Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-05-06
DE LONGS PARTY DEAD.
BODIES OF THE EXPLORERS FOUND.

DG AOANOO ~ L ALL l. DGADs
BODIES OF THE EXPLORERS FOUND.
that the Captain OF tho jean
nette and Those With Him Died
in October, 1891.
The following dispatch via Irkutsk,
May 5, has been received by Secretary
Chandler
LENA DELTA, March "a, 1ss2.-Found
De Long and party dead. Found all papers
and books. Will continue search for Chipp.
MELVILLE.
Thus the story of DeLon9's fate ends
with the dread certainty which all have
feared yet hoped against. From the night
of September 12, when on parting with
the two other boats containing the remain
der of the Jeannette's crew, he waved at
once an adieu and an order to each to
mako the best course she could for safety,
there have been just two brief and uncer
tain glimpses of his movements, like the
view one gets when the fog lifts moment
and again shuts out everything in an i'm
penetrable mist. After the boats sepa-
rated, DeLorg with his thirteen men
landed at one Of the mouths of the river
Lena, September II. Thence they travelled
slowly southwark, having two days pro
visions brought from the boat, and killing
game for their immediate wants. On Sat.
urday, October l, 1881, DeLong wrote a
letter, which was found by Engineer Mel
vile while making his first search, and
three other records were found, containing
little news, however. The first letter was
as follows:
SATURDAY, Oct. /, 18S1.-Fourteen of
tho officers and men of the Jeanette
reached this hut on September %, and
having been forced to wait for tho river to
freeze oyer are proceeding to cross to the
west side this morning on their jour
ney to reach some settlement on the Lena
river. 1 have two days provisions, but
having been fortunate enough thus far to
get game in our pressing needs we have
no fears for tho future. Our party arc all
we'll except Hans Eriksen, whcsa toes
have been amputatcd in consequence OF
frost bite. Other records will be found in
several huts on the cast side OF the river,
along which we have come f.Cm tle north.
GEO. W. DL LoNo.
On tho 7th Eriksen, tho flust-bitten
sailor whose feet had been aHputated, d,
died. At this time the party were in great
distress for want of food, and or the Q h
Noros land Nindemann, who were the
two strongest of the the party, were sent
ahead to look for hep. On tho 24th they
were met by some native fishermen at a
point halfway to Bulun, the nearest per-
manent settlement. They were then
nearly dead from starvation, but soon re
covered their strength, and on the LIST of
November they reached Engineer Mel
ville'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 succeeding in discovering
the men. As winter was then coming Oh
and the natives refused to work any
longer, Melville returned to Bulun, and
went on to Yakutsk, a distance of about
10 mile to obtain Russian assistance and
supplies. This journey required about
thirty five days, and 1t was not until De-
cember 30 that Melville arrived there
On the eth of January, 1882, he had or
ganized his search party and started back
Arriving in Bulun about the 1st of March
he took the route for Sisternek, Oh the
west bank of the Lena, where he had
previous search. He reached tho scene ol
close operations about the middle o
March, and on the Gath their search ended
as far as De Longs party was concerned
by the lamentable discovery recited in hi:
brief dispatch.
Tho names of those lost are Lieutenant
Commander George w. DeLong, Passed
Assistant Surgeon James NJ. Amber, Col
Inns, Eriksen previously known to have
died), Gurtez, Drcsley, Iverson, Kaach
Boyd, Lee, All Sam and Alexei. Those
probably lost in Lieutenant Chipp's part J
are Lieutenant G. w. Chipp, Dunbar
Sweetman, Staar, Warren. Kuehne, John
son and Sharwell.