Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1884 — RESCUED JUST IN TIME. [ARTICLE]

RESCUED JUST IN TIME.

Lient. Greeley and Six of His Party found Off Cape Sabine, in Smith’s Sound. The Remainder of the Party Killed by Cold and Starvation—Terrible Tales of Suffering. The following dispatch from Commander Schley to the Secretary of the Navy tells the story of the rescue of Lieut. Greeley and his six surviving comrades: , L _ __ St. Johns, ILF.. July 17. The Hon. William E. Chandler, Secretary of the Navy, Washington: Thetis, Bear, and Lock Garry arrived here today from West Greenland. All well. They separated from the Alert 150 miles north during a gale. At 9 p. m., June 22, five miles oft Cape Sabine, in Smith’s Sound, the Thetis and Bear rescued alive Lieut. A W. Greely, Sergt. Brainard. Sergt. Fredericks, Sergt. Long, Hospital Steward Beiderback, Private Connell, and Sergt. Ellison, the.only survivors of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition. Sergt. Ellison had lost both hands and feet by frost-bite, and died July 6 at Godhaven, three days after amputation, which had become imperative. Seventeen of twentyfive persons composing the expedition perished by starvation at the point where found. One was drowned while sealing to procure food. Twelve bodies' of- the dead were rescued and are now on board the Thetis and Bear. Esquimau Turnevik was buried at Disco, in accordance with the desire of the inspector of Western Greenland. Five bodies buried in ice near the camp were swept away to sea by winds and currents before my arrival and could not be recovered. The names of the dead recovered, with dates of death, are as follows: Sergt. Cross died Jan. 1, 1884; Wederick (Esquimau), April 5; Sergt. Linn, April 6; Lieut. Lockwood, April 9; Sergt. Jewell, April 12; Private Ellis, May 19; Sergt. Ralston. May 23; Private Henry, June C; Private Schneider, June 18. The names of the dead and buried in the ice fort, with the date of death of those whose bodies were not recovered, are aafollows: Sergeant Rice, April 9, 1884; Corporal Salen, June 3; Private Bender, June 6; Assistant Surgeon Pavey, JuneG; Sergeant Gardner, June 12, drowned by breaking through newly formed ice while sealing; Jens Edwards (Esquimau), April 24. I would urgently suggest that the bodies now on board be placed in metallic cases here for safer and better transportation in a sea way. Greely abandoned Fort Conger Aug. 9,1883, and reached Baird Inlet Sept. 29’foUowihg,' with the entire party well. He abandoned all his boats, and was adrift thirty days on an ice floe in Smith’s Sound. His permanent camp was established Oct. 21, 1883, at the point where he was found. During nine mofiths his party had to live upon a scant allowance of food brought from Fort Conger; that cached at Payer Harbor and Cape Isabella by Sir George Nares in 1875 but found much damaged by lapse of time; that cached by Beebe at Cape Sabine in 1882; and a small amount saved from the wrdfck of the Proteus in 1883 and landed by Lieuts. Garlington and Colwell on the beach near where Greely’s party was found. When these provisions were consumed the party was forced to live upon boiled seal-skin stripped from the sealskin clothing, and lichens and shrimps procured in good weather, when they were strong enough to make exertions. As it took 1,300 shrimps to fill a gallon measure, the labor Was too exhausting to depend upon them to sustain life entirely. The channel between Cape Sabine and Littleton Island did not clcse on account of violent gales all that 240 rations at the latter point could not be reached. From Hare Island to Smith’s Sound I had a constant and furious struggle with the ice in impassable floes. Solid barriers were overcome by watchfulness and patience. No opportunity to advance a mile escaped me, and for several hundred miles the ships were forced to ram their wav from lead to lead through ice varying in thickness from three to'six feet, and when rafted much greater. The Thetis and the Bear reached Cape York June 18, after a passage of twenty-one days In Melville Bay, with two advance ships of the Dundee whaling fleet, and continued on to Cape Sabine. Returning seven days later, we fell in with seven others of this fleet off Wostenholm Island and announced Greely’s rescue to them that they might not be delayed from their fishing grounds nor be tempted into the dangers of Smith’s Sound