JEANNETTE INQUIRY.	775

captain would often express his surprise that no search parties were sent out to look for him. I cannot understand," he would say, "how it is if the others are safe they do not come to look for us." This surprise he very frequently expressed, and with this hope that had flickered with every signal-fire he doubtless died. A few days after the departure of Nindemann and Noros he writes, wondering why they have not returned, but he only mentions their absence once, for he undoubtedly saw, when he came to the bluff how greatly he had erred in estimating his distances; but his many signal-fires, and especially his last one, built on a point of land to the eastward of where he perished, prove more clearly how tenaciously he clung to the hope that assistance would come from his own people.
The distance across from where he died to the mouth of the Lena River was 17 miles, and he was constantly looking for them to come down, and I have no doubt that if a thorough attempt had been made to rescue De Long by Melville that only one or two deaths would have to be recorded, instead of a dozen.
By Mr. McADOO :
Q. What do you mean by the qualifying phrase, a " thorough search "1—A. There was no search made in time. When Melville received the news in Geeomovialocke, on the 30th of October, that Noros and Nindemann were alive, he started off and met the two men in Bulun. They were then too sick to be moved, I believe, and only proposed that he should wait a couple of days until they were able to accompany him. Melville then started out on his own hook and made a five weeks' search, and displayed great energy in that search, but it was a blind energy. He took down the information Nindemann gave him as to where he last left the party, and then tried to find it himself, but swung off the track and got to a place called Cass Carta, from whence he sent a telegram about De Long and his party having wandered up into a wilderness, which was all in Mr. Melville's imagination. If he had just waited two days and taken Nindemann with him, he would no doubt have found their bodies in four days, instead of letting them re-main there five months. There is no reason in the world why the search should have taken so long; and he at last had to take Nindemann's advice and follow Nindemann's lead, and they found him the very first day they went on the Lena River proper. I think the entire search by Mr. Melville was badly conducted. I think that is the end of that story.
By Mr. CURTIS :
Q. Did you write, or cause to be published, any matter given to you by Mr. Danenhower against his request?—A. Not anything at all. There was nothing published against his request.
Q. Or in point of fact was there anything published without his knowledge 1—A. Nothing at all, except in the shape of an interview by him.
Q. Do you know anything about the circumstances of the burial of Collins?—A. Nothing except what I heard from Bartlett and Nindemann afterwards.
Q. What did you hear about thati—A. I had a description of how the burial was conducted and how the tomb was erected. From what I learned I did not think they were buried with any degree of reverence or with the reverence that was due them by Melville.
Q. Under what circumstances were they buried,—A. They were laid