Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-21
ARCTIC PERILS.
Report Of Engineer Melville, Of the Ill
Fated Jeanette, to the Secre-
tary of the Navy.
Terrible Experience of belong and
His Little Band of Explorers in
the Wilds OF Siberia.
A Story of Intense Suffering and Heroic
FOrtitude Unequaled in the An
mails OF History.


WASHINGTON, March 20.-The report oi
Engineer Melville 10 the secretary of the
| navy Is St hand, dated Irkoutsk, Siberia
January 9th. The engineer says:
! 1--WE made land at the mouth of the Lena
| river September 10Th, four days alter the dis
| persion OF the Jeannette'5 three boats, aud
reached the settlement called Bukof Septem-
Der 26th. The ice was making in the river.
| On the next day | made effort to go up
| the river with three native pilots, but getting
| aground very often, the pilots insisted on re-
! turning. The condition of the party 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
quarters and limited quantity OF fish and
decayed geese On October 10th a Russian
exile named Koosmah Guyamayeff
DISCOVERED Us ACCIDENTALLY.
He gave us salt and all the food his scsnty
supply allowed and agreed to 60 to Belun
to inform the comm sndant OF that place of
our presence and obtain food and transports-
tion. He started October 10Th and was to
have returned in five days, but he did not
return until October Goth, when he brought
small supply Of food, and reported that the
ommandant would be at Bukoff November
lst with deer and sleds to carry the
whole party to Belun. On his way back,
on October 10th, Koosmah met two of the first
cutters crew at Kumouk Snaka, and they
gave him a brief note. | Immediately started
with the dog sleds for Bslun, hoping 10 in
tercept the commandant on the way, but he
had reindeer and travelled by a different
route.
MR.. JOHN ". DANENHowER,
having recovered the use of his eyes, was
placed in charge of my party, with orders 10
follow me TO Belun as room as transportation
could be obtained. l arrived at Belun No
yember 22d, and found the two men in a very
exhausted condition. From them l learned
the following particulars OF what transpired
subsequent to October 1st, the date of the
latest OF Lieutenant Belongs records: The
party crossed the Lena to the west bank on
October let, at a summer hunting lodge
called Usterda. The toes of seaman Erick-
son having been amputated, he was placed
on an improvised sled, which was hauled by
his comrades, some of whom we're hardly
able to walk, owing to frozen feet and legs.
They proceeded south slowly for two days,
and crossed a small branch of the Lena,
which they had TO wade. Ga October 9th
they stopped at a small hut, where
ERICKSON DIED NEXT DAY
and was buried in the Lena. By this time
they were in deplorable condition, having
eaten their last dog meat and being
allowance of three ounces OF alcohol per man
per day. They proceeded south until Octo-
Der 9th, when Lieutenant DeLoDg decided to
send two men ahead to seek relief The feet
of Ninderman and Noros were better than
those of the others, and they were supplied
with blankets and Remington rifles, forty
rounds of ammunition and six ounces
of alcohol, which was a per ezpit1 division
nc 2 IL be, Sts Sts5 a., ,ttb Re ~, t6 ,sst hat ri
the Lena. and to send relief il found, being
told that the others would follow their foot
steps. When the two men started the party
was at halt on the north bank of the large
western branch of the Lena. The two men
ascended that branch about five miles to
make crossing, and then Travelled southeast
to a hut known by the name of Two Gro lses,
and situated on the banks of the Lena. After
fourteen days of
INTENSE SUFFERING AND SLOW PROGRESS,
they reached Bulcour and were found by
three natives, who supplied them with food
and transported them TO Belun by deer-sleds,
arriving at that place September 9th. Tie
commandant of Beiun took good care OF them
but was unable to understand them. He
gave them material and they wrote dispatches
addressed to the American minister at St.
Petersburg, which the cofmandant took with
him to Bukoff. Danenhower Immediately
with orders from the commandant to his sub
ordinate at Belun to furnish me with out
fit and appointing BAnenlok as n rendezvous,
at which place l met him and the rem ainder
OF my party November 9TH. / had con-
sul,alion with the commandant, and ordered
Dsnenhower to proceed south with all the
party, except James II. Bartlett, frst-class
fireman, who was to remain at Bslun and
communicate with me. I started north on
that evening
TO THE RELIEF OF LIEUTENANT DELoNG,
having with me two natives and two dog
trains, with provisions for ten days No
vember 9th, reached Bulcour; found two de-
serted houses and traces of two men, Ninder-
man and Noros; examined a small hut,
where two men had slept and where num-
Der of sleds were slowed slept in a snow-bank
all night; visited huts at Two Crosses and at
Astolorie, reaching Motrai after midnight
The next morning found in hut waist
belt that had been made on board the jean
nette, and there were good indications that
one or two of Lieutenant DsLong's party
had slept in the hut. On November 10th,
my provisions running short, decided TO 60
to upper Belun in order TO renew them.
Reached upper Belun on the 11th, having
stopped at the deserted hunting station of
Cath Conta, and also having visited eight
huts on the route. Considerable stale fish
and deer neat were found at Cath Conta, but
there were no sigUs of The huts having been
visited by Belongs party. Ga my arrival
at upper Blum the natives brought me
LIEUTENANT belongs RECORD,
dated October 1st, and 1 learned that others
had bsen found. ! sent TO a ighnoring
village for them, and next morning re-
cords dated September 26th and 9th
were brought to me. The only provisions
to be obtained were deer meat and fish,
baipo Of ba latfa ba
natives having to send 250 versts for their
own supply. November 18Th l obtained four
days supply of fish, and with fresh dog teams
and Natives started for Ballick. In hut
record No. y and Winchester rifle were
found; slept there that night and found
both huts filled with snow. On November
I4th followed the east bank of the Lena to
the coast, followed the coast east about three
miles and found a cache that had been made
by Lieutenant DeLong September l9, 1881.
| made thorough search and gathered up
everything. The sleigh being too heavy
laden to carry 1t,
SEARCHED FOR BOAT,
both east and west of the cache for a dis
tauce OF five miles each way, and to a dis
tance of one and half miles off the shore,
and saw no signs of it. The Ice was very
much broken and was showed up in masses
TO within twenty-five feet of the cache. l
to upper Belun next day, November 18th,
during a heavy storm. | was Obliged
to wait there two days to rest and feed the
dogs During this time l overhauled eve V
thing obtained in the cache, and the fol ow-
ing is a correct list: One box containing the
refusal of medical stores; one box of small
articles of mess gear; one box OF navigation
books and sextant; one box chronometers;
two tin cases containing four log books; two
cooking stoves; seven old sleeping bags, con-
demned; one lot of old clothing, BOrnout;
one Winchester rif-; one repeating rifle,
and other articles. There was no list of arti-
cles found in the cache, but the following
record was found in the navigation box:
ARCTIC EXPLORING STEAMER JEANETTE,
LENA DELTA. September 10, 1851.
The following named fourteen persons be-
longing TO the Jeannette, which was sunk by
ice June u, 1881. in latitude ~ Is west,
and longitude 1859, landed here on tue l7th
instant, and will proceed on foot this alter
noon TO try and reach the settlement on
Lena river. Signed by George W. DeL1ng,
lieutenant commanding; Lieutenant De
Long, Surgeon Amber, Mr.. Collins, w. T.
c Ninderman, A. Gartz, A. H. Sam, Aiexy,
II. II. Erickson, IL. II. Koch, c. W.
Boyd, W. Lse, N. Juorson, /. P. Noros a.