LEAVING THE SHIP BEHIND. 589 



U. S. Cutter J,eannette. 



On theIce,Lat, N. 77° 18', Long. E. 153° 25'. . 

 llth June, 1881. 



We break camp and start to the southward over the ice 

 to morrow evening, Saturday, June 18th, hoping with God's 

 blessing to reach the New Siberian Islands, and from there 

 make our way by boats to the coast of Siberia. The Jean- 

 nette was beset in the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean on the 

 5th day of September, 1879, about twenty-five miles east of 

 Herald Island, and between that date and the 12th day of 

 June, 1881, was drifted to the northwest, reaching, finally, lati- 

 tude N. 77° 15' and longitude E. 155° 0'. On the last named 

 date she was crushed by a coming together of heavy floes after 

 a slight opening in the ice, and sunk at four A. M., June 13th. 

 We had abandoned her and camped on the ice at eight P. M., 

 June 12th, having saved about eighty days' provisions, five 

 boats, all tents, and other traveling gear, and more than 

 enough clothing, arms, and ammunition. Our party consists 

 of the following named persons, no death having occurred 

 since our leaving the United States [here comes a list of all 

 hands], and are all in fairly good health, no scurvy having 

 made its appearance in our midst. I say fairly good health, 

 because there are two officers (Lieutenant Chipp and Mas- 

 ter Danenhower) and three men (Alexey, Tong Sing, and 

 Kuehne) under the surgeon's charge for various debilitating 

 causes. We have discovered and named two islands, land- 

 ing upon the second one a party in charge of Mr. Melville ; 

 May 21, 1881, Jeannette Island, in latitude N. 76° 47', and 

 longitude E. 158° 56' ; and May 25, 1881, Henrietta Island, in 

 latitude N. 77° 8', longitude E. 157° 45'. Excepting these 

 islands we have seen nothing but ice since losing sight of 

 Herald Island in March, 1880. The ice in this ocean is of the 

 same character as that encountered north of Smith's Sound by 

 Captain Nares, and as the prevailing winds are from the south- 

 east this ancient ice moves slowly along to the northwest. 

 There are no currents which are not caused by the wind pre- 

 vailing at the time. Our lowest temperature in winter of 

 1879-80 was minus 56° Fahr., and in winter of 1880-81 mi- 