in view of the reward of $25,000 offered by Congress. Returning across Melville Bay, we fell in with the Alert and Lock Garry off Devil’s Thumb, struggling through the heavy ice. Commander Coffin did admirably to get along so far with the transport so early in the season before the opening had occurred. Lieut. Emory, with the Bear, has supported me throughout with great skillfulness and unflinching readiness in accomplishing the great duty of relieving Greely. The Greely party are very much Improved since the rescue, hut their situation was critical in the extreme when found and for several days after. Forty-eight hours’ delay in reaching them would have been fatal to all who are now living. The season in the north is late, and has been the closest for years. Smith’s Sound was not open when I left Cape Sabine. The winter about Melville Bay was the most severe for twenty years. W. S. Schley, Commander. The Greely party reached the highest latitude ever attained by polar explorers, namely, 83 deg. 25.5 min. The coast of Greenland was carried up to 83 deg. 35 min. Interviews with Lieut. Greely and other survivors of the unfortunate arctic colony elicited the following facte: After passing two winters at Fort Conger in scientific research, Lieut. Greely, with his whole party intact, broke up the encampment and commenced a southward descent. Thia was accomplished amid great perils from gales of wind, ice-nips, and other casualties. Cape Sabine having been reached, a temporary home was built of stones and covered by the boat’s sails brought along by the party. On the 29th of September winter quarters were established at Cape Sabine. The commissariat had become very meager, and the cache of provisions left by the Proteus last year but poorly supplemented it. The steam launch had become, fast in the ice a few weeks previous and had to be abandoned during the whole winter. The first havoc in the ranks was early in January, when one of the men dropped off with scurvy. On the 9th of April Lieut. Lockwood and Mr. Rice, .the photographer, succumbed after a heroic attempt had been made to secure about two hundred pounds of meat supposed to be cached at a place named Bad Creek, distant about fifteen miles from 'the encampment. Israel, the astronomer, perished May 27. Lieut. Klslingbury dlSd June 1, and Dr. Pavy, the naturalist, Slept in death June 26. Notone of the victims realized that death was aear. They all died a tranquil, painless death. The two Esquimaux also perished, one of starvation. The other was drowned, his kayak being pierced by some newly formed ice April 17, thus cutting off all hope of getting any supply of seal meat for the starving explorers. The Esquimaux were most faithful and devoted followers and helpers of Lieut. Greely. Ellison was rescued and safely brought on board the steamship Bear, where he died a few days subsequently. His is an extraordinary instance of human endurance. While away some ten miles from his hut one day last winter the temperature suddenly fell to 48 degrees below zero. His hands and feet were frozen to the very bone, and he was dragged by his comrades in an almost dying condition to his hut. His feet and hands were literally amputated by the incisive frost, and in this terrible state he lived through the dismal months that intervened between that time and the rescue. A Washington dispatch states that President Arthur, in conversation with some friends, said he was very’ much gratified at the finding of Lieut. Greely and the remnant of his party. He added: Thia is the last of arctic expeditions as far as I can prevent the’m. None of them has ever paid for the extreme suffering and loss of valuable Jives they have occasioned, and I think it is about time that some other nation try them for awhile. President Arthur, in previous conversations, has characterized the whole business as a species of “arctic insanity." There is general recognition of the fact that some one is responsible for the death of the members of the Greely expedition who died from cold and hunger, and a general expectation prevails that a coprt of inquiry will be ordered when the Secretary of War returns, to place this responsibility where it belongs. ... i Vanderbilt’s household expenses are. said to reach $250,000 a year. About 40,000,000 pennies were coinedin the United States last year. A telephone fifteen years old has been discovered in New York.