De Long, George Washington

George Washington (1844-1881), an American explorer. He was born at New York, August 22, 1844, and died in Siberia, October 30, 1881. He was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and had experience in Arctic navigation. In 1879 James Gordon Bennett, Jr., proprietor of the New York Herald, fitted out the Jeanette for a three years' voyage of Arctic exploration. By permission of the government, De Long took command. He sailed from San Francisco, passed through Bering Strait, and cruised along the north coast of Asia. The vessel was caught in an ice pack and crushed June 13, 1881. With fourteen companions De Long reached the delta of the Lena in Siberia. Two men were sent forward to obtain relief. The rest of the party perished of cold and starvation. Their bodies were discovered and interred by another party of the crew who had found shelter in a small village on the Lena. See Franklin; Nansen; Arctic Regions