The Evening critic., 1882-03-07
TWO LETTERS
FROM LIEUT.. JOHN DANENHowER.

The Terrible voyage From the ship
to the Mouth of the Lcna-A Seven
Hundred Mitc Journey ON the lee
The Thirty-sfx Days Trip From
Bulun 10 Yakutsk i His Health
Jacb Coles Condition.
Mr.. W. W. Danenhowcr yesterday received
two letters from his son, Lieut.. John Danen-
hover, of the Jeanette Arctic exploring expe.
dition. The first one is dated at Bulun, mouth
OF the Lena, November o, 1881. There is
added postscript dated at Yakutsk, Dccem-
ber II, he having made the trip from Bulun
TO Yakutsk IN the meantime.
The Trip Occupied Thfrty-skx Days.
and was made In sledges with dogs, reindeer,
oxen and horses. He describes the trip as
having been one of severe hardships. There
were stations at intervals on tho way con-
structed Of logs. He describes the last one
Of these, seventeen miles from Yakutsk,
being the one nearest civilization and tho
best one OF the lot, as small log
building with cow-shed attached. 1t was
composed OF one small room, In which were
grouped about twenty people, when his party
arrived. In the centre Of the room was the
body Of a horse that had been killed for food
and brought into the room to thaw out. Dur
ing the night tho party stopped at this hut.
Poor Jack Cole, the boatswain, who is laborilg
under an alteration of mind, got up and
started out
To Walk to New York to See His
wife.
The thermometer was co. below zero. 1t re-
quired all Of Lieut.. Danenhower's persuasive
powers TO induce him TO come back Into the
hut. John is the only one who has any control
over the poor fellow.
He speaks in the postscript of their arrival
at Yakutsk, the capital of Northern Siberia,
and tho principal commercial emporium of
that country. John says he hunted up n mem
Der of the police who understood French, and
was taken to the Governor, who
Treated Him With Great Kindness
and consideration. He detailed n lieutenant
with instructions to give the wants of John
and his party special attention. They were
quartered at n small hotel, conducted on the
American PLAN Each day at two o'clock the
Governors sleigh came to the hotel and took
| him TO dine with the Governor.
| Altogether he speaks of his stay In Yakutsk
as having been exceedingly pleasant and COM
Portable under the circumstances.
HIS health is good and he is In nrst-class
condition except his eyes. He had caught fresh
| cold In them and they were giving him some
trouble.
The second letter is dated at Yakutsk,
December "a. The Governor had sent an OH.
| Ger 10 Lieut.. Danenhower to ask him at what
| time the Christmas festivities usually com.
| menced in America, and when informed that
| 1t was usual to commence on Christmas Eve
| he sent his sleigh for the party 10 come to his
| residence for supper and to spend the evening
In this letter he speaks OF
The Terrible Voyage
| from the ship to the mouth of the Lena. They
| had to travel 700 miles over the ice. They
| landed In shoal water and were compelled tC
| wade two miles to land. They were forced tc
| travel 100 hundred miles further before they
| reached shelter, and he Gays he was up five
| days and four nights without sleep or rest.
| The letter only covers three pages, and III
| says his eyes are so weak that he canno
| write more fully now on that account. He
| mentions the fact that out of the thirty-thret
comprising the crew and officers of the
| Jeanette
Only Thirteen are Known 10 bs
| Living,
| and one is known to be dead.
He closes his letter by wishing his father
mother, family and friends a merry Christ
| mas.
He asks that all friends writing him direc
| their letter In care of b. +. stephens, United
States Dispatch Agent, No. 4 Trafalgar Square
Charing Cross, London, England, who will for
| ward them to him.