The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-10-06
THE JEANETTE EXPEDITION.

it-POpuinr misconceptions.
New YoRS, October 5.-A salvo OF mp.
plause greeted Lieutenant John W. Dan.
enhower when he stepped upon the stage
Of the Brooklyn Academy Of Music lust
nightto lecture upon the Jeanette cxpedi:
ton. He lind handsome audience, nearly
every seat in the vast. building being occu.
pied. The Iieutcnant'was in evening dress,
and wore dark goggles, rendered indispen.
sible by the continued weakness OF his eyes.
lie spoke without n notcs, ind clearly, though
rather low ut times, and lie never INDUCED
in a gesture except to point out occasion.
ally with bamboo rod some point Of in.
tercst upon the map suspended against the
curtain in front OF which he stood. Those
who expected picturesque descriptions OF
the lardshipsaud sutferings endured, or I'M.
pressions Of scenery. or life in the mighty
waste Of ice, were disappointed. The lee.
turer did III plain, nnvarnished tale deIiy-
er." 1t was a'simplc objective narrative
in which the main incidents OF the expe.
1iti0n with their various dates were given,
the lecturer modestly omittng all refer.
cnce to himself, except where 1t could not
be avoided. He spoke for two hours. At
the close Of his lecture the Lieutenant, in
thanking his hearers Tor their welcome
and the attention given him, remarked
that it was the first time had ever appear.
ed upon the platform and that his lecture
lad run away with him and turned oiau en-.
tirely different character from what he had
intended it to be.
In the course Of his lecture Lieutenant
Danenhower said he had heard and read
in the press about the 'Jeannette among the
icebergs. This was M error, as she had
not been among those tcrrors OF the mn
riner. The old hymn was correct in its
allusion to "Greenland's icy mounlains,"
as there were really mountains OF frozen
water there, but such were never seen
north OF Siberia. In the Polar Sen was the
much more formidable species OF ice, with
which Jeannette Gad battled md by which
she was finally overCone-namely, the
true polar 'ice-the frozen salt water of the
sea, which grows in one winer. from six to
ten feet in thickness, and, when broken
up, becomes tumbled and heapcd with
pack ice."" Speaking Of, auroras, he said
he had seen much finer displays OF this
kind at Chicago than any he witnessed in
the Arctic. lie spoke rather sceptically,j
too, about polar bears. The biggest one
killed on tho expedition vas shot one
night within forty feet Of the ship. and he
weighed about l,l00 pounds. lie had
never got glimpse Of Hlhe bears VIC read
about" and which weigh 1000 or $500
pounds, and they shot a good
many bears, :. too, y so Z, many in.
deed that during the first year they
always ate bear nieat twice Il week. The
lecturer gave an amusing account OF the
cowardly conduct Of the dogs when they
were invited 10 partake in q bear hunt
However, when they discovered that every
time aNbear-was killed they rot good meal
out OF the entrails they became very en-.
,husiastic admirers Of the sport and lost all
fear OF thebig animals. !! On one occasion
a big bear would have escaped the hunters
swimming a cleft in the ice but for n lit.
tie dog which caught him by the tail, and
being towed across brought him to bay
and detained him until the hunters came
up. One OF the party on another occasion
fred at Il bear Sixty yards away and the
bullet passed clear through the big beast
and killed u dog, on tho other side, The
Lieutenant observed TINT it was a, mistake
to fancy that he and his companions had
eaten great deal Of bubber. The food
eaten by civilized men in civilized lands
was the best food for them anywhere, and
even tile natives with the party throve bet
Ter upon the canned meats and vegetables
than upon their native seal. .''fnS'a ..
=, u n connection with this food question the
lecturer. pointed to the illness OF hulf;a doz.
on ofthe party caused by the poison from the
tomato cans, saying that the tin eof com.
merce used In the cans was not pure, but
contained a .greatdeal Of lead, and it was to
this tho poisoning was due. Once when a
canned CHECKED was to be sewed the cook
nut in whole Jar Of extract OF beef--cquai
10 thirty seven pounds ,of fresh 4meat-to
rive 1t flavor, and as the mess thought the
dish did not taste quite. right lie put in n
second lar when lie heated It Il second
tIms nj ior Z the 4 evening repast.
or ,he senwor.hy qualities Of the Jeannette
the lecturer spoke in terms Of highest
praise, and her behavior in the pack gave
evidence OF remarkable power Of resistance.
He alluded to the remarkable verilication
ot tho prediction OF Mr. Collins while the
vessel was being tlrifted to the northwest
namely, ,thnt the winds and drift would
DO revor.ea in the following month, June,
1850. About the mouths Of the Lena The
lecturer had some interealing remarks 70
make. !. Instead OF tho. nine mouths laid
down in the CHARTS there are. he said, l.0
rivera flowing nortl, and cutting up the re-
gion lii sand banks and mud flats. n I
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