Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-09-18
Lancaster tntrlligenrFr.
TUESDAY EVENING, SEPT. ;, sss.
Grcely's Relief.

prise there are now score Ot voices OF
Arctic explorers, Of greater or less expe-
rience, crying II told you so,n or ex
planning in the light of newly developed
facts what should have been done.
Before condemnng Lieut.. Darlington,
who has so far been hardly heard in his
own defense, his side of the question
should be examined ,as far as it is clearly
discernable from our present knowl
edge.
First, he did not set out unhampered
by instructions and very properly, as
this was his first Arctic experience
these instructions were of the most mi
mute and positive character, and reg
ulated his movements to a point much
beyond the scene of his disaster.
lie was to push on beyond Littleton
Island, and his programme, approved I've
fore sailing, was to establish depots of
supplies to Gil the gap beyond that point.
On returning, il unsuccessful in his
first effort. he was to have increased the
supplies on Littleton Island, and erected
the house which he carried with him.
The department now falls back
upon some shadowy supplementary in
structions afterwards sent to Darlington
at st. Johns; but the vagueness of these
may be inferred from his curt reply to
the question, " Why did you not leave
stores on Littleton Island ?" " Because
1t was not in my programme see my
Instructions
The fact remains apparent that disas
ter at this point of the route was con-
tingency for which no one was prepared.
The edge of the ice field was not to be
looked for, for some distance beyond, as
the Proteus had sailed In clear water
almost to the site of Greely's station in
'5l.
We have some vague iutimation OF
bad handling of the Proteus, and Lieut.,
Darlington unites with the commander OF
the Yantic in recommending that in fu
ture exploring vessels should be manned
and otficered by the u S. navy. Why this
was not done in the first place seems un-
accountable, for, though crew picked
from the wbalers is no doubt emi.
nently fitted for battling with the ice,
the great essential in an expedition of
this hazardous nature is that the disci
pline shall be Of the unquestionable kind
that can only be found in men trained in
the army or navy.
The commander of the Yantic seen 5
anxious that the navy should conduct
the whole of Arctic research; Lieutenant
Darlington was not navigating his YES
sci and was in no way assuming the role
of naval officer. His most arduous
work was 10 begin when he should have
left his vessel behind and started out by
boats or sledges to brave the tempera
ture aud fatigue of an Arc.ic journey,
unprotected by the snug walls Of YES
sci from the biting cold.
Lieutenant Darlington was selected
for this duty for the same reason that
prompted the selection of Lieutenant
Greely, to whose relief he was sent, and
earlier of Lieutenant Schwatka, who,
travelling almost alone among the Es
quimaux, found the remains of SIR John
fTanklln'S Ill fated party.
These officers had become injured to
exposure and extreme cold during their
service on the frontier in Montana and
Dakota, where, though the mercury may
not fall quite to the Arctic temperature,
the effect upon the traveller is increased
by the fierce winds and storms which
are comparatively rare in the Arctic
regions,
Foolish rs we my regard all Arct C
experiments, fraught as they almost in
variably are with death or serious
injury to the devoted explorer, yet the
Arctic investigations now being pushed
forward at eleven stations surrounding
the pole, are of "a far more practical char
acter than those which have hitherto Oc
cupied the time of the Northern ad
yenturer.
OF these eleven stations, two are under
the auspices of our government, the one
at Lady Franklin bay and the other at
Point Barrow, Alaska. At each station
in the circle simultaneous observations
have been made for the past two years
upon the winds, tides, currents, ,thermom
eter, barometer, and upon those mag
netic and electric phenomena in the
region of the pole, about which 50 little
is known,
Whatever facts the comparison OF
these observations may or may not bring
to light, this method is certainly long
way in advance of the obstinate search
for useless northwest passage or the
stormiDg of the north pole, which we
have only lately abandoned.
Our government may have been too
ambitious in establishing Greely's pOst
too far north for certain relief but yet
1t seems far from probable that tn,
party will have more than a siege of hare
work and exposure toencounter in escap
ing from It's position. This journey is 8
probability to which the party in its Arc
tic exile have no doubt long looked for
ward, and for which their two years OF
residence in that high latitude have nc
doubt fitted them. We should, therefore
while doing all that is practicable t
assist them in their escape, not go so fal
in our alarm for their safety as to rashl,
imperil lives for the relief OF those o.
whom 1t Is far from certain that they