The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-02-16
LIFE ON THE JEANETTE.


DeLong's Party I'm n Siberian wilderness
-Discoveries In the Arctic, Etc.
The following dispatch from Lieutenant
Danenhower, dated Irkutsk, February 4, has
been received by the New York RerdlGs Paris
correspondent:
"DeLong's party is between the stations Of
Buleur BolinsD and Sisterouck Ustolonsk), in
. marrow wilderness eighty miles long; devoid
of habitations and game. jerome ]. Comins
volunteered to stand by the dying seaman,
Hans Erickson, and let the Others Of belongs
party push south. The new search builds huts
and goes over every inch Of the region, which is
ploughed by heavy drifted ice every spring."
Life on the Jeanette is thus described:
'tWe visited Nordenskjold's winter quarters,
and found he was safe before we entered the ice
near Herald Island. General health of the crew
during the twenty-one months drift excellent.
No scurvy appeared. We used distilled water.
and bear and seal meat twice . week. No rum
was served out. Divine service was regularly
held. We took plenty Of exercise. Everybody
hunted. Game was scarce. We got about
thirty bears, $50 seals and six walrus. No fish
or whales seen. All possible observations were
made during the drift, the result showing
northwest course. The ship was keeled over
and heavily pressed ty ice most Of the time.
The mental strain was heavy on some Of the
ships company. The result Of the drift
for the first i've months was forty miles.
There was q cycloidal movement of ice. Drift
the last six months was very rapid. Soundings
wefe pretty even. They were eighteen
fathoms near Wrangel-Land, which was often
visible seventy-fye miles distant. The greatest
depth found was eighty fathoms and the aver
age thirty-fiYe. Bottom, blue mud. Shrimps
and plenty Of algelogical specimens were
brought from the bottom. The surface Of the
water had temperature OF 20 degrees
above zero. Extremes of temperature of air
we're: Greatest cold, 58 degrees below zero,
and greatest heat A degrees above zero. First
winter, mean temperature was 33 degrees below
zero. Second winter, SO degrees below zero.
First summer, mean temperature was forty de-
grees above zero. Heaviest gale showed q
velocity Of about fifty miles an hour. Such
gales were not frequent. The barometric and
Ehermometric fluctuations were not great.
There were disturbances Of the needle coincident
with auroras. The winters growth of ice is
sight feet, and the heaviest ice seen is twenty
three feet. Engineer Schock's heavy truss
Saved the ship on November 21 from being
crushed. The telephone wires were
broken by the movement Of the ice. The
photographic collection was lost with the
ship. Lieutenant Chipp's 1000 auroral obser-
we're saved. Jeannette Island discovered May
l6 in latitude 76 degrees 48 minutes north
longitude 1853 deg. 56 min. east 1t was small
and rocky, and we did not visit it. Henrietts
Island discovered and visited may "a, In latl
tude n deg. 8 min. north, longitude 157 deg
81 min. east. 1t is an extensive island. Ami
mails scarce and glaciers plenty. Bennett Island
lies in latitude rs deg. 38 min. north, Longitude
14S deg. 20 min. east. 1t is very large. On il
we found many birds, old horns, driftwood ant
coal, but no seal or walrus Great tidal actor
was observed. The coast was bold and rocky
A cape on the south coast was named Cap,
Emma. We drifted back during the first weel
of retreat twenty-seven miles more than VI
could advance. The snow was knee deep. W.
had TO go thirteen times over and over th'
track, seven times with loads. Lieutenan
Chipp's boat did better than ours (Melville's 81
During the afternoon Of September II, tn
three boats having got clear Of the ice, of Somi
noysky Island at noon that day, about darl
he was about Thousand yards OF our weathe
quarter, and lowered sail as if rounding to. w
Law to for twenty-four hours under triangula
drag. Nothing was seen of Lieutenant Chipp'
boat at daylight. He could not get back to tn
island in the northeast gale. He was unable T.
carry his share of provisions. l observed
strong easterly current near Lena Delta. Ther
were masses Of driftwood between the Siberial
Islands. Jack Coles mind is not who'll
alienated. He has been violent for twelve days
but is happy and harmless. Getting home ma
restore him."