The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-29


The Chief Signal Officer describes with suf1i-
Gent detail the events connected with the clos
ing of the work of exploration in the arctic
gions and the return of the survivors of the
party under Lieutenant Greedy. The survivors
were relieved at Cape Sabine on June %, SS4
by a naval expedition under the command of
Commander W. S. Schley The zeal and enter
prise of the relieving expedition were such
as to entitle all its officers and men to the high
est commentator; and while IL reached Cape
Sabine at the earliest possible moment, the final
catastrophe to the few survivors of Lieutenant
Greely's party was, but for the rescue, only
few hours distant The Greedy party numbered
twenty five ersons-of whom only seven were
rescued alive, and one died after the rescue OF
the dead, all persisted from starvation except an
Eskimo who was drowned and Private Henry,
who was executed by order of Lieutenant Greedy
for repeated thefts of food from the insufficient
supply of the enfeebled and distressed company.
The Secretary eff War observes with regret
that the Chief Signal Officer has chosen to make,
In his annual report. afoFnal expression of opin
ion that, after the arrival of the wrecked PRO
teus' party on September ID, 1883, at St. Johns,
there was still time, "as known from previous
experience and shown by subsequent facts, to
send sufficient relief" stating that Captain
Melville and others volunteered to GO, giving
their full plans for the relief"
A contention as to what would have been the
probable result of an expedition to the arctic re-
gions started In the autumn, with such prepare
tion as could be made after the middle of Sep
TENDER, is now useless for any practical purpose,
but few words may properly be given to the
subject, as there may be persons whose humane
consideration for the terrible situation in which
Greedy and his party existed for months may not
be accompanied by knowledge of the opinion of
experienced persons as to the danger of disaster,
and the little hope of success of any attempt to
approach him al that season.
The ''Proteus" party, after the wreck of that
ship, reached St Johns Sept. 10, 1888.
Lieutenant Darlington, in charge of the party.
anything more could be done that year. lie
replied Sept. IA, by the time suitable
vessels could be procured filed, provisoned,
etc, 1t would be too late to accomplish anything
this year." Notwithstanding this response, on
the same day, by direction of the Secretaries of
War and OF the Navy, a. further Telegram was
sent to Lieutenant Darlington asking for full
replies from himself and from Commander
Wildes, commanding the United States steamer
Yantic, upon certain questions propounded,
and further asking whether it was a feasible
project to charter a steam sealef &c. go NORTH
ward, the telegram making also some sugges-
tions to the outftting of the ship and men.
10 this Lieutenant Darlington replied by tele-
graph Sept Is, at length, saying, among other
things: 1.-THE ultimate result of any undertake
ing to 60 north at this time extremely problem
atical chances against its success, owing to dark
nights, now begun in those regions, making ice
There is no safe winter anchorage
