Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-30
DE LONGS REPORT
or the Cruise Of the Jeanette, FOund
Beside His Dead Body, Made
Public.
The Plans Of the Ill-Fated Expedition as
Mapped Out By Its Unfortunate
Commander.

WASHINGTON, December o. DeLopg's
report, found beside his dead body, has been
made public. Il makes 10000 words, aud
details the incidents of the cruise from The
departure from San Francisco, in 1879, to
January, 1881. Its principal feature is an
elaborate account Of De Longs views in re-
gard 10 the expedition. He considered il
good judgment 10 head for Wrangel Land.
His idea was TO adopt that lsnd az q sup
port for the fret winters campaign. He en-
bodies in the report how the land was
sighted and how he expected 10 reach il, aud
graphically describes how on the next day
the Ieanuet.e became beset in the ice never
again 10 he released, and says tde "pariY
was compelled 10 make E virtue OF nece lsisy
and stay wherever we were. Sometimes all
night, and sometimes day and night, from
January 18th to February 4tb, S9eetman
and Nindermau stood dowa 10 the fore-pesk,
the icy water flowing around them uesrly 10
their knees, working faithfully until their
work was accomplished, and the good results
OF that work were evident in the gradually
reduced amount of water coming into the
ship, and cur ability to control the leak with
out such q fuiaous expenditure of fuel as
had been necessary heretofore. 1t is for
these reasons that have the honor to recon-
mend these two men to you for medas of
honor as a recognition of their heroic con-
duct under the most trying circumstance"
Capt. DsLoug's record Of the rem maiuder Of
the winter and summer OF 1880 is for the
most part monotonous record of storms, ice
movements, constant anxiety aud almost
uubrokeu disappointment. As the short
Arctic summer drew to a close without set
ting the Jeanette free, and another dreary
winter approached, Capt. D-Long evidently
began 10 revolve in his mind the Question
whether il would not be better 10 abandon
the chip and make for the northern coast OF
Siberia over the ice, than 10 run the rick Of
a second winter in The pack.
Under dale of September 20, 1880, he
says: II dislike naturally to dwell on the
abandonment Of the ship. We have come
through so much, it gives me hopes of sur
viving more. As long as enough OF tie ship
remains TO shelter ~, sticking by thai frag-
ment ia preferable to Camping on the ice,
and can conceive of no more foriorn hope
thsn the attempt 10 reach Siberia, say 240
miles distant, over the ice tha1 surrounds ne,
and with winters cold sappi9g ones LIE at
! every step. OF course if we were to lose our
ship ~e would make the effort to get there,
but our chances of success would be ex-
| tremely problematical."
| The last entry in the record is dated De-
cember 81, 1880, and is as follows: "Min
strels aud ringing in the new year in lati-
tude 73' 4S> north, longitude 177o So east.
| During the past sixteen months we have
drifted 1900 miles; far enough, if it had
been in a straight lice, TO carry us 10 and be-
yond the pole, but We are yet only 220 miles
northwest of where we were first beset. We
have suffered injury, and danger has often
confronted US. We have been aquet zsd and
| jsmned, tossed and tumhled: we have
pumped the leaking ship for year, but we
are not yes daunIed, and are as ready 10 dare
| everything as We ever were, and we face the
new year firmly, hoping to do something
worthy of ourselves, of Bennett's enterprise
and of the flag above u.s."
In less than ten months after these word.
were written the yeannette was at the bottom
OF the Arctic ocean, and DeLong lay dead il
| the Lena delts.