New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-21
THE SEARCH FOR DE LONG.

| sUPPERINGs OF MELYILLEs PARTY.
WASHINGTON, March 2O.-The Secretary Of the
Navy this morning received the following report
from Chief Engineer Melville
YAKUTsK SIBERIA. Jan. o. 1882.
The Honorable the Secretary Of The Nary, Nary De
! pdrtneaf Washington, d. C.
SIR: I have the honor TO report my arrival nc
this place on the 3Oth of December, 1881. and
would respectfully submit the following report OF
! events subsequent to the dispersion of the three
| boats of the Jeanette on the night Of September
| II, 1851 dnring q heavy nOrtheasC gale and when
| only fifty miles northeast Of Bonkn, our destina-
tion. The events prior to that date are mentioned
in the record of Lieutenant De Long. United states
| Navy. copies of which are herewith enclosed and
marked l, 2, 3 and t.
In accordance with the orders OF Lieutenant do
Long under date Of August :, 1881 IA copy enclosed.
No. 81, proceeded to the Lena River. Made land on
September 16 Found there three natives on Sep
| tember o, and reached settlement called Bukoh
on September 20. The ice was making in the river,
and the natives informed me that we conld not pro-
| ceed south until the sic 'dlng season commenced,
which would be in about fifteen DAYS On the next
day made au effort to get M the river with three
| native pilots but after grounding very often. the
! pilots insisted on returning, and the condition OF
| the party did not warrant me in advancing, for
| most of MS were very much exhausted and wers
suffering from frozen feet and legs and lack Of food
| the majority being unable to walk. The natives
gave IFS quarters and a limit ID quantity Of fish and
| decayed geese On October y a Russian exile named
| Koosmah GuymayeT discovered uS accidentally.
| He gave us salt and all the food his
scanty supply allowed, and agreed 20 go TO
| Bulun to inform the cOmmandant OF that
place of our presence and obtain food
and transportation. He started on October ID, and
was to have returned in five days bn he did not re-
| turn until October %, when he brought small
| supply of food, and reported that the cominanhaht
would be at Bukoii on November l with deer and
sleds TO carry the whole party 10 Bulun. On his
| way back on October 2G KOOsmah met two or tho
first cutters crew at KmnOull Suaka, and they gave
| him the brief note n copy of which is herewith en-
| closed marked No. 81. Immediately started with
| dog-seds for Buun, hoping to intercept the COM
| mandant on the way but ne had reindeer ana trav-
! ecd by different route Master john W. Danen
hover, having recovered the use Of his eyes was
placed in charge of my party with orders to follow
me to Bulun as soon as transportation could be OBJ
| tanned.
CONDITION OF DE LONGS PARTY LAST OCTOBER
| | arrived at Bulun at 5 p. November 2, and
found the two men in very exhausted condition.
From them learned the following particulars OF
what occurred subsequent to October |, the date OF
the latest Of Lieutenant De Longs records.
The party crossed the Lena to the west bank on
October J. at a summer hunting lodge called Res
terla. The toes of seaman III. III. EIicl son having
been amputated he was placed upon an improyised
sled which was hauled by his comrades, several OF
whom we're hardly able TO walk, owing to frozen
feet aud legs They proceeded south slowly for two
days and crossed n small branch Of the Lena, which
they had to wade. On October they stopped at a
small hut where Erickson died the next day and
was buried in the Lena BY this time they were IN
Geplorahle condition, having eaten their last dog
meat and being on an allowance of three
ounces of alcohol per per day. They
proceeded sonth until October g. when Lieu
tenant De Long decided to send two men ahead 10
seek relief The feet of Ninderman and Noras were
better than those of the Others and they were sup
piled with their blankets and Remington rife
with forty rounds Of ammunition and six ounces OF
alcohol, which per capita division of the
whole stock of the latter. They were ordered TO
proceed south the west bank of the Lena. and to
send relief if found. being told that the others
would follow their footsteps. When the two men
started the party was at n halt the north bank
of a large western branch of the Lena. The two
men ascendci that branch about five miles to make
a crossing and then travelled east, to a hut known
bv the two crosses and situated on the Lena bank
see chart herewith enclosed, marked No. n.
After fourteen days of intense suffering
| ana SLOW progress llcy IcdCicu buitoui anu "'Ao
found by three natives, who supplied them with
food and transported them to Bulun by deer sleds,
arriving at that place September p. The COM
mandant of Bulun took good care of them but was
unable to understand them He gave them material,
and they wrote long dispatch addressed to the
| American Minister at st. Petersburg. which thu
cOmmandant took with him to Bukoh
| MELvILE's SEARCH ALONG HE LENA.
Mr. DanenhOwer Immediately sent it TO me by
special courier, together with order from tho
| ,kC ~; Of RuInp IN furnish
me with an outfit and appointing Banoulock rs
rendezvous. at which place l met HIM and the re-
mainder of my party on November 8. Had a
| consultation with the commlndant and ordered Mr.
Danenhower TO proceed south with all the party ex-
cept James H. Bartlett irst-cass fireman. who was 20
| remain at Buun to communicate with me- started
north on that evening, November ;, to the relief OF
| Lieutenant De Long having with mo two natives
and two dog trains. with provisions for ten days.
Stopped at Kumouk Suaka November .. Travelled
fifty verstj November g and reached Bulcour
| Found two deserted houses and traces of the two
| men, Nindeman and Noras. Weather-bound No
| vember T. Travelled sxty-fve versts on November
| 6: examined small hut where the two men had
| sept and where a number of sleds slowed.
| Slept I'm snow ba ak that ght November travel
led eighty versts, visiting the huts at tho two
crosses the sloal at AstOlira aud reaching Metrai
| after midnight. The next morning | found in
| the hut o wast-belt that had been made
On board the Jeanette. and there were good indi-
cations that one or two of Lieutenant Do Longs
| party had slept in the hut. On November 10, our
provisions running short, decided to go to Upper
Bulun a distance OF 100 versts to the northwest in
| order to renew them Reached Upper Buun about
midnight on the llth, having stopped at tho do
| serted hunting station of Cath Conta the 1lth,
aud also having visited eight huts on the route.
Considerable stale fish and deer meat were found il
| Cath Conta but no sign of it or the huts having