer hunt
| ing lodge called Usterda. The toes Of sea.
| man Erickson having been amputated, be
was placed upon an improvised sled, which
was hauled by his comrades, several of whom
were hardly able to stand. owing to frozen
| feet and legs. They proceeded south slowly
| for two days, and crossed small branch of
the Lena, which they had to wade. On DC.
tober 9Th they stopped at small hut, where
Erickson died the next day, and was buried
in the Lena. By this time they were in a
| deplorable condition, having eaten their last
dog meat and being on an allowance of
three ounces of alcohol per man per day.
| They proceeded south until October
9th, when De Long decided to send
two men ahead to GEEK relief The
| feet of NiDderman and Noros were better
than those of the Others, and they were sup.
| rifles, with forty rounds of ammunition and
six ounces of shot, which was per capita
division of the whole stock of the latter.
They were ordered to proceed to the south
west bank of the Lena and to send relief if
found, being told that the others would fol-
low their footsteps. When the two men
| started the party was at halt on the north
,, bank of the Larze, the western branch of the
! Lena. The two men assembled that branch
about five miles to make a crossing, then
travelled southwest to hut known by the
| name of Two Crosses, situated on the Lena
| bank. After
FOURTEEN DAYS OF INTENSE SUFFERING
| And slow progress, they reached Bulcour,
and were found by three natives, who sup
piled them with food and transported them
to Belun on deer sleds, arriving at that
place September 9th. The commandant Of
Belun took good care of them. He gave
them material aid, and they wrote long
| dispatch, addressed to the American Minister
at st. Petersburg, which the commandant
| took with him to Bukoff. Danenhower i'm.
mediately sent it to me by special courier,
| together with orders from the cemmandsnt
to his subordinates at Belun to furnish me
| with an outfit, and appointing Bsnsulk as
| the rendezvous, at which place | met him
and the remainder of my party November
| 5th. We had consultation with the com.
mandant, and I ordered Danenhower to pro.
ceed south with all the party except
j. II. Bartlett. 6rstclass fireman,
who was to remain at Belun to
| communicate with me, and started north on
that evening to the relief of De Long, having
with me two natives and two dog trains, with
| provisions for ten days. November 9th
reached Bulcour, where 1 found two deserted
houses and traces of the two men-Ninder-
man and Noros. examined the small hut
where the two men had slept, and where a
number of sleds were slowed. We slept in a
snow bank that night. 1 visited the huts at
Two Crosses, a shoal at Astoleria, reaching
Notvai after midnight The next morning 1
| found in the hut h waist.belt that had been
made on board the Jeanette, and these were
| GOOD INDICATIONS
That one or two of De Longs party had
slept in the hut. On November 10th, pro-
visions running short, decided to go to
| Upper Belun, in order to renew them. 1
reached Upper Belun on the 11th, having
stopped at the destered hunting station of
Colheota, and also having visited eight huts
on the route. Considerable stale fish and
| deer meat were found at Colheots,
but no signs Of the huts having been
visited by De Longs party. On my
arrived at Upper Belun the natives brought
me De Longs record, dated October 1st, and
learned that others had been found. I sent
to a neighboring village for them, and the
next morning records dated September 22d
| and 26th, and two Winchester rifles, were
brought TO me. The only provisions to be
! obtained were deer meat and fish, there
being scarcity of the latter, natives having
to send go versts for their own supply. No
| vetnber 18th obtained four days supply of
fish, and with fresh dog teams and natives
started for Ballokha-the hut in which record