St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-11-06
The Greely Explorers.
A VIVID DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE
WHERE THEY WERE FOUND.

Commodore Schley has submitted To
the secretary of the navy his report
upon the Greely relief expidition, the
total cost of which was S750,000. He
graphically describes the voyage of
the three vessels composing the expe-
ditiOn and the circumstances attending
the finding of the surviving members
of Greely's party. Lieut.. Grcely was
found, he says, i'll his sleeping bag, his
body inclined forward and head rest
ing upon his left hand. The book of
common prayer was open and held in
his right hand. He appeared to be
reading prayers to Private Cornell,
whose condition was most desperate
and critical. He was cold to the waist
All sensation of hunger was gone. He
was speechless and almost breathless:
his eyes were fixed and CLASSY. In
deed, the commodore says, his weak
ness was such that it was with difficul-
ty he swallowed the stimulants given
him by Drs. Green and Ames; his Jaws
had dropped; his heart was barely
pulSating, and his body temperature
very low. This tender scene of IL
helpless, almost furnished officer, con-
sOling dying companion was in it
self one that brought tears to the eyes
of the strongest and stOutest of those
who stood abont them on the merciful
errand of relief.
Sergts. Brainard and Fredericks and
Hospital Steward Bier1ebeck were ex-
tremely weak and scarcely able to
stand; they were no longer able to
venture away from their camp to seek
food, nor to prepare their boiled seal
skin, nor to collect lichens nor to catch
shrimps, upon which they had to de-
pend to great extent to sustain life.
Their faces, hands and limbs were so
swollen that they could not be recog-
nized. This indicated that the entire
party had but IA short lease of life,
probably not more than AZ hours at
most. This fact was recognized by
them all, and had come to them from
their experience during that long and
desolate winter i'll watching their dy
ing companions, as one after another
passed away from among them forever.
Poor Sergt. Ellison was found in his
sleeping bag, where he had lain help
less and hopeless for months, with
hands and feet frozen off. Strapped
" OhC pi bllt NhS I'uiNi
spoon which some companion had Sc
cured there to enable him to feed him
self. His physical condition otherwise
appeared to he the best of any of the
survivors, and this may be attributed
to- the fact that each of his compan-
ions had dOled out to him from his
small allowance of food something to
help him on account of his complete
helplessness. Lieut.. Greedy was phys
ically the weakest. but mentally the
most vigorous of his party. He had
lain in his sleeping bag for weeks OF
account of his gradually failing
strength. He was unable to stand
alone for any length of time, and was
almost helpless except in sitting pos
ture; all pangs of hunger had ceased;
his appearance was wild; his hair WAS
long and unkempt; his face and hands
were covered with soOty black dirt:
his body was scantily covered with
worDout clothes; his form was wasted,
his joints were swollen and his eyes
we're sunken. His first inquiry WAS il
they were not Englishmen; but when