The Indianapolis journal., 1884-07-18
LIEUTENANT DANENHowER.
The Well-Known Explorer Gives His Views
of the Expedition and Its Work.

The Well-Known Explorer Gives His Views
of the Expedition and Its Work.
New York, July 17.-Lieutenant Danen-
hover, of the United States navy, the we'll
known arctic explorer, was interviewed tonight
in regard to the relief of the Greely party. He
began by stating that the Thetis relief party
was the best equipped ever sent to northern lati
tudes. He was asked if there could not be cause
for regret that such we'll prepared fleet had not
pushed its way further north after accomplish
ing its object He replied:
mo; none whatever. The expedition started
out with definite instructions, and it could do no
more than carry them out know Commander
Schley went up there with the single object of
finding the Greedy party and returning after
having done So 1t he had been compelled to re-
main there all winter he would have made explor-
ations and taken observations but they were of
secondary Importance, and, the main object being
accomplished, he had no discretion. Commander
Schley has acted conscientiously and with en-
ergy. He might have pushed through Smith
sound, the most treacherous part of the polar
ocean, as he did through Melville bay, but his
prudence and discretion forbade him"
Referring to the hardships of theSGreelY expe
dition, Lieutenant Danenhower said: 'HTheir
journey over the ice from Fort Conger to Cape
Sabine, distance of 250 miles, must
have been terrible At Cape Sabine Greely
probably found the record of Lieutenant Gar
llngton. The explorers must have seen the relief
ship in the spring, and crawled out as best they
could on the ice, to meet her. for the dispatch
says they were picked up five miles out from the
cape. 1t is remarkable that the Eskemo
should have been the second to die. Lieutenant
Greedy was considered to be delicate man, and
it is remarkable that he survived the hard
ships
Sergeant Edward Israel, of the signal corps
and the astronomer of the party, who is among
the lost, was well known to Lieutenant Danen-
hover He lived in Kalamazoo Mich. where he
was highly esteemed. OF Second Lieutenant f.
W. Kislenburg, Danenhower said he had rem
dered important service during the war as a vol
unteera and was afterward appointed to the reg
ular army He lived in Rochester, N Y
and leaves two children. Continuing Lieut.
Danenhower said: In September last, Profes
sor James Lockwood, of the navy advocated a
plan of sending a forlorn hope expedition. 1t
was deemed impracticable at the time and given
| up. 1t is now evident, however, that if a vessel
had been able to get to Cape York at that time
it would have reached Cape Sabine for
party could not get from Sabine
to Lttleton island, having abandoned their boats
The condition of the ice in Melville bay at
that season is not known. It is almost impossible
for ship to work its way in the darkness of the
polar nights. 1t must be remembered that this
relief expedition had the advantage of continu-
GUS daylight. always insisted that some of the
Greedy party would be found alive, but did
HOT GulDk OOiuHnduu6f Ccnl6y would reach
them before the middle of July They
must have sustained themselves miraculously,
for nine months do not hesitate to express
the opinion" said Lieutenant Danenhower,
that Greely was sent too far north There are
eleven stations up there, but Greely was thrust
some ten degrees further north than any of
them Point Barrow is in seventy
two degrees North, while Greely had to
60 up to eighty two degrees. He would not have
been ordered up there had it not been for the
English. The reports of the international Con-
gress decided that Greely went too high up
As to the benefits of Greely's search, he said:
mo doubt Greedy has series of valuable OBJ
servations, but it is not at all certain that deduc
tions of great value will be made from them, for
as | can see from experience, nothing of great
value has been obtained from meteorological OBJ
servations in polar regions. / think there are
much better fields for scientific explora-
tions. Scientists declare that the equa-
torial and solar regions are the best for metero-
logical observations. Congress has established
eleven stations within the arctic circle but none
have been established near the equator The
world, excepting perhaps Germany are tired of
polar expeditions. Arctic stations are not avail
able for weather stations, as the observations
are not continuous and not sufficiently numerous
tn he of va1ua y