CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 71 



and exact date of their explorations are not known. The earliest record appeal's to be about 1614. 

 Wrangel among' others was sent in 1821 to ascertain the truth or falsity of this report. This he 

 failed to do, but favored the belief that the reports were false. The laud was first actually 

 discovered by Captaiu Kellett, in H. B. M. ship Herald, in 1849. The discovery of the fact that 

 it is an island of limited extent was first made by Commander De Long, U. S. ST., in his drift in the 

 Jeannette during the winter of 1879-'80, when he actually passed directly across the meridians 

 embraced within its extremes, in plain sight of the laud. Having shown that the report that 

 Andrejew had landed upon Wrangel Land and found it inhabited could not be true, not only 

 from its distance from the Bear Islands, 300 miles, which places it beyond the possible range of his 

 vision, but by the more recent discovery by the Corwin and the Rodgers that the land contained 

 no signs of human life, either past or present, we may, I believe, justly claim for ourselves the 

 credit of being the first to land upon its shores. A Captain Dallman claimed to have landed here 

 in I860, but as Captain Dallman, who was almost constantly in communication with scientific 

 men, and well knew the value of such an achievement, did not mention it until thirteen years 

 later, and as his account corresponds with charts known to be erroneous, and cannot by any 

 possibility be reconciled with the corrected charts now in use, and although these discrepancies 

 have been pointed out to Captain Dallman, he has failed to produce further proof in support of 

 his statement, it is not believed that his claim to priority can be established. Many traditions 

 of a large and inhabited land to the north have existed among the natives of the north coast of 

 Asia for centuries, and some of the early Russian explorers of the Polar Sea believed this land to 

 be a continuation of Nova Zembla and a part of the American continent. 



After reaching the lead through which we had entered the vessel was stopped, and the set of 

 the current taken and found to be north (true) about one knot and a half. I was anxious to remain 

 in the vicinity and watch every opportunity to approach and examine the shore, but as the fate of 

 the whaler Daniel Webster which had been seen to go in the direction of Point Barrow, and was 

 supposed to be in the pack, was still in doubt, 1 decided to go eastward with a view to learning 

 her fate, and render such assistance as might be needed, having no doubt that later in the season 

 we should be able to effect other landings and make a more thorough search for cairns, which, 

 however, we had but slight hope of finding. The entire absence of all traces of human life on the 

 eastern end of the land, where Captaiu De Long had directed any vessel to search that might be 

 sent to look for traces of him, showed pretty conclusively that the island had not been visited by 

 auy one from the Jeannette. After calling all hands to " splice the main brace," we shaped a 

 course tor the east shore and made sail. As we drew out clear of the ice, we found the wind blow- 

 ing fresh from southwest, and uncoupled propeller. To the south of Herald Island we found 

 more ice than when we landed there nearly two weeks before. Passing to the southward of the 

 island we made the best of our way to Cape Lisburne, of which we got a glimpse on the. afternoon 

 of the 14th, as the fog cleared away for a few minutes, bearing south about 20 miles. From Cape 

 Lisburne we shaped a course for the native settlement south of Icy Cape, where we hoped to learn 

 the fate of the Daniel Webster. On the following morning, however, before arriving at the Icy 

 Cape settlement, we saw two vessels ahead, which, on being overtaken, were found to be the John 

 Holland and the Rainbow. When first seen from the deck they were supposed to be about L2 

 miles distant, but in reality were over 30, such is the effect of refraction. From these vessels we 

 learned that the Webster had been crushed in the ice. A part of her crew had been picked up, 

 having followed the shore south from Point Barrow to Icy Cape and fallen in with some of the 

 whaling fleet. The rest were supposed to be still on the shore and in ueed of assistance. Having 

 found the journey aloug the shore too difficult, they had returned to the native settlements at Point 

 Harrow and Cape Smith, preferring to take their chances with the natives to wading through soft, 

 deep snow and fording rivers. From the account furnished by these men it appears that the 

 master of the Webster had had but little experience in the Arctic Ocean, having been there but 

 one season before. He saw two vessels enter a lead extending north between the pack and shore 

 ice, and supposed he was perfectly safe in following two experienced whalers. During the night, 

 however, the others became alarmed at finding the shore ice still unbroken, and, the lead becoming 

 narrow, turned back and beat out, escaping with difficulty. From some cause this action was not 



