134 CRUISE OF STEAMER CORWIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 



heavy sea, the bowsprit and jib-boom were carried away, beiug the second jib-boom lost during the 

 season. A very good substitute was fitted from the lower yard picked up in the Arctic Ocean, so 

 that the head sails could be used. During the first ten days of tbe passage we bad strong easterly 

 gales with a heavy hard sea; after that light variable winds with thick weather, until we reached 

 San Praucisco on the 20th of October. 



In closing my report of the cruise of the Corwin, 1 cannot refrain from making a brief refer- 

 ence to the fate of one of the objects of our search — the Jeannette and her officers and crew. The 

 details of that sad affair are too fresh in the minds of all to require repetition here, but I desire to 

 express my profound sorrow for their misfortunes, over which all the civilized world grieves, and 

 my unbounded admiration for their fortitude and their heroic exertions in making the most 

 remarkable retreat over the ice ever- made by man, from the place where the vessel sank to the 

 Lena Delta, for their brave struggle tor existence after reaching the land, and their cheerful resig- 

 nation to fate when death in its most awful form stared them in the face and claimed them one 

 by one. 



The diary of Captain De Long, written almost as he drew his last breath, relates acts of heroism 

 and self-sacrifice which are not excelled in the annals of history. Not the least of them was the 

 devotion of the faithful Alexai, an Innuit from Saint Michael's, going out almost daily in search of 

 game, and, freezing and starving as he was, bringing the small amount secured to the commanding 

 officer to be distributed' fairly to every one of the party, and at night, with the temperature at 

 zero, or perhaps lower, taking off his seal skin robe to cover his beloved captain. Surely when 

 the final summing up shall be made in the list of heroes who have laid down their lives for the 

 benefit of their fellow-men, the name of Alexai will not be absent. 



The loss of Master Putnam, of the relief steamer Rodgers, adds another chapter to the already 

 tragic history of the exploring expeditions north of Bering Strait. This brave young officer per- 

 ished in his efforts to assist his shipmates. After the burning of the Rodgers, he started with dog 

 teams to carry provisions from the depot at Cape Serdze to Saint Lawrence Bay for their use, and 

 having completed successfully the object of his undertaking, he started on his return, but a great 

 storm came on and he was seen to drift helplessly out to sea on an ice-floe, and disappear in the 

 distance, notwithstanding all the efforts which were made to save him. 



