News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-11
WRECK OF THE PROTEUS.
THE GREELY RELIEF SHIP NIPPED
BY AN ICE-FLOE.
A Vivid Description of the Adventures of
Her Crew.
TFrom the New York Herald.1

/ Lis OUllSO States steamer dullC Ill
rived at st. Johns, n. F., on Septembe
13. She brought the United State
GreeIy relief party. The Proteus wa
crushed in the ice and sunk in Smith
| Sound, between Cape Sabine and Cap
Albert, latitude rs degrees, so minutes
All were saved and reached the Yanti
after a trip of nearly a thousand mile
in open boats, weathering a territi
storm in Melville Bay.
The Greely relief ship Proteus, which
sailed from st. Johns on June %
reached Godhayen, Greenland, on Jul,
6, after a generally pleasant passage
She remained till July Is completing
preparations for her Arctic cruise. The
United States steamer Yantic arrived OF
the 18th, having sailed all the way
The Swedish vessel Sophia came in OF
the 18th, bound for Cape York on scien,
tific work. On the morning of the 16tE
The Proteus steamed up the coast
"Goodby' and ''good luck" were sig.
nailed from the Yantic as we passed out
of sight. The morning was foggy, and
the vessel ran aground near Disco Fiord
but got off again. We reached Pandora
Harbor on the morning of the 22d and
found a cairn destroyed. We steamed
on to LittIeton Island. Smiths Sound
seemed clear of ice, so we headed for
Cape Sabine. A solid ice pack was soon
sighted reaching from Cape Ingiefield
across Smiths Sound TO Cape Sabine
After searching carefully for lead, and
finding none, we anchored at Cape Sa-
bine to await developments. The cache
last year at this point was
found to be in good condition, but the
boat had been destroyed by bears.
The Proteus continued her nOrthward
course till the 18th, when a loose ice
pack was entered. On account OF the
foggv weather and the unreliability of
the compass in these high latitudes the
captain got off his course and the ship
was stopped on the afternoon of the 10Th
by the land ice in the neighborhOod of
Leaer and Balgie islands, at the head of
Melville Bay, a locality of which but
little is known. From this position a
retreat was begun by way of the most
favorable leads in the ice, and Gary Isl
ands were reached at two o'clock p. m.
of the 21st. An English cache was
found in a damaged condition. There
was little ice to be seen, and an effort
was made to force a passage. After
many fruitless attempts it was aban-
doned, and another was entered which
promised to reach the open water ahead,
but when within a few miles of the lati-
tude of Cape Albert, and very near to
the open water, it also closed, and the
continuous rammings of the PrOteus
were unable to effect passage.
The ice continued to close and at two
a. m. of the 23d the vessel was stopped,
but the spongy character of the ice en-
abled her to endure the pressure, which
continued for two hours. The lead again
opened and we steamed forward, only to
find that the water that we labored so
IihlN 1O1 llc1NA i'CclAONls CO lllC oil
was headed back for Cape Sabine, and
had nearly reached the open water lead
ing to that point when the heavy ice
pack began to close. A nip in such ice
meant destruction, and every effort was
made to saw a passage through, but all
in vain.
At quarter before three p. m. the
vessel was again nipped. The matches
were opened, and Lieutenant Darlington,
with several men, got the most necessary
articles on deck. They were thrown
upon the ice and another party trans
ferred them to a safe place. There was
something for every one to do and the
men labOred as men can only do in such
a desperate extremity. Heavy boxes of
provisions were thrown overheard to be
carried to safe quarters. Extreme exer-
tiOns were often needed to save them.
The ice was breaking through the star
board bulwarks and crushing in that
side. The vessel pressed over to port.
The engine boiler was expected to ex-
pIode every moment The hold was fast
filling with water before the repeated
cries of Come off % "She is sinking p
from those on the ice were needed by
the workers on board. The port whale
boat was still on the gallows frame, and
Lieutenant Colwell, with several men,
again went aboard to save her, but the
boat was so heavy and so well secured
with ropes and guys that it was with
the utmost difficulty and danger that
they were finally successful.
At six p. m. the ice Stacked and the
vessel sank rapidly. Her masts were
stripped of her yards as she sank through
the ice. Dogs and pigs were soon
scrambIing among the general debris
and the whole presented a most horrible
wreck scene to the exhausted, sheIterless
men upon the ice. No time was to be
lost. The ice foe on the port side was
drifting rapidly down the sound and
threatened to carry away the party and
everything upon it. Several boat loads
were hauled to the foe with lines, and
the remaining things were abandoned.
The ice at this time was Slowing and
packing between us and the shore and
loaded boats could not be rislled in the
water. The expedition effects were piled
together as soon rs possible to guard
against the plundering mania of some
men who could not be honest even ir