Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1882-03-29
belongs Probable Fate.

| The Philadelphia Times Of re.
cent date contains the following in
teresting information az to the ex.
periences Of the Jeanette explor.
ers and the probable fate Of belong
and his missing comrades:
| A letter was received to day by
Mrs. Melville, residing at Sharons.
vile, a short distance outside Of
Philadelphia, from her husband
Lieutenant George w. Melville. Of
| the United States Navy, who went
out as chief engineer Of the explor.
ing party, and was in command Of
| the boat containing the survivors
which landed on the northern coast
Of Siberia, September Goth. In this
brief letter the hero Of the latest, and
as all accounts have shown, the
most periious attempt to explore the
unknown Polar seas, speaks of De.
Long and the others with him as
having persisted, and indicates that
when Chief Engineer Melville set
out upon the search in which he is
now engaged in the regions of cter-
nal ice and snow it was without
hope Of finding his comrades alive,
but simply to perform the melan-
cholly duty Of discovering, if posi-
bic, their dead bodies and whatever
traces of their hardships and adven-
lures they had left behind them.
In all the accounts that have been
received from Lieutenant John Dan
| enhauer, who was one of those say
ed with Melville, there has been a
hopeful tene concerning the posi-
bility of belongs safety; but in
such kilograms as contained facts
alone there was not room for encour-
| agenent. In the last and most Inn
| portant communication from Dan
enhauer, received at Paris, February
2. from Irk utsk, he gives entire the
latest record Of belong found by
Melville, at one Of those polar mile
stones, such as all Arctic explorers
have erected along their way On
this belong wrote: Fourteen of
the officers and men of the jean
uette reached this hut on Wednes
day, September q, and, having
been forced to wait tor the river to
freeze over, are proceeding to cross
to the west side this morning, On
their journey to reach some settle
ment on the Lena river. | have
two days pro, isions, but having
been fortunate enough thus far to
get game i'll our pressing needs, we
had no fear for the future. Our
party are all well except Hans En-
ikscn, whose toes have been mnpu-
| tated in consequence of frost bite,
| Other records will be found in sew
eral huts on the east side of the riv-
er along which We have come from
| the mouth" After quoting this,
! Danenhauer says: "Three other rec
ords were found but he gives moth
ing of their contents further than to
say: "Eriksen died October ~
The party was in great distress for
want of food. Noros and Winde-
man, two of belongs companions
were sent ahead for-relief on Octo.
Der O. They marched south fol
fifteen days, and were found in d
starving condition on October a, by
three natives, who took them to q
settlement.
| Evidently there was some reason
| for not giving the other records en-
tire. Nine days after, the party o
fourteen had lost two days proyis
ions. and after Eriksen's toes ha(
been amputated, they were i'll grea
distress for want of food. and thei
Eriksen and two men, probably tn,
only two who were able to walk
went ahead and reached settle
nlent in a starving condition. Eek
actly five months have passed sine
belong and twelve men Uhe thir
teenth having just died) were il
great distress for want Of food, an
no tidings of them to give a ray {
hope have been received in tina
time. In that condition, they wer
about five thousand miles from S
Petersburg, in region where there
scarcely any game, just at the begir
ming of most rigorous winter, whe
everyone, even the hardest native
flee hundreds of miles inland, an
\ do not return until March or Apr
Under such circumstances Melville
letter to his wife is consistent wit
0 all the known facts. Since he ws
chosen by the authorities at Wasl
: ington, out of all the competent me
in the navy, to accompany the j
annette expedition just four yea
ago, and set sail from San Franclst
in July, 1878, a few months aft,
receiving his order, Melville has ha
no opportunity to communities