The Portland daily press., 1883-10-22
ARCTIC PERILS.
The Failure of the Greeley Relief Expedi-
ton Commander wildes of she Yantic
Explains His Course.

Explains His Course.
| WASHINGTON. Oct. 21.--On the 10th inst. the
Secretary of the Navy addressed an official let
ter to Commander Wildes Of the q. S. s. Yan-
tic, asking further explanation of the failure
of the Yantic to cooperate with the Proteus
during the expedition for the relief of Lieut..
| Greeley and party, at Ledy Franklin Bay. The
| Secretary says: "The zeal, energy and general
| good conduct of yourself as commanding Off
Ger, and all the naval officers connected with
the relief expedition are not doubtful, and
call for the sincere commendation of the de-
partment, but the failure of the expedition to
accomplish anything for the relief of Lieut..
Greeley and party, who are, therefore. forced,
| if now living, to contend with the hardships
and perils of a third Arctic winter, arouses the
reasonable inquiry, Did every member OF the
relief expedition, whether officer, seaman, sol
| dier or civilian, do his utmost to accomplish
success to succor and rescue the unfortunate
| explorers for whom he went in search?"
1t is probable that the Greely party may be
saved in spite OF the failure you have recorded.
| 1t is possible 1t might have been lost notwith-
| standing the widest and most energetically
| conducted efforts for its relief. But to those
| to whom was committed the recent expedition
must today be judged upon the hypothesis that
| their success would have saved the ice bound
band, and their failure will lead to its destruct-
ion. Nothing which the good judgment, fdel-
ty, persistency and courage on the part of any
naval officer might have accomplished can
been omitted without the condemnation of the
navy department aud of the whole anx-
ious American pc ple Your instructions
under date OF June ct, were to s'proceed to the
in company with the northward through "a
Wis Straits in company with the steamer Pro-
foxC nffrak klx,91 t..k .r-kt-
tleton Island. 1t appears that the Yantic and
Proteus were together at Disco Island on j nly
10Th. when the Proteus sailed northward, but
that the Yantic did not finally leave that
Island until July 20. The Proteus reached
Carvey Island July 26tb, Yantlc not until
August I'd. Proteus passed Littleton Island
July I'D and was crushed in the ice, July 23d.
The Yantic did not reach Littleton Island un.
til August 3D..
Between July 23d and August Sd namely
on July 18th aud 28th Lieut.. Darlington and
the whole party of the Protens had come to
Littlston Island and Pandora.Harbor. and not
finding the Yantic had continued to the South
in open boats in sesrch of her, notwithstanding
the orders OF the War Department, given for
such contingency, to land with stores at or
near Lie Boat Cove in Lttleton Island and
prepare for remaining until next year. Had
the Yantic, however, been at Littleton Island
July 2Sth instead of being twelve days be-
hind the Proteus, Lieut.. Garltngton's relief
an ample supply keeping "their telescopes on
Cape Sabine and land to the Northward'
waiting for Lieut.. Greely, whose orders re.
quired him to endeavor to reach that vicinity
not later than September 1888, ana who would
not then have found awaiting him, as is now
the cast if he has successfully obeyed orders.
neither house nor provisions bnt only the
record of the complete failure of the mission Of
the Proteus and Yantic.
1t does not therefore in the present aspect of
the facts seen to the department that the YAM
tic properly fulfilled her duty as tender to the
Proteus with which she had been ordered to
proceed in company while keeping twelve DAYS
behind her and thereby defeating the object OF
their expedition. You will make such full ex-
planation on this point as you are able You
had been furnished with copies of the instruc.
tions to Lieut.. Darlington and were aware
that he was ordered in the event of failure of
the Proteus to reach Lady Franklin Bay to es-
tablish relies station at Littleton Island, and
Lieut.. Greedy would endeavor to reach that
point IN September, expecting TO find a relief
party or house food and provision. You were
at Llttleton Island on August Sd, and learned
that the Proteus had been crushed, and that
Lieut.. Darlington and his whole party had
gone South leaving nothing for Lieut.. Greedy
at Littleton Island You could have readily
landed provisions and supplies, but omitted to
do so. You will please explain this omission
aud furnish the department schedule in de-
tail OF provisions OF all kinds you had on board
the Yantic and similar schedule OF those you
had on hand when you arrived at st. Johns,
September 13.
