Evening star., 1896-02-21
HOAX THEORY REJECTED
Opinions of Naval Officers on the Jeanette
RELICS.
scont the Ideal. That They Were
Placed on ktar lee ar" a
rraetisas soke. .-.

O 'tS I've "
rr"s',s"s \ I '"1e. Ike
Evidence accumuiates discrediting the
story attributed tofDr Dali that the al
legged Jeanette relics were placed on an
ice foe off the Greenland coast by young
naval officers as a hoax. Passed Assistant
Engineer c. F. Nagle, retired. vino was at
tached to the Yantic on the Greedy search
expedition of 1888. said to New York
Herald reporter: ''It Is untrue. and 1t Is
grossly unjust to make such an assertion.
Indeed. would say that no officer in the
Eavy would do such thing II sailors
ever told such a story it was pure and
simple galley yarn, and 1t is, therefore,
not worthy Of discussion
Lieut.. Colwel1. who was attached to the
Yantic. as a lieutenant. said:
There cannot be the slightest ground for
making such a statement. 1t Is both Tn
just and ridiculous in the extreme. There
ere no officers on the Yantfc, am sure,
who would attempt to do such silly thing
under any circumstance Imaginable.
The relics" from the Jeanette found of
the Greenland coast included a pair OF oil
skin trousers, marked with. the name of
expedition. There has been considerable
dispute whether Noros left any such ar
ticles on the wreck In an interview at
Fall River Noros is quoted as saying:
'As to the authenticity of the relics which
have been found. / cannot say positively
that the oiskin trousers which were picked
up 10y the natives were mine. But / do
know that l left such pair, and that my
name on the band. When Chief En-
greer Melville says that am on record as
stating that l never owned pair of oilskin
trousers he is mistaken. l know that a re-
port to that effect was printed years ago,
tlllf mr., a n VI
authorized by me. Whether / left the
trousers when the vessel went down, or in
the Delta, ] cannot remember. We had fur
coats of all descriptions the Jeanette
and abandoned them from time to time.
1T seems as reasonable TO suppose that
the trousers and coats which have been
found were relics of the Jeanette Apedi-
ton it does to assume that the clothes
were thrown overheard by party of Uni
ted States officers who were skyiarking. 1t
is not much of a country up there for prac-
teal joking, and don't believe the officers
took the pains to mark my name on a pair
of Oiskin trousers and throw them over
board In order to fool somebody.
Bessels as an Authority.
Mr.. Henry w. Elliott of the Smithsonian
said today:
1.-The association of the late DR. Emil
Bessels with Mr.. Dali as an authority for
the statement that the Jeanette relics
of II practical joke. a fake pure and sim
pie, is regarded here as unfortunate for
Mr. Dali. In short. one of those who
knew Besses intimately declares that Bes-
sells has imposed upon Dali; that BesseIs.
although an exceedingly attractive and a
highly educated nan.''wa totally indiffer-
ent to the truth, and much given to the
habit of playing practical jokes. 1t Is
remembered in this connection that Bessels
once sravely imposed false musk OK
story upon the late Dr. Charles Rau Of
the Smit hsonian. WITCH caused that gen.
tlenan no end of annoyance and trouble.
and led to a scefhe .between them. And
now 1t Is also remembered that Bessels
told his associates i'll the Smithsonian,
anent this Dall-NanSen episode OF today,
that he ,Bessels| had been directly inform
Cd by Ninderman And Noros that they
knew all about this Jeanette find in
Greenland: that the relics We're placed on
the ice flow by the younger officers of the
Yantic &c.
LAS far as Besselsi goes as an authority
In this matter land he it is who placed Dali
IN the attitude he now StSndS) those who
knew him Well do not hesitate to say that
he imposed the whole story=upon Mr.. Dali.
and everybody else who believed MIN at
the time.
The finding in the waters of west Green
land of that Port Clarence throwing stick
SIX or eight years ago. and its thorough
Identification and acceptance since then as
a genuine drift from the straits of Bering
over to Greenland through the Arctic ocean
has made this story of the drifting of the
Jeanette relics not at all improbable; we
all know. and have known for years, that
Whalers affirm that arctic whales pass back
and forth between the two regions.
The Alleged Jennnette Relics Hoax.
| To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Permit me to point out that the state
ment that the hoax which I have described
! as resulting in the so-caled Jeanette rel
| les was not, as telegraphed to various
| papers, conneceed by me with the voyage
| Of the Yantic in 1883. This statement is
| due to some confusion in the mind of the
reporter between the two distinct Greely
relief expeditions of 1883 (Yantic) and
! 1854 Dear. Thetis and Alert. 1 did not
see the report until it was printed, and
| hence had no opportunity of correcting the
! mistake. l did not connect the trick with
! the officers Or men of any particular vessel
| and have never known definitely who was
! responsible for it. But that a foolish
! prank of some one. during the expedition
| of 1854, was responsible for the relics
| have 10 doubt whatever, from the inquiry
| conducted by DR.. Bessels. which l wit.
! messed, in part, in the winter of 1SS4-5, and
| 1 have at various times so informed per-
| sors Interested in arctic matters including
! friends of DR.. Nansen. WM. H. DALI