The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-09-20
WASHINGTON.
News Gathered About the Capital
City.

|
News Gathered About the Capital
City.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14.-Gen. II.
J. Hunt, commanding the department
of the South, was placed upon the re-
tired list to-day, having reached sixty
fur years Of age, and was instructed
to turn over his command to Gen.
Hancock, who will resume command
temporarily.
No new cases of fever and no
deaths yesterday at Pensacola.
A dispatch from Wilmington, n.
c., says the hurricane on the 10th
and 18th instant, was the worst
ever known in that vicinity and |
shipping. No additional reports have |
been received to-day, either at the
state department or navy department, |
the Greeley relief expedition. 1t
seems to be generally conceded by |
those who have given most attention |
to the subject that it is a complete |
and disastrous failure. The failure |
of the relief expedition was mainly |
due to the omission of Lieut.. Car |
lington to land his stores and house |
at Littleton, or some other iceberg |
point north of Smiths Sound, before |
attempting the hazardous navigation
beyond. If he had done this the de-
struction of the Proteus would have
been a comparatively trifiing mis-
fortune, and would have nee
essarily have imperiled the
lives of either her crew
or party. They were sent north to
rescue Darlington, and his men could
then, after the destruction of their
ship, have returned to secure the base
of supplies thus established, and could
have carried out the remainder of
their plan for the relief of the Lady
Franklin Bay party, by means OF a
Grinnell Land. AS it is now there
is no party at the mouth of Smiths
Sound to cooperate with Lieut.. Gree
ley. and no conside able supply Of
food there for him to retreat upon,
said, that Lieut.. Darlington made
was in plunging too extremely into
dangerous ice in Smith sound without
having established at the mouth of
that sound depot for provisions and
d uPOh w hlC1l hO NOulo IclAl OttNh
in case of disaster. There would seem,
however, to be some justification for
the course pursued by him in the
orders issued to him 10y Gen. Hazen
on the 18th of June, Just before he
sailed from New York. These orders
are in part as follows: "If it should
become clearly apparent that your
vessel can't be pushed through you
rafroot from n6 1lnci-
ton and land your party and
Cave" These orders clearly
imply the direction not to land his
house and stores until he should have
have found it impossible to get
through. They virtually direct him
to land his stores late in the season
on his retreat, and not early in the
season on his way up, as would seem
to have been more prudent. The
attention of the acting chief signal
officer was called to day by an asso-
ciated press reporter to this part of
Gen. HaZen's original order to Lieut..
Darlington, and he was asked whether
the particular instruction in question
ever had been revoked or modified.
He replied it had, by supplemental
orders sent Darlington just before de-
parting on the relief expedition from
st. John last summer.
Those supplemented orders which
have never been made public, are as
follows: 1.-The naval tender is to join
the Proteus at st. Johns, N. F., and to
proceed with her to the neighborhood
of Littleton Island. The Proteus is
| 10 1ond har OF c11TNV1inC for
more northern depots, at Littleton
Island, on her way north. If she
succeed in reaching Lady Franklin
she is to pack her stores excepting
house and depotS, if possible. On her
return the naval tender will await
the return of the Proteus at the neigh
borhood of Littleton Island, and on
her return steam to the south in her
company, until she reaches the south
ern limits of the ice park, when the
Proteus be crushed in the ice, her
crew will return to Littleton Island
and the tender will bring to st. Johns,
| n. F., the officers and crew of the Pro-
| teus. The rest of the party to remain
at Littleton Island until the Proteus
with the new crew and expedition
airy force succeeds in reaching there.
The tender may go to the south, leav-
ing full particulars. AT Litton island
signals by flags and heliograph and
guns should be preconcerted. Com
munication by this means should be
maintained between the two vessels
as long as possible after they are
separated by the passage north of
Proteus. Nothing in the northward
movement must be allowed to retard
the progress of the Proteus. 1t Is of
the utmost importance that she take
advantage of the lead to s;et up to
Lady Franklin bay. From all infor-
nation thus far received it would ap-
pear that Lieut.. Darlington either
\ dlsregarded or found it i'm
possible to obey these orders
with regard to landing stores on
his way north. Since the Proteus was
crushed with all her stores on board,
after she had passed the point where
stores should have been landed, and
while she was engaged IL extra haZa-
dous navigation in Smith sound, in
the absence of any definite informa-
ton from Lieut.. Darlington as to his
reasons for the adoption of the course
he pursued and which led to the total
failure of the plans for Lieut..
Greeley's relief. Officers of the signal
service have declined to express anv
opinion or make any statement for
publication at present.
The secretary of war, the assistant
secretary of the navy and the acting
chief signal officers are in consultatio5
on the condition of affairs. but have
not devised practicable plan for the
Lady Franklin bay party.
The surgeon general of the marine
hospital service received an affidavit
sworn to by fifteen pilots on the Pen
saeola bar, residing on the naval res
eryation at Warrington and Woolsev.
adjoining the Pensacola navy yard.
denying the published charges OF yell
low fever.
The Paseaeo,ll., Mise loo faato,.,,