Daily Los Angeles herald., 1882-05-05


New YORK, May 3:-The Heraldyester-
dav printed a second chapter of the cruise
of the Jeanette, which ends with the
destruction of the ship and the escape of
All hands to the ice. AT the end of the
second year the condition of the vessel
was practically the same as it had then
been for many months, ''The ship was
firmly imbedded," says Eisenhower,
Gin ice about eight feet in thickness,
but there were immense masses shoveled
under her keel, and her bows were lifted
so that the keel was inclined about one
degree. the ship at the same time keel
ING to the starboard two degrees, and
being so firmly held in this gigantic vice
that when the blacksmith struck
his anvil in the fireroom one
could see the shrouds and stays vibrate,
and they were not very taut. The ice
was piled up under the main chains, and
as high as the plank-sheer. Such was
her position, and such it seemed likely to
remain, when as autumn came on, which
was the best period for travelling over the
ice, the Captain had to determine wheth-
or he would adventure the possibilities
of another winter in vessel hopelessly
beset, or abandon her and endeavor to
make his way by sleds and boat to the
Siberian coast. Naturally the apprehen-
sion of the common gravity of a second
Winter in an Arctic night had little mo-
ment in this deliberation, because all
that was assumed on the voyage. There
was. however. this consideration always
before him, that while his ship remained
beset all he could hope to do was to dis
cover the Arctic drift, and there was rea-
son to believe that the best he could
hope for was that she might remain be-
set, since the fearful pressure and grip of
the ice had probably so damaged her
that if once set free she would not float
Through all these difficulties the Cap
tain was guided by the instructive senti-
ment of sailors duty to stand by his
ship. 1t was heroic determination in
such circumstances.
THE SECOND WINTER.
Eisenhower regards the long night of
the second Winter as the most fearful
part of their experience. The mental
strain, the oppression of the constant
gloom, the thought that from moment
to moment the ship might be crushed by
the gigantic forces in operation about
her, all this wears upon the brain and
nerve, and when these fail in their func-
tions the exhaustion of human capacity
for resistance is imminent. 1t is not
strange to read, therefore, that "On
May lst DR.. Amber reported the physi-
cal condition of the crew rapidly de-
teriorating and six or seven were placed
on whisky and quinine to tone them up. y
But this was already season of hope.
The Winter was over, and here succeeds
in the narrative the cheering cry OF
sLand, ho" 1t is evident that the dis
covery of the two islands into the neigh
borhood of which the ship had drifted,
stirred up the whole company with a
pleasant excitement and had happy
effect upon everybody. De Longs last
entry in the log book is dated June 18th.
What they thought on board when the
breakup of the ice became imminent is
thus told in a few of Dancnhower's
graphic phrases eve knew that the
important day was coming when the
OCdliuCttC WOuit Dc ADClatCo iiOli thic
cyclopean vice, and that her future would
be more hazardous than while in the
monsters grip, for it was impossible to
shape q course, and she would be momen.
tarily liable to be crushed by the impact
of the antagonistic foes which sent i'm.
mense masses of ice into the air, and
among which the Jeanette would be
like glass toy ship in a railroad COLI
sion.
LAST OF THE JEANETTE"
At night on June 10, 1881, the ice
parted and left open water ON one side
of the ship, and she slipped from her
cradle and foated ON an even keel. She
was found all right, but ON the 10Th the
ice came together again and squeezed her
with such effect as to open her timbers,
and she began to fill rapidly. 1t was
evident that when the ice should again
relax its pressure and leave her in open
water she must inevitably go down, and,
therefore, the order was given to
abandon her and to get out the supplies
that had been prepared for this occasion.
This order was given about 6 o'clock P.
NJ, June 10Th, and the ship went down
in thirty eight fathoms of water at 4
o'clock A. NJ. on June 18th.
THE TRIP TO THE LENA.
Another portion of the narrative OF
Lieutenant Danenhower is printed in the
Herald to-day. 1t tells the story of the
adventures of the Jeannette's company
from the first encampment ON the ice,
Immediately after the ship went down,
to the arrival of the three boats in the
open water near the Lena delta and their
separation there. The story of the crew
of the whaleboat till the arrival at Luchy
Haven, in the Lena river, covers period
of three months. Perhaps no thirty
three men that ever lived since the
world began ever struggled with fimer
resolution or q more tenacious spirit
against difficulties SO apparently insur.
mountable, or hardships and perils sc
unremitting. To drag three boats was
an addition to the burdens, which made
the prospect of progress almost hopeless,
yet to go on without boat would in
volve calamity so inevitable that they
may as well stay and die where they
were. The boats, provisions and all
together were slowed ON eight sleds, and
the aggregate weight of the sleds and
loads was Is, 400 pounds. Only twenty
two men were fit for duty when the re.
treat began, and these had to drag all
the weight, for the few dogs at this
time were only equel to pulling two
light sleds with stores for immediate use.
1t was necessary that all hands should
take one sled at time the distance OF
the daily march, then$eturn for another,
and so on, thus going over the distance
fifteen times at least. For the first
march they made but one mile day.
Let no one imagine that this drag was
over snow or smooth ice, for between
tipped-up foes, the spaces were filled
with snow into which the men went as
into traps. Often these seem to have
concealed open assures in the ice, and
the men had to be helped out of the sea
beneath over open spaces of water.
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papers are what their readers make them
The responsibility of the subscriber is as
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