The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-10-27
THE PROTEUs DISASTER.

to Commander wildes from Secretary
Chandler and the Latter's RepIy-He De- =
clares the Yantic Unseaworthy from the
start.
WASHINGTON, u. c.. Oct 10.
The Secretary of War has received from
the Chiaf Signal Officer the report of Lieu
tenant +. A. Darlington, Commander of the
recent Arctic expedition to Smith Sound
for the relief of the Signal Service party at
Lady Franklin Bay. The report is very
long, and goes fully into all the details of
the voyage and wreck of the Proteus, and
the retreat of her survivors i'm small boats
to the North Greenland settlement of Uper-
navick.
After referring in the highest terms TO
the courage, skill and good Judgment shown
by Lieutenant Colwell during the retreat,
Lieutenant Darlington concludes his report
with the following statement concerning the
so-called supplementary orders:
81 desire to call your attention to tho
manifest injury done me in the publication
of certain statements Immediately after
news of the disaster reached here. These
statements, purporting to have been au-
thoriZed from the Signal Office, were to the
effect that had been furnished with sup
Elementary instructions prior to my de-
structions | had positively disobeyed. The
only instructions | ever received are origi-
nal instructions, published at the time. An
unsigned written paper was inclosed in
the envelope with my instructions. This
paper is simply an authenticated copy of a
memorandum prepared by an officer in the
Signal office. l was informed this memo
randum was to have been furnished the
Secretary of the Navy to form the basis of
instructions to be given the commander of
tha VpSSat ordered tn aCcOnnanV the Pro-
teus. When | found it among the papers
furnished me L at once carried it to you
(Gen. Hazen), and called your attention
specially to that clause relating to landing
supplies on Littleton Island. You said in
substance that you did not know how that
had gotten in there, and impressed upon
me the necessity of carrying out, as far as
possible, the instructions l had received.
These instructions were based upon the let
ter of Lieutenant Greedy, and you called
my attention to the fact that Lieutenant
Greedy strongly urged that the officer COM
manding the relief party should have no
latitude of action. The paper was not adj
dressed nor signed, indeed bore no official
marks whatever. l did not then, nor have
l at any time since, regarded it as an or
der, and was surprised to find the state
ment published that this paper was the
supplementary Instructions"
General Hazen, in transmitting Lieuten.
ant Garlington's report to the Secretary of
War, has written letter in which he says
that the question Of supplementary orders,
referred to by Lieutenant Darlington as
having been raised, and in unfairness to
himself, is in substance correctly stated by
him, and the structures made on him, so far
as they refer to the question of disobedi-
ence, have been unwarranted.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct 81.
Secretary Chandler has written a letter
to Commander Wildes, of the steamship
Yantic, with respect to the failure of the
expedition in which he says, after detailing
the instructions to the Yantic and her
failure to comply with them:
Your attention Is also called to an
other point. You hadsbeen furnished with
copies of instructions to Lieutenant
Darlington, and were aware that he
was ordered in the event of the failure
of the ProteuS to reach Lady Franklin
Bay to establish relief station at Littleton
Island, and that Lieutenant Greedy would
endeavor to reach that point in Sep
TENDER, expecting there to find a relief
party, house, food and provisions. You
were at Littleton Island on August 3, and
learned that the Proteus had been crushed,
and that Lieutenant Darlington and his
whole party had gone SOUTH leaving moth
ing for Greedy at Littleton Island. You
could have readily landed there provisions
and supplies, but omitted to do so, You
will please explain this omission. lnclosed
| you will also find a copy Of a memorandum
| marked Enclosure 49, containing instruc-
tons for the guidance of the naval tender
and the Proteus, and you will inform the
department whether during your voyage
| there any such instructions were seen by
yen or were orally communicated to you.
Very respectfully, VIM. E. CHANDLER,
Secretary of the Navy"
Commander Wildes replies that the boil
ers of the Yantic were in an unreliable con-
dition when ordered to fit for the cruise.
Repairs were pushed to hasten departure,
but not being finished on sailing day repairs
were continued from time to time until
arrival at Godhaven. "KRowing that from
| thence northward the main dependence
would be on the engines, l determined to
get the boilers in fair condition before leav-
ing. This took six days. One day was
| then taken to get coal from the brig Peru,
which had Just arrived. Then thick, stormy
weather set in which delayed our departure
| two days. We arrived at Godhaven with
but ITO tons coal, and more time was lost,
| so that it was July 20 before we could leave.
| Six DAYS more were lost by dense fog, and
| on the 31st we cleared fir om Uppernavik for
| sea. No time was lost, and no unnecessary
| delay made at any point. Had we sailed
| from Godhaven the same time as the Pro-
| teus, besides being unable to keep up with
her we would have arrived at Littleton
Island with a coal supply reduced to
| seventy-hve tons and the boilers in a leaky,
| precarious condition. Commander Wildes
| says he did not delay one moment after he
| considered the ship prepared, but pushed
| ahead and only reached Pandora harbor to
find that the boats had gone south six days
! before. He considered it his first and para
mount duty to pick up the boats, which
contained thirty-seven men, and having
! done that it would be time to consider whab
next. Having made long and unsuccess-
| full search for the boats, a heavy pack of