Lena Delta Jeannette Expedition

1 lena delta

1.1 storm , landfall
1.2 de long party
1.3 melville, nindemann, noros
1.4 searches

lena delta
storm , landfall





the lena delta

the entire crew of 33 still on semenovsky island. boats left island in morning of september 12, in fair weather. thirteen men de long in large cutter, chipp 7 others took smaller cutter, while melville , ten men sailed in whaleboat. danenhower, outranked melville, complained bitterly de long being placed under engineer s command, de long replied danenhower unfit duty, view confirmed ambler. de long instructed boats should each aim point indicated cape barkin on petermann map; if became separated, , landed in different areas, parties should rendezvous @ bulun, sizeable settlement 100 miles (160 km) coast.

the boats made progress through morning, , melville thought might strike land after single night @ sea. in afternoon weather worsened; boats separated , lost sight of each other. de long used sea anchor stabilize craft in ferocious seas, , despite having sail torn away wind, managed hold course west. storm had largely subsided morning of september 14, progress erratic in absence of sail, , 3 more days before cutter ran aground @ northerly limit of lena delta. de long , crew waded ashore, carrying provisions boat, , prepared long foot journey. based on map, nearest settlement appeared lie 95 miles (153 km) away. de long thought rations last three-and-a-half days.

in whaleboat, melville had, de long, ridden out storm means of sea anchor. boat s course far south of de long s; reached land @ 1 of main mouths of lena, , able navigate upriver. within few days encountered native fishing camp, , september 25 had reached settlement of arrhu. chipp s cutter never reached land; overwhelmed storm, presumably foundered, loss of 8 on board.

de long party

the de long party found no immediate sign @ landing-place of human habitation, , had sketchy idea of were—petermann s map provided few useful details. on september 19, having buried non-essential possessions in mound marked tent pole, set out in search of settlements. progress hampered poor physical condition of men, in particular eriksen, badly affected frostbite. on september 21 halted @ 2 empty huts, part of hunting camp, alexey raised spirits shooting deer replenish dwindling food stocks. de long allowed exhausted party several days rest before resuming march.

on september 28 party found large hut, signs of recent occupation–edible food in store, , moccasin tracks in snow. when searches in locality brought no sign of people, de long decided move on. october 4, eriksen not continue; party halted @ abandoned hut where, on october 6, eriksen died. on october 9, condition of several men worsening, de long decided send 2 of fittest in group, nindemann , noros, seek help. ambler offered opportunity go them, felt duty doctor required him stay main body.

for next week de long s party struggled on, making barely mile day. although jettisoned more of possessions on way, de long insisted on carrying maps , journals. entry october 10 recorded there nothing supper spoonful of glycerine . few days later alexey, group s principal hunter, shot ptarmigan provided soup. alexey weakening, , on october 17 died. on october 20, trapped weather , without supplies, party came final halt. throughout march de long had written journal each day, after october 20 entries became intermittent, largely limited terse statements of dying , dead. noted deaths of kaak , lee on october 21, iverson on 28th, dressler on 29th. last entry, dated october 30, records deaths of boyd , görtz , ends mr collins dying .

melville, nindemann, noros

nindemann , noros seeking beleaguered de long party

after resting @ arrhu, melville s group moved out, aiming agreed rendezvous @ bulun. on september 19 encountered native tungus huntsmen, led party first tiny settlement of little borkhia, , on larger village of zemovialach. here, locals advised them have wait river freeze before attempting reach bulun.

after several weeks, melville learned russian traveler 2 americans recuperating @ bulun. weather conditions suitable travel, melville hired pair of expert local dog drivers take him bulun. left danenhower in charge, instructions lead party bulun practicable, , there proceed best yakutsk, large city hundreds of miles south. melville arrived in bulun on november 3, found nindemann , noros, weak recovering. them, melville learned of de long s plight , urgent need rescue. pair had endured harrowing experience since leaving de long month previously. had struggled ten days, sleeping in improvised shelters , eating catch or shoot. in fashion reached small, abandoned camp later learned named bulcour. here, had been found nomadic band of yakut hunters, had taken them large camp @ kumakh-surt. great frustration unable make yakuts understand shipwrecked mariners comrades in dire straits. did manage convey desire reach bulun, , taken there sled, arriving on october 29 few days before melville joined them there.

searches

from bulun, melville sent messages washington , herald, advising them of jeannette s loss , listing survivors , missing parties. on november 5 set out 2 local guides, using rough maps supplied nindemann , noros, begin search de long. @ village of north bulun, natives brought him notes left de long s party in cairns. 1 note directed melville cache of logbooks , instruments de long had buried @ landing-place. although convinced de long , comrades must have died, melville continued search, encroaching arctic winter meant no more season. returned bulun @ end of november, , traveled on yakutsk reunited other jeannette survivors.

in january 1882, while of survivors began long journey home, melville, nindemann , james bartlett prepared head new search in delta when weather allowed. left yakutsk on january 16, , resumed search when thaw began in mid-march. beginning @ spot nindemann , noros had left de long previous october, melville began systematic examination of area. on march 23 found alexey s hunting rifle and, nearby, remains of camp. team found further artifacts, frozen human arm protruding snow, , de long s journal. learned story of party s final days.

soon, bodies except of alexey, never found, had been recovered. of last 3 die—de long, ambler , ah sam—were distance rest, had evidently attempted set final camp on higher ground. melville s party wrapped bodies in canvas, , carried them hill high enough safe seasonal flooding. there placed them in large coffin improvised driftwood, covered rocks surmounted large wooden cross, inscribed names of lost men. melville s group left site on april 7, 1882, spent further month in delta, searching without success signs of chipp , crew.

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