Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-09-20

York. These orders were in part a,
follows IF it should become
clearly apparent that tie vessel
cannot be pushed through, you will
retreat from your advanced
position, and land your party and
stores at or near Lifeboat Cave
These orders clearly imply directions
not to land his house and stores until
he should have run all risks of Smiths
Sound and have found it impossible to
get through They virtually direct
him to land his store latee in the sea-
son on his retreat, and not early in the
season on his way up. As it is there
is no party at the mouth of Smiths
Sound to cooperate with Greeley, and
no considerable supply of food there
for him to retreat upon A fatal mis-
take it is said, which Darlington
made, was in plunging into the ex-
tremely dangerous ice of Smiths
sound without having established at
the mouth of that sound a depot of
provisions and house, upon which
he could fall back in case of disaster
Ii would seem, however, that there
was some justification for the course
pursued by him in the orders issued
to him by General Hazen on the
first of June, just before he sailed
He seemed to have been more prudent.
The attention of the acting chief sig
nal officer was called to-day by an as
ISOLATED press reporter to this part of
General Hazen's original order and
he was asked whether the particular
instruction in question has ever been
revoked or modified. lie replied that
it had been supplanted by orders sent
sent Darlington just before the de-
parture of the relief expedition from
ST Johns last summer.
These orders were that the Proteus
should land her stores at Littleton's
Island, except the supplies for more
northerly depots, and make her way
to Lady Franklin's Bay. On her re
turn, the naval tender which accom-
panied her was to rejoin her near Lit
tleton's Island, and the two were to
steam south to the southern limits of
the ice pack. Should the Proteus be
crushed in the ice her crew were
to retire to Littleton's Island,
and the tender would bring them to
St Johns The orders were full and
explicit. They We're to leave full
particulars at Littleton Island by sig
nal flags photographs and guns, and
/ to maintain communication between
the two vessels as long as possible,
after their separation by the passage
of the Proteus to the north. Nothing
in the north ward movement was to
be allowed TO retard the progress Of
/ the Proteus. She was to take adj
vantage of every lead to get up to
Lady Franklin Bay.
1t appears that Darlington disre-
garded or found it impracticable to
obey these orders with regard to land
ing the stores on his way up, since
the Proteus was crushed with all her
stores ON board after she had passed
the point where the stores should have
been landed. The secretary of war
and chief of the signal service have
been discussing plans for relief of the
Lady Franklin Bay party, but it
seems impossible to do anything be-
fore next spring. No vessel could be
dispatched hither now with any hope
OF reaching or getting into commune
cation with them. There seems to be
faint hope that the Greeley party
may survive another winter either by
reaching some of their caches of pro
visions stored on their way up or by
living with the Esquimaux who, in
scant numbers, inhabit the northern
shores of Greenland Lieut.. Beebe
last year stored some provisions at va
rious points on the path which they
must traverse.