CHAPTER XL 



LIEUTENANT D E LONG'S RECORDS. 



records written by Lieutenant DeLong, which Mr. 

 J- Melville secured during his November search, extend 

 over a period of twelve days, and the last one was written 

 eight days before Nindermaim and Noros were sent ahead for 

 assistance. The terrible story of hardships and privation 

 told by these records, the statements of Nindermaim and 

 Noros as to the condition of the party eight days after the 

 last record was written, and his own fearful experiences 

 while searching for his comrades, must have extinguished 

 in Melville's mind all hope that they would ever be rescued 

 alive unless they had found food and shelter in some native 



settlement. 



COPY OF RECORD NO. 1. 



[This record was found in the cache at the landing-place 

 of the first cutter, by Mr. Melville, on the 14th day of 

 November, 1881.] 



ARCTIC EXPLORING STEAMER JEANNETTE, ) 

 LENA DELTA, Monday, Sept. 19th, 1881. j 

 The following-named fourteen persons belonging to the 

 Jeannette, which was sunk by the ice on June 12th, 1881, in 

 latitude north 77 deg. 15 min., longitude 155 deg., landed 

 here on the evening of the 17th inst., and will proceed on 

 foot this afternoon to try to reach a settlement on the Lena 

 River. GEORGE W. DELONG, 



Lieutenant Commanding. 



1. Lieutenant DELONG. 6. AH SAM. 11. W. LEE. 



2. Surgeon AMBLER. 7. ALEXY. 12. N. IVERSON. 



3. Mr. COLLINS. 8. H. H. ERICKSON. 13. L. P. NOROS. 



4. W. F. C. NLNDERMANN. 9. H. H. KAACK. 14. A. DRESSLEB. 



5. A. GORTZ. 10. G. H. BOTD. 



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