Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-10-25
THE GREELEY EXPEDITION.

/ CuIet SlSudI OIucef the OInclaI report
OF Lieut.. E. 4. Darlington, com
mander of the recent 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 search of the Proteus. and the
retreat of her survivors in small boats
to the North Greenland set
Element of Upernavik. The prin.
clpal points of the narrative
have been covered before by previous
accounts from various sources, but the
comments and explanation of Lieut..
Darlington are new and interesting.
Some additional particulars with re-
gard to the management of the par
ties are also given and tend to show
that Capt. Pike was not as careful
and skillful q navigator as had been
supposed. Among such particulars
are the facts that on the 9th day of
Jul y Capt. Pike ran past the
harbor of God-Haven in entire
ignorance Of it's proximity al
though the weather was clear.
That on July 18th he ran his ship
aground near the mouth of Disco ford
III consequence of neglecting to take
soundings, and that on the 10Th he
went entirely out Of his course and
ran in toward Cape Walker, at the
bottom OF Melville Bay, supposing it
to be Cape York, while the latter in
reality lay $50 miles to the westward.
Lieut.. Darlington, however, does not
charge Capt. Pike with any neglect
or bad judgment in connection with
the nip" by which the Proteus
was crushed, aud says that he
GEMS to regard as an accident, pure
and simple, without any contributory
negligence on the part of any one.
He confirms, however, the statement
first made by Commander Wildes of
the Yantic, with regard to the be-
haviOr of Capt. Pixies crew at the first
alarm of danger. He says those on
duty abandoned their posts and ran
to save their own property in the fore
castle, and as soon as the stores began
to go over the ships side, they com
menced to appropriate every thing
they wanted, breaking open and rifing
boxes and bags, private clothing,
and stealing their contents. Captain
Pike said, in reply to Lieut.. CARING
toms protests, that he was powerless
to prevent this plum Ger of the ship
and that the men of his crew were
the worst lot of scOundrels he ever
saw. In explanation of his course in
starting southwark afterthe wreck of
the Proteus instead of waiting for the
Yantic, Lieut.. Darlington says First,
that he did not believe the Yantic
could get to Littleton island through
such ice as they had encountered, and
second, that he expected to find at
Cape York the Swedish steamer
Sophia, and to avail himself
of her assistance III carrying
out as far as possible, notwithstand-
ing the disaster the plan of Lieut..
Greely's relief. With regard to the
much discussed supplementary orders,
Lit Darlington says: "The only in
structions ever received were the orig
inal instructions published at the time
an unsigned written paper was en-
closed in an envelope with my in
structions. This paper is simply an
authorized copy of the memorandum
prepared by an officer in the signal of
1IGIlOIGIluuul
was to have been furnished the secre-
tary of the navy to form the basis of
instructions to be given the com
mander Of the vessel ordered to &C
company the PrOteus. The paper was
not addressed or signed. indeed it
bore no official marks whatever. [
have never at any time regarded it as
an order and [ was sur
prised to find the statement
published that this paper was the sup
Elementary instructions. Gen Ha-
zen in transmitting Lieut.. CARING
tons report to the secretary of war
has written a letter in which he SAYS
that the question of supplementary
orders referred to by Lieut.. Garling-
ton as having been raised and as an
unfairness to himself is in sub
stance correctly stated by him
and the structures made upon
him sofar as they refer to the question
of disObedience have been unwarrant-
ed. Gen. Hazen adds that with re-
gard to several other points Lieut.
Darlington has been asked for expla-
nations which will be transmitted to
the secretary of war when received.
The Liquor Issue in Chicago.
CHICAGO, Oct. 19.-Last spring the
legislature passed law fixing the
price of saloon licenses at $500. The
city council sought to avoid its opera
ton by passing an ordinance a few
days before the law went into effect,
fixing the price for the ensuing year
at SOB. The Citizens leae ue
has since been fighting the legal
ity of these licenses in TIE courts,
but met with dilatory tactics on the
other side Finally to hurry the mat
tiers, an action in quo warranto was
brought against a prominent saloon
keeper. His counsel demurred, pre-
senting various reasons, all to the eff
feet that this is not the proper method
of procedure. Judge Anthony will |
render decision on the demurrer to-
morrow. The opinion is all written,
except the formal ruling. In it |
he combats and denies the
validity of the points relied on by the
III oo11Ycol o,,J +ho ooy,oI,v