The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-11-23

came to the knowledge of civilized man.
| sought only better passage westward to the
Indies whereby commerce might the moe
| thrive and wealth increase; and the subseauent
| opening aud development of this continent was
| due chiefly to hope OF gain. The explorers of
to-day have other and higher motives. 1t
seems certain that no better lands exist on earth
| than are already known and occupied 80 that the
| intrepid travellers, who brave pestience and saw
| agery in the dark continent Of Africa or seek
| TO penetrate beyond the white barriers which
guard the poles, have for incentive only lofty
| love OF honorable fame or a noble ambition to
! benefit their fellow men by extending the
boundaries of human knowledge.
The stories of the home coming explorers
nave always aroused the liVelest interest and
the tales of travellers in new lands are always
received with keen zest. Such a tale we are to
hear tonight. The whole world has read
| with sympathy and grief, the story OF the
! Ill lated Jeannette. Ore of her officers who
survived the hardships and disasters
| VIII tell us how il all befell. Permit me
to introduce to you Lieut.. Danenhower of the
| Jeannette.
THE LECTURE.
Lieut.. Danenhower then began his lecture
by outlining the preliminary steps transferring
the Jeanette to tho naval register. She was
manned by five officers of the navy, two scen-
tific gentlemen, an ice pilot and twenty-three
men. Then, providing himself with pointer
the Lieutenant indicated on the map the vari-
GUS points at which the Jeanette stopped ON
her way to the Arctic seas. From St. Mich
aels, an old Russian trading post, the jean
nette proceeded to St. Lawrence Bay, passing
through heavy storm, which proved the sea-
wor by qualities of the ship. Incidents of iu-
tefconrse with the Indians along the Asiatic
coast were given, the expedition touching at
various points as they passed northward
along the coast. Spirits seemed to be the
chief desire of the aborigied. One of the OBJ
jects of this search along the coast was to hunt
up the Vega, the vessel carrying Professor Nor
denskiold. They found traces of his exped-
tiop and learned that the Vega had passed to
the southwark and eastward The first object
of the expedition was thus accomplished. Pass
ing northward the Jeanette skirted the ice,
bearing toward Wrangle Land. In September
the vessel turned into what was supposed to be
lead or opening between the Siberian and
American pack ice. The lecturer next describ-
ed the process of breaking through the pack
ice, by which they was now beset. 1t is moth
ing new this breaking through the pack ice
Every whaier and exploring vessel in the
Northern regions has to do it at some time 1t
was in this pack ice that the Jeanette was
caught The process of ramming through the
pack cor sists briefly in pushing the large mass
es out of the way by the power of the vessels
screw If any new ice forms between the
floating masses it cannot be moved in this way
1t was on the 10th of September that the jean
nette was caught, with Herald Island in sight
She keeled over at an angle of fifteen degrees,
and there she lay for many months, drifting
about in all directions, at the mercy of wind
aud tide. The Lieutenant pointed out the diff
ference between pack ice and cebergs. There
are no bergs in this part of the Arctic sea. but
the sea ice eight TO ten feet thick covered the
ocean in all directions. On the 10th of No
vember the sun disappeared. Meanwhile the
ship had been put i'll shape for the winter
Every man was provided with knapsack con-
tanning change OF clothing and other neces-
saries eady to leave the ship at a moments
notice The various OK perences of that mouth
were outlined. The ship was sent adrft from
where she was first wedged in the ice, and was
lily frozen in at another point in the pack,
and that proved to be her final resting place.
The routine of the long Arctic night was de-
scribed; a strict discipline was required to keep
up the health and morals of the crew.
