REAL RELICS.

Louis P. Noros of the Ill-Fated Jeannette

Throws Light On A Famous Dispute.

Trousers Found in the Arctic Regions

Belonged to the Fall River Survivor.

REPLY TODAY TO COMMODORE MELVILLE'S QUERY.

New England Sailor Wants His Trousers.

Gen. Greely Continues to Discredit the Relics' Authenticity.

Fall River, Mass. Feb. 18 -- In response to Com Melville's query, as to whether the oil skin trousers found in Greenland, in 1884, marked Louis P. Noros, were owned by him and so marked, Mr. Noros stated today that he believed the trousers were his.

He had a pair of oil skins which he marked "Louis P. Noros," on the side band; he is not sure whether he added his number or not. His crew number was 4. He discarded the trousers when the Jeannette was abandoned, in 1881, and says he would like to get possession of the oil skins.

Discredited Relics.

General Greely Says No Articles Could Have Survived From The Jeannette.

Washington, Feb 18 -- Gen Greely said, last night: "With regard to the finding of the so-called Jeannette relics, I can only say that it is my belief, as well as Melville's, that the articles found never belonged to the Jeannette party. Certain articles were certainly found, but a number of facts have subsequently been brought forth which clearly show that the articles found were either thrown out by officers of Danish or American vessels as a joke or that they were objects discarded by my own expedition.

"This latter supposition is natural, for the north and south drift in this part of the Arctic regions might have brought some of our material down Baffin's Bay the next year, when these articles were found. They wanted us to believe that articles which had drifted about on cakes of ice during a period of two years would remain on the surface of the ice. This, as every northern traveler knows, is on its face impossible, for the warmth of the sun's rays causes them to sink into the ice. This, combined with the rain and snow of two Arctic winters, would certainly have buried any relics of the ill-fated Jeannette many feet under the surface."

 

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Reproduced with permission: L.L. Dyche, Explorations (Newspaper Clippings Related to Polar Exploration), Vol. 1 & 2. University Archives, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries, Lawrence, KS.