The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-08-28
THE GREELY EXPEDITION.
An Interesting Narrative Of the Par
TVS Experience in the Lone
some Arcties.
The Happy Hours and Grand Sights
Which Preceded the Days
Of Starvation and
Terror.


Terror.
PORTSMOUTH, N. H., Aug. l.
For the purpose of obtaining som
idea of the general nature and prob
able value Of the scietific observa
} tion made by Greely at Lady Frank
lin Bay, an associated press agen
visited him Saturday. Greely frs
stated the object of the Lad,
Franklin Bay expedition, viz: TC
establish polar station, one of the
thirteen suggested by Lieut.. Weip
rect, Of Australia, who discovered
Franz Joseph Land. Simultane
Gus observations of all physical
phenomena were to be taken. A
complete programme, which was tc
be followed, was arranged by an in
ternational polar congress, in which
representatives of thirteen nations
took part. The observations in
which the greatest possible accura-
cy were to be had, were those of the
declination and direction of the
magnetic needle, temperature of the
air and sea, weight of the barome-
ter and mean and maximum rise
and fall of the tides. All explora-
tions were incidental to the main
objects of the expedition.
The expedition was fitted out un-
der the authority of congress, and
was composed of three officers of
the army, one acting surgeon and
nineteen enlisted men from the ar
my. Rations for 81 months were
put on the Proteus, which left ST.
Johns July Z, 1881, with the party
She touched at Disco Island and
Upernavik to procure sledges, dogs,
skins and dog food. Two Esqui
maux were added to the party at
Proven. A landing was
MADE AT CAREY ISLAND
in the north water, and the provis-
ions cached by Mares IN 1875, in
the Alert, were found in good con
dition. At 44ittleton Island Greely
personally recovered the English
arctic mail left by Sir Allen Young
in the Pandora in 1866 At Carl
Ritter Bay, in Kennedy Channel, a
cache for provisions for use on the
retreat was made. 1t was the orig
inal intention to establish the polar
station at Water course Bay, bnt
heavy masses of ice rendered Wa
ter-course Bay exceedingly danger
Gus for anchorage. Moving to Dis
covery Harbor the station was there
established on the site occupied by
the English exploring party of 1875.
The erection of house was at once
commenced and the stores and
equipments landed.
On the 2Sth of August came the
parting between the Greely party
and the men of the Proteus. The
little band gathered on the frozen
shore and watched the Proteus as
she steamed slowly down through
Lady Franklin Bay On the even
ing of the same day the temperature
sank below freezing point and
THE ICY, ARCTIC WINTER
was on them in earnest. Their
house was finished about a week af-
ter the Proteus left. It was named
in honor of Senator Conger, "Ft.
Conger." During the first month
the cold affected the men more than
at any subsequent time at Ft. Con
ger. La.er on in December the
temperature sank to from SOC to $50
below zero and so remained for days
at time; but even In that weather
the cooks favorite amusement was
dancing bare-headed, bare-armed
and with slippered feet on top of
snow-drift. During the day the
men dressed in ordinary outside
clothing, but their fannels were
heavy.
Five men were generally for a
part of the day engaged in scien-
tific work under Greeley's direction
and in the duties of the camp. The
remainder were employed generally
about one hour day, and devoted
the rest of the time to amusement.
All slept in hunks. The quarters
were heated by a large coal stove,
the average heat maintained being
500 above zero. Checkers, cards,
chess and reading was the amuse-
ments of the evening. The life,
Greely said, was
FAR FROM LONELY ONE.
Many of the men said they had
never passed two happier years
than those spent atFort Conger. On
the 10th OF October the sun left
them for 135 days and twilight
varying from half an hour to "a
hours succeeded. For two months
it was so dim that the dial of a
watch could not be read by it. On
April 11th, the sun came aboye the
horizon and remained there I35
days, giving the party great suffi
cheney of the midnight sun. Dur
ing three months the stars were Wis
ible constantly, the consultations
of the Orien's belt and Great Bear
being the brightest. The north
star looked down from almost over
head.
Standing alone outside the fort
on one of these nights the scene
was weirdIy grand. To the north
famed the aurora borealjs snd the
bright co installations were set like
jewels around the glowing moon.
Over everything was dead silence,
so horribly oppressive that a man
clone is
TEMPTED TO KILL HIMSELF,
so lonely does he feel. TIE astron
omer Of the party said that with the
naked eye a star of one degree
smaller magnitude than can be seen
here in the same way might be dis
cerneG. The moon would remain
in sight for from eleven 10 twelve
davs at n time.