The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-02-16
De Longs Party Heard From.


The following dispatch from Lieutenant
Danenhauer, dated Irkoutsk, February 4, has
just been received here:
De Longs party is between the stations
of Bueur (BolinoiD and Sisterouck (Usto-
leonsk ., in a narrow wilderness eighty miles
long, devoid of habitations and game. jerome
j. Collins volunteered TO stand by the dying
seaman; Hans Erickson, and let others of De
| Longs party push south.
''The new search builds huts, and goes over
every inch of the region, which is plowed by
heavy drift-ice every spring
We visited Nordenskjold's winter quar-
ters, and found he was safe before we entered
the ice near Herald Island.
The general health Of the crew during the
twenty-one months drift was excellent No
scurvy appeared. We used distilled water and
bear and seal-meat twice week. No rum was
served out. Divine service was regularly held
We took plenty of exercise. Everybody
hunted Game was scarce. We got about
thirty bears, two hundred and fifty seals, and
six walrus. No fish or whales were seen.
All possible observations were made dur
ing the drift, the result showing northwest
course. The ship was keelcd over, and heavi-
ly pressed by ice most of the time. The mem
tai strain was heavy on all of the ships com
pany. The result of the drift for the first five
months was forty miles. There was a eyelofd-
al movement of the ice. The drift the last
six months was very rapid. Soundings were
pretty even. They were eighteen fathoms
near Wrangell Land, which was often visible
seventy-fiye miles distant. The greatest depth
found was eighty fathoms, and the average
thirty-ffve. The bottom was blue mud
Shrimps and plenty of algelogical specimens
were brought up from the bottom. The sur
face water had temperature of twenty de-
grees above zero.
The extremes of temperature of air were:
Greatest cold 50 below zero and greatest heat
"A above zero. The first winter the mean
temperature was 33 below zero; the sec
ond winter 80 below zero. The first
summer the mean temperature was 40 degrees
above zero The heaviest gale showed a
velocity of about fifty miles per hour Such
gales were not frequent. The barOmetFic and
thermOmetric fluctuations were not great.
There were disturbances of the needle CO..
incident with the auroras. The winters
growth of ice was eight feet; heaviest ice seen
twenty-three feet. The engineer states that
a heavy truss saved the ship, November p, from
being crushed. The telephone wires were
broken by the movement of the ice The
Photographic collection was lost with the ship.
Lieutenant Chipp's 1000 auroral observations
were also lost. The naturalist's notes were
saved.
"Jeannette Island was discovered, May 16,
in latitude rs degrees AZ minutes north, Iongi-
tude 153 degrees 56 minutes east. 1t was small
and rocky, and we did not visit it.
Henrietta Island was discovered and Wis
ited May "a, in latitude n degrees s minutes
north, longitude 157 degrees 32 minutes east.
1t is an extensive island. Animals are scarce,
but glaciers are plenty.
Bennett Island lies in latitude 76 degrees
3S minutes north, longitude 14S degrees 20
minutes east. 1t is very large On it we
found many birds, old horns, driftwood and
coal, but no seal or walrus. A great tidal ac-
tion was observed. The coast is bold and
rocky. The cape on the south coast was named
Cape Emma.
eve drifted back the first week of the re-
treat twenty-seven miles more than we could
advance. The snow was knee deep. We had
to go thirteen times over and over the track,
seven times with loads.
Lieutenant Chipps boat did better than
ours (MeIville's) during the afternoon of Sep
tember u, the three boats having got clear Of
the ice off Seminovsky Island at noon that
day About dusk he was 100 yards off ou,
weather quarter, and lowered sail as if round
ing to. We lay for twenty-four hours under
triangular drag. Nothing was seen Of
Lieutenant Chipp's boat at daylight. He
could not get back to the island in a northeast
gale He was unable to carry his share of the
provisions.
81 observed a strong easterly current near
the Lena delta. There were masses of drift
wood between the Siberian Islands.
''Jack Coles mind is not wholly aIienated.
He has not been violent for twelve days, but
Is happy and harmless. Getting home may
restore him."