The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-05-03
THE JEANNETTE.
Arrival of Lieut.. Danenhower'and others
at London-Particulars of the Loss of
the Vessel.

Arrival of Lieut. Danenhower'and others
at London-Particulars of the Loss of
the Vessel.
LONDON, May IA dispatch to the Standard
from st. Petersburg says Lieut.. Danenhower,
Seaman Cole and the Chinese steward of the
Jeanette have arrived here. Newcomb will
arrive on Tuesday. Cole is completely dement,
ed and is sometimes almost unmanageable.
The American Legation will give an entertain
ment in their honor on Wednesday. Lieut..
Danenhower seems convinced that Capt. De-
Long will never be found alive. After few
days the party will proceed to Paris. Lieut..
Danenhower contemplates reading paper
before the Royal Geographical Society on the
possibilities of trade on the north coast OF
Siberia He is loud in his praise of the Rus
slams for the kind manner in which he
and his companions have been treated by
them.
New York, May 2.-The following is Lieut..
Danenhower's account OF the sinking of the
Jeanette:
"When the order was given to abandon the
Ship her hold was full of water, and she was
keeling twenty-three degrees to starboard at
the time, the water was on the lower side OF
the spar deck. We had large quantity of
provisions on the ice about a hundred yards
from the ship. We also had three boats. The
order was given to camp and get Coffee SO we
pitched our tent abreast of the whale boat, and
set about fitting out for the retreat While
waiting for coffee walked over to the ship to
take final look at her, and found the captain,
Boatswain Coles and Carpenter Sweetman on
the port side, looking at her under water body,
which was hove we'll out of water. observed
that the ships side, between the foremast and
smoke stack, had been buckled in by the pres
sure, and that the second whale boatwas hang
ing at the davits, and also that the steam cut
ter was lying on the ice near by. Coles and
Sweetman asked the captain if we could lower
the second whale boat, and the captain said
NO. Tha three boats. however, were consid-
cred enough. then suggested to the mon to
return to the camp, for the captain doubtless
wished to be alone with the Jeanette in her
last moments We three returned to the camp
together, having to jump across numerous wide
cracks and from piece to piece, and soon after
the watch was set and the order given to turn
in. Most of us obeyed the order promptly, and
were just getting into our bags when we heard
a crack and CRY from some one in the Cap
tain's tent. The ice had cracked Immediately
under the Captains tent, and Erickson would
have gone into the water but for the mack1n-
tosh blanket in which he and the others were
living, the weight of the others at the ends
keeping the middle of it from falling through.
The order was Immediately given to shift to
another foe piece which Mr.. Dunbar selected
for as. This was about three hundred yards
from the untenable ship. After about two
hours work we succeeded in shifting all our
goods and our three boats to it. Wethen turn
ed in. About four o'clock / was awakened by
Seamem Kuehne calling his relief, Fireman
Bartlett, who was in our tent. Kuehne called
to Bartlett that the ship was sinking, and the
latter jumped to the tent door and saw the
spars of the Jeanette after the hull was below
the surface. We heard the crash, but those
were the only two men who saw the vessel
disappear. 1t was said that the ice first closed
upon her. then relaxing, allowed the wreck to
sink. The yards caught across the ice and
broke off. but being held by the lifts and braces,
were carried down a depth of thirty-eight
others visited the spot and found only one
cabin chair and few pieces of wood, which
was all that remained of the Jeanette. The
Jeanne tie sank about o'clock the morning of
Monday, June 10. Our retreat commenced on
the 18th, the anniversary of Bunker Hill. We
were detained there four days iu making pre-
parations, and on the doctor Recommendation,
awaiting the improvement of about quarter
of our party, who were debilitated by stomach
disorders supposed to be tin poisoning from
tomato cans"