The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-07-24

was to lie no triding this time. and the
Thets, the Bear and the Alert were nut
to sea with the resolution 10 fetch back
definite tldings from The terror stocked
regions of ilr pole. The vOyasr WAS enc
Of extreme trial. tlcolnpassed ly every
imaginable hardship. heset or Threatened
with the most appalling dangers. The
story OF the rescue shows that the tiiccly
arty made desperate efforts to escape the
horrors Of its CHASTITY situation, and Gut
forced its agonzing way Il considerable
distance south of the deserted station, en-
deavorlng tn get nearer to the open way of
navigation. After three years of mental
anguish and physical suffering such as can
scarcely he imagined, certainly not I'D
equately described, seven only of tie party
OF twenty five were found alive. Meager
and scantlly official as is the report from
the commander of the rescuers the facts
presented III their bare horror are sufficient
to dismay the mind.
The st. John. Newfoundland. GORE
spondent of the New York Tribune. fur
nishes the following graphic description of
the rescue:
The Thetis met the Bear ut Upernayik.
on May 80, and both ships left The same
day for the north. After IL constant and
severe struggle with the ice in Melville
Bay, they arrived ut Cape York on the
morning of June Is. BY order of Com
mander Schley the Bear WAS now sent
ahead, she being the fastest vessel. Lieu
tenant Colwell was here landed. with u
search party. The Bear was ordered to
push OIL to the Carey Islands. while the
ThetiS waited for C0lwell, and was then
to search the coast. The two vessels were
to meet at Littleton Island The Bear
reached the Carey Islands OH June 81, four
days after leaving Cape York. The Eng
liSh cache there was examined, and found
to be in good condition. Records We're
left, and the vessel proceeded to Littleton
Island. The Thetis searched the coast
from Cape York to Littleton Island. and
found no trace OF the Greedy party. She
arrived at Littleton Island June 81, and
was joined by the Bear on the ed.
A quantity of stores was landed, ind
both ships started for Capt. Sabine, after
leaving orders for the Alert. AT BreVoOrt
Island the two ships were tied to the ice.
and parties were sent out to search for
records or cairns. When Greedy and his
men were first found, the searching party
in the launch was obliged to cut through
the tent to reach the starving men. Lieu
tenant Greedy was just able TO support
himself OH his hands and knees. He was
dressed in fur, with q red knitted hood,
which added to his haggard appearance.
His long hair and beard, bis wasted form
and deep-Sunken eyes, which shone thrO'
his glasses with an increased brillfincy.
his feeble voice, which he stroye to con
troll, but which plainly revealed his feel
Jugs. brought moisture to the eyes OF the
strongest of the relief party. On either
side of him lay two of his companions,
both in dying ondition-Corporal Joseph
Ellison, with both hands and feet frozen
off and unable to raise his head, and pri-
waite Maurice Council. in his sleeping bag,
dying of starvation. Greedy had been read
ing the prayers for the dying when 1.-THE
party arrived. Four of the parity Ser
geant Brainard, Privates Long and Fred
ericks, and Hospital Steward Biederbick,
were first able to stagger out of the tent.
A small quantity of milk punch and am
monia strengthened them. and soon beef
tea and warm milk were added. All We're
stimulated by theirrescue, and their plead
ings for food were heartrending. But all
solid food was refused them, and they were
carefully transported to the Thetis and
Bear and tenderly cared for. sHfalas
1t was with the greatest difficulty that
they were quieted. Their long fast had
left them like insane men, and had they
been allowed to eat as they desired all
would have died. At the time they were
rescued their food consisted Of boiled seal
skin boots cut up fine and mixed with
reindeer moss, rock lichens and small
shrimps, and boiled into a soup. The
shrimps were SO small that it required
from twelve hundred to fourteen hundred
to weigh an ounce. They made tea from
GOV md Ar0f io will An
sional seal would be killed, but very few
were secured when killed in the water.
unless they were drifted in by the tide, rs
they had been obliged to burn their boat,
it being their only fuel. The wood OF the
boat was carefully weighed to make IL
last. The failure to secure the game after
it was shot only added to their misery. 1t
almost made them insane to see map =
seal, walrus, duck and gulls sporting IN
the sea before them, while they were ST ary-
ing. The body OF the last man WIZ died
in the camp, Private Schneider, VIZ found
outside the tent. The party was 100 weak
to bury him, and he was covered only WITH
his sleeping bag. For some days after
their rescue the men We're in a nrecario,s
condition. The great JOY " their rescme
was followed by u depreSSt on both mental
and physical. All Of + neir minds were
weak and their speech like their move
ments, was very fee' lie and slow The
case of Corporal J0 .,eph Ellison was the
most serious. His hands ana feet were
gone, and his great ,ly weakened condition
could not wlthSf and the shock. He be-
came insane w days after his rescue,
ana oleu Sevep ueen days after, on July s,
oi mehtai Nd d physical exhaustion. His
nlstofy IS re markable. On November I'd
ne was deF 4iled with three others to at
NF - u
GAcheu ny Mares at Cape Isabella in 1879.
Inc weather at the time was terrible, but
Ihe threatened starvation made it abso-
luCe ~ necessary to obtain the food if pos
sir.le. Sefgeants Rice and Linn and Pri-
Yates Frederick and Ellison started with a
daily ration OF four ounces of meat, eight
ounces of bread little tea, and five
ounces OF alcohol for cooking purposes.
With the temperature $50 below zero, the
WIND strong, the snow soft, and the ice
hummocky, they had sixty miles to march
TO the meat and return. In four days they
mad reached the cached meat, and were on
tnelr return journey on the morning of
November 6. They had left their rations;
and sleeping bags about two miles from
Cape Isabella. where they had encampedl
ON the ice and started with only cup Off
tea, intending to finish their meal after
reaching the meat, and to save the extra
weight OF sleeping bags, provisions and
cooking gear. They intended to use tR, :.
wooden barrels for fuel and thus save the,ir
alcohol and return to the ice camp for ID ,eir
dinner.
On their return Ellison suffered with
thirst and began to eat snow against the
order and advice of the others His. hands
and mits became wet, and as n northwest
gale was blowing his hands were soon
frozen. The snow had also caused his
mouth and tongue to blister and he ran
idly became weak. The men hurried INTO
camp and then discovered that Ellison had
also had his feet frozen.
They cut his boots off and put him into
his sleeping bag and restored the circula-
ton in his hands and feet by friction. ana
by placing the frozen limbs next to the
bare skin. After terrible night they
continued on their journey with the temp
erature $50 belowzero Ellison was unable
to help haul the.load which had been in
creased by their sleeping bags and camp
gear. His hands and feet were soon frozen.
and Frederick was obliged to help him
along. Rice and Linn struggled manfully
with the sled, but the whole party was
soon forced by exhaustion to go into camp.
The men passed another horrible night.
s1hQV a FONT I,o;,,