Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-09-20
The Polar Expedition.
AN EXPLANATION.

ST JOHNS, n. B., Gept. 15.-''To
Commodore English, acting secretary
Of the navy. To charter another
foreign ship, with foreign crew, for
this duty to go north at this late
season, would simply invite fresh dis
aster. The Proteus was handled very
unskillfully. and the crew behaved
shamefully az work The ship must
be American, manned and Differed
by the navy and thoroughly equipped.
Unless winter quarters can be
reached north of the cape at all.
an attempt would be useless.
as this cannot be done. Melville bav
will be impossible by October LIST; at
least the ship cannot winter at Uper-
novik and they cannot sledge north
from there
Signed, T. WILDE.
The following dispatch from Lieut..
Darlington was received at the signal
office to-day: ST. JOHNS. n. F.. Sept.
15.-TO the chief signal office
of the United States army =
The stores were not left at Little
ton Island, because it was not
IN my programme to do so. 1t was
my intention to establish a depot at
or near Cape Prescott and to the
northward as recommended by Lieut..
Greedy, and to fill gaps caused by
Neptune's failure to gets above Cape
1t IS Greeley letter report and my in
structions sfor five hundred and fifty
five rations were left at Upernarik by
the Yantic for my party. A part
of these met me at a point
forty miles south of Tessursak,
and all have since returned to Yantic.
The ultimate result of any undertake
ing to 90 north at this time was ex-
tremely problamatical. The chances
against its succe:s are owing to the
dark nights, now beginning in these
regions making navigation extremely
hard work. There is no safe winter
anchorage on the west shore of Green
land, between Disco and Pandora
harbor, except the northerly bay,
winter quarters of Saunders. How
ever, there is a bare chance of
success and if my recommends
tons are approved | am ready
and anxious to make an effort
My plan is to buy &c suitable steamer;
take crew from volunteers from the
crews of the Yantic and Powhattan
now IN this harbor, paying them ex-
ira compensation, Lieut. G.. G. Col
we'll to command the ship; two en-
signs and one engineer to be taken
from those who may volunteer. From
the same ship also employ a compe-
tent ice pilot here. The ship must be
under United States laws and subject
to military discipline. [ believe that
nothing can be done with civilian Off
GERS and crews. In case that enough
seamen do not volunteer, the remainder
to be enlisted here. Commander
Wilde will communicate with the
navy department. If anything IS to
be done it must be done at once"
1t appears from the above that if
supplemental instructions were sent
to Darlington he never received them
Lieut.. Darlington has been advised
that the secretary of war will not au-
thorize the proposed expedition this
year, but will order one next year.
WASHINGTON, Sept 5.-Dispatches
received to-day by the chief signal of
ticer and the acting secretary Of the
navy from Lieut.. Darlington, of the
Greeley relief expedition, and Com
mander Wilde, of the u. S. steamer
Yantic, have excited here much COM
ment and discussion. The telegram
from Lieut.. Darlington, it is said,
seems to be a reply to the categorical
question: "Why did you not land
your stores at Littleton Island on
Lifeboat Cove on your way north. "
The reply is that because it was not
in my programme to do so without
my Instructions. The reply, it is
argued, seems to indicate either that
Lieutenant Darlington never received
the sO-called supplemental order
to land his stores at Littleton
Island on his way north,
supplemental orders he did not re
gard them as imperative and did not
suppose they were intend ed to super
sede the earlier instruction not to
leave his stores at LittletOn Island on
his way north. 1t seems to
be generally admitted here by
those who discuss the subject
that the landing of the Proteus
stores at the mouth of Smiths sound
before the ship herself encountered |
the perils of a heavy pack north Of
Cape Sabine, was of the utmost i'm
portance. Prudent Arctic navigators
under similar circumstances have
always endeavored to secure the
safety Of their food supply by getting
bulk of it on solid land as soon as
possible after reaching their base of
operations, and before running the
extreme risk which is necessarily in
volved in the attempt to penetrate
any part of the great polar pack.
The experienced arctic naviga-
tor, Lehigh Smith, on his last
voyage to Franz Josef land two years
ago took the precaution to put a large
part Of his provisions ashore at the
very earliest possible moment, so as
not to be entirely at the mercy of the
ice.
Funeral of Hugh j. Hastings.
NEW YORK Sent IL The funeral I