In the Instructions of the War Department
to Lieut.. Darlington, dated June a. 1883 is
the following clause: "a ship of the United
States navy, the Yantic, will accompany you
as far as Littleton Island rendering YOU su yh
aid as may become necessary ard as may be
determined by the captain of that ship and
yourself, and when on the spo6 you will in
form the department whether or not you had
knowledge of this clause. Inclosed you will
also find copy of memorandom marked sin-
closure a. Containing instructions Tor the
guidance OF the navy tender and Proteus and
you will inform the department whether
during the voyage these or any such instruc-
tlon were seen by you or were orally COM
municated to you" Enclosure referred to
in the Secretarys letter is copy of the so
called supplementary orders of Lieut. Gar
linOton.)
Commander Wildes in his reply 10 the
Secretary's letter says 'My orders directed
me 10 proceed to the Northward through
Daviss Straits in company with the Proteus if
practicable, which ship being fitted for cruising
in the ice will probably take advantage of op-
portunites to reach her destination which YOU
would not have felt authorized in taking in tho
Yantic. You will take on board at st. Johns
all the coal you can safely carry below and on
deck, as 1t is very desirable that you reach your
destination with an ample supply still remain
ing for use It may be possible to obtain
small supply OF coal on the coast of Greenland,
but this cannot be relied upon" sailed from
st. Johns with 1877 tons of coal below and on
deck: the Proteus carried between 500 and 600
tons. The Yantic steaming with six fires
makes an average speed of 1-2 to knots per
hour in smooth water; the Proteus steaming at
full speed, which Capt Pike told nae he used
TO do, made about s IL to knots per hour
On, the run to Godhaven under sail alone, |
kept well to the Eastward, to avoid the Labra.
dor ice. The Proteus was some sixty miles
West of our track, and under steam, pushed
through stream of ice for five hours which
was of heavier nature than one is accustom-
ed to meet on that coast, and which, her off
GERS stated, could not have been penetrated bv
the Yantic as the boilers of this vessel were in
an unreliable condition whom she was ordered
to fit for her Northern cruise. Her repairs
were pushed night and day to hasten her de-
parture, but not being finished on the sailing
day, the material for completing the work was
pnt on board. The repairs were continued in
st. Johns, but on the passage to Godhaven
they were discontinued, as it was desirable
to have steam power ready for use in case of
necessity On arriving at Godhaven, and
knowing that from thence Northward our
main dependence would be on the engines
| determined to get her boilers in a fair condi-
tion before leaving. This took six days. aud
one day was taken to get coal from the brig
Peru, just arrived there. Thick stormy
weather then set in, which delayed our de.
parture two more days.
On July 25 proceeded northward. The next
morning dense fog set in and continued with
slight intermission until the 31st, when it
cleared and proceeded to sea. No time was
lost and no unnecessary delay made at any
point. Had / sailed from Godhavn at the
same time as the Proteus. besides being unable
to keep up with her, L should have arrived at
Littleton Island, 1000 miles distant, with my
coal supply reduced to about 70 tons and boiler
in leaky condition, (this vessel burns with
six fires and economical steaming 13 tons per
day, besides an average of one ton per day for
condensing and the galley and this without
taking into account the detention from thick
weather or ice.
After discussing minutely the dangerous
navigation of elsille Bay, Commander
Wildes continues: "In view OF the facts l
should have felt justified in delaying to a still
later date the attempt to cross Melville Bay
and oven in not making the attempt at all.
But did not for one moment after I oonsid-
cred my ship repaired and the weather had
cleared, but pushed across to Cape York feel
ing certain from the thick, foggy weather, raw
chilly air, fumes OF snow and smooth sea that
the middle pack was not far distant. Pandora
Harbor was reached six days after the boats
had gone south.
To conclude this part did not intend to
run thevessel under my command in a hap
hazard, happy-go-lucky fashion, which finely
brought the Proteus to grief but to make sure
as far as possible, of every step 1 took. Had
the Proteus been ordered to keep company
with the Yantic it would have been vastly bet