The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-10-30
LOST IN THE ARCTIC
A Clever lrishman Who Perished in
the Jeanette Expedition.


the Jeanette Expedition.
The dispute between Cook and
Peary over the discovery of the North
Pole has called forth many remia-'
iscences of former Arctic expeditions,
in which many Irishmen figured. One
of the saddest of these was the Jean-
nette expedition, in which Jerome
Collins lost his life He was on the
staff of the New York Herald, ana
julius Chambers, who was at that
time also on the Herald staff, writes
as follows of him in his walks and
Talks" in the Brooklyn Eagle:
Let me tell what know about So
called naval discipline.
Among my most intimate friends,
during months stay aboard an old
corvette was a delightful lieutenant
commander named W. He was MS
gentle as girl, and he endeared him
self to me every hour until the: Granl
Duke Alexis arrived in the Svetlana,
admiral's frigate. Yet W, on a for
eign station, not long after our separa-
ton, ordered an insubordinate sailor
tied up, or "bucked," and deck swab
thrust into his mouth to stop his cries.
The seaman died of the treatment, AMI
although l met many United States
o6R ,n$s kl,o rs,,R,,
isode and in the Mediterranean there
after their verdict was that the only
mistake W made was to use the
swab himself. IF he had let a deck
hand do it. there would not have been
any complaint" said an officer to me-,
at Nice, who Is today a rear admiral.
And W was one of the most low
able men I ever met. He was equally
so when I saw him at Annapolis in
1908 during the stay of Admiral Ger
vera. He merely did his duty" as
the code sees it.
Again, an intimate. beloved friend
volunteered to go to the Arctic regions
with the Jeanette expedition. His
name was Jerome Collins. He left be-
hind dear old mother-a woman Of
rare courage, as could prove, were
I to tell an episode regarding the
search Of her humble home in Ireland
when she saved a neighbours boy from
sheriff's posse bent upon connect
ing the lad with the Clerkenwell epis-
ode. Collins sacrificed all immediate
prospects in life to hope that he
might learn new facts about the Arc
tic currents.
Alleged scientists Of today do not re-
member that Jerome Collins invented
the weather service as we know 1t.
He was the first man to weather chart
the middle of North America. AT thA
expense of his generous employee,
Collins established stations throughout
the United States, and from reports
that reached him before midnight he
formulated a weather map such as we
see in many offices Of this time. He
was devoted to his employer, James
Gordon Bennett and when the latter
gave the splendid steamer Jeanette
to the cause of Polar search, Collins
was among the earliest to offer his
services-going as yeoman, or some-
thing equally humble. for the sake of
science and the master he wished to
serve.
That ship was under the command
Of a naval officer Of high repute. After
the first day out Of San Francisco
harbor, Jerome Collins. civil engin-
eer Of International reputation. was
practically reduced to the position of
en- oiler. I do not mean chat he had
to perform the offices Of an oiler. That
would have been something definite.
Here was man who had been. Lead
ing engineer in the great work Of re-
claiming the Newark meadows for s..
n. Pil1c-fathcr Of Larry" Pike of the