WE BEGIN OUR SLEDGING 
111 
pedition to give them a good start. There was a 
strong east wind, with drifting snow, but the 
weather cleared later in the day and it grew calm 
in the evening. There was about four hours’ light 
a day now good for travelling. 
Beyond its representation on our charts, we 
knew little about Wrangell Island, the chief source 
of our information being a short section in the 
American “Coast Pilot,” which read as follows: 
“This island was first seen by the exploring party 
under the Russian Admiral Wrangell and named 
after the leader, though he himself doubted its ex¬ 
istence; its southwestern point lies due North 
(true) 109 miles from Cape North. It must have 
been known to the whalers, who, about the year 
1849, commenced to visit this sea, and did so for 
many years in great numbers. The Jeannette's 
people also saw it for many days in their memor¬ 
able drift northwestward; but the first person to 
land on it, of which we have any authentic informa¬ 
tion, was Lieut. Hooper of the U. S. S. Corwin in 
1881, and later in the same year it was explored 
by parties from the U. S. S. Rodgers , these two 
vessels having been sent to search for or obtain in¬ 
formation concerning the Jeannette , the remnant of 
whose crew were perishing in the delta of the Lena 
at the very time this island was being explored. 
“Wrangell Island is about 75 miles long E. N. 
