Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-06-20
FAMINE, FIRE AND FROST.
The Torrihio Death-StOry of DE Longs
Party.

The Torr,oio Death-story of de Longs
Party.
Mr.. w. II. Glider, tho Herald correspon,
dent, late with the Rodgers, sends the
following dispatch, dated Lena Delta,
April 12, 1882: "Melville found the
bodies Of De Longs party Oh March 23.
They were in two places 500 and 1000
yards from the wreck of the scow. Mel
ville's search party first started from the
supply depot to follow Ninderman's route
from Usterday to Malvey, and afterwar1
from Malvey back toward Usterday.
They stopped ut the place which Min
derman and Noros passed the first day
after they left Do Long, feeling sure that
the others had not got much further
There they found the wreck, and, follow.
ing along the bank, they came upon rifle
barrel hung upon four sticks. They sol
the natives digging on each side OF the
| sticks and they soon came upon two
bodies under eight feet of snow. Whilc
these men were digging toward the cast
Melville went on along the bank twenty
feet above the river to find q place to take
bearings. He then saw q camp kettle
and tho remains Of fire about ,OOC
yards from the tent. and approaching,
nearly stumbled upon DE Longs
hand sticking out of the snow, about
thirty feet from the edge Of tho bank.
Here, under about u foot of snow. they
found tho bodies of Do Long and Amber
about three feet apart, and All Sam lying
ut their feet, all being partially covered
by pieces of tent and a fow pieces OF
blanket. All the others, except Alexia,
they found at tho place where the tent
was pitched. Leo and Knack were close
by in cleft in the bank toward the west
| Two books of records with the medicine
chest and a flag on a staff were beside the
| tent. None Of the dead had boots. Their
feet were covered with rags tied ON. In
tho pockets of all were pieces of burnt
skin and of the clothing which they had
been eating. Tho hands of all were
more or less burned, and it looked as
if when dying they had crawled into
the fire, Boyd lying over tho fire, and his
clothing being burned through to the
! skin, which was not burned. Collins face
was covered with 4 cloth. All the bodies
| were carried to the top Of hill 800 feet
high about 40 versts to the southwest
from where they were found, and there
inferred in a mauSOieum constructed of
| wood from the scow, built in the form of
paramid, 90 feet long and feet high,
SurmOunted ny cross IL feeC Algn ana
foot square, hewn out of drift wood, and
conspicuous at distance Of 20 versts.
The mausolcum was covered with stones,
and is to be sodded in the spring. The
cross is inscribed with the record and
names o: the dead, cut in by the search
party. After completing tho tomb the
party separated to search the Delta
for traces of Chips people. Mel
villo went to the northwest part of
the Delta, and west rs far rs the Olenck
river. NindermaD took tho centre and
Bartlett the northeast. Nindcrman and
Bartlett found nothing. Melville has not
yet returned. The search is to be exten-
ded to Capo Borchaya and the bay of that
name. They expect to finish in time to
reach Yakutsk or Verkhojansk before the
rivers break up. If they do not finish
before that time they will have to retreat
to the hills and mountains with the
natives until the water falls, rs the whole
of the Delta is covered with water in the
spring to a height of four feet, and IN
some places to twenty feet, above the level
of the river. Otherwise they would have
buried the dead where they found them -