St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-05-09
THE JEAN NETTE INQUIRY.
Additional Evidence of QuarreIing,
Tyranny and Mismanagement.

WASHINGTON, May S.-Seaman Ninderman, re-
sumed his testimony before the Jeanette inves-
tigation committee this morning. While at Bu-
lun, Melville said to witness he did not care
dam for Captain DeLong. but was sorry for
those whom the captain dragged with him to
death. When Collins body was found, his face
had a hard expression, and his fists were
clenched.
In answer to Judge Curtis, witness said in his
opinion Collins was resisting something at the
time Of his death, but who he struck was out of
the question to answer.
John P. jackson, of Paris correspondent of the
New York Herald, testified that he met Lieut.
Danenhower at Irkutsk, and had conversed with
him there about the expedition. Lieut.. Danen-
hover, there, had said to him, it seemed that if
the course of the whale boat had been pursued
day longer Bulun would have been reached
month sooner, Noros and Ninderman would have
met, and DeLong and his party would have been
saved. There could be no doubt, witness said.
of this. He had written it in long hand at
Danenhower's dictation. He had been told by
Newcomb and Bartlett that Collins had papers
on his person during the retreat which were not
found on his body. Various members of the ex-
pedition had commented unfavorably to him on
the delays during the retreat, and had said, they
spoken of the bad treatment of Collins, and
said, Melville caused it. Witness letters to the
Herald were written chiefly from Danenhower's
dictation. Witness thought the delay at Geeo-
moVialocve was decidedly too long, and quite
unnecessary. and that if Melville left Geeomo-
vialocve when he first had an opportunity, De-
Long party would have been saved. His opin-
ion was gathered from conversation with the
natives, and from observations. The party at
any rate should have gone in sleds earlier than
they did Melville had said there were no dogs
This was SO, witness said, but it was
because Melville, by his bad treatment of the
natives, had frightened them and cansed them
to send the dogs away. Jealousies between the
different members of the Melville party, witness
contlnued,Was doubtless the reason nobody was
sent with Verome to Bulun after ALL He had
been Informed that Bartlett offered to walk there
and had been told to shut his Cd id mouth
kesmas delay in returning from Bulun was be-
cause his companions met with some friends and
got drunk. When he did return with the news
of NinderTnann and Noros, Melville. aroused to
activity, but, alas, it was too late Delong's
party hid kept signal fires burning, which could
have been seen twenty five thirty miles, and
witness said he had heard DeLong had contnu-
ally expressed surprise at not being rescued The
chief cause of the loss of belongs party was
doubtless his devotion to his men
ana ms refusal TO leave the rest of them
behind. This caused slow progress Mrs. Ku-
soma had told witness the natives had come upon
broken Winchester rifle, left by the captains
party in hut, and had found footsteps there
not over two days old, that the natives followed
the footsteps a short distance and abandoned the
search. This was kept quiet by the natives to
conceal their negligence. Both Nindermann and
Noros had told witness that Deong frequently
expressed surprise that the search party had not
found them. Witness had no doubt if thor
ough attempt at rescue had been made all but
one or two of belongs party would have been
saved. The search was not commenced in time
The entire search was badly conducted by Mel
vile, he thought. Melville was very nngentle-
manly and retarded witness in his search after
the facts connected with the expedition.