1897.] MELVILLE — REMARKS ON" POLAR EXPEDITION. 457 



of 1 88 1, or the fall of the same year. As seamen, loyal to our ship 

 and duty, we decided to remain by the ship as long as possible, 

 though sober judgment taught us that the proper time to abandon 

 the ship was in the spring, which' would give us mild weather and 

 summer game to assist us on our retreat. At that time, we were 

 nearly due north of the New Siberian Islands, which seemed like 

 stepping stones toward the Lena river and the coast of Siberia. 



The problem was solved for us by the breaking up of the floe, 

 which, in time, crushed our ship ; and, amidst the crashing and 

 grinding of the poor old ribs of our good ship, we were cast out, 

 Caesar-like, from the bowels of our good mother Jeannette, who had 

 sheltered us and kept us warm all these months. 



At this very time we were making our most rapid drift to the 

 northward and westward, and it was impressed upon us in a most 

 startling and disheartening way. The Jeannette was crushed and 

 sank in latitude 77° 15' N., longitude 155° E.; after marching 

 southward twenty-one days, we found ourselves in latitude 77° 36' 

 N., longitude 153° E., or actually twenty-eight miles 7iorthwest of 

 where we had started and at the most northerly point of our voy- 

 age. This rapid drift is the key to the situation pointed out to our 

 good friend. Dr. Nansen, who had the sagacity to seize the idea 

 and to originate the theory that has led to his great success. 



As I have said, our retreat lay directly south, about five hundred 

 miles in a straight line. At the start we had sixty days' provisions, 

 allowing one and a half pounds per man per day. Most of our 

 dogs had died during the first winter, and of the remainder we shot 

 all but eleven good ones, which, however, rendered very little ser- 

 vice, eating nearly as much as a man and doing about one-tenth as 

 much work, so that we finally shot them also. 



.Thus we journeyed, dragging our boats and provisions on sledges 

 over the broken floe, and finally taking to the boats to cross the 

 open sea to the Siberian coast. It was the stormy fall season of 

 gales, ice and snow. Our small open boats were often in danger of 

 foundering, and in the fiercest of the gales Lieut. Chipp's boat was 

 swamped, drowning him and his seven men. 



The other two boats, those of Captain De Long and myself, suc- 

 ceeded in reaching land, although one hundred and fifty miles apart, 

 thus ending our long retreat of one hundred and ten days. De Long 

 and all but two of his men perished of cold and starvation. My 

 •crew of eleven all told were more fortunate, all being saved, 



