National Republican., 1883-11-21
Not Such as Would Have Bean Enlisted on the
YandC as ssaIien.
Lieut.. CoIwelI Says the Officers Had
No Control Over Them,
He Also States That Capt Pike Was Without E1-
perienCe in Arctic lce
Gen. Hazen Makes n Statement and Wants
Moro witnesses Summoned.

Witness asked the court If IL was permis-
sible for any person outside of the court to
ask him any question they might desire.
He was informed that the questions might
he proposed to tho court, and would become
the questions of the court.
Gen. Hazen asked what positive knowl-
edge witness had that the crew of the Proteus
was made up of "beach combers, longshore-
men, and not seamen." Tho contract was
made with the owners of the Proteus, firm
of long standing and high respectability, and
he believed every possible means had been
taken to secure good crew.
Witness said the Proteus was engaged too
late to secure good crew. He had also re-
ceived information on the subject from Lieut..
Colwell, and had, moreover, caused the crew
of the Proteus to be mustered every morning
while they were on the Yantic, and thus had
an oppurtunity been afforded to form per-
sonal observation. The majority were not
such men as would have been enlisted on the
Yantic as seamen.
Gen. Hazen asked what evidence Capt.
Wildes had that the crew of the Proteus were
mutinously inclined.
Witness said his information was all de-
rived from Lieut.. Colwell
Gen. Hazen asked whether witness yester-
day intended to include the chief signal
officer and the officers of the signal service in
stating that the authors of the expedition had
not, to his knowledge, studied the authorities
in regard to Arctic navigation before Lieut.
Darlington was sent out
Witness. have nothing to add to the an
swer there, sir.
Gen. Hazen. Then would like to ask what
he (witness) knows about the study or ex-
pericnce Of the chief signal officer and the
officers of the bureau in regard to that expe-
dition.
Witness. said that didn't know that any
reference was made to former experience.
That is not to my knowledge l only judged
by what is patent to everybody, what every
body can see for themselves, of the progress
and results last year and this year. That is
the only reason.
Gen. Hazen. Then I would like to ask
wherein the expedition either last year or
this year failed to get as far north or do as
much as any ships could do up to the time
that the ship last year came to the solid pack
which no ships could pass and this year until
she, by false seamanship or the acts of God,
was nipped and sunk.
Witness Probably they did as much as
they could do last year and this year, fitted
and equipped as they were.
Lieut. Colwell was recalled, and in reply to
inquiries said that Capt. Pike ''connedh his
ships from the bridge under direction of one
of his mates in the Crownest Capt. Pike
was without experience in Arctic ice. Wit
ness also was without experience. Looking
back at the events of the voyage he thought
the Proteus should have been taken out of
the pack and returned to Payer harbor when
it was stopped the night previous to the dis
aster. The officers Of the Proteus had no
control over the crew. At the time of the
disaster witness heard one of the crew defy
one of the officers, telling him that the
Proteus was lost, and they were no more
officers. Several times he had heard Capt.
Pike give orders which were not obeyed by
his crew. Witness had received private in
formation from a member of the crew that
led him to keep an armed watch over the
Darlington boats, the crew having formed o
plot of seizing them as being better than the
Proteus boats, and making their way to the
west coast.
The witness being relieved, Gen. Hazen
asked leave to make statement. Permission
being given, Gen. Hazen said that the Proteus
and the captain were hired after very deliber-
ate and careful consideration. Capt. Pike
brought to the owners of the ship from Lieut.
Greedy, in 1884, o letter highly indorsing him.
Tho owners Of the Proteus were a firm of
very long standing-over hundred years
and of the highest respectability, who con-
sdered their probity in business as high as it
was possible for any firm to do. They made
the contract to furnish the ship thoroughly
equipped, manned, and provisioned in the best
possible way. They now claim that they did
80. If they did not, they were very much at
fault. 1t was in evidence that they didn't
do it. He would, therefore, ask that Capt.
Pike, Mr.. Symes, the agent of the
owners of the Proteus, and United States
Consul Malloy, of st. Johns, through whom
the contract was made, be called as witnesses
Without wishing to cast any reflection upon
the gentlemen who had testified, it would
seem that the other side should be heard.
These gentlemen had expressed desire to be
heard. 1t had also been said that the origi-
majors of the expedition did not give the sub
ject proper study-did not properly plan it,
and that the means were inadequate. He
would like to have Capt. Clapp, of the 10th
infantry, who knew more of that than any
body else, except himself, brought before the
court to testify to the character of the study.
He would, furthermore, like to have Gen.
John B. Hawkins, who bought the stores.
called to testify with regard to their quality
In reply to inquiries, Gen. Hazen said he
had seen portion of the crew, and they
created a favorable impression on his mind
With regard to Capt. Pike, he was reputed in
all that country to be the best captain for
that service AS to the ships, both the
Proteus and the Neptune were reputed in
that section as among the best, and in many
respects the very best for the service. That
fleet was made expressly for ice service. 1t
was the development of more than 200 years
experience in sealing work. 1t was COM
posed of more than 1000 ships. The best
steamers, manufactured in the best shipyards
VI oCobiduub W0Io IuOESp anu INC OF
the entire community was that these were
the best ships obtainable for the purpose. He
had yet to be informed wherein they failed
to meet the emergency until they met an
impossible barrier. He was informed that
Capt. Pike had all his life been in that ice
service in Baflins bay, and that his expe-
rience was everything that was necessary.
The boats Of the Proteus seemed TO him Il en-.
Hazen) to be fair boats. Tho equipments OF
these sealers would not come up to the stand
ard of the naval service of the United States.
Commodore John g. Walker, chief of tho
bureau of navigation, was next sworn. His
examination was brief, and added little to the
summary of facts already made public. The
Yantic, he said, was the smallest and handiest
of the vessels available for the expedition
1t was not to be expected that the two
vessels would keep together. Witness be-
lieved the Yantic would be able to make her
way as far as Littleton island during the
season, and in this respect she had done
better than was expected, ing reached
that point earlier than il was supposed she
would do.
The chief purpose to be served in sending
her was to afford u means of rescue in case OF
disaster 20 the Proteus-to do in fact what
she had done Nothing was said before send
ing her about her leaving stores ut Littleton
island OF anywhere else.
At 230 the room was cleared, and the court
went into secret session. When the doors
were reopened the court adjourned.
Negligent and inefficient Officers.