Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-16

| thought 1t probable that the explorer had re-
| turned after reaching the pole. He added
however, that he did not know exactly how
| DR.. Nansen would prove he had been there
except by his report and observations.
DIsCREDITED AT WASHINGTON
General Greedy and Lieutenant
| Scheutze Are Extremely Doubtful.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-The reported
confirmation from Archangel of the report of
the return of Nansen, the seeker after the
north pole, does not really amount to con-
| irmation in the opinion of General Greely
and of Lieutenant Scheutze. The latter is,
with the possible exception of Commodore
Melville, who is temporarily absent from
Washington, better posted than any other
| official in Washington upon the character
| istics of the north Siberian coast, which he
has visited on q governmental mission, being
| charged with the distribution of rewards
| to the natives who aided the survivors Of the
unfortunate Jeanette expedition. Said he:
| This confirmation from Archangel is as If
We had telegram from Portland, Me-, con-
| frming story of Sandy Hook"
General Greedy took a SIMILAR view, and
| held that 1t was incOnCeivable that the same
| story should emanate from two places SO re-
| mote from each other as Irkutsk and Arch
| angel. He knew of no way in which news
| of Nansens approach to the mouth of the
Lena delta should also reach Archangel
| With the aid Of chart General Greedy
| reicated the vast distance between Arch
angel and Irkutsk, the latter point being
| that where the first report of DR.. Nansen' s
return started. He showed that il it were
really true that news of DR.. Nasen's move
ments had reached the mouth of the Lena
| and had so worked up the river to Irkutsk.
then it was improbable that the same in
| formation could have reached Archangel.
| Then, too. there was the same lack of detail
| about this last report that had been noted
| in the first and this absence of even hint
| Of where NaEsen was, or how he was COM
municated with, casts suspicion on both
| reports. Archangel said General Greedy.
is large and important Russian town with
coed connections with the outer world, and
If such news had reached there, he saw no
| reason why full details were not obtainable
General Greedy called attention to another
point which was that IL Nansen has really
emerged from the polar regions anywhere off
the Siberian coast, then he has himself dis
which his expedition was embarked 1t would
show that instead of an existing current
across the pole there was a current that
swept him up from the nelghborhood of
Bennet island to the pole and then turned
back and returned him to his starting point
General Greely, not unnaturally, thought this
state of affairs was hardly possible. Ger
tainly, there was no scientific evidence of
the existence of such an obliglng current as
this. and therefore, notwithstanding the
Archangel story. General Greedy stood un-
shaken in his disbelief of the return of Nan
sen as described.
Lieutenant Scheutze made the point that has
apparently escaped observation, that II the
first story from Irkutsk was true. then Nan
sen was sighted or heard from off the Lena
river delta away back last summer. Lieu
tenant Scheutz is thoroughly familiar with
that country. From Irkutsk to Yakl tsk,
which is the most northerly Russian post Of
any Significance. Is a distance OF about 1000
miles, and communication is mad on'y by
seds or In summer by RATS down he river
Lena. From Yakutsk to Ust Yansk. at the
mouth OF the Lena, where the Russian trader
Is said to have been heard FROM Nansel is
distance of 1 500 miles through an unbroken
v:lderness, and the means Of commun'ca-
ticn are reindeer or dogs. The only travel
between Yakutsk and Ust Yansk is confned
IL few half-breed traders, who go up TO
the latter point early In the winter and stay
through until the next spring Many months
are required for the trip, and so snI news
coming from Ust Yansk of Nanssn would
be very old.
Reverting to the possibility of the same
news coming also from Archangel, Lieutenant
Scheutze said that 1t was extremely unlikely,
although 1t was not entirely impossible that
after having been sighted somewhere off the
Lena delta Nansen may have worked his
way westward clear to the neighborhood Of
Archangel. Lieutenant Scheutze explained the
difficulties that might be encountered In the
attempt to trace such rumor as that In
question. He said that the natives who
might have sighted an Arctic explorer could
not conceive the nature of his undertaking.
and owing to their dense ignorance 1t would
hardly be possible for them to transmit an
Ineligible account Of the event The natives
of the Siberian islands were stricken In ter
ror at the sight Of the steamer Velga, which
had a hunting party In that region. They
hid themselves in the ice for months after
ward until 1t was finally explained by half
breed, who had been fortunate enough to
have once seen steam vessel
NEW YORK, Feb. 15.-Judge Charles p
DAILY. president Of the American Geographical
society when shown the Associated press
dispatch from Lsndon today regarding DR..
Nansen's return from the north pole. said to
a Commercial Advertiser reporter: 'This is
rather better than the first account We had
1t Is a remarkable circumstance that the
news should come from these two points,
but coming from points so widely separated
as Irkutsk and Archangel. Is rather in favor
OF the news being true. but shall want some
further information yet before accepting the
report. l have always believed the pole
would be reached some day, and for Nansen
would say that his project presented every
thing that was likely TO succeed. But can