Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-03-03

GllSA-AD " buV AAoNO W
the various officers to insure the safety
of the parties under their immediate
charge and for thu. relief of the other
parties"
The retreat commenced or tho 18th
OF June aud during the ensuing three
months the entire ships company re-
manned together under the direction
of the commander, struggling against
obstacles which required indomitable
pluck and perseverance, to overcome !;
compelled to drag their heavy boats
and loads Of provisions over broken
and shifting fields OF ice, at times fer.
rying them over the water spaces and
often carried far out OF their course by
the Drift of the pack; delayed by storms
fog aud snow, there seems to have been
no p%recaution neglected which would
tend 10 insure their safety. During
this time as we'll AZ upon other occa
siOns the conduct Of ice pilot Dunbar.
boatswain Cole, and fireman Bartlett,
ELECTED weil.deserved concentrations.
The original plan of retreat was to
make a southerly course, presumably
to reach the open waller as soon as
possible. and thence by way ofthe new
oiV0lI&u olouuo W tuO uOlS0 VI Tx
Iona, the nearest point at winch 1t
Was supposed that relief could be OBJ.
tanned. But tho commander found.
alter time, by observation, that the
current was sweeping thsm so rapidly
to the nOrihward aud westwa ard. that
their labor was almost in YAM, and
that the course made good was but
little TO the southwark or west. He
wisely refrained from Encouraging the
party by announcing this fact, and
changed his course 30 as to cross this
current At right angles, and get be-
You'd its influence as soon as practica
BILE. Alter twenty. three days of toll
and anxiety Bennett Island was dis.
covered, where they landed and occu-
pied eight days in resting and making
necessary repairs to boats. In trying
TO reach this island the party suffered
many disappuintments and encounter
ed unexpected dangers, difficulties and
delays in overcoming q very short dis.
lance. owing to the swift current and
rapid movements of the broken ice
close to the shore. A further delay
from August 10 to 20 Wal afterwards
forced upon the party by the condition
of the ice, which rendered progress
impossible. Meantime it had been
deemed %expedient at Bennett Island
in order 10 save food for the men that
about half Of the dogs should be killed.,
as they were no longer needed to drag
the sleds and it was considered inhu-
man to leave them there to starve. and
afterwsrd all but two Ot them escaped
on tho ice, but still it was found nec-
essary to reduce the allowance of pro-
visions from time to time during the
remainder of tho journey. On the 18th
of September the three boats were sep
arated by a gale o! wind when ap.
preaching the Siberian coast, at an
estimated distance of about ninety
miles to the northward, and eastward,
OF the Lena delta, aud no further record
existed of the second cutters party,
but as Lieutenant Chip, who
was in charge OF her, was noted
ior his seamaulike qualities. it may
safely be assumed hat he did all thai
a brave aud capable mar could do to
weather the gale. The first cutter ant
whale boat, under the command re
spectivoly Of L~ieutenant-C Commands
DsLong and Chief Engineer Melville.
barely managed TO live through the
gale by riding to s~ea-anchors and II
rounding to. The first cutter carried
away the step OF her mast and the mex
day lost her sail which formed a por
ton Of the drag. During the gale thu
professional rvice OF Lleutenan'
Eisenhower, who was on tue sick-llst
were called into requlsition, and he i
deserving OF credit for tile skill will
which he managed the whaleboat a
well rs for her subsequent navigation
10 land. When the weather modera
ted both boats endea7ored to reacI
Cape Barkiu, the northeast point o
tie Lena DeIts. upon which tue CHI 1T
erroneousiy indicated winter hnts a q
eleven people on board, on striki
shoal water out OF sigh Of land, sioo'
20 the east~ ard aud hauling in fer tn
laud the next day size was fortuna
enough, Oh September 16, 10 enter OF
oil tAs eastern mouths of the Len
river, and three days aiterward fell i
with u~aiives, WHO guided them to til
village of Geronavialocke, " here tho
arrived on the 5.h, and subsisted III
til hey ere able TO com nunicate wit
the commandsut of Bum. L. t.
meantlme the first cutter, with foul
teen persons in ali, had made the bes
OF her way. under y jury mast all
sail, toward the land. out encounter
ing young ice and shoal water th
party on the 18th of September Wa
forced to abandon the boat a mile an
4 half from the beach, and had to wad
: ashore through the ice and mud, cal
ryins the few remaining stores al
provisions on their backs. They ha
: the misfortune TO land at the mouth
| ra river, where no inhabitants were t
: bs found, although considerable vi
l lage not indicated on the charts, all
; consequently unsupported by then
I lay some twenty-five miles to I'll
e westw arc. They had landed fros
8 bitten aud exhausted with only a ie
days provisions, which were eked o
oy = meagre supply OF game. Thu
n began their painful journey to ii
d southwark hanpered in their mov
meuts by those who were disablcd,b
70 encouraged from time to time by trac
of recent occupancy in the huts al
d from footprints about the fox-tra
which they encountered on the Wa
J. and they struggled on maniully, mi
n led by their imperfect map OF the cou
try, aud always imagining themselv
near a place OF refuge until Toward 4
l. end OF October, when. after eatiI
o their remaining dog. they perish
h from hunger and cold; all but W Sc
& mon Ninderman and Noros, whom I
10 commander had previously sent on
70 advance for assistance, and who, aft
great hardships, were found and r
Of cued by the natives. These two n
Of did their utmost to make the natis
IL understand the condition Of the co
GO msnder's party and to induce them
Is 60 to its relief, but without succe
Q. 1t seems that there was some onfusi
at in the minds of these people betwe
the commanders party and that unc
r, Mr.. Melville al Gsromavialocke, |
as the two seamen knew nothing of t
Of Whaleboat's fate aud could not, the
fore, guess at the mistake; nor is
of probable that II they had return