Huntsville gazette., 1884-03-01

A..-4
Investigation DEMANDED .r a ss.nt,,a,.
of One of the Victims
NS| YORK, Feb, 25.
Or. .otlnss Jrother Of Jerome q.
Cel,tifrrSs', WHO lost his life in the Inflated
! 'sgt3iainnette Arctic expedition, left
yesterday for Washit4stoh, where he in
tends to petitf-t Congress to order b
further eHd lndre thorough Investigation
cf tie circumstances attehdfT the loss
4 of the vessel and a. pct'1Tffesn of her crew.
| Sunday evelilrp Tie doctor was called
upon At tee residence of his brother, Mr.
! Bernard Collins, No. $50 Steuben street,
| Brooklyn. In the course of talk with
him some of the grounds upon which he
bases his petition were ascertained. He
referred briefly to the troubles on board
| the Jeannette up to the time she
was lost in the ice, and said that his
| brother had not received just treat
ment at the hands of Lieutenant-Com-
mander DeLong which he said he could
| prove by letters found on the body of
his brother. Although deprived of any
authority, DR.. Collins said his brother
| performed all the duties he was able
to while DeLong was asleep. just be-
| fore the boats separated Collins and
| Bartlett were hunting on the Semen
sofsN Islands, Before they returned
from their excursion jerome told Bart
| lett that he thought the expedition would
| turn out similar to that of Franklin, and
| insisted that if anything should happen
! to him that Bartlett would carry home
| his documents, giving a history of the
entire voyage and experience of the party.
| "When the boats separated" said the
| Doctor, "Melville at once struck for the
| Lena, and reached one of it's mouths after
a long and perilous journey. On Septem-
Der 26, 1881, he arrived at the village of
| Geoomvillocke in disabled condition,
and Danenhower took charge of the
party until he recovered a few days after.
On October 10, Russian, named Kus-
nah came to the village, and, saying that
he could furnish them with reindeer, tea,
| flour, bread and salt, which they needed,
| Danenhower accompanied him to his
| home a few miles distant and returned
with these articles. Fish and geese were
| plenty in Geoomvillocke, SO the state
ment that Melville's party was
SUFFERING FROM STARVATION
at this point and unable to move is false.
Melville then gaveKusmah the whale-boat
and 500 roubles to procure further sup
plies at Bulun, which he said he would do
in five days. Danenhower asked to accom-
pany him, hoping to fall in with some of
the DE Long party, but Melville refused
his consent. After Kusmah started, Dan
enhower reminded Melville that he had
given no directions to Kusmah to spread
thealoss II the DeLong party ssaong the
natives. Danenhower then, and not till
then, was allowed to 90 and warn the ma
tiveS along the route to Bulun to look out
for the lost navigator. This was the only
direction given by Melville looking to the
relief of De Long. Kusmah did not re-
turn until October 20, when he brought q
letter from Ninderman and Noros, whom
he had met at Seven Houses. The letter
said that the De Long party was starving
and needed help Immediately. The ex-
cuse was offered before the court of
inquiry at Washington that Melville would
not go to the relief Of DE Long because
he had no dogs or sledges, The survivors
told me that all of these equipments
could be obtained at the village. at
which they delayed so long, and ample
time, as the facts indicate, was given him
had he moved Immediately to rescue the
lost party, and Danenhower, in areported.
interview in Siberia, in answer to the
question il a man had gone to Bulun with
kuSmah would the rescue of De Long
have been the result, replied that it would.
Melville had orders to take his party to
place ofsafety where he could obtainfood.
Then he was to communicate with tile
Russian authorities. He knew the route
which De Long would take after reaching
Barken. He knew it was his intention to
go west to Sogasta and the Signal Tower. z !.
HAD SOME ONE GONE z; !
to Bulun with Kusmah and started an ex.
pedition north Immediately it would have
picked up Ninderman and Noros before
they reached Bulcour. When iHis under-
stood that the distance from this point to
where the bodies were found is only lis
miles, including all the windings of the
Lena, which Ninderman and Noros fol-
lowed, it will be seen that, had Melville
made a forward move instead of consult
ing his own comfort and that of his party,
regardless of the fate of his companions,
he would have reached De Long and his
party before any of them, with
the possible exception of Ericsson, had
died The weather was mild and no
great storms had set in, so there was no
possible excuse in these respects. Mel
vile remained thirty-three days in Geoom-
yillocke. Had he pushed on as he was
urged to do by Danenhower and many
others Of the party he could have reached
Belongs party in five days at the long
est. Supposing he found no traces of
the party, knowing the route down the
river Lena which the Captain would take,
lie would have started party northward
with the supplies, and Ninderman and
Noros would have been found before
reaching Bulcour. Having ascertained
from them the exact position and cendi-
ton of the Captains party, their rescue
was foregone conclusion.
] have a large mass of information
which has never reached the public, and
it will be so conclusive THAI if Congress $
grants another inquiry
WHICH Is NOT BIASED
by naval esprit du corps it can not fail to
substantiate the charges | make. There
are several survivors who, were they not
choked off, as they express itl and COM
PEELED to answer simply yes and no,
could have changed the entire complexion