The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-02-14
DE LONG,s STORY.

Account Ofthe Lost Jeanette Comma nders
Two Years Adventures IN the Arctic Re
gion,
The record addressed to the secre
targ of the navy, which Lieutenant
DE Long wrote during the two years
of the Jeannette's drift, contains 102
closely-written foolscap pages. The
following extract gives his reasons for
entering the icepack, and outlines his
plans and hopes
" AS the commander of polar expe-
dition. my chief desire was to get north,
and had already come so far to the
westward, in carrying out the depart
ments orders, that the sooner 1 started
in a northerly direction seemed
the better for the object in view. Ad-
ditional time would be lost were 1 to
attempt to get more easterly position
before heading to the north
ward, particularly as from the
experience of American whalers and
the ships of the English Franklin re-
lief expedition, there was nothing to
indicate there a better chance of pro-
gress. On the other hand, we were
within 220 miles of Wrangell Land,
which though seen had never been
landed on. With land so near us offer
ing chance of exploration, and a win
tor harbor from which q higher lati-
tude might be attained by sledges, and
perhaps presenting what was natur-
ally to be Observation-Disclosures
along its eastern coast-in which case
a good northing might be made by the
ship herself before any exploration or
sledge journey might be undertaken, /
concluded that l was exercising good
Judgment in considering that land as
kind Of support for the first winters
campaign, and l accordingly shaped
a course north by west, true, proceed
ing with all speed"
De Long then tells how the shin
made her way north through Floating
Ice until she reached a point forty
miles east-southeast of Herald Island,
where she was stopped by what seemed
tobe impenetraDle'pack ice. That night
a promising lead opened to the west
ward, and De Long decided to enter it.
He says:
Believing that the best chance for
an advance would be by land-water
extending along the eastern coast of
Wrangell Land, and hoping that the
promising lead to the westward would
conduct US to it, concluded to enter
1t as soon as there was sufficient day.
light the next morning"
He entered the lead and steamed
five hours, when the ship was stopped
by heavy ice ten or fifteen feet thick.
Wrangell Land was in sight to the
westward. The record continues:
"At that time hoped we were des-
tined to reach this land. Though our
lead had abruptly terminated at wall
OF ice, the surface of the foes was cut
up here and there by ponds and small
lakes, which any movement of the ice
might unite in lane of navigable
water. Instead of opening. however,
the ice closed, and on the following day
the Jeanette was beset. Unless some
thing like gale of wind occurred to
breakup the ice, our advance was no
longer to be guided or controlled by
any power from within the ship. We
had gone rs far to the northward as
the heavy pack ice had permitted, and
we had followed up the only water
lane presenting itself, and had come to
the end Of that. Ny choice of plans
was limited to the surroundings. To
advance was impossible. To retreat
was disagreeable (even if a chance ex-
listed of doing so), and holding our
present location meant wintering in
the pack and drifting we knew not
where. The land-Water of KelleU
Land was now as unattainable as the
land water of Greenland, so far as any
power Of our own could be effective; the
ocean we had left behind was as much
out of our reach as if continent had
interYened, and there seemed nothing
left but to make virtue of necessity
and stay where we were"
The Jeannette's officers at once be-
gan preparations for the winter. Fore
seeing that the ship might be crushed
by the constantly moving ice, De Long
had everything in readiness for aban-
doning her and retreating OH sledges
to Herald Island, Wrangell Land or
the Siberian coast. Upon this sub
1ect he says:
"On October 81, 1879, in order to be
prepared for any emergency not then
to be foreseen, our party was told off
into sledging crews, commanded re-
spectively by the five commissioned
officers attached to the ship, and upon
five sledges were packed forty days
rations for men and dogs. A detail
was made of duties to be performed
by each individual in event of disaster
bringing about an abandonment Of
the ship. Our sleeping bags, tents and
other travelling gear were oyerhauled
and made ready for use, and the
loaded sledges on the poop deck were
arranged with reference TO the most
convenient manner for getting them to
the ice. All these preparations COM
pleted, we could merely await tine fu