346 MELVILLE FINDS REMAINS OF DELONG PARTY 



"In memory of twelve of the officers and men of the Arctic 

 steamer "Jeannette," who died of starvation in the Lena Delta, Oc- 

 tober, 1 88 1 Lieutenant G. W. DeLong, Dr. J. M. Ambler, J. J. 

 Collins, W. Lee, A. Gortz, A. Dressier, H. H. Erickson. G. W. 

 Boyd, N. Iverson, H. H. Kaack, Alexai, Ah Sam." 



Melville made a subsequent search for the party of the second 

 cutter, commanded by Lieutenant Chipp, but not a trace of them 

 could be discovered, though the search was very thorough. And 

 though the first cutter was found, frozen in the ice and badly stove, 

 there was no trace of Chipp's boat. At a later date other searching 

 parties were sent out, but with like negative result, and it became 

 evident that the second cutter had gone down in the gale, with all 

 on board. It may further be stated that the bodies of DeLong and 

 his men were subsequently taken from their lonely tomb in the 

 Siberian wilds and brought to the United States, where they were 

 reinterred with reverent and appropriate ceremonies. 



This story of the fate of the "Jeannette" and of Captain DeLong 

 and most of his officers and crew can justly be completed only by 

 suitable extracts from the captain's journal, in which the details of 

 their sufferings and wanderings are given. Our extracts begin 

 with their losing sight of the whale-boat, as follows : 



"At 9 P. M. September I2th, lost sight of whale-boat ahead; at 

 10 P.M. lost sight of second cutter astern ; wind freshening to a gale. 

 Step of mast carried away; lowered sail and rode to sea anchor; 

 very heavy sea, and hard squalls. Barometer falling rapidly. 



"i3th, very heavy northeast gale . . . At 8 p. M. set a 

 jury sail made of a sled cover, and kept the boat away to the west- 

 ward before the sea; I7th, grounded at a few hundred yards, 

 landed at 8 p. M. ; dark and snow storm, but Collins had a good fire 

 going; at 10.20 had landed everything, except boat oars, mast, sled, 

 and alcohol breakers; i8th, had fires going all the time to dry our 

 clothes, we must look our situation in the face, and prepare to walk 

 to a settlement. 



