News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-12-28
ESCAPING DE LONGS FATE.
LUCKY CHANCE THAT SAVED
THE LIVES OF NINDERMAN
AND NOROS.
Finding FCOd and Shelter While Their
Mates Were Dying, Forty Miles
Away-Natives Who Would
Not Heed Sailors
Pleading.

d Seaman Ninderman, of the Jeanette,
it told in his testimony how, on October
%, 1881, some fifteen days after parting
E with his comrades, the first native they
k had seen opened the door of the hut in
4 which Noros and he were resting. When
Mr.. Ninderman saw that it was native
he threw his rifle into a corner and
! begged him to come in. He was shy,
D but came in after while.
They offered him something to eat,
but he shook his head, meaning that it
J. was not good food. They looked at his
sleigh, but found nothing to eat there
They tried to make him understand they
were ia search of assistance, but could
make him understand but little. He
brought in a deer skin and held up three
or four fingers, as much as to say he
would return in three or four hours or
days.
He started in his deer sled to the west
ward along the river. Ninderman ex-
pressed sorrow that they had let the man
go, fearing that he had been frightened
by the rifle and would not return
ANOIOo, AoMSNC1, uS MOIdO COuS
back. About six o'clock the native re-
appeared, followed by two others. One
brought in some fish, which was given
them. Before they had finished eating
the natives made some signs that it was
time to start and going out brought in
some deer-skin coats and boots.
They put both Noros and Ninderman
on the sleighs and started southwark to-
ward the mountains. They kept on until
about midnight over the mountains,
when a ravine was reached, where they
came to couple of tents. The natives
then took Noros into one tent and Mn
derman into another, and offered them
something to eat In Ninderman's tent |
there were five men and two women, and |
| In Noros's tent two men and one woman. |
One of the women offered Ninderman |
water to wash. He washed his hands, |
but when he tried to wash his face his |
fingers bent so that he could not wash it. |
| The woman took pity on him and washed |
him. He tried to make them understand |
| that he was sent by the Captain to get |
assistance. They wanted to know what
| he had in his possession, and took
rouble bill from his pocket. He tried to
make them understand that they had
plenty of money in the ship, but it all
went down; if they would give assistance
they should be well repaid. Whether
they understood he did not know. When
they were ready to retire they stood up
and crossed themselves, directing him
to do SO too. Next morning Gust one
week before De Long is believed to have
died) Ninderman, ON awakening, found
breakfast ready. During the meal he
tried to talk to the natives again. After
breakfast everybody went outside to
catch the deer.
The man who appeared to be head
man sat down, and witness drew for him
chart on the snow showing the land
marks he had seen. Sometimes it ap-
peared as if the man understood, and
again as if he didn't get any idea. After
the deer were caught they were harnessed
to the sleighs, and witness counted
twenty-seven sleighs and over 100 rein
deers. The natives then broke camp,
and all started over the mountains to the
to rest the deer. The head man made
signs to Ninderman to come on the
mountain They walked 500 yards, when
he pointed out prominent landmark in
the Lena which he had noticed. The
man wanted to know if that was where
they had left their comrades Ninderman
tried to tell him that they were probably
twenty miles north of that place. The
man shook his head as much as to say he
was sorry, and returned to the sleds and
they started again.
They travelled southwark all the next
day and in the evening came to some
huts, where many people onsthe river
bank stood to welcome them. Every
body stared at the two seamen, talked
about them, and probably wondered
where they came from. Ninderman
tried to talk to them, but found he could
not make them understand as there were
too many people in the hut doing moth
ing but feasting. Next morning after
breakfast he again talked by signs, and
it seemed as if one person got some idea
of where they came from and what they I
wanted. He spoke to a boy, who went
out and returned with a model Of a yawl
boat. They tried to find if the ship
was like the model. Witness showed
them it had masts and was q steamer.
He then took some ice and showed them
how their vessel was crushed away to the
north, how many boats belonged to the
sl,i
Ninderman then made a chart of the
coast, and explained that they meta a gale;
that one boat went here, another there,
but he didn't know what had become of
them.
He showed on the chart where they
had landed. He showed their course
along the river by pencil mark. He
| showed where Erickson died, and every
| body shook his head as if expressing
sorrow. He explained that couple of
days afterward they had left the Cap
tain, and by dropping his head and
closing his eyes a number of times
showed how many days they had been
separated. They seemed affected. but
did not seem willing to offer assistance
Sometimes witness thought they did not
understand. All day the seamen tried
to make them understand, but in vain
Next morning Ninderman was sitting on
his bunk, thinking, when he "broke
down" A woman noticed it and spoke
to one of the men, who commenced
talking about the Commandant, who
would be there shortly, and told him he
would be taken to Belun next day.
That evening the woman gave Ninder-
man little tobacco. While smoking, a
tall Russian (the Commandant) stepped
into the hut. The man mentioned the
words "Jeannette" and "Americanestro"
and Ninderman answered eyes" Mn
derman tried German, but he shook his
head. He took a chart and pointed out
where the Captain was left, but the man
only said something about telegram"
and est. Petersburg" and Ninderman
thought telegram must be sent to st.
Petersburg before assistance could be
given, and if they had to wait for tele-
! gram his comrades would be dead.
Next daV thew were started toward