River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-04-02
THE JEANNETTR DISASTER


narrative of the Search for Lieuten-
ant Commander De Long and his com
panions. BY George W. Melville,
Chief Engineer, q. S. n. is the title
of book just published Although
the principal incidents of the loss OF
the Jeanette, the rescue of the survivors
and the finding of the bodies of De-
Long and his boats crew, have been
repeatedly told, Mr.. Melville gives the
painful topic fresh interest. Passing
over the ice-iourney and the strange
Siberian adventures, to which Mr.. Mel
! vile gives an unexpectedly fresh inter
est, we copy an extract from one of the
pleasant final chapters, describing the
reception of Mr.. Melville by the Gar OF
| Russia.
During the day we had been waited
upon by an aid, colonel of engineers,
who delivered invitations to myself and
two seameu of the Jeanette and Lieut..
Berry, of the Rodgers, to be presented
to their majesties, the czar and czarine
! at Peterhof, an imperial summer palace
about sixteen miles out of the city. An
usher in civilian clothes next made his
| appearance, and directed us how to pro-
ceed Our dress, if not uniform, should
be full evening dress, with white ties,
the carriages at st. Petersburg were to
| be of our own providing; but a specIal
car on the train leaving at Ii a. M,
would be placed at our disposal, and the
royal carriages would await us at Peter.
hof.
Promptly at the appointed time we
were at the depot, where our usher mel
and conducted us to the proper railway
coach. Minister Hunt was to be pre-.
scented at court the same day. but he
was under different escort. We were
soon whirled to Peterhof, and alighte6
| from the train in company with 6
numerous party of officers, diplomats
and court officials, all under separate
and appropriate guards. Here we were
shown into an open barouche bearing
| the imperial arms, and attended by
coachmen in gold-laced iveries, with
cooked hats, cutaway coats and buff
| waistcoats, and were driven to the rOya
| gardens and dormitories, where there
was a series of withdrawing rooms with
| small breakfast rooms attached. We
! were first seated in one of these, an6
| presently an officer IN uniform followed
| bv an amanuensis entered, and politely
saluting us in English opened a run
ming conversation. which continued tol
a few minutes, while the amanuensii
wrote upon large and separate sheet
of paper the name, rank and nativity
each of our party. Both then with
| drew.
The next formality was decidedly les'
irksome. We were conducted into tn,
| breakfast room and re called with a ligh
repast, which included tea, coffee, and
wine; cognac, pousse- cafe, and liqueurs
| cigarettes and cigars. In little while
| another officer, in uniform and under
arms greeted us and requested that We
follow him. Entering a carriage we
were driven to the audience chamber
and ushered into large anteroon
| hung with portraits of the royal fam
| ilv, battle scenes, etc. Here there was
brilliant gathering of officers an6
! functiOnaries of high rank, generals
I admirals, ministers and diplomats al
/ in gorgeous uniform and glittering with
stars and decorations, humbly awaiting
their turn for a brief chance at the I'm.
perial ear. Our conductor proclaimed
to the assemblage who we were, and 70.
a moment every eye was riveted on US
and some of the Russian officials came
forward and spoke to us. At the same
time our names were announced to tht
Gar. Mini ster Hunt had preceded us
and our attendant now said that VIZ
would be received by the Gar in th
reception room, after which we would
be presented to the Czarina in en- ante
room.
AS soon, then, as Minister Hunt had
departed we were conducted to a dool
opening into a passegeway which lee
directly to the audience chamber. Thu
door was thrown open by an usher, wh'
called out our names and vanished. W.
advanced few PAGES two abreast, ant
as we did so Gar Alexander Ill, En-.
peror of all the Russias, crossed the room
with outstretched hands and greeted us
saying in English
"Good morning, gentlemen. Thes,
are Messrs. Melville and Berry; which
is Mr. Melviile?"
l set him right by introducing the
others, and Lieutenant Berry perform
ed the same service for me.
"Preferez vous parler en- Francois OF
en- Anglais, MONSIEUR" the Gar in
CURED.
assured him that English being my
native tongue / preferred to speak it.
At this juncture the Czarina approach
ed and graciously greeted us, appearing
quite solicitous about our health, and
asking many questions in regard to our
sufferinCs. She carefully and with
kindly show of interest examined my
hands and fingers, which still lore the
marks of their old sores.
We then began a cross-fre of CONVEX
sation, each of the royal pair conversing
at times with one or another of our par
ty. Finally the car expressed his regret
that anv of as should have come to grief
on his territory, however remote; and
Il trust" said he. "that it was the rig
or of our climate alone, and not the
GOODNESS of heart of any of my people,
which caused the death of your COM
rades."
The czarine commeded our fortitude
and courage, which, she said were pc
culiarities of the American character.
"But hope. she remarked, that you
will not again attempt fortune in the
frozen north"
Speaking of our own land, she OBJ
served, with a gentle sorrow in her
tone, II had hoped in my youth to WIS.,
it America, but now,- fear, it can new
er be-"
There coming a lull at length in our
talk, we shook hands a second time,
and with mutual farewells and my hon
est wish that the imperial couple might
be blessed with future peace and happi-
ness, our audience was ended. 1t had
lasted twenty minutes.
. We passed out without the usher's
aid into the anteroom, where the
crowd of visitors was fast swelling.
Our official conductor escorted MS in a
carriage back to the breakfast room,
where he delivered us over to the ten
der mercies ofthe civilian usher; tender,
since there was here spread out for our
edifcation a delicious breakfast, whose
tempting viands we had not the least
inclination to slight We we're then
driven for several hours through the
grand gardens full of lakes and artlticla.
cascades pouring, one over silver AID
another over a gold plated wall of rock,
and called the Silver Falls, an5
Golden Falls" There were founta as
casting spray in every part Of the
grounds; cunously and beautifully
trained plants; fish in pounds, which
came at the sound Of bell to be fed;
r III