THE 
National Geographic Magazine 
VoL. VII MARCH, 1896 No. 3 
THE SO-CALLED “JEANNETTE RELICS” 
By Profe.ssor William H. Dall 
Aluch interest lias been excited by the recent rumor that news 
had Ijeen received from Nansen, via Siberia. In discussing the 
rumor I mentioned that the supposed relics of the Jeannette found 
off Julianehaab, in Greenland, were in all probability in no way 
connected with the Jeannette expedition, but were due to a boy- 
ish prank of some of the members of the Greely relief expedition 
of 1884. In attempting to formulate his impressions of an inter- 
view with me during which the subject was discussed, and wbicli 
were not revised li}'’ me, the reporter unfortunately fell into some 
inaccuracies, not unnatural inajierson unfamiliar with the tech- 
nicalities of arctic exploration, but for which the telegrams to 
the press made me responsible. It seems desirable, therefore, 
to lay before tbose interested in such matters a statement of the 
facts bearing on the two questions involved, namely. Were the 
relics really derived from the Jeannette expedition? and, if not, 
were they the result ofa mystification, as above suggested ? 'fhe 
first is of course the only one of importance to geographers, for 
if the relics were spurious it matters but little whence tbey were 
derived, 'fhe facts are now in order. 
1. The Jeannette Hnwk .lune 11, 1881, in the .Arctic sea, about 
180 miles northwest from the New Siberian islands. 
2. 'fhe Greely relief exi)edition of 1881 reached the coast of 
Greenland in May; the Hear met the pack ice near Godliavn 
about .May 13; the Thetis i\\n\ Loch (iarri/, May 22; the . l/c?'G)n 
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