The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-01-11
Lieutenant belongs Report.

WASHINGTON. December %.
Lieutenant Belongs report, found beside
his dead body, has been made public 1t makes
10000 words, and details the incidents of the
cruise from the departure from San Fran
cisco, in 1873, to January, 1881. Its principal
feature is an elaborate account of belongs
views in regard to the expedition. He consid-
cred 1t good judgment to head for Wrangell
Land. His idea was to adopt that land as the
support Of the first winters campaign; he en-
bodies the story of how the land was sighted.
and how he expected to reach it. He graphic
ally described how, on the next day, the
Jeanette became beset in the ice never again
20 be relieved, and says: ''The party was com
PEELED to make Il virtue of necessity and stay
where we were. Sometimes all night, and
sometimes all day and night, from January 10
to February 4, Sweetman and Ninderman
stood down in the forepeak, the icy water flow
ing around them nearly to their knees, work
ing faithfully until their work was accom-
plished and the good results of that work were
evident in the Gradually reduced amount OF
water coming into the ship, and our ability to
control the leak without such ruinous expend-
iture of fuel as had been necessary thereto
fore. Itis for these reasons that 1 hive had
the honor 10 recommend these two men to you
for medals of honor as a recognition of heroic
conduct under the most trying circum-
stnoes.'
Captain De Long record of the remainder
of the winter and summer of 1880 is, for the
most part, a mOnOtOnOus record of storms,
ice-mOuntains, constant anxiety, and almost
unbrOken disappO ntment. As the short Arc
tic summer drew to a close without setting the
Jeanette free, and another dreary winter ap-
preached, Captain De Long evidently began to
revOlve in his mind the question whether it
would not be better to abandon the ship and
make for the northern coast of Siberia over
the ice than to run the risk of a second winter
in the pack.
Under date of September 20, 1880, he says:
dislike naturally to dwell on the idea of the
abandonment Of the ship. We h We come
through so much it gives me hopes of ofsurvving
more. So lO2g as enough of the ship remains
TO sheltcFuS, sticking by that fragment is pref
cradle to cam ping on the ice, and can con-
ceive of no greater 'fOrlOrn hope than an at
tempt to reach Siberia (say 2t0 miles distant
over the ice that surrounds us, and with win
ters cold sapping ones Life at every step. OF
course, if we were to lose our ship, would
make an effort TO get there, but our chances
of success would be extremely prOblematfcal."
The last entry in the record i dated DeCem-
ringing in the New Year in latitude 20 degrees
48 minutes north, longitude III degrees 81
minutes east During the last sixteen months
have drifted 800 mileS-far enough, if it
had been in a straight line to carry us to and
beyond the pole but yet only 220 mi
northwest of where we were first beset. We
confronted us. We have been squeezed and
iammCd, tossed and tumbled. We have
pumped a leaky ship for year, but we are
not vet daunted, and are as ready to dare ev
new year firmly hoping TO do something
worthy of ourselves, of Benefits enterprise,
and of the flag above us"
In less than ten months after these worls
were written the Jeanette was at the bottom
of the Arctic Ocean and De Long lay dead in
the Lena Delta.