The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-12-03
"THE JEANETTE !,
The Letter OF Collins to De
Long.
Et Gives Rise 90 Many Sur-
misses.

1OA PuO1AOouAVH ny Iu0 minneapolis
Tribune, which got it 0to Washing
ton, from the brother of Jerome j.
Collins, now in Washington. This
brother, who has presented his facts
before the JeQnnette board of in.
quiry, felt that injustice was done
him and his brothers memory, W hen
this letter to belong was found
among the effects of Collins, and
which is now in the possession of
the navy department, was admitted
as testimony. The letter is as
follows:
ST return herewith the slip on
which you require the number of
thermometers, duly marked xxx.
Permit me to express some surprise
that the occupant Of a position of
meteoraligist on this expedition
does not come nnder the operation
of your strict rule of official cour-
tecy, with respect for which, in all
transactions, you requested with
so much emphasis a little while
ago. The contemptuous disregard
for my personal feelings as a mem
Der of the expedition is exhibited
in several ways, and from time to
time, by yourself and your fellow
officers, l can well afford to pass as
unworthy of notice; but in my
capacity as an employe of Mr.. BeEa
nett, and recognized entity in the
official personnel of the expedition
by the honorable secretary of the
navy, regard every act of dis
courtesy, official and personal, as an
Infringement on my rights expressed
OF implied, by the fact of my ap-
pointment. AS the new year is
about to begin, it is of vital import
ance to me, in many ways that /
should assume the position am to
occupy in relation to that work, to
you and to the other gentlemen
associated with you. l have been
aware, from the CONNIE acement,
that the standing you were willing
to accord any civilian appointed to
take part ia the scientific work is
mere cessory," to use the express
sion you employed to a reporter in
the Washington Post, in April, 1879.
This was the way in which you en-
deaV0red to give force to the state
ment that all the scientific work re-
CURED would be done by the officers
Of the navy. Mr.. Bennett, when
asked in regard to this, said you
must have been nnisinformed, AID
Mr.. COnmy declared you never used
such language. On these assurances
l decided to come on the expedition
fully expecting to feel at home with
the men who were said to be inca
pable Of selfshness and injustice.
When at San Francisco, it was easy
for you to have told me you intended
to do thus and SO regarding the par.
ticular work l was sent to do, and
which came under the head of phys
les. a competentmal who was en-
plcyed to take charge of the collec
ton Of natural history and ethno-
logical specimens at the academy Of
science, made some rambling re
marks which he based on the
suppoSition that [ was nothing
more than a mere accessory
Nothing in your conversation gave
ME any ground for believing other
wise, although you had ample OPP
portunity to enlighten me; unit
during general conversation hello
in your rooms, at the Palace Hotel
in the course of which, the inter
| viewing by the reporters came up
and you endorsed a lady's Statement
that the. Washington Post interview
was accurately reported. In mo
ment | saw was in trap; not in ;
trap set by you, for you did moi
want any body but navy people will
you,as your manner of acting plainl,
showed. [ hoped for honor il
the coming Arctic expedition.
i, and also profitable information.
volunteered to come. leaving behin(
me happy home, l volunteered OF
what was believed to be an enter
prise full of danger, and herein lie
, the big tooth of the trap. cOulC
, mot, under any circumstances, fol
cause almost, retreat from my pos
, without mourning the slur o.
c0wardice which you know
, would only be too reddil,
cast upon anyone who backed out a
the last moment. Had you told nj
the day before we sailed that wa
to live on the forecastle, and hav
the work of any ordinary seaman
: instead of being treated as one O
the cabin mess, doubt if I coal
:, have gone back. You had it i
!, your power to heap, OF cause to b
! heaped, any amount Of disrespect o
me, socially officially, and l am as
Z man with his hands tied-cannt
retaliate. l can only resent by 6
{ lence. Three several times 70
. have threatened me with an exa
y ti0n of obedience, 'tIf it took evel
: man on the ship When / laid b
i fora you the facts Of one or two cas-
: in which felt agrieYed by ethel
: you became at once the apologist
10 one party ard did hot wish to he
! anything about tAe other. Latter
i things have been going on miseI
L bly, IN my Official capacity. / am
- infer by the withdrawal of sever
= Instruments, from time TO tin
that l have either neglected or
% not possess the ability TO use theI
First the magnetic instrumen
one by one, and Photographic a
" p Tatus, specially given in 4
: charge and to which all had Il