562 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
land. ‘This was only five days subsequent to her arrival at Cape Leidze, from 
which point Capt. De Long wrote that he should attempt to reach Wrangel Land 
via Kollutchin Bay. ‘‘ This being the case,” says Capt. Hooper, ‘‘ he would not 
be likely to go in an entirely different direction, and put his ship into the pack as. 
early as Sept. 2. His most natural course would be to keep to the westward, 
and, taking advantage of every lead, work in and try to reach some point on the 
southern end of Wrangel Land, keeping his vessel out of the pack as long as pos- 
sible, in order to profit by a favorable break in the ice, and gain even a few miles 
in the direction in which he wished to go. Failing to get sufficiently near Wran- 
gel Land to find safe winter quarters, he might push on and endeavor to reach 
the New Siberian Islands, which, although some degrees further north, are often 
accessible, owing to more favorable location.”’ 
Capt. Hooper says that the Jeannette is a strong vessel, well fitted for en- 
countering ice, and her crew were thoroughly equipped for traveling over the ice, 
if necessary, and he believes that. even though the vessel should be embayed in 
the ice and her crew compelled to abandon her, there would be no difficulty in 
reaching the mainland; or, if in the vicinity of Wrangel Land, in crossing over 
the ice with boats and reaching the whaling fleet. This, however, Capt. Hooper 
thinks would not likely be done until the completion of explorations, which he is 
convinced will have to be made in dog sleds, judging from what he has seen of 
the wees) lle says: 
‘¢To attain a high latitude with a vessel in this part of the Arctic is impossi- 
ble. The whalers follow the ice pack very closely between Herald Island and 
Point Barrow, and never have been able to reach the 74th degree of latitude as 
yet, while only one or two claim to have been as far north as 73 degrees. In 
the Greenland seas, on the contrary, it is no uncommon thing for whalers to reach 
the 78th degree or even higher. I believe that nowhere else within the Arctic 
Circle does the ice remain permanently so far south as between Wrangel Land 
and Point Barrow. I have no fears for the safety of the officers and crew of the 
Jeannette. The fact that they have not been heard from seems to indicate that 
the vessel is safe and that they consider themselves able to remain another year 
at least. Should they be compelled to abandon the vessel and cross over to the 
mainland during the winter, they would find no difficulty in reaching Plover or 
St. Lawrence Bay, where they would be well cared for by the ‘chuktchis, as, in 
fact, would be the case at any place on the Asiatic or Alaskan coast.” 
