New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-14
ANOTHER ARCTIC CATASTROPHE

The loss of tho PrOteus adds another To the
long list of Arctic disasters. This vessel was
chartered by General Hazen, of the Signal Ser
vice. to convey relief expedition to Discovery
Bay, Lady Franklin Sound. where the northern
most of the twelve international stations was
established in 1881 for scientific observation.
She left St. Johns ON June %, accompanied by
the United States man-of-war Yantic, and after
stopping at Disco, Greenland, for Esqumau
dogs for sledges, proceeded To Smith Sound.
She was to push on to Discovery Harbor, If the
ice barrier stretching across from Cape Hawkes.
TO Cane Inglefeld should permit, and take of
the colonists but If the passage of the upper
waters of Smith Sound should be impracti-
cable, a house was to be erected at Life Boat
| Cove and small party was to he stationed
there to look out for Lieutenant Greedy, and if
| possible to reach him by sledges. The fantic
was to 20 as far as Cape Sabine and remain at
the mouth of Smith Sound as late as possible In
order to co. operate withth relief ship III esta6-
fishing the winter quarters in the locality in
dcated 10y Lieutenant Greedy in his last letters.
| The special dispatches which we have received
| from correspondent of THE TRIBUNE accom-
| panying the relief expedition show that the
| Proteus was crushed in the ice near Cape Sabine
| on the night of July %. The catastrophe was
| sudden, like that which overwhelmed Leigh
Smiths Ezra in Franz Josef Land tw 30 years
ago. The ship was nippcd between two Ice
| foes and sank rapidly. There WAS barely time
| TO secure prc visions and clothing for the of
| the shipwrecked crew in retreating across
| Smith Sound to Life Boat Cove. single
cache of provisions and clothing was erected on
| the mainland in the line of Greely's retreat
| The crew Of the Proteus and the officers and
| men of the relief expedition do not appear to
| have halted long at the proposed winter head
quarters. Apparently the house had not been
constructed and no stores for the winter had
| been landed on the way up Smith Sound.
| Those who had gone out to rescue Lieutenant
| Greedy and his men we're themselves sOrey ir
| need of assistance. They could do nothing but
| scan the horizon for.the Yantic and make their
way southwark along the coast. The TRIB-
UNE's correspondent gives graphic account OF
| their voyage in their boats to Cape York, and
| thence to Upernavik, where they arrived on
| August "a, month and day after the Pro-
! teus had gone down. The Yantic, of which
| they had not caught glimpse during the inter-
val, took them on board on September and
| conveyed them to st. Johns. The relief ex
petition has therefore ended most disastrously.
| The PrOteus has been lost, Lieutenant Gar
| lington and his companions have had a most
agonizing experience, and Lieutenant Greedy
and the Arctic observers have been left to their
| fate. They will retreat from Discovery Bay as
soon it is apparent that their rescue is no
longer to be expected and If they succeed in
reaching Life Boat Cove they will not find any
body awaiting them in winter quarters. rhey
| hal
| and their fate will be source of terrible anx
| iety to their friends during a twelyemonth to
| come.
There are several points in connection with
| the management OF the Inflated expedition
which will require critical attention and official
| investigation. The vessel which went down
was steam-sealer built expressly for Arctic
service and selected with good judgment by
| General Hazen. No fault is to be found with
the ship or with her model, and she was conf
manded by Captain Pike, one of the most
experienced Arctic nayigators. The loss OF the
vessel will probably prove to have been one of
those catastrophes which can neither be fore
seen nor avoided in high latitudes. What
| seems inexplicable is the lack of cooperation
between the Proteus and Yantic. The disaster
occurred early III the Sc ason, and If the second
| ship had been close at hand or at some rendez-
vous agreed upon in advance there would still
have been time TO establish the winter station
| in the locality designated by Lieutenant
Greedy. Judgment on this point and on other
matters must be served until the official re-
ports are received and all the details are
known. 1t is to be hoped that there have been
no chickering's between tho army and naval
officers, and that Lieutenant Darlington and
the officers of the Yantic did not venture
north on their joint errand to save Lieutenant