THE ARCTIC NIGHT
is generally very dark early in the morning,
but at other hours during the day it was quite
| light, save in cloudy weather. The warfare IN
| the ice was described. Ga the 10Th of January
| it was discovered that the vessel was leaking
| badly, and 1t was found necessary to get up
| steam to work the pumps to clear the ship.
| Pumping was necessary after this at regular
| intervals. So the vessel drifted about toward
the northwest, and spring found the vessel still
| to the eastward OF the 1S0th meridian. In
| A bril-, 1880, the crew were cheered by the re-
| turn of the birds The diet of the crew was
| mainly canned meats and vegetables.
| Wednesday was white day, for then pork
| and beans were served. Some hunting was
| done, a good many seal wee caught and sew
eral walruses and bears. Neither bear nor
seal, the lecturer said, was very palatable. 1t
| is coarse and unattractive, and it requires
| good deal of philosophy to eat it. During the
| spring of 1880 the drift was to the northwest
| and in June the vessel drifted back over
/ nearly the same track. This drift lasted all
| through the summer. owing to the economy
/ necessary in fuel that summer. While the
vessel was drifting TO the northwest through
| the spring Mr.. Collins, the meteorologist of
| the expedition, predicted that in June there
I would be change, and that the drift would
| be in another direction, and sure enough in
| June the change predicted came, and the
| vessel drifted back over nearly the same track.
| The second winter was passed at a point
| further to the northward than in the previous
winter and the result was a longer Arctic
| night lasting from eighty to ninety days. The
second winter was really more comfortable
than the first. Its experiences were in the main
| q fep6tlblOu Ol Inc HTSJ Wlub5f. MAY lOulu Inc
ship near Henrietta Island, which was visited
in the latter part of May. 1881, by Melville,
Dunbar and a party of four men. They were
absent three days, landed and named it Hem
retta Island. On June II the vessel slid from
the ice into free water, but she was surrounded
by moving masses of ice of enormous size.
There were no leads out. About three O'Clock
the ice began to move toward the ship, and
every preparation was made for the squeeze of
the vessel between the masses of ice The
from aud ha raft
was keeled over at an angle of 20 degrees. At
10 minutes past six the work of abandoning
the vessel began and by eight O'Clock every
thing possible was taken out OF her and the
| crew camped on the ice at hand to await
the sinking of the ship. AT four O'Clock in
the morning great crash was heard and the
Jeanette sank in 36 fathoms of water. This
was in lat. 77.15 and long. 155, and about GO
miles from the Lena Delta. This was the 18th
| of June. At this time good many of the
men were sick with tin poisoning, caused by
| the working of the acids in the tomato cans on
the tin. The lecturer said he had been inca
pac t,ted from duty for Is months by disease OF
the eyes.
THE RETREAT
was then organized. There were SO men di.
vided among seven boats or sleds. AT this
time the party were fairly stocked with pro
visions. Bread, pemmican and tea were the
main stores. The retreat was commenced Oh
the 18th of Juhe. The snow was deep ovei
ed all hands to move one sledge, consequent,
the rip had to he made sevenEtmes and the
same ground gone over 10 times. For two
weeks this was kept up and rarely did the ex
peditioD make two mi is day. On july 9th
The expedition landed on BeDnetts Island
which had been sighted Is days previous. Her,
they remained seven Gays to recruit Larg,
numbers of bros were found aud captured
} but only ONE SEAL August b the exi iitiol
left Bennett Island, aud they we're able to pn
the boats in the water for tie first time. Tn,
boats, meanwh lle, had been repaired. Fiv'
and ten miles day were made through III,
- eaos III the ice, and at times IL was necessar,
to drag the boats over the barriers of ice be
tweed The cracks. A stoppage of ten days wa
made at an island called Thadeoffsky Island
Here seventeen log cabins were found Tn
: lecturer next described the experiences of tn
. dreary fight with the sea aud ice, as the expe
dition worked southward toward The Siberial
coast. Septt mber 10Th another island wa
made, aud two days passed there and dee
b shot Starting again on the 18th, they wv tn
last ice. That evening gale sprang up am
the boats became separated On the 17th tn
1 boat with which the lecturer was connected
( entered one of the lover lrAnches of the Len
river On the same day the first cutter lande
ON the northern mouth of the river. The lieu