Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-20
WILDES ON THE STAND.
THE PROTEUS AND HER CREW
AGAIN BERATED.

| A Tilt over the Commanders ObIiea-
/ tiOn to Answer Questi0ns-The Vast
Difference between the Two Ships and
the Crews which Manned Them.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1J.-In the Pro-
teus Court of Inquiry to-day Commander
/ Frank Wildes, of the United States navy.
commanding the United States steamship
Yantic, was called to the witness stand
this afternoon. Before taking the oath
he handed to the court two papers stating
that they were the orders of the Secre-
tary of the Navy under which he reported
to the court.
By the Recorder-''The oath will be ad-
ministered to you, Capt. Wildes."
Capt. Wildes-''Before taking the oath.
Mr.. President, would like to ask a dues-
ton. 1t is in what capacity 1 appear
before the cOurt-whether to have nv
acts as commander of the naval part of
the expedition inquired into by the court.
or simply the acts of others?"
The court considered Commander
Wlldes' question in secret session, and
when the doors were opened Commander
Wlldes was informed by the Record 7 that
the court was convened by order of the
President to investigate all circumstances
attending the failure of the expedition of
1885, and that he was summoned as q
witness to answer any questions that the
court might put. He had the same priyi-
lege that any other witness had, to refuse
to answer any question which might tend
to criminate himself.
Commander Wildes-EsIn that case +
will take the Oath.'
The oath having been administered,
Commander Wildes identified the instruc-
tlons under which he had acted on his
voyage. Being asked by the Recorder if
upon learning of the disaster to the
Proteus, it occurred to him to land stores
from the Gantic and make a cache for the
Proteus or for the Greedy party, he replied
in the affirmative.
wv nat was your view on the subject ~
81 decline to answer that question"
The refusal gave rise to a brief discus
sion, resulting in repetition of the ques-
ton, to which the witness replied that the
matter had been fully covered IN his letter
to the Secretary of the Navy.
The letter was read and was accented
as an answer to the questions. The wit
ness stated, that aside from the sheathing
of the 1antic she had no equipment de-
signed especially for Arctic cruising.
The witness said that one reason for the
failure of the expedition was that great
and important enterprise had been under
taken with very insufficient and scanty
means. Two ships were sent North very
unlike each other in pOwers-One as a
reserve ship, the other the leading ship.
The one which was to do the work was a
foreign ship, officered and manned by
British officers and a British crew,
and flying the British flag. The
other had crew picked up nav
where and everywhere of beach comb
ers and longshOremen, not seamen at all:
an expedition of landsmen sent upon a
service which required knowledge of
now TO live either upon water or land, or
upon ice as well; supporting a ship sent
up which was not suitable for the pur-
pose, carrying too large crew and not
enough provisions; entirely untitled for
an ice encounter; liable to be caught in
the ice and meet with much graver dis
aster than was actually experienced.
When the Navy Department thought it
proper to send an expedition north
to search for the Jeanette.
they convened board of high
officers, which sat for weeks
studying and determining the equipment
down to the minutest point which should
be filled for this ship, what the vessel was
to do, where it was to 90, and what men
were to go in her, and even then the ship
was lost, though she did very we'll as far
she went. In the present case the wit
ness did not know that anything of the
kind had been done. Though there were
records of other Arctic expeditions in
abundance for reference, he did not know
that any reference was made to them. If
the commander of the PrOteus had been fa-
nnliar with navigation in the ice, the ship,
in the opinion of the witness, would not
have gone in she did. Capt. Pike never
examined the ice for himself. Never went
aloft, but trusted to his son and bOatswain
tor reports. He was supposed to furnish
all experience and ice knowledge and sea-
manship for the expedition. He furnished
none that witness was aware of. The wit
ness stated that the Yantic might have
been handled by sixty men with some
changes in her equipments. She had been
cruising in the West Indian waters before
going north. The witness did not know,
except through the newspapers, that his
vessel was to go north until he received
his orders, three days before sailing.