The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1883-09-22
The Situation of the Greels, Parry
Considered Desperate, Rut Not
Entirely UOpeless--rhe Chan"
ces aud Modes OF Escape.

WAsHINGTON, Sept. l4.-NO addi-
fonat reports have been received to-
day, either at the State or Navy De-
partment, from the officers returned
from the Greely relief expedition ut st.
John. 1t seems to be generally con-
ccded by those who have given the
most attention to that subject that the
complete and disastrous failure of the
relief expedition was mainly due to the
omission of Lieut.. Darlington to land
his stores onto I.ittleton Island, or
some other iceberg point north OF
Smiths Sound, before attempting the
hazardous navigation beyond, If he
had done this the destruction OF the
Proteus would have been q compare
lively trifling misfortune, and would
not necessarily have imperiled the
lives Of either her crew or the party
they were sent north to rescue. Gar
Iington and his men could then, after
the destruction of their ship, have re-
turned to the base Of supplies thus es-
tablished, and could have carried out
the remainder Of their plans for the re-
lief of the Lady Franklin Bay party by
means Of sledge expedition up the
coast Of Grinnett Land. AS it is now
there is no party at the mouth O!
Smiths Sound TO cooperate with Lieut..
Greeley, and no considerable supply OF
food there for him to retreat upon, and
the fatal mistake, it is said, which
Lieut.. Darlington made, was in plunS-
| ing into the extremely dangerous ice
of Smiths Sound without having es-
tablished at the mouth of the sound a
depot of provision and houses upon
which he could fall back in case of
disaster.
| There would seem, however, to he
| some justification for the course pur-
sued hy him in the order isstted him
| by Gen. Hazen on the 7th Of June, just
| before he sailed from New York
These orders were in part As follows ::
aft it should become clearly apparent
that the vessel cannot he pushed
through, you will retreat from your
advanced position, and land your party
| and stores at or near Life Boat Cave
| These orders clearly imply direction
not to land his house and stores until
he should have run all risks OF Smith 5
! Sound, and have found it impossible To
get through. They virtually direct
him to land his stores late in the season
| on his retreat, and not early in the sea
sou on his way up, IA would seem To
have been the more prudent course.
The attention of the acting Chiefsig-
nal officer was called to-day, by the
Associated Press reporter, To this part
OF Gen. Hazen's original order To Lieut..
darlington, and he was asked whether
the particular instruction in question
had ever been revoked or modified.
He said it had by supplementary or
ders sent Darlington just before the de
parture of the relief expedition from
| 81. John last summer.
Those supplemental orders which
have never been made public, We're as
follows "The naval tender is to join
the Proteus ut st. Johns, y. f., and to
proceed with her to the neighborhood
of Littieton Island. The Proteus is to
land her stores, except the supplies foI
the more northerly depot at Littletor
Island on her way north. IL she sue
ceeds i'm reaching Lady Franklin Bay
she is to pick up the stores, house and
depots, if possible, on her return. The
naval tender will await the return O.
the Proteus in the neighborhood o
Littleton Island, and on her return
steam to the south in her company un
til she reaches the southern limits OF
the ice pack, when the vessels may
separate. Should the Proteus be crush
ed In the ice her crew viii retire on
Llttlston Island, and the tender will