The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-08
THE JEANETTE VICTIMS.
The Remains Shipped for Home-The Jour-
ney from the Lena Delta to Hamburg.


York. Their work of bringing the bodies from
the mouth of the Lena through northern Sibe-
ria, Russia, and Germany has been well done.
They started on their mission two years ago,
and have spent two summers and one whole
winter and the beginning of another at the
mouth of the Lena, carrying on as well the
search for Lieutenant Chip by water and by
land. Owing to the impOssibility of procuring
enough dogs and deer in the delta they were only
able to transport the bodies of Lieutenant De
Long DR.. Amber Mr.. Collins and two others
during the preceding winter as far as Yakutsk,
where they were temporarily buried till few
months ago The remainder of the bodies were
transported on the first SHOWS of last October
from Matvai to Yakutsk by the two officers with
extraordinary difficulty owing to the softness of
the snow, the bad roads, and the prevalence of
early winter storms. The officers left the great
cross erected by Melville standing, piling up the
stones that had covered the cairn around it to
keep it i'll position.
Arrived at Yakutsk the bodies were placed in
wooden collins lined with tin, ready for trans
portation. Nov. IS the roads being good for
shedding the journey homeward commenced.
All Yakutsk turned out to bid farewell to the
funeral cortege All the officials civil and mill
tary, headed by the aged and kindly Governor of
Yakutsk, General Tehermaieff, who has been
ufailing in his kindness and courtesy to all
Americans soiOumng in or passing through his
capital, accompanied the sleds to the city limits,
where three hundred soldiers, drawn up in line,
presented arms and fired three volleys as part
ing salute. Each sled contained two collins.
There were altogether seven seds and twenty
one horses required The roads along the Lena
to Ir1utsk were in very bad condition, yet the
journey of two thousand miles was accomplished
in the remarkably short space of nineteen days.
They arrived at lrkutsk Dec. Is. They were re
i e A,a ff,Y,ro
Gill; the president and members Of
the Geographical Society, the Governor gen
eral aides de camp, and prominent citizens,
who escorted the remains to a temporary cata-
falque the same that was used after the death
of the Gar erected in one of the public squares.
Beneath this the collins were placed, where they
remained during the stay Of the otiic5I2 m
Irkutsk. The collins were covered with beauti
full wreaths and flowers deposited by the Geo
graphical Society the mayor, the city authori-
ties the officers of the regiments, DOCTORS citi-
zens, and members of the press AT lrkutsk
lieutenant Harder presented, by orders from
Washington, 900 rubles to Count Ihlefeld. a
young Danish telegraph official, for his unweary-
ing services to the Jeanette parties.
The cortege left lrkutsk Dec. q, en- route for
Orenburg 1000 miles across the steppes, where
they arrived Jan. II, Leaving Irkutsk they were
escorted by the Governor and the mayor on foot,
by masses of the people, and 400 soldiers, band
playing a funeral march. Arriving on the banks
of tiae Angora the troops were drawn up i'll line
along the bank and fired three rounds as part
ing salute
Tomsk was reached on New Years day. The
city government gave the two officers dinner at
the club. The citizens filled the sleds with
wreaths and flowers The mayor and the city
government deposited a handsome metallic
wreath, and at the City Hall the mayor gave an
address on the history of the expedition. Leay-
ing Tomsk, the soldiers, drawn up outside the
city gave parting salute. Thence they went
to Omsk, at every village wreaths being depos-
tied in the seds. By the courtesy of Governor
Pedachenko, of Krasnoyarsk, the two officers
had received passes enabling them to take horses
even from the post and consequently they suf-
fered no delays At Omsk, where they arrived
the Russian Christmas day. the two officers were
received by the Governor general and the Geo
graphical Society presented an address. They
left Omsk on Jan. 7, escorted out of town by
fifty Cossacks and three hundred infantry.
10 Orenburg at nearly every village the cor
tege was received at the entrance by Cossacks
numbering from three to a dozen, who escorted
it through the village. AT Orenburg the bodies
were transferred to the clsketssent from America,
the task occupying seven days. room was
held apart in the hospital for that purpose.
great number of wreaths and flowers were de-
posted in the collins by -governorgeneral,
members of the Geographical Society, and the
citizens. A beautiful cross and gold wreath
were presented by the editor of the Orenburg
ListOk AT Orenburg the sled journey ended.
Thence the route was per railroad to Moscow
At every station wreaths deposited. At
one station little boy brought a handsome
wreath in the name of the children of the town.
In Moscow wreaths We're presented by the So
ciety of AnthrOpOlOgy, by the English colony
the French colony, the American colony and
the students of the university. A silver wreath
presented by the French colony is especially
beautiful
Thence they proceeded to Eydtkuhn, at every
station fresh wreaths being deposited On Sat
urday last the two officers arrived in Berlin
where, as already telegraphed you, they were
received by Minister Sargent, and wreaths were
placed on the collins by the Berlin Geographical
Society, and by Prof. Neumayer. of Hamburg
and Herr Sternwarte, on the part of the Ham
burg Geographical Society and the Hamburg
North Polar Commission DR.. Gussfeldt
brought from the president of the geographical
Society, Contre Admiral Baron Won Schleinitz
who presided over the meeting of the society
that evening, greetings to the two officers wish
ing them safe journey over the Atlantic From
Berlin to Hamburg the railroad authorities
cautiously placed a special car at the DISPOSE
ton of the two officers. The collins. placed in
the special car. We're completely hidden from
view by the masses of wreaths and flowers pre-
scented during the long journey.
Lieutenant HARDER speaks in terms of the
warmest praise of the assistance rendered by the
Russian authorities, and the courteses extended
to them everywhere en- route. The greatest
praise is due to Lieuts Harbor and Schuetze,
for the manner in ,iich they have accomplished
their s0rrOwful mission During their long
journey from the Lena delta to Orenburg they
had only each Cossack assistant, the sailors
having been sent home last summer At Oren-
burg they themselves transferred the dead from
the wooden collins to the caskets from the United
States there waiting them or their labors in
the delta during the summer and winter in
search for Lietenant Chip they will present an
interesting report on their return to Washington.
Lieutenant Schuetze has prepared an accurate
and valuable chart of the Lena delta. showing
every outlet of the Lena river and every land
mark in the delta including even Sagastly the
place which De Long believed to be a myth
American Agricultural Association.
New YORK, Feb before tho convention of
the American Agricultural Association, Hon. l..