The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-09-06 00:00:00

INTERVIEW WITH LIEUTENANT
GREELY.

A correspondent in Montreal telegraphed on Sun-
day as follows (says the Evening Standard): "I have
had an opportunity of interviewing Lieutenant Greely
with whom I had a very interesting conversation. I
found him a tall, pleasant-looking man. He was
dressed in a white flannel suit and wore spectacles,
possibly from the effects of the perpetual glare of the
snow. The lieutenant bears traces in his appearance
of his terrible voyage. His skin has become the
colour of the Eskimo, but his flesh looks soft and
puffy, like the flesh on a baby's face rather than the
robust appearance characteristic of the hardy sailor.
Lieutenant Greely has a musical voice; and his
manner is slightly academical. Naturally our con-
versation turned upon the vexed question of canni-
balism. Lieutenant Greely admits frankly that it was
practised by some of his followers; but he stoutly
maintains that it was not general. Whatever was
done in this way was done without his knowledge or
consent. He believes that the bodies that were
devoured were cut up by the doctor, who is now dead,
and were the subjects of what he c.illed scientific
butchery. He is maintained in klis opinion by
American physicians, who believe they see evidence
in support of it in the scientific manner in which the
flesh has been removed. Greely declares that the
sufferings which the little party underwent were
terrible. He can blame no one for proceeding to
extremities under such enormous pressure. When
they were found by the rescuing party he him-
self was actually dyi ag, and another forty-eight
hours would have seen the end of the few sur-
vivors. Lieutenant Greely admits that the German,
Henry, was shot, as has been already stated;
but he (the lieutenant) did not know that he
was eaten. For his own part, he affirms that he
never took human flesh knowingly. The doctor tried
to keep him up when sinking, and he cannot,
of course, tell what they gave him in his exhausted
condition. If he ate human food it was in ignorance.
Lieutenant Greely states that the health of the ex-
plorers was on the whole good, and was in fact only
impaired by the starvation they endured. Only one
man died from actual disease during the voyage.
Turning to the more scientific part of their expedition,
Lieutenant Greely said the boat voyage to Cape
Congo by Lieutenant Sabine was the most remark-
able of its kind ever recorded. It abounded in bril-
liant exploits and stirring adventures. He expressed
warm thanks for the tokens of sympathy, which
reached him from England in the form of number-
less kind letters. The lieutenant will not again try
his fortunes and risk his life among the Polar Seas.
He has promised his wife that he will not return to
those perilous regions. Mrs. Greely, who was
present during our interview, is a tall, elegant
woman, with an Italian face. She is evidently a
woman of cultured mind. She admitted to me that
she gave her husband up for lost, and could not hope
to see him again. For her own part, she disclaims
any special interest in Arctic discovery. Her only
desire in connection with it was to see her husband
return. Mrs. Long, on the other hand, enters into it
with the full enthusiasm of a martyr for science, and
glories in her husband's death for so noble a cause.
Subsequently I had an interview with Lieutenant
Ray, who is a thin, wiry man, full of enema, with a
pale face, and deep set ers. He wears his hair long,
and has a beard. He is inclined to look favourably
on thk, Northern regions. On the Northern shore of
North America he says there is a grand climate,
which would prove a perfect sanatortuni against
malaria.'