Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-17
THE PROTEUS AN OLD TUB.
FURTHER LIGHT THROWN ON
HER UNSEAWORTHINESS.

Her Boilers Defective-The Compasses
Unreliable-The Life Boats Almost
Useless-The Rigging OId-The First
and Second Mates Mere Boys and the
Chief Engineer Inexperienced.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16.-In the Greely
relief court of inquiry to-day, after Lieut..
Caziarc and Capt. Mills, of the Signal
Office, had completed their explanations
in regard to the celebrated encIos ure No.
without adding anything of value to
their previous testimony, Lieut.. Colwell,
of the navy, was called to the stand.
When questioned about the equipment of
the PrOteus for the Arctic service he said
that he considered it very bad Her
boilers were defective, and her owners
before the vessel was chartered for the
trip had arranged to have her sent
home to Scotland for repair to her
boilers. Her boats were unseawortly.
She had four boats, two of which would
float and two of which would not. When
on the frames daylight could be seen
through their seams. Being put into the
water two of them swelled up in two
days so as TO stop their leaks. The
equipment of the boats was very
bad. The rigging of the ship was very
rigging was fitted. The ships compasses
were untrustwOrthy. The main reliance
was placed on the liquid compass, which
was kept down in the Captains cabin.
The Captain had no idea of the
local deviation of his compass.
He stated to the witness that
the ship had been swung once for local
deviation since she was built 10 years
before. She had one patent log, which
hU
her propeller. The sealing vessels of
st. John were all old, the Pro-
teus being one of the newest.
Her rigging could have been replaced in
two weeks. New boats might have been
procured at once in any seabOard town.
1t would have taken six months to re-
place her boiler. The first mate of the
Proteus was son of the Captain. He was
q or % years of age, and had never been
in the Arctic regions before. The second
mate was cousin of the Captain,
and was also very young man.
He was rated on the ships books as Il
bOatswain. This trip was the first one
which he had ever been an officer. The
Chief Engineer was making his
first trip in that capacity, hav-
ing been promoted from senior as
sIstant just before the vessel sailed. The
boats of Lieutenant Darlington were not
as carefully fitted as they should have
been. They were procured from the
Brooklyn navy yard. There were defects
in the fitting of the sails, cleats and pins
and Delaying sheets and billiards, and
some of these were missing. In one of
the boats the masts didn't fit,
and in both of them gearing was
wanting on the sails. The oarlOcks
furnished for the steering oar were placed
too far forward to make the oar of any
use. The witness thought that the Yam
tic would not be able to go up directly to
Littleton Island. He thought, however,
that she might follow the edge
OF the pack to the westward,
and go up that way along the
west coast of Baffin's Bay. When the
Proteus got up the ice appeared to be less
close to the westward than by the route
she had come. The chances of her coming
up at AL were not such as would have in
duced the witness to wait for her.
The Court-"Well, then, why was the
Yantic sent up there"
Answer-''I don't know"
The court then adjourned until Monday