Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1882 — THE UNKNOWN WORLD. [ARTICLE]

THE UNKNOWN WORLD.

Record of the Observations of the Crew of the Jeannette—-Capt. De I.ong’s Party in a Narrow Wilderness Eighty Miles Long, Destitute of Habitations and (Same. Lieut Danenhower sends from Irkutsk, Siberia, the following interesting dispatch to the New York Herald: De Long’s party is between stations Bulcur (Bolinoi ?) and Sisterouck, in a narrow wilderness eighty miles ■ long, devoid of habitations and game. Jerome J. Collins volunteered to stand by a dying seaman, Hans Erickson, and let the other of De Long’s party push south. The new search builds huts and goes over every inch of a region which is plowed by heavy drift ice every spring. We visited Nordenskjold’s winter quarters, and found he was safe before we entered the ice near Herald island. The general health of the crew, during the twenty-one months’ drift, was excellent. No scurvy appeared. We used distilled water, and bear and seal meat twice a week. No rum was served out. Divine service was regularly held. We took plenty of exercise. Everybody hunted. Game was scarce. We got about thirty bears, 250 seals and six walrus. No fish or whales were seen. All possible observations were made during the drift, the result showing a northwestcourse. The ship was keeled over, and heavily pressed by ice most of the time. The mental strain was heavy on all the ship’s company. The result of the drift for the first five months was forty miles. There was a cycloidal movement of ice. The drift lasted six months, and was very rapid. , Soundings were pretty even. They were eighteen fathoms near Wrangell Land, which' was often visible seventy-five miles distant. The greatest depth found was eighty fathoms and the average thirty-five. Bottom, blue mud. Shrimps and plenty of algological specimens were brought up from the bottom. The surface water had a temperature of 20 degrees above zero. Extremes of temperature of .air were : Greatest cold, 58 below zero ; greatest heat, 44 above zero. The first winter mean temperature was 33 below zero ; second winter, 39 below zero. The first summer mean temperature was 40 degrees above zero. The heaviest gale showed a velocity of about fifty miles an hour. Such gales were not frequent The barometric and themometric fluctuations were not great There were disturbances of the needle coincident with the auroras. The winter’s growth of ice was eight feet The heaviest ice seen was twenty-three feet The engineer states that the heavy truss saved the ship Nov. 21 from being crushed. The telephone wires were broken by the movement of ice. The photographic collection was lost with the ship. Lieut Chipps* 2,000 auroral observations were also lost The naturalist’s notes were saved. Jeannette island was discovered May 16, in latitude 76 deg. 47 min. north, longitude 158 deg. 56 min. east It was small and rocky, and we did not visit it. Henrietta island was discovered and visited May 24, in latitude 77 deg. 8 min. north, longitude 157 deg. 32 min. east. It is an extensive island. Animals scarce, elimiera plenty. The Providence Press says there has been enough written about the American ship to sink that forgotten relic of bygone glorv if the unfortunate craft could be loaded with it.