Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-11-18

| VS. " S'cty niIc We MAKE sOut1
west. keeps me ANXIOUS Melville
and the doctor are the only ones to
whom / have communicated our ia;i
tude. belong stated the matter
mildly. His course for a long time
was very far away from the true one.
The pitiless rains wet the men in
their slumbers, and sometimes they
were soused by slipping into open
leads. An occasional bear, seal, or
walrus furnished extra food for men
and dogs. On the Goth of July, after
Iprodigious exertions, belong got his
boats and sieds upon the steep shore
of large island, which had been in
view for eighteen days, and named 1t
Bennett 1sland, the landing place call
ed Cape Emma The face of the
cliff was alive with thousands of
dovekies, and from these birds, with
the help of sweet and fresh water
running down the mountain side, de-
licious meals were made. Here the
party remained from the Goth of july
until the 9Th of August, when a new
start was made by combined drag
| SAuS ohu ooohuS. DchOuS 0au
charge Of the first cutter; Chip, of
the second; AMI Melville, with Da.
nenhower to help him, of the whale
boat. Progress was now rapid. As
the sleds were no longer needed,
they were cut up, and the dogs killed
one after another. At the end of Au-
gust the New Siberian Islands were
reached. There more birds were
| found, and the course taken was that
Of skirting along the islands. On the
12th OF September the three boats
left Semenovski Island, and on the
same night were separated in q gale.
The second cutter, containing Chip
and Dunbar. with Sweetman and sew
en- other men, has never been heard
Of. and doubtless persisted in the
storm. The whaleboat, under Mel.
Vile, effected landing on the east
side of the Lena Delta. As for De-
Long, after hard struggle, he reach.
ed the easterly part of the Delta on
the 18th. From that time to the end
of October, when the last of the first
cutters party persisted from starva-
ton, the entries in the journal are
usually brief, aud have already be-
come familiar through their publica-
ton when Melville found the dead
bodies and the record of their last
su6erings.
1t may be pointed out, however.
that De Long looked hopefully, and
with reason at the outset, on the pros
poets of reaching q settlement. The
laneness Of few of the party, it is
true, made progress very slow, but
there were also good prospects of
finding supplies. On the 10Th of Sep
tember Alexy shot q gull; on the
2lst, two deer; on the 9th, q fine
buck; and thus from point to point
there was hope Of food. The final
catastrophe happened after travelling
out of the region in which more than
score of deer had been seen, and
three killed. into one in which no
food was to be had. On the 21st of
September the journal records the
iudiciOus intent to ct once "send on
q couple of good walkers, to make
forced march to get relief" But the
next day two deer were shot, and then
it was recorded that we are so well
of for deer meat perhaps 100 pounds
clear meat) that the necessity for sep
arating our party seems not q press
ing matter" On the 25th De Long
made the unpleasant discovery that
we had but eight pounds deer meat
and two tongues remaining. Some
error in weighing before starting or
10 serving out. Ate all for dinner"
The Rext day there were left only
"three meals more food and the
dog. But still the unfaltering trust
in God, which / have had all along,
makes ne hopeful that some relief
may be afforded u.s." In TACT, the
very next day q buck was shot and
at 10i fourteen hungry men COM
menced eating fried deer meat, and l
must admit we ate three pounds
apiece before we were satisfied.
Even on the LIST of October he caches
. record that I've have no fear for
the future" Five days later. Erick-
son, whose toes had been amputated,
and whose delirious grosns had for
some nights kept the party awake,
died. The next day the last solid
was eaten, half q pound Of dog meat.
But on the 9th Alexy shot three
ptsrmigans, and on the 14sh still an.
Other-then he broke down from
hunger, and died on the 18th. The
last record Of food is this: "Oct.
15-Breakfast, willow tea and two
old boots" The two walkers Min
demann and Noros, who, it will be
remembered, did reach help, were
not sent forward till Oct. 9th, and
their only food was two ounces of
alcohol. It seems incredible that De
Long continued to make entries In
his journal up to Sunday, Oct. 3Oth,
though for the last ten days the rec
ords consisted chiefly Of the deaths
one BY tn,. Ksack and Lee died
Oct. 81; lversen, Oct. ID; Dressler,
the 20th; and this Is the last entry:
/" Sunday, Oct. 30, 140th day. Boyd
and Goertz died died during the
night. Mr.. Collins dying" 1t is
written, a. the fac simiie shows, in q
firm, clear and beautiful hand.
To complete the sad story. a brief
but sufficient account is given of the
adventures Of NindemaEn ana Noros,
and OF the search parties which found
De Long. One can respect the spirit
with which the closing words of the
volume are written: Sacrifice Is
nobler than ease, unselfish life Is con-
sumnstcd in lonely death, and the
world is richer by the gin OF suffer
ing;" but the journals OF De Long
tell too clearly to the reader that sac
rifice and the gift OF suffering on the |
part Of men 80 noble as these, were
but poorly employed In such quest |
DO these discoveries, said one sur |
vivor, compensate for the losses
and the suffering Incurred in the ex.
petition To this question answer
unhesitatingly, No |"
Mr.. Robert II. Street, resident agent |
at Seattle. and New Tacoma for the At |
lsntic Brush Company, has just receiv- |
cd his samples which he is opening out |
at the Grand Central. and where he will |
be happy TO see any parties who may ia |
vor him with call. His samples are |
a = IL ~. l. q Il