Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-08-16
The Jeannette Relics.
CAPTAIN WILSON STATES, THE FACTS AND pRpUcEe
AN INTERESTING THEORY.

From the Philadelphis Times. to-day
Captain Wilson, Of the bark Fluorne, which ar
rived in port yesterday from Ivigtut, Greenland,
brought Intelligence OF the discovery by Esquimaux
OF relics Of the De Long party floating On ice in Baf-
fms bay, of the harbor of Juianshaab. Capt
Wilson was found at his residence, 2O34 south
5th street, last evening, and said:
"The superintendent OF the Kryolite mines at
Ivigtut first informed me Of this discovery and
just before sailing the governor Of the Danish SET
tlement at Jullanshaab brought me letter which
he wished me to forward to the Danish consul at
New York, He read the letter to me, and Will try
and give you its contents:
"'A party OF Esquilnaux were out among the
part OF June. Late in the afternoon they ap-
preached a piece of foe ice which had attracted
part of a tent, the upper part Of which had been
blown away by the storms OF three arctic winters;
also, cask, marked on It's head Jeannette,' and a
pair OF pantaloons bearing the name OF Louis
Noros, one Of the crew OF the tll-fated Jeanette
Further search revealed charter party scroll, or
check book on the Bank OF California bear
skin covered something lying on the foe, which re-
sembled the outlines OF human body. This the
Esquimaux would not touch, on account of their
superstitious horror OF corpse. On another piece
OF foe near by quite quantity OF sailors clothing
WAS WA found These @ relies the Esgumaux took to
started. taking one OF the Esqutmaux as a guide,
to find the foe and the body but after long search
he was compelled to return
81 have been on whaling ships in the arctic seas
for thirteen years or more" continued the captain
sand my theory OF these relics is this You may
0llect that in his report to the Secretary of the
Navy Lieutenant DanenhOwer stated that the
boats crews before separating divided their stores
l think this foe Is the one on which they camped
and made division OF what little they had left to
sustain life"
''But was not this spot where they parted north
OF the Siberian coast fully 5000 miles away?n asked
the reporter
''That does not matter; there is polar current
found as high as eighty degrees north, which runs
In southwest direction closely along the coast OF
Greenland, turns at Cape Farewell and flows north.
east up Ba1in's bay. The Jeanette dritted in the
ice from Herald island, latitude II degrees 30 min
uteS north, and longitude 125 degrees east i'm a
1881. latitude degrees, 20 minutes NORTH and lon
g1tude los degrees. From this point De Longs
course was southwest, to reach the Lena delta and
at some point on that voyage the division OF the
stores was made, and this foe, after three years.
mas MADE It's appearance on the coast OF Greenland.
CHIEF ENGINEER MELVILLE DON'T BELIEVE 1T.
The New York Sun Of to-day says: "Chief En-
gineer Melville, OF the steamship Thetis, In the
Brooklyn navy yard, said yesterday, when the dis
patch was shown to him: 1T can't be true. Ivfg-
tut Is on the ArSuk F1Ord, in the lower part OF
Greenland You know the Jeannette did not 20
near the spot In fact II you draw a straight line
from Ivigtut through the north pole the continue
tion OF the line would come near 1ntersecting the
path OF the Jeanette, on the other side OF the
world, as 1t were Besides, see evidence OF I'M
truthfulneSS In the narrative ITSELF For instance,
how did Capt Wilson know that the trOwSers be-
longed to Louis Noros7 II they were marked at
ALL which is highly improbable, because 1t is not
the custom to mark sailors clothing, it would be
With number, the number of the man. The sail
OrS 60 by number, not by name. But sailors
can't be driven to mark their clothing"