The Portland daily press., 1882-03-21
THE JEANNETTE.

The Probable Fate of De Long and Crew.
FALL RIVER, Mass, March 90 The follow
ing letter was received Saturday night, from
Louis j. Noros, one of the two men on the
Jeanette who last saw Capt belong alive.
Noros was in Belongs boat:
YAKUTsK, Siberia, Jan. T. 1882.
Dear Father:-I send you few lines to let you
know that l am alive and we'll. Our ship was
broken up June 18th and left 80 men on the ice,
hundreds of miles from civilization. We travelled
eight nine hundred miles some three or four INN
bred of which we sailed in small boats and landed on
the northern coast of Siberia. One OF our boats
landed on the east coast. The other know
nothing about. There were eight men in the boat
that is missing. The boat was in arrived safe
enough. We had fourteen men. Some of the men
had their fest frozen. Mine were frozen. One
man died after got on Shore We travelled
about two weeks short of food. Then the captain
decided to send Ninderman and myself on ahead to
look for assistance. We walked 120 miles without
anything to eat. For six days we had not a mouth
Iul OF 1000 we were most starved w4e1 aounu a D
died from starvation and cold, Three men, En-
gineer Melville, William Ninaerman and Bartlett,
will remain here this summer to search for their
remains and for the chips papers. The rest of us
there are ten men-will proceed to the United
States as soon as possible. We have been travelling
now for over a month ON sleds drawn by reindeer,
and this is the first place of any account that we
have come to.
WASHINGTON, March 20.-The Secretary of
the Navy to-day received a long dispatch from
Lit. G. Melville, Passed Asst. Eng. u. S. Navy,
Yakutsk, Siberia, dated January 6, 1882,
giving detailed report of events subsequent
to the dispersion of the three boats of the
Jeanette on the night of September IL, 1881.
He closes with the following:
Governor General d. Tschernieff is render
ing all the assistance in his power. In next
mail will send you full statement explain
ing the organization and the plains adopted for
the search. When Danenhower reached Belun
transportation south could be furnished for
only six men. took five of the weakest of the
party and reached this place December 18th.
The remaining six arrived yesterday. The
general health of the whole party is excellent
but Danenhower's eyes are badly affected. To-
morrow Dhnenhower with nine men proceed
to Jakubz and thence TO the Atlantic seaboard5
I will keep Bartlett and Ninderman, seaman,
with me. Danenhower will carry TO the
UHited States the records and articles found in
the cache. l have sent you this day tele-
gram to that effect. In conclusion desire to
call the attention of the department to the up
wright and manly conduct of Master
rendered most valuable assistance under the
most trying circumstances and whose probes
sional knowledge I awaited myself OF on all
occasions. We were in perfect accord at all
times although unfortunate circumstances de-
prived him ofhis legitimate command. The con-
duct of first class fireman j. I'll. Bartlett is
worthy of special notice; his superior intel
liSence, cheerful disposition and energy are
highly commendable; also to seaman Herbert
Leach who was at the helm for eleven hours
in gale during which time his feet and legs
were badly frozen, after which he worked
manfully at the oars without murmur, while
enduring the most intense pain.
Of Lieut.. belong and party's whereabouts from
my knowledge Of the country and from the evidence
Long and party are somewhere to the westward of
the Lena and between Sixtezaneck and Baicour
which are separated by an extent of about 100
versts of q barren and desolate region devoid of
subsistence. To search that region large force
will be required. With proper authority from the
Russian official therefore came to this place to
communicate with the United States and immediate
ly with the aid of the authorities to organize search
Belun is searching with all the force his small town
affords. The governor of this province has sent
general order throughout the entire region from the
Lena Kolyma to search for and render assistance
to both parties that are missing. am now COM
pfeting my arrangements and will start north in
few days.
[signed)
Yours respectfully,
GEORGE MELVILLE,
Passed Assistant Engineer q. s. Navy.
Accompanying the letter are copies of the
records found in various caches by Melville.
Record No. shows that belong and thirteen
others belonging to the Jeanette, which was
sunk by ice June IL, 1881, in N. lat. ITO 49,,
long. 15o s., landed at the Lena della Sept.
18th and would proceed on foot at once to tr y
and reach the settlement on the Lena river.
A record was left about half mile north of
Simonatki Island buried under stake.
The SO persons comprising the officers and
crew of the Jeanette left that Island in three
boats on the morning of the 18th inst, one
week ago. That same night we were separated
in gale of wind and have seen nothing of
them SINCE
Orders had been given in the event of such
an accident for each boat to make the best of
its way to the settlement on the Lena river be-
fore waiting for anybody. My boat made land
in the morning of the 10Th inst. and / suppose
we are at Lena delta. have had no chance to
get sights for position since l left Simonatki
Island. After trying for two days to get in
shore without grounding or to reach one of the
river mouths I abandoned the boat and waded
Il miles, carrying our provisions and OUTFIT
with us. We must now try, with Gods help,
to walk to settlement which I believe to be
95 miles distant. All well. Have four days
provisions, arms and ammunition and are car
rying with us only the ships books and papers,
also blankets, tents and some medicines, there
fore our chances of getting through Seem good.
GEO. W. DELoNG5
Lieut.. q. S. Navy, Commanding.
Record No. 2 was found in hut by Yakut
hunter and given to Melville at Upper Belnn.
1t is as follows:
At hut on Lena delta, about IL miles from
the head of the delta, Monday, Sept. 26, 1881.
Fourteen officers and men of the United
States Arctic steamer Jeanette reached this
place last evening and are proceeding to the
southwark this morning. A more complete
record will be found in finder case hung up
in hut Is miles farther up the right bank Of
the larger stream.
geo. w. DELoNG,
and fourteen others.