The examiner., 1882-03-25
THE JEANNElTE'S COMMANDER.
The Search for Iieure nant Dc Long and
 His Men.

| The Search for Iieure enant De Long and His Men.
 | The United States secretary of the navy h is received an official report from Engineer Mel
 vile of the Jeanette, dated Yakatsk January 6, and containing narrative Of his adventures and his search for Lieutenant De Long since the dispersion of the Jeannettes boats on the night Of September 12, 1881. At that time the
 three boats containing the crew of the aban- doned ship were only fifty miles northeast of Bonkin their destination. A gale arose, blowing from the northeast, and tho boats
 were separated. The story of Melville's Ian l. ing on September 19, and his search for De Long and his party, has been toll at diff ferent times in the newspapers, an1 SD the report does not contain great de Il that is new. He transmits various records left by Lieutenant De Long in huts at places where he and his party stopped in their search for & settlement. From these records he is able to trace the course Of Lieutenant De Long up to October g. let ter was found in a hut near the mouth of the Lena, wi ere Lieu enant De Long landed on September 19 Various articles left by the missing party were found in the hut, including cast-off cloth ns, two broken rifles, box of specimens from Ben nett Island, two cook stoves, four log books, and other things. The letter is signed by Lieutenant De long and the thirteen other members of the party, and Is copied ln six lan- guages, with 8 request that the finder will for
 J ton. After speaking of the separation of tho boats on the night of September 12, Lie tenant De Long says:
 "My bo4 4t made tha land on the mo ming of the 16th instant. and I suppose we are at the Lena delta. 1 have had no chance to get sight for position sinca I left Simonatki Island. After trying for two days to get in shore with out grounding, or to reach one ot the river mouths, abandont q my boat and waded 1l miles, carrying our provisions and outfit with us
 We must now try, with Gods help, to wa k to a settlement, which believe to be ninety five miles distant. We are all well; have four days provisions arms and ammunition, and aIe carrying with us only ships book and papers, and blankets, tents and some medicines; there fore our chance of getting through seems good.''
 A sec md letter was found in hut on the Lena delta, twelve miles from the head of the delta, by a Yakut hunter. It was dated Sep tember 26, and recorded the arrival of Lieuten- ant DeLong and his party there and their de- pa' tnre for the so lthWard. Another rec >rd left by Lieutenant DeLong was subsequently, found by Yakut hunter in a hut on the Lena d-lta, and dated September 52 request, copied in six languages, that it be forwarde to Washington, WAS found with 1t. In this letter Lieutenant De Long says:
 'My boat, having weathered the gale, made tho ianl on the morning of the 16th instant, anl after trying to get in shore for two days, and being prevented by shoal water, we aban- doned the boat and waded to the beach, Carry d point about twelve miles to tFe north and east of this place. We had all suffered somewi at from coli, wet and exposure, and three of our men were badly lamed; but having only four days p oyisions left, reduced rations, we were forced to proceed to the southwar'. On Mon day, September 19. we left pile of our effects near the beach, ere :;ing long pole where will bs found everything valuable, chronometer ships log books for two V ars, tent. etc, which we were absolutely unatlc 10 carry. It took Us forty-e ght hours to make these twelve miles, owing to our disabled men, and those two liuts seemed to me a good place to stop while l pushed forward with the surgeon and Nin'ler- man tG get relief for us. But last night we shot two reindeer, which gives abundance of food for tie present, and we have seen to many m ore that anxiety for the future is relieved. As 5 on as our three sick men can walk We sh III esume our march for settlemtnt on the Lena river.
 "SATuRDAY, September 24, 9k.M.-- Oar three lame men being now able to walk, we are about to resume our journey with two days rations deer meat and two days rations pemmican and three pounds tea >
 Tue lateat record found was dated October 1. A Yakut hunter discovered 1t in hut on the Lena. At this time all of Lieutenant De Long's party were yet alive. They had two days supply of provisions, but had no fear of the future as they had all along been able to get game. Brick sons toes had been ampu- tated in consequence of frost bite. The party was about to cross to the west side of the ] tenant De Long on October 9 Melville learned something of tho wande1ings of the lost ulen s11bsequent to October l. They crussed ths Lena to tho west bank at summer hun1ing lodge called Usterda; Erickson was carried ill an improvised bed drawn by his comrades. They proceeded south slowly for two days, anl crossed B small branch of the Lena, which they had to wade. On October they stoppel at a small hut, where Erickson died the next day, and was buried ill the Lena By his time they were i'll a deploraale con- dition having eaten their last allowance of dog meat, and being on an all >wance of three ounces of alcohol per man per day.
 Th-y. pushed south until October 3, when Lieutenant De Long decided to send two men ahead to seek relief. The feet of Nlnderman and Noros were better than those of the others, aud they were supplied with their blankets and Remington rihes. forty rounds of amnuni- on and six o nces Of ale thol, which was a per capi-a division of the whole stock of the lat ter. They were ordered to proceed south on he west bank of the Lena and to send re- lief il found, b ing told that the others would men started the par'y was at halt on ths :orth Ink of Iarg4 western branch of the Lena. The two men ascended that branch bout five miles to make crossing, and then ''ayeled east to hut situated OH the Lena bank. After fourteen days of intense suffering an1 slow progress they reached Belcour an wore found by three natives, who supplied hem with food and transpor ed them to Belun DY deer sells, arriving at that place on sep tenber 27.
 Melville visited the place where De Long crossed the Lena in November. His party suf- terel greatly, ana got back to Belumon No vember 27 in nearly exhausted condition. Concerning the further search for Lieutenant De Long, Melville says:
 From my knowledge of the country, and from the evidence Of Noros and Ninderman, I am convinced that Lieutenant De Long and party are somewhere to the westward of the Lena, and between sixteraneck and Belcour. which are parated by extent of about 15O versts of barren and desolate region devoid ot sub tance. To re,ch that region a large force will be require with proper authori from the Russian official I therefore came to this place to communicates with the Uni ted States, and immediately, with the aid of the authorities, 10 organize searching parties Tn the meal time the commandant of Belun Is searching with all the force Lis small town af fords. The governor of fh s province has sent general order throughout the entire region rom the Lena to Kolyma, to search for and render assistance to both parties that are missing. am now completing my arrange ments, and will start north in a few days"
 FLOATING JsLAND.-SWeeten pint of thick cream with whit3 srpar orate in