The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-05-10

Ne 1n.e's R.rty Foasd.
WAsHsxerox, May 5.-The follow
ing dispatch via Irkutsk, May ),
was retsived by Secretary Chandler
today:
LENA DELTA, March "a, 1882
Found De Long and party dead.
Found all papers and books. Con-
Time search for Chip.
MELVILLE.
Thus + story Of De Longs fate
ends will. .c dread certainty which
all have feared yet hoped against.
From the night of September II,
when on parting with the other two
boats containing the remainder ofthe
Jeannette's crew, he waved at once
an adieu and an order for each to
make the best course she could for
safety, there have been just two
brief and uncertain glimpses of his
movements, like the view one gets
when fog lifts a moment and again
shuts out everything in an inpene-
trable mist. After the boats separa.
ted, De Long with his thirteen men
landed at one ofthe mouths of the
River Lena, September II. Thence
they travelled slowly southwark, hav-
ing two days provisions brought
from the boat, and killing game for
their immediate wants. On Satur-
day, October 1, 1881, De Long wrote
q letter. which was found by Engi-
neer Melville while making his
first search, and three other records
were found, containing little news,
however. The first letter was as
follows:
SATURDAY, October /, 1SS1.-Four-
teen of the officers and men of the
Jeannette reached this hut on Sep
tember %, and having been forced
to wait for the river to freeze over
are proceeding to cross to the west
side this morning on their journey
to reach some settlement on the Le-
ma River. / have two days provis-
ions, bnt having been fortunate
enough thus far to get game in our
pressing needs we have no fear for
the future. Onr party are all well
EXCEPT Hans Eriksen, whose toes
have been amputatedin consequence
of frostbite. Other records will be
found in several huts on the east
side of the river, along which we
have come from the north.
GEORGE w. De LONG.
Oh the 7th Eriksen, the frost Bit
ten sailor whose feet had been ampu-
tated, died. At this time the party
were in grea distress for want Of
food, and on the 9th Noros and
Nindemann, who were the two stron-
gest of the party. were sent ahead to
look for help. On the 14th they
were met by some native fisherman
at point halfway to Bulun, the near.
est permanent settlement. They
were then nearly dead from starva.
ton, but soon recovered their
strength, and on the 1st of Novem.
ber they reached Engineer Melville's
party. Melville Immediately started
to search for De Longs party, and
spent three weeks in the Lena Delta
finding the letter above quoted and
the three other records but not sue
ceeding in discovering the men. AS
winter was then coming on and the
natives refused to work any longer
Melville returned to Bulun, and wen,
on to Yakutsk, a distance of about
10 miles to obtain Russian assist
ance and supplies. This journey
required about thirty-iive DAYS, and
it was not until December 80 thai
Melville arrived there. On the 9th
of January, 1885, he had organized
his search party, and started back
Arriving in Bulun about the frs
of March he took the route for Sis
terneck, on the west bank of the Lena
where he had found the last trace o
De Long on his previous search
He reached the scene of close opera
tions about the middle of March
and on the oath their search ended
as far as De longs party was concern
ed, by the lamentable discovery re
cited in his hrief dispatch.
The names of those lost are
Lieutenant Commander George w
DeLong, Passed Assistant Surgeon
James M. Amber, Collins, Erikser
previously known to have died)
Gurtez, Dresler, Iverson, Kaach
Boyd, Lee, All Sam and Alexei
Those probably lost in Lieutenant
Chipp's party are: Lieutenant C. w
Chipp, Dunbar, Sweetman, Staar
Warren, Kuehne, Johnson and Shar
well.