The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-17

whom was intrusted the execution of it. The
department refers to its supplemental orders
as evidence that it had foreseen and guarded
against such misfortune as that which be-
fell the Proteus, by directing that her stores
De landed before she entered Smiths Sound.
Lieutenant Darlington, on the other hand,
seems, it is said, to have no knowledge of
supplemental orders, and to have acted upon
his original instructions, which were to land
his stores on his retreat after he had tried to
get through Smiths sound and had failed.
This apparent misunderstanding between
Lieutenant Darlington and the department
as to the most important step of the sum-
mers arctic campaign will doubtless be
cleared up when further information shall
have been received from Lieutenant CARING
ton by mail As the situation now stands
Lieutenant Darlington seems to have been
acting strictly in accordance with his original
instructions, and his telegram to-day bears, it
is said no evidence of knowledge of modi
fication of these instructions by later supple
mental orders.
Some surprise is expressed here to-day that
Lieutenant Darlington, after the loss of his
ship, did not wait at Cape Sabine or Little
ton island for the arrival of the Yantic,
instead of undertaking the long and hazard
GUS journey in open boats to Uper-
navik. July %, when the Proteus was
crushed, was near the beginning of the
best season of arctic navigation, and was the
height of the arctic summer The ship
wrecked crew would have had to wait for
the Yantic, as events proved, only eleven
days, and if the latter ship had not been
obliged to search for Darlington and his
crew she might have remained two or three
weeks longer at the mouth of Smiths sound,
and have given Lieutenant Greedy that much
more time to reach there, if he was on his
way in boats.
After the receipt, to-day, of the kilograms
from Lieutenant Darlington and Commander
Wilde the Secretary of War had consulta-
ton with the acting signal officer, and it was
finally decided that sending out another ex-
pedition this fail was impracticable, and
would only put more lives in imminent
danger
Views of Man Who Accompanied the
POIaris Expedition.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16-Dr. Emil Bessels,
of this city, who was chief of the scientific
staff of the arctic-exploring steamer Polaris
in 1871-73, and who has also had extended
arctic experience on the coasts east of Green
land and Navaya Zemalya, was asked by
representative of the Associated Press this
evening what he thought of the news from
Smiths sound and the chances of escape of
Leutenat Greedy. He replied:
II was afraid there might be difficulty in
communicating with the Lady Franklin Bay
stations and in bringing the party away
from there at the conclusion of its work. 1t
isn't every year that vessel can sail up
Smiths sound and Kennedy channel,
party on board, in 1881 have
a letter from Commander Markham, of the
British arctic expedition of 1875 written
year and half ago or more, in which he,
too, expresses fear that the United States
government will have trouble in relieving
II IL. II
suggested that vessel might still reach the
Danish settlement at Upernavik this fall.
and a sledge party might be dispatched
northward from there up the Greenland
coast to meet Lieutenant Greedy at the mouth
of Smiths sound but this would not be
practicable. The Greenland coast north of
Upernavik and around Melville bay
is intersected with numerous glaciers,
which it is practically impossible to
cross. If sledge journeys could be made
along this coast the Etah ESkimos, who
live near the mouth of Smiths sound, would
communicate with the Eskimos of the
Danish settlements of whose existence thev
are we'll aware. Especially would they be
likely to do this in times of famine, when, if
they could reach the Danish settlements,
they could get food. But they never have
done it, simply because it is not practicable,
even for them, and still less so for white
men, | think it is too late to do
L
Lieutenant Greedy and his men are now at
the mouth of Smiths sound they can with
out doubt, reach the Etah Eskimos or
some natives that are almost sure to be liv-
ing either at Etah or Sorfolik, near the
mouth of the sound. Whether the Eski-
mos could or would help SO large a party
as that of Lieutenant Greely's through the
winter or not / do not know. 1t would de-
pend upon circumstances. During the
winter we spent at the Polaris House the
Etah Eskimos would not have been able
to keep anybody for the reason that they
were at the point of starvation most
of the time themselves. There are only
few of them. The whole tribe consisted of
about one huddred souls when we wintered
in their country, and they are scattered
along the coast from the vicinity of Littleton
island to Cape York. l think there is
reasonable chance OF Greely's being able to
extricate his party from its difficulties
Lieut. Greely is, of course in a dangerous
situation, but it is possible for a party led
with courage, skill and good judgment to
make it's escape from almost any part of
Smiths sound. unless the conditions are
more than usually unfavorable,"
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