Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-15

oAoAo Ao Woui0 Auu dt Odp6 SABINE AND
Llttleton island is not known, but it ia
feared the supplies left there last year and
the small quantity saved from the wreck
of the Proteus would not maintain Lieut..
Greedy and his men at the mouth of
Smiths sound through the coming winter.
even if the party had shelter
and fuel. Some help might be
obtained from the Esquimaux of the
Greenland coast, could Lieutenant Greedy
find and open communication with them,
but this is admitted to be an uncertain
reliance. Ii has been suggested another
ship be sent from st. Johns to the mouth
of Smiths round at once and also that a
sledge party be dispatched from the upper
mouth to the Greenland coast, but no
course of future action has as yet been de-
clded upon. The war dep m mt hor-
ltles say they can form no plans until they
receive fuller information from Lieuten-
ant Darlington, who has been asked for
suggesi1''F Pc sons here, who are
Lot connected with the war
or navy departments, but who
have long been interested in
Arctic research and are familiar with the
history of exploration IN Smiths Sound,
express grave doubt as to the ability of
Lieut.. GreelY's party to retreat down the
coast of Grinuell Land on sledges after the
first of September. Autumn sledge travel
along that coast was found by officers of
the British Arctic expedition of rs to be
practically impossible. On the Sth of
September a sledge party from the
steamer Alert, under Lieut.. Rawson, at
tempted to open communication with the
steamer Discovery, which was then in
winter quarters on the north side of Lady
Franklin bay, near Lieut.. Greely's present
station. The party succeeded
in getting only three miles from the ship
and then abandoned the attempt. On the
second of October a second sledge party
was sent down the coast for some purpose
but it returned unsuccessful at the end of
ten days, having been unable to get more
than nine miles from the ship. The at
tempt was then abandoned for that season.
About the same time Capt. Stephenson of
the Discovery started from Lady Franklin
bay with sledge party up the coast in the
direction of the Alert. He could get only
six miles from his ship and returned with
both sledges broken at the end of
the second day. AS his conclusion
from these experiments Captain Moores
reported that autumn sledging along the
coast of Grinnel Land between Floeberg
beach and Lady Franklin bay was practic-
ally impossible. The two ships of the expe-
dition lay only seventy miles apart on the
same coast from the 26th of August, 1875,
to the Goth of March, 1876, nearly seven
months, without any possibility to enter
into communication. This fact alone, it
is said, shows that Lieut.. Greedy with
| vi of
in ill health, could hardly make an autumn
sledge journey of more than 800 miles
along the coast of GrinnelLand to Littleton
island. If, therefore, he waited at his
station until Sept for the arrival of the
relief steamers, he is probably there still
and will remain there until next spring.
1t is thought, however, by those who ex-
press these opinions, that Lieut.. Greedy,
foresee1ng the impractibility of making
his escape in sledges in the fall, and desir-,
ing to obey his peremptory orders to
start down the coast not later than Sept. 1,
would perhaps abandon his station as early
in the summer as open water should ap-
pear in the Robson channel, say the last
| week in July, and attempt to reach Little
ton island in boats. The escape in this
way might be effected under average con-
ditions of ice and weather, because
,, small boats could be dragged
! across the intervening barriers
of ice between the pools of open water
where ship would be stopped. If Lieut..
Greedy and his men left Lady Franklin
bay late in July or early in August, they
might perhaps reach the mouth of Smith
sound by the 18th or goth of August, two
or three weeks after the departure of the
Yantic, when finding records at Little
ton Island of the loss of the Proteus, they
would have before them two possible
courses of action: First-It the season
was not too far advanced they might pro-
vision their boats from the caches at Cape
Sabine and Littleton Island, and make
desperate attempt to reach
the Danish settlements of northern
Greenland, or, second, if 1t was too late
for such attempt they might try to find
and distribute themselves among the Eski-
mos, who live along Greenland coast, be-
tween Littleton island aaI Cape York.
These Eskimos are few in number, one or
two hundred in all, and generally short of
provisions, hut they might be able to car
ry the few of Lieut.. Greely's party through
the winter. At any rate this would be the
party's only hope. Nothing, It
is thought, can be done to rescue
the unfortunate men this fall. Their lives
are in their own hands and their future
depends almost entirely upon their own
skill and judgment and upon the chances
of wind, etc. The next information in
regard to them is likely to come from
Upernavik or from Eskimos of the
Greenland coast, between the mouth of
Smiths sound and Cape York
Secretary Lincoln said, tonight, the
question how best to get relief to the
Greedy party has been discussed at the
| department to-day. He, however,
had little hope that anything could
be done this year. He thought it would
be useless to send party up this fall with
a certainty of their having to winter sew
eral hundred miles from Greely's station,
without means of traversing the distance,
when by waiting until next summer a
party could be sent that would make Just
as good progress. He said, however, if it
were shown that relief could be sent to the
| Greedy party no expense nor pains would
be spared to relieve them.
Acting Signal Officer Casaire said to-
night nothing had been heard from Lit.
| Darlington in response to inquiries made
| yesterday by the officer. Tonight further
| dispatches were sent, asking categorically
what were the possibilities with regard to