Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1882-02-18
The Jeanette Cruiss.

dated Irkutsk February 4, has JUST
been received by the n. 7. Herald.
De Long party is between stations
Buleur tBolinsi) and Sisterouck
(Ustolonskl, in narrow wilderness,
eighty miles long, devoid Of habita-
lions and game. jerome J. ColIins
volunteered to stand by the dying
seaman, Hans Erickson, and let the
others Of De Longs party push south.
The new search build huts and goes
over every inch of the region, which
is plowed by heavy drift ice every
spring.
We visited Nordenskjold's winter
quarters and found that he was safe
before we entered the ice near Her
aid Island. The general health Of
the crew during the twenty-ons
months drift was excellent. No
scuryy appeared. We used distilled
water and bear and seal meat twice
a week. No rum was served out.
Divine service was regularly held.
We took plenty Of exercise. Every.
| body hunted. Game was scarce.
We got about thirty bears, two hum
bred and fifty seals and six walrus.
No fish or whales we're seen. Al
possible observations were made
during the drift, the result showing
a northwest course. The ship Was
keeled over and heavily pressed by
the ice most of the time. The men,
tai strain was heavy on some Of the
ships company.
The result of the drift for the frst
five months was forty miles. There
was cycloidal movement of the ice.
The drift during the last six months
was very rapid. The soundings were
pretty even. They were eighteen
| fathoms near Wrangell Land, which,
was often visible seventy-five miles
distant. The greatest depth found
was eighty fathoms and the average
thirty-fve. The bottom was blue
mud. Shrimps and plenty of algo-
logical specimens were brought up
from the bottom. The surface water
had temperature of twenty de-
grees above zero. The extremes OF
temperature of the air we're: Great
est cold, fifty eight below zero, and
the greatest heat, forty four above
zero.
/ The first winter the temperature
was SO below zero. The second win
| ter it was 80 below zero. The first
summer was 40 degrees above zero.
The heaviest gale showed a velocity
of about fifty miles an hour. Such
gales were not frequent. Barometric
and thermometric determinations were
not great. There were disturbances
of the needle coinicident with the
auroras. The winters growth Of ice
was eight feet. The heaviest ice
seen was twenty-three feet. En-.
gineer Schock's heavy truss saved
the ship on November q from being
crushed.
Lieutenant Chipp's boat did better
than ours (Melville's) during the If.
ternoon of September IL, the three
boats having got clear of the ice of
Seminovsky Island at noon of that
day. About dusk he was a thousand
| yards off our weather quarter and
lowered sail, as if running to. We
lay to for thenty- four hours under .
triangular drag. Nothing was seen
of Lieutenant Chipp's boat at day
light. He could not get back to the
island in northeast gale. He was
unable to carry his share Of provis.
ions. | observed strong easterly
current near the Lena Delta. There
were masses of driftwood between
the Siberian Island. Hst
The telephone wires were broken
by the movement of the ice. The
Photographic collection was lost with
the ship. Lieutenant Chipp's 5000
auroral observations were also lost.
The naturalist's notes have been
saved. Jeannetta Island was dis.
covered May 10, in lat. rs degrees AZ
minutes north, long. 1913 degrees SO
minutes east. 1t was small and
rocky and we did not visit it. Hen.
rietta Island was discovered ard
visited on May "a, in latitude II de.
grees minutes north, longitude 157
degrees 80 minutes east. 1t is an
extensive island. Animals were
scarce and glaciers plenty. Bennett
Island lies in latitude 76 degrees So
minutes north, longitude 14S degrees
20 minutes east. 1t is very large.
On it we found many birds, old
horns, driftwood and coal, but no
seal or walrus. Great tidal action
was observed. The coast was bold
and rocky. The cape ON the south
coast was named Cape Emma. We
drifted back during the first week
of the retreat twenty seven miles
more than we could advance. The