The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-10-25
yoYAGEoFTHE JEANNETTE

YOYAGEOFTHE JEANNETTE
Mrs. De Longs Account Of Her Hus-
bands Adventures.
From the New York Herald.
Two stout volumes from the press of
Houghton, MiHin & Co., tell the story
of the voyage OF the Jeanette. 1t was
a heroic act on the part OF. Mrs. De
Long to take upon herself the editing
and compiling of this book. A few
pages i've US the early history of Capt.
De Long, and we see in the determined
boy the promise of the intrepid man.
The only son of fond parents, he was
reared with the tenderest care, his
mother carrying her solicitude to an ex-
treme, not wanting him to join in the
usual sports of boys, and particularly
dreading to have him 20 near the water.
But, as is generally the case, the thing
tabooed is the one most longed for, and
young De Long made up his mind by
the age of twelve that he was, going to
be sailor. He set his heart upon en-
tering the naval academy, and, in spite
of unusual ANNOUNCEMENTS, he carried
his point. There were always as many
difficulties in the way of his marrying
as of his entering the navy, but he sur
mounted them with the same readiness.
His married life was of short duration.
Their wedding day was in 1871, and in
1879 Capt. De Long said good by to his
wife for the last time.
Mrs. De Long has made up this book
from her husbands letters and journals,
and the story is told in mis- own words,
written amid the scenes described. Be-
sides the ships log he kept full jour
nal during the voyage and continued the
record after the ship was abandoned.
The first entry in Capt. De Longs jour-
nal describes the departure of the jean
nette from the harbor Of San francisco.
"Clear and pleasant weather, smooth
sea-" they began with; but it was not
long before the weather changed and
the solid sea closed in around them. To
Mrs. Dc Long the commander OF the ex-
wife likes to read Of her husbands
daily lie: "Sunday, July 13, 1876. 430
miles west of San Francisco" he begins
the home record. "Here we are, SO far
on our way to the pole, and it is the
most natural thing in the world that l
should sit down and write to YOU" For
three days they had pretty comfort
able time; then the sea freshened up.
collins and Newcomb promptly went
under with seasickness, and for three
days they were as miserable looking
men as you ever saw" Then comes
detailed account of the ship and the
people in her. The ship is, he thinks,
all rig ht. 6 She is slow now because she
is so deep in the water, running along
under steam alone only four or four and
one-half knots, and burning about five
tons of coal day." But as the breeze
freshened they made better time. The
cabin was very comfortable and very
dry. The forecastle ''as dry as bone
and very comfortable, and the men
seem to appreciate it." The captains
room and the starboard chart room look
'quite cosey and comfortable"
Then he speaks of his companions
"Chip is as he always was and always
will be-calm and earnest. He has al
ways something to do and is always do
ing it in that quiet, steady and sure
manner of his, He smiles rarely and
says very little, but know where he is
and how reliable and sure he is in every
respect" Danenhower is 'the same as
n
correctly" Melville is ''as bright as
dollar and as cheerful as possible all the
time. He sits on my left at table and
helps me to carve and serve out. We
broke pump rod two days ago. Some
engineers would have wanted to stop
the shio a few days for this, or, perhaps,
turn back. Not he; he says call right;
we will run without a pump rod, hey.
brother; and when we get in | will
make you new pump rod or fifty OF
them" 1 believe he could make an
engine out Of few barrel hoops If he
tried hard. He is one of the strong
points of this expedition. He and DR..
Amber are much alike in some respects.
The doctor is oil 1 would have him,
bright and cheerful under all circum-
stances, During our bad weather he
was around all the time, cheering up
Collins and Newcomb, holding up
the Chinese cook when necessary:
and facing the music like a man.
He and Melville have christie ned New
comb 'Ninkum,' and occasionally hear
one of them sing out on seeing an alba.
tross, Here Milky, quick! Come and
catch a goosep" Mr.. Collins suffered
good deal from seasickness, but he soon
got all right" collins is the same Collins.
getting off puns all the time-some of
them good aad some of them wretched-
Iy poor. For a while we steadily, re-
fused to see his puns, and would all look
at him as innocently and inqulringly as
babies when he got one off, asking him
until he finally exclaimed that our
inteIIects must be weakening in
proportion as we increased our distanc &c
from San Francisco. Now, however,
we let him pun away, praise the good
ones and condemn the bad"
During the early part of the voyage
they had pleasant enough time, be-
tween Melville's high spirits and Col.
Inns puns. Singing seemed to be one of
the amusements. There were so many
good voices aboard that Capt. De Long
proposed getting up choir, with Collins
at the organ"
The Jeanette left San Francisco in
July. In October she was seized blythe
ice and held fast. Here begins the
one i Of alternate hope and despondency.
The merest straw was clutched at only
to break in their hands. 'There IS a
wonderful sameness in our daily life,"
writes the commander, "and can as
yet devise no efficient way of changing
the monOtOny." On Chris mas eve, I'm
order that some little conviviality and
good feeling must be occasioned or en-
couraged." Capt. belong served out
three quarts of wlliskey among the men,
and Melville "mixed a fine compound
from Irish whisky presented by paymas-
ter Cochran" anu those aft joined in
drinking a merry Christmas to the alb
sent ones. "At last Christmas day
dawned-the first passed aboard the
Jeannette." "This is the dreariest day
l have ever experienced in my life,"
says the journal, 'and it is certainly
past in the dreariest part of the world"
And vet he will not complain, for up to
that time they have had no
serious mishap. They tried to be Jolly,
but did not make any success Of it until
dinner, when, fore and aft, they had
such grand banquet that they we're for
a time lifted out of and beyond the con-
temptation Of their surroundings. Ev-
erything in their rooms was frozen hard.
The frost in lower drawer of Capt. De
Longs bureau was SO solid that he had
to work with hammer and break tho
ice before he could get pair of panta-
looms out. The rooms we're often literal
ly hung with ice, which while it stayed
eolid did no harm, but which when it
,polfol and 6rinpa6 down IN fho slonn.