The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-05-11
De Long and His Comnanions.


navy department Engineer Melville announces
that he has found the bodies OF Lieutenant
Commander De Long, OF the Jeannette and
his men, with all their papers and books. He
will continue the SEQ rch for Lieutenant Chipp
and the seven men who were with him. De
Long landed with thirteen men. One died
soon after and two others were sent
forward for relief and were saved. or
the thirty-three officers and men OF the
Jeanette, only thirteen are known to have been
saved. Mr.. Melville's dispatch is as follows
LENA DELTA, March 24.-Found De Long and
party dead. Found all papers and books. Con.
iinue search for Chipp. Melville
Another dispatch, sent by Mr. Jackson, spe-
cial correspondent OF the New York Herald on
his way north to the mouth OF the Lena, says.
IA Cossack estafette Especial express) has
just arrived here with dispatches bringing the
news that the bodies of Captain De Long and
ten men have been found all in one spot.n
The Jeanette which had been known as the
Pandora started from San Francisco on July
3, 1879, under command of Lieutenant De
Long. The disastrous result of the expedition
was first known by dispatch from Irkutsk re-
ceved In London, December 2l,, announcing
that the Jeanette had been crushed in the ice
on June 2S. After this the crew took refuge in
three boats. The first cutter carried Lieuten
ant George W. De Long. the commander of the
Jeanette; Dr.. James M. Amber, Jerome Col
lins, William Ninderman, Louis Noros,
Dressler, Carl Gortz, Walter Lee, Nells
lversen, George Boyd and the two men
known as Alexia and All Lorn. The second
cutter contained Lieutenant Charles ". Chlpp,
Captain William Dunbar, Alfred Sweetman,
Henry Warren, Peter johnson, Edward Story
Shawel and Albert Kalhue, In the whale. boat
were the engineer, George W. Melville Lieu.
tenant J. W Danenhower, Jack Cole, James
Bartlett, Raymond Newcomb, Herbert Leach,
George Laudertack, Henry Wilson, Manson,
Aniquin and Long Sing. The three boats
were separated in a gale at night, Engineer
Melville and his companions succeeded 10 en-
tering the mouth OF the Lena on September H.
Ninderman and Noras arrived at Boloenga on
October 29 to ask for relief for tho crew Of the
first cutter whom they reported to be IN tn @
greatest danger OF starvation and badly frozen.
No news was at any time received of the
fate of Lieutenant Chipp's command. Imme-
dlstely after Nlnderman and Noras had
brought in the news that Lieutenant De
Longs party were at the northern mouth of
the Lena Delta expedluonsto 10 succor them were
organized.
Another account of the expedition says: The
Jeanette sailed from San Francisco at p. NJ
on July 8, 1879, and entered the ice near Her.
aid island in september. From that time until
June H. 1881 (when size was crushed) she driit-
ed helplessly. At the end OF the first five months
the ship was only fifty miles from the place whel G
she had entered the ice. During this time
area, approaching and receding from the lS0th
meridian The ship continued to drift in this
way until June II, 1881, the general movement
, being to northwest On that day the ship was
in latitude II degrees, - minutes and 4j
seconds north, aud longitude l55 degrees, 46
minutes and 80 seconds east.
At 1910 A. NJ. of June 12 the ice suddenly
opened alongside the ship, but some hours
later the ice again closed upon and crushed
her. The ship was then abandoned, and about
O'Clock on June IS she sank to the bottom.
Four days later the crew began the retreat on
five sieds. The party trave'ed slowly, and at
the end OF the first week it, was found that
the drift to the northwest had been
twenty-seven miles in excess of the
march southward. On June 27 the party
reached Bennett island, and remained there
until August 4, spending the time in making
explorations. Koltenoi island was reached on
September 6, and on September 10 the party
landed on Simontk island. Two days later the
| three boats stoo to the southwark, but when
! within about fifty miles of the mainland they
were separated during gale.
De Longs boat landed at the mouth of the
northwestern branch OF the Lena, near Upper
| Bulun, September II, and on the same day
| Melville's party entered the east branch of the
| Lena. Chipps boat has never been heard
| from. Melville met three natives on Septcm-
Der 10, and seven days later he reached Bulk
| on. His party was much exhausted. On Oc-
tobor 20 he heard that Noras and iNinderman,
OF DE Longs party, had been
| found, and on November 2 he saw them at
| 3ulun. From them he learned that De Long
and his men had made their way to Sisteranek.
| There the men were in an exhausted condi-
| ton on October 3, and were without food
Melville Immediately started northward
again with two natives, and explored the
Lena Delta in search of De Long. He re-
turned TO Bulum November %, withou
| having found any trace of De 7Long, except
few Il G )rds written before Nindermal
and Noras We're sent forward r relief Hi:
| journey would have been continued had not his
| provisions given out. His second expedition
| to tho Lena Delta began on January 27, 1882
when he left Yakutsk fully prepared lor an ex-
| tended search. He took with him Bartlett auC
| Ninderman of the Jeannette crew, while Lieu.
tenant Dance h vtr Travelled 81 wly southwark
| with nine other survivors.
Lieutenant Dc Long was native OF New
| York city, where he was born in 1874 III
went into the navy us mdshipman in 1861, wa
made lieutenant in 1862 and navigator on tb'
| Juniata in 1873. Mrs. De Long Is now
burlington, Iowa, where her only child
laughter, has been sick.