The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-16
TO THE RELIEF OF GREEDY
Arrangements Being Made to Secure
the Safety of His Party.
Review of the Situation and the Expedi-
tion-OpiniOn of an Old Arctic Elk
plOrer on the Chances

WASHINGTON, April 14.-Reports have re-
Gently been published to the effect that much
uneasiness is felt by officers of the Signal
Service and Arctic experts in this city with
regard to the safety of Lieutenant Greely's
meteorological station party at Lady Frank
Inns Bay. There is danger, it has been said,
that the relief expedition which is now being
organized will fail to reach its destination, as
the relief expedition did last year; that Lieu
tenant Greely's party will be forced TO retreat
down the rugged coast of Grinnel Land next
winter, and that this enforced retreat may be
as disastrous as that of Lieutenant-com-
mander belongs through the Lena delta,
The following is review of the situation
OF Lieutenant Greely's party, as it is under
stood by those who have given most careful
attention to the subject, and of the measures
which are to be taken to insure the safe re-
turn of the party to America;
Fort Conger which is the meteorological
station established by Lieutenant Greelys
party in 1881 is situated on the eastern coast
of Grinnel Land, just north of Lady Frank
lin bay, in about latitude so 40. 1t is fur
Their north than the winter quarters of any
Arctic expedition which ever followed the
Smith Sound route, with the exception of
the Polaris expedition, and the expedition OF
Sir George Mares in 1876. The coast of Grin
mel Land south of the meteorological station
is extremely wild, rugged and desolate, and
for a distance of at least 300 miles is entirely
uninhabited The nearest permanent settle
ment of natives, so far as known, is that Of
the Estaheskimos. on the other side of
Smiths Sound. $50 miles or more from the
CT ltie ,-frr
fore, is entirely isolated from all local assist
ance, and must depend for its safety, first,
upon its exertions, and second, upon the CO.
operation of the relief expedition from this
country. The party is supplied with pro-
visions enough to last until the summer of
1884, but il is Lieutenant Greely's intention
to retreat southwark down the coast of Grin
mel Land next winter as indeed he must do
il the second relief expedition fails to reach
him.
THE RELIEF EXPEDITION.
This relief expedition which is now being
organized, will consist of fourteen men, in
Guiding a capable ice pilot and three expert
enced sailors. selected from the Nevfound-
land sealing float and will be under COM
mand of Lieutenant Darlington, Seventh
cavalry. 1t will be abundantly supplied
with provisions, sledges, fur clothing and
necessary equipments of all kinds for a win
ter's campaign, and will sail from St. Johns,
Newfoundland, IN a stanch sailing steam er,
about the LIST of next July. If this steamer
makes fair average passage, it will reach
the mouth of Smiths Sound before Aug. 1,
and will then be only about 200 nautical
miles from Lieutenant Greely's station. At
this point, however, the real difficulties of
the expedition are likely to begin 1t is
more than probable that Smiths Sound
will be SO blocked up with heavy pack-ice
and immense bergs from the Humboldt
glacier that it will be impenetrable through
out the short navigabe season, and that the
expedition will be stopped at the very gate
way of the narrow ice-choked channel which
leads up to Lady Franklin Bay. In this event
the relief party will be landed with ready
made house and all the stores at Lfeboat Cave,
OH the eastern shore of the sound opposite
Cape Sabine, where they will go into winter
quarters. The steamer will return to Amer
lea, leaving Smiths Sound between the LIST
and 10Th OF September, in time to escape
most of the danger of being imprisoned in
ice for the winter. As early in the fall as
practicable Lieutenant Darlington will open
comm unication with the Esquimaux, and
organize a dogsledge party, with native
drivers. to cross Smiths Sound to Cape Sa-
bine or Cape Hawks, and then proceed north
ward up the coast of Grinnel Land to Lieu
tenant Greely's station. In the meantime
Lieutenant Greedy will have abandoned his
station, and will have started on the retreat
down the same coast, so that at some point
between Lady Franklin Bay and Cape Sa-
bine the two parties are likely to meet.
GREELY's CHANCES
Along the line of Lieutenant Greely's re-
treat, there are four caches of provisions,
amounting in the aggregate to about 1900
rations, or enough to supply his party with
food for forty or fifty days. The first of these
revision depots is at Carl Ritter bay, fifty
miles from the station; the second is at Cape
Collinson sixty-fve miles further down the
coast the third is at Cape Hawks, forty eight
miles further, and the last at Cape Sabine,
which will be in sight from the permanent
winter quarters of the relief party at Life
boat Cave. So far as food is concerned. there
fore, Lieutenant Greely's retreat would seem
to be secure. He could, it is thought make
the distance between the station and head
quarters of the relief party in sixty days. if
he could make it at all. Officers of the Sig
nal Service say, therefore, that there is little
or no danger of such catastrophe on the
coast of Grinnel Land as that which
occurred in the Lena delta. De Long
was in region of whose geo
graphy he was entirely ignorant, while
Greedy will be on a coast with which he is
we'll acquainted, and one whose outlines
have been carefully charted. De Long had
no provisions to start with, while Greedy will
start with full sledges. and can resupply him
self at four different places in distance of
220 and 230 nautical miles. De Long had no
assistance or cooperation until il was too
late to be OF any avail, while Greedy will be
met by relief party acting under written
orders previously drawn up by Greedy him
self in view of this very emergency 1t is
not true, therefore, General Hazen says, that
great anxiety is felt here with regard to
Lieutenant Greely's safety. Even if the
present life eypedition doas not Sucoaad Il,