The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-23
VICTIMS OF AN UNKNOWN NORTH
The Mystery of Sir John Franklin and
 the Jeanette

AAG nFSNNGHy VI oAE 0UAm EEM0RlhM WAu the Jeanette.
 Of explorers who have never return- ed from the frozen North since the day when, Sir John Franklin and over a hundred souls mysteriousiy vanished forever from sight of man. poor George De Long and his companions of the Arctic steamer Jeannette perhaps fur nish the .saddest example. My old friend, Commodore Melville, one. of the few survivors of the ill-fatsd expedi- 'tion, only lately gave me brief &C., count of a tragedy, the horrors of which have seldom been surpassed even in the dark annals of Polar en. terprise, writes Harry De Windt in The Scotsman.
 vicusly known as Sir Allen Young's Pandora, left San Francisco for Beh- ring. Straits in the summer of 1873. and entered the pack due north of the lat ter hoping to establish winter .duar- ters at WranRell Land. But the. ves- seI was soon firmly Jarnmed in the ice and swept away in a northwesteriy direction, far from the coveted goal. Witner crept on with it's furious gales once only saved by miracle from be- ing dashed to destruction by the foes. Anothe summer, another winter, and yet another summer found the ship heipfessly drifting at the mercy of the pack. Two years after leaving San Francisco Melville risked his life to hoist the American flag on a barren rock, now mapped as Jeanette Island. and a few days later a similar islet was discovered and named Henrietta. Some useful work had therefore been accomplished, which revived the hopes of De Long and his now despairing crew. There was even some attempt at jollification on board to celebrate these events. and no one anticipated the sudden and total loss ef the ship, which occurred. only week later. On the t2th of June. 1881. terrific hurricane arose and the Jeannette was literally smashed in two by the tre- mendous pressure. and went down bodi- ly, leaving her crew Sheiterless sev- eraI hundred miles from land. Let the reader picture the situation--the ieagnes of ice and storm swept sea which lay between this miserable hand fulsOfsmeu and the coast 3f Siberia Cite. self death.frap of cold and hungerl and let them then realise the dogged pluck of De Long. who could, under such ghastly conditions, cheerfuly enter in his journal: "Jeannette went; down at { a. m. Set up tents on the foe. Getting sleds and boats ready. Everybody bright and cheerful In the evening Lauterbach serenaded us with his harmonicai"
 The Jeannette, expedition now struck south for the New Siberian IsIanda, and during this harassing and perilo1s Journey Melville was the most ener- getic and resourceful member of the party, most of whom were doomed to destruction. Five boats and nine sledge8 carried sixty days provisions. which underfed and enfeebled men and dogs could scarcely drag ,at ja snaiPs pace. Bennett Island was eventually reached. after terrible herdahipa In twentyIthfee days, 7 and here they landed and obtained a supply of food by shooting the sea birds which swarm about that e-bound mass of granite.
 Leaving this on the 'Sth of August. the Idakov Islands were reached eleven days later. And from these to the Siberian coast extended open water lashed into fury by ceaseless gales. Many of the party were now sick ana footsore. all were exhausted by colo and hunger. but the indomitable Mel vile urged them on with the fact that every inactive hour must lessen Che chance of salvation. So they embark ed. one gray, tempestuous morning. on s mountainous sea, in three ships boats, one of which soon, foundered with all hands De Long and Melville. in charge of the others, were separatea bv the storm the former being carried westward on to the sandy shores or Lena Delta, to which he and his com panions had to wade waist oeep through miles of loose. floating ice.
 had been with dogs along tnet
 ha rutfhnFIt AHGtnK A living soul, an dean, therefore, iHi- anime the. feelings Of those poor east a ways on landing, almost at the end of th cir supplies. in that grim region bereft of human and animal ire. Mel vfIle. Nviths nire men, was more forum ate. for hS eventually reached a sioe- rian settlement on the Lena River, and how he travelled thence to the town of Verkoyansk, hundreds of miles in- lana and speedily returned with as- distance is now a matter of history. Ru4 he was too late. For when, the following spring, after most super human hardships and prtvations, he reach ed De Longs lasttcampaign place. it was only to find the stark and rroxen remains, half buried in the SOW, sof ms leader, the ships doctor ana eleven of the crew. De Longs Jour nal, found near him, shows how these ooor %ictfns must have suffered be- fore death brought them relief, pre- sumabIy six months before. Boyd and Goetts (seamen) died during the night. Mr. Collins (meteorologist) dying" is .hs last entry. But three weeks before this there Is mention of Last spoon 'ul of glycerine and hot water" and, Two days afterwards, 'Breakfst- Willow tea and two old bootsl" The logs had, of course, all been eaten ong before. It can safely be predicted hat the tortures of poor De Long and lie brave comrades will now never be snofn, but the fact can neves be ques- toned that they died like heioes.
 Other records which came to light ,how that throughout that ghastly nartyrdom of death ana hamilton, De ,ong maintained cheerful dSmeanor. md was alwys thinking of others. ,ever of himself Tennyscn's beut- ul epitaph on Franklin's tomb in Abbey might well appld 0 this intrepis but in-fated Ameri- an explorer:
 Not here; tho White North has thy
 bones: and thou.
 Heroic Sailor-soul,
 lrt passing In thine happier voyage
 now
 Toward no earthly Pole"
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