The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-11-20
NEWS AT HOME AND ABROAD.
WHAT TIE WIRES BRING US.
Tho rroteus Inquiry.

The proteus Inquiry.
COMMANDER wILDEs's TESTIMONY BEFORE THE
COURT.
lBy telegraph to the Dispatch.I
| WASHINGTON, ID. c., November 19.--In
the Proteus court Of inquiry Commander
Frank Wlldes, OF the United States navy.
commanding the United States steamer
Yantic, was called to the witness stand this
afternoon. Before taking oath he handed
10 the court two papers, stating that they
were the orders OF the Secretary OF the
Navy under which he reported to the
court.
by the Recorder: "The oath will be adj
ministered to you, Captain Wildes."
Captain Wildes: "Before taking the
oath, Mr.. President, would hike to ask a
qucstion-it Is in what capacity appear
before the court, whether 1t is tohave my
acts as commander of the naval part OF the
expedition inquired into by the court, or
simply the acts OF otbersi"
The court considered Wildes's question
in secret session, and when the doors were
opened Commander WIldes was informed
by the recorder that the court was con-
vered by order OF the President TO investi-
gate all the circumstances attending the
failure Of the expedition Of 1883, and that
he was summoned as q witness TO answer
any questions the court might put; he had
the same privilege that any other witness
had 20 refuse to answer any question which
might tend to criminate himself.
Commander Wildes :" In that case / will
take OATH"
The oath having been administered,
Commander WiIdes identified the i'm
structions under which he had acted on
his voyage. Being asked by the recorder
il. upon learning Of the disaster to the Pro-
teus, it occurred to him to land stores from
the Yantic and make q cache for the Pro-
teus or for the Greedy party, he replied in
the affirmative.
"What was your view on the subject ?"
81 decline TO answer that question:"
The refusal gave rise to brief discus
sion, resulting in the repetition of the
question. 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 accepted as an
answer to the question.
The witness stated that aside from the
sheathing OF the Yantic she had no equip
ment designed especially for Arctic cruis-
ing. The witness said one reason for
the failure OF the expedition was that the
great and important enterprise had been
undertaken with very insufficient and
scanty means. Two ships were sent
north very unlike each other in powers
one as the reserve ship and the other the
leading ship. The one which was TO do
work was foreign ship, differed and
manned by British officers and British
crew, and flying the British flag; the crew
picked up anywhere and everywhere
"beach-combers," 'longshoremen," and
not seamen at all; an expedition of lands
men, sent upon service which required
knowledge OF how to live either upon the
water or land upon ice as well; support
Ing ship sent up which was not suitable
for the purpose, carrying too large q
crew and not enough provisions, entirely
untitled for ice encounters. liable to
be caught in the ice and meet with much
grayer disaster than was actually eXpe-
rienced. When the Navy Department
thought il proper TO send an expedition
North to search for the Jeannette they
convened a board OF high officers, which |
sat for weeks, studying and determining
equipments DOM to the minutest point !
which should be fitted to this ship, what |
the vessel was TO do. where it was TO 20, |
VI Iidt iltU Ntic W ~ III uSl, dIlu CNtH lntu
the ship was lost, though she did very well |
so far as she went. In the present case the |
witness did not know that anything OF the |
kind had been done, though there were |
records OF other Arctic expeditions in |
abundance for reference. He didn't know |
that any reference was made to them. II |
the commander Of the Proteus had been |
familiar with navigation in ice, the ship, in |
the opinion OF the witness, would not |
have gone in rs she did. Captain |
Pike never examined the ice for him.
self and never went aloft, but trusted
to his son and the boatswain for
reports, for which he was supposed to fur
nish all the experience and acknowledge
and seamanship for the expedition. He
furnished none that the witness was aware
of. The witness stated that the Yantic
might have been handled by sixty men,
with some changes in her equipment. She
had been cruising in West Indian waters
before going north. Witness did not know,
except through the newspapers. that his
vessel was to go north until he received his
orders three days before sailing