National Republican., 1883-11-17
THE EPROTEUS INVESTIGATION.
Lieut. CaziarC Identifies the Original Draft Of
Instructions to Lieut. Darlington.
Amendments Appear to Have Been
Made Upon Suggestions.
No Discussion Of the Littleton Island Scheme by
Gen. Hazen With His Officers
Tho Protous Not Properly Equipped and
Her Boilers Detective.

The examination of Lieut. Caziarc was re-
Simed yesterday before the Proteus court of
inquiry. Witness identified the original draft
of instructions to Lieut. Darlington, and de-
cribod the changes which had subsequently
been made. From this IL appeared that the
original was prepared by Capt. Clapp, and
that the amendments were made upon sug-
gestions of Prof Abbe, Gen. Hazon, Capt.
Mills, and others with whose handwriting
witness was not familiar. In reply to the
court, witness stated that tho scheme for
landing stores at Littleton island on the way
north was original with him, 80 far as he
knew. In reply to Lieut.. Garlington's
counsel who called witness's attention To
the statement of Gen. Hazen that he (Hazen)
had originally considered this schome and
discussed it with his officers, witness said
that no such discussion took place in his
presence or within his knowledge. Witness
explained tho reference mado to Enclosure
in tho copy of instructions furnished to
the secretary of war after the disaster-a
reference which does not appear in the or
iginal instructions given to Lieut.. CARING
ton. He said it had been found that q pencil
reference TO Enclosure 4" had boeu made on
the margin of one of the photographic copies
of the instructions, and the clerk who pre-
pared the copies for the secretaries of war
and tho navy had by misunderstanding
copied the words into the body of the instruc-
tions.
Witness asserted that when the instructions
were returned from Gen. Hazen bearing that
officers signature, the memorandum was with
them, his attention having been called to il
by his chief clerk. The original draft of the
memorandum was given to Capt. Powell. and
had, as witness understood, been delivered to
the secretary of the navy. A copy was given
to Gen. Hazen with the instructions, and it
was this copy which had been returned by
Gen. Hazen. Witness said that about the
sixth or seventh of Juno he had been in
formed by Gen. Hazen that the original draft
of the memorandum had been given by him
(Hazen) to the secretary of the navy, and
that the plan for the movements of the Yantic
would be made, or had been made, con-
tormable to that plan.
Capt. Mills, property and disbursing officer
of the signal service, was called to the wit
ness stand and questioned with regard to the
discrepancies between tho instructions given
to Lieut.. Darlington and the copy of them
furnished to the secretary of the navy after
the disaster. He substantiated Lieut. Caz-
lares statement with regard to tho insertion
OF the words Enclosure A." and stated that
he had discovered the discrepancy three or
four days after delivering the copy to the
himself told that officer that tho words were
not q part of the instructions given to Lieut..
darlington, but appeared in the copy as the
result of a clerical error. He said that the
secretary having called his attention to the
fact that tho copy purporting to bear an Of
hcial copy of tho records was unsigned he
(wtness) said he would make it complete,
and taking the copy Endorsed upon it the
words, signed, ii. B. Hazen, chief signal Of
fcer.n
Lieut.. Colwell, of the navy, was called to
She witness's chair at 3 o'clock. His examina.
tion developed nothing materially differing
from that previously given by other witnesses
in respect to the main feature of the case
Questioned about tho equipment of the
Proteus for Arctic service, he said he con-
sidered it very bad Her boilers were defect
i've, and her owners, before the vessel was
chartered for the trip, had arranged to have
her sent home to Scotland for repairs to her
boilers. Her boats were unseaworthy. She
had four boats, two of which would float and
two of which would not. When on the
frames daylight could be seen through their
seams. Being put into water two of them
swelled up in two days so as to
stop their leaks. The equipment of the
boats was very bad. The rigging of the ship
was very old. On the way up, some new
standing rigging was fitted The ships COM
passes were Enthusiastically. The main re-
lance was placed on a liquid compass, which
was kept down in the captains cabin. The
captain had no idea of the local deviation of
his compass. He stated to witness that the
ship had been swung once for local deviation
since she was built ten years before. She had
one patent log, which was lost by backing and
coiling it around her propeller. Tho sailing
vessels Of st, Johns were all old, the Proteus
being one of the newest. Her rigging could
have been replaced in two weeks New boats
might have been procured at once in any sea-
board town. 1t would have taken six months
to replace the boilers
The first mate of the Proteus was son of
her captain, 81 or 22 years of age, and had
never been in the Arctic regions before. The
second mate was a cousin of the captains,
also a very young man. He was rated on tho
ships books as a boatswain, This trip was
the first in which he had ever been an officer.
The chief engineer was making his first trip
IN that capacity, having been promoted from
senior assistant just before the vessel sailed.
The boats Of Lieut.. darlington were not as
carefully fitted as they should have been.
They were procured from the Brooklyn navy
yard. There were defects in tho fitting of
the sails, cleats and pins and Delaying sheets
and halyards, and some of these were missing
in one of the boats The masts didn't fit in
either of them. Gearing was wanting on the
sails. The oar locks furnished for the steer
ing oar were placed too far forward to mako
the oar of any use.
Witness thought tho Yantic would not he
able to go up directly to Littleton island. He
thought, however, she might follow the edge
of the pack to the westward and go up that
way along the west coast of BaiIin's bay.
Where the Proteus got up the ice appeared to
DO less close TO the westward than by tho
route she had come. Tho chances of her
coming up at all were not such as would have
induced witness to wait for her.
By tho court: Woll, then, why was the
Yantc sent up there?
Answer, don't know.
The court at o'clock adjourned until
Monday,
Ero,, NJor,,I,,,,,g,, S,.-,,.,