Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-11-02
THE PROTEUs DISASTER.


Lieutenant Gariington's Report in the
Hands of the Secretary of war--Those
Supplementary Orders-Lctter of Inquiry
to Commander wildes from secretnrv
Chandler and the Latter's Reply-He De-
clares the Yantic Unseaworthy from the
Start.
WASHINGTON, d. O., Oct l9
The Secretary of War has received from
the Chief Signal Officer the report of Lieu.
| tenant e. A. Darlington, Commander of the
recent Arctic expedition to Smith Sound
for the relief of the Signal Service party at
Lady Franklin Bay. The report is very
long, and goes fully into all the details of
the voyage and wreck of the Proteus, and
the retreat of her survivors in small boats
20 the North Greenland settlement of Uper-
navick.
After referring in the highest terms to
the courage, skill and good judgment shown
by Lieutenant Colwell during the retreat,
Lieutenant Darlington concludes his report
with the following statement concerning the
so-called supplementary orders:
al desire to call your attention to the
manifest injury done me in the publication
| Of certain statements Immediately after
news of the disaster reached here. These
statements, purporting. to have been au.
shoriZed from the Signal Office, were to the
! effect that had been furnished with sup
Elementary instructions prior to my de.
parture from the United States, which in.
structions had positively disobeyed. The
| only instructions l ever received are origi-
nal instructions, published at the time. An
| unsigned written paper was inciosed in
/ the envelope with my instructions. This
| paper is simply an authenticated copy of
/ memorandum prepared by an officer in the
| Signal office. / was informed this memo
randum was to have been furnished the
| Secretary OF the Navy to form the basis of
| instructions to be given the commander of
the vessel ordered to accompany the Pro-
! teus. When / found it among the papers
! furnished me at once carried it to You
! (Gen. Hazen(, and called your attention
| specially to that clause relating to landing
supplies on Littleton Island. You said in
substance that you did not know how that
had gotten in there, and impressed upon
me the necessity Of carrying out, as far as
possible, the instructions l had received.
These instructions were based upon the let
ter of Lieutenant Greedy, and you called
my attention to the fact that Lieutenant
Greedy strongly urged that the officer COM
handing the relief party should have no
| latitude of action. The paper was not ad-
dressed nor signed, indeed, bore no official
marks whatever. did not then, nor have
| at any time since, regarded it as an or
der, and was surprised to find the state
nent published that this paper was the
supplementary instructions"
General HaZen, in transmitting Lieuten-
| ant Garlington's report to the Secretary of
| War, has written letter in which he SAYS
that the question of supplementary orders,
referred to by Lieutenant Darlington as
having been raised, and in unfairness to
himself, is in substance correctly stated by
aim, and the structures made on him, so far
is they refer to the question OF disobedi-
snce, have been unwarranted.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Oct. 81.
Secretary Chandler has written a letter
10 Commander Wildes, of the steamship
Yantic, with respect to the failure of the
expedition in which he says, after detailing
the instructions to the Yantic and her
failure to comply with them:
"Your attention is also called to an
| other point. You had been furnished with
| copies of instructions to Lieutenant
| Darlington, and were aware that he
was ordered in the event OF the failure
! Of the Proteus to reach Lady Franklin
Bay TO establish a relief station at Littleton
Island, and that Lieutenant Greedy would
sndeavor to reach that point in Sep
sember, expecting there to find relief
party, house, food and provisions. You
were at Littleton Island on August g. and
learned that the Proteus had been crushed,
and that Lieutenant Darlington and his
whole party had gone south, leaving moth
ing for Greedy at Littleton Island. You
could have readily landed there provisions
and supplies, but omitted to do so. You
will please explain this omission. Inclosed
you will also find copy of a memorandum
marked Enclosure t. containing instruc-
tons for the guidance of the naval tender
and the Proteus, and you will inform the
department whether during your voyage
there any such instructions were seen by
you or were orally communicated to you.
Very respectfully, WIN. Z. CHANDLER,
Secretary of the Navy"
Commander Wildes replies that the boil
ers of the Yantic were in an unreliable con-
dition when ordered to fit for the cruise.
Repairs were pushed to hasten departure,
but not being finished on sailing day repairs
were continued from time to time until
arrival at Godhaven. KNOWING that from
thence northward the main dependence
would be on the engines, l determined to
get the boilers in fair condition before leav-
ing. This took six days. One day was
then taken to get coal from the brig Peru,
which had just arrived. Then thick, stormy
weather set in which delayed our departure
two days. We arrived at Godhaven with
but 40 tons coal, and more time was lost,
so that it was July % before we could leave.
Six days more were lost by dense fog, and
on the 3lst we cleared fr ON Uppernavik for
delay made at any point. Had we sailed
from Godhaven the same time as the Pro-
teus, besides being unable to keep up with
her we would have arrived at Littleton
Island with a coal supply reduced TO
seventy-five tons and the boilers I'm Ieaky,
precarious condition. Commander Wildes
says he did not delay one moment after he
considered the ship prepared, but pushed
ahead and only reached Pandora harbor to
find that the boats had gone south six DAYS
before. He considered il his first and para
mount duty to pick up the boats, which
contained thirty-seven men, and having
done that IL would be time to consider what
next Having made a long and unsuccess-
ful search for the boats, a heavy pack of
ice moved down behind, and leaving no
alternative but to proceed to Upernayik.U
The letter concludes as follows:
"The memorandum marked Enclosure ~
with no date or signature, which presume
are the supplementary instructions so often
spoken of, was never heard of by me until
our arrival in st. Johns, nor seenuntil now.
/ am prepared to shoulder all responsible
ity which properly belongs to me, and IL
this statement is not satisfactory, and
ment that have not done my duty as am
officer of the United States Navy, / respect
fully request that court of inquiry may be
ordered on my conduct, as do not wish to
rest under the imputation that have heed
lessly and unnecessarily left Lieutenant
Greedy and party to the possibility of per.
ishing by starvation. 1 am, sir. your obe-
dent servant, FRANK WILDRs.
Commander, U. s. N.n
Ese
Exaggerated Reports.
CoNsrASTINoPLE. Oct. q.
The first accounts OF the earthquake in