Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-14
ARCTIC DISASTERS.
WRECK OF THE RELIEF STEAMERS
SENT TO THE RESCUE OF THE
GREELY PATTY,
Great Fears as to the Fate of the Explorers
The Stories of the Eskimo Not Credited
Other Casualties.

Si' oodNoJ N. e, CoPI. Id. 1uo OA1sou
States Greely relief steamsphip Yantic
has just anchored here. Her tidings are
lamentable. No word has been received
from Greely or any of his party. The
steamer Proteus was crushed in a foe of
ice at the entrance to Smiths sound, July
%. Capt. Pike, his crew, and the scienti-
fc party are passengers in the Yantic.
ST. JOINS, N. F. Sept. ,.1S.-The first Of
of the Proteus briefly summaries the ILL
fated Proteus' expedition as follows: The
Yantic and Proteus left st. Johns at p.
m, July %. The Proteus arrived at Good
Haven bay July G., and the Yantic at the
same place the 18th. The necessary prep
aration was made and the Proteus sailed
for Cory, arriving the 18th, left the 1st
and two days afterward was crushed, sink
ing at P. m, July %. Twenty days
were spent II the boats, and several
storms encountered from which the boats
took refuge under the lee of icebergs.
Lieut.. Calwell and the six crews parted
company with the others at Cape York
Found the Yantic July 3. Reported to
Capt. Pike the remainder of the crew was
moving southward. The Yantic reached
Cory's island Aug. 2. The same night she
proceeded to Handera harbor, where the
record from Pike and Darlington was
found. She next proceeded south along
the Greenland coast, sending boats
around the island in search Of the missing
crews. The storm and heavy pack ice Aug
9 forced the Yantic to anchor to leeward
of Northumberland island. The next day
she bore away for Upernavik, arriving
there Aug. %. On the 9th she started for
the Waigate coal mines, and returned to
Upernavik where Capt. Pike and crew were
found and taken aboard the Yantic.
1t seems the first intimation of the
Proteus disaster was found Aug. 8, at
Littleton island, by the Yantlc. Lieut..
Darlington left record there, coming
south, describing the shipwreck and giving
the general movement of Capt. Pike and
the ships company. On the 4th search
was instituted along the Greenland coast
from Cape Alexander to Cape Robertson.
Every point likely to bring up with the
retreating party was searched till Sept. 2,
when Upernavik was reached and the whole
Proteus party was found in good health
and tolerable spirits. They were exposed
during thirty-one days and nights in their
boats, s,making some stoppages at intermedi-
ate harbors. One boat was crushed in the ice
the 23d of July and sunk within four hours.
Fortunately, sufficient time was given to
save clothing, provisions, the compass and
other things necessary to meet what might
prove to be protracted voyage.
On the 25th, the boats being equipped,
provisioned and manned to start, made
the scene of disaster. 1t was eight miles
north of northwest of Cape Sabine, lati-
tude 1915 north. Over 600 miles of ice
and frigid ice were passed before Uperna-
vik was reached.
The worst feature in the unfortunate
Proteus expedition is no provisions were
landed or caches made and all the stores
lnten1ed for the Arctic colony relief went
down in the steamer. While at anchor in
the Danish harbor the 18th OF August
Governor Elbury came on board the Yam
tic and reported that the Danish steamer
Sophia had arrived there from a harbor
thirty miles north of the cape. and the
captain stated the native Eskimo told him
that two natives with the Greely expedition
arrived in sledges last winter, and reported
the party all well except Doctor Pavy who
had died. The natives went back to Lady
Franklin Bay. Another Eskimo arrived
from the GreeIy camp reported all the Of
foers were murdered by men. Neither ot
these reports are reliable, as the fondnes;
of the Eskimo for lying and sensational
isms places them in the category of fo
ton.
Captain Pike says as far north as Cap'
Sabine there was no trace of Greely or hi
| party, and his failure to come south tt
Littleton Island to meet relief this sum
| mer evokes apprehersions as to thei
probable fate. The Proteus was return
ing home when the ice overwhelmed her
She got barely fifteen miles north of tn
scenes of the shipwreck. The prospect
of the Greely colony encountering ice tn
fourth winter beneath the Arctic circle ar
| mournful to contemplate. The crews O
| the hips Yantic and Proteus are in ez
cellent health. One death only oocurreC
during the expedition that Of Henry Will
son, gunner and mate of the Yantic of ap
| poplexy.
| 4HOtter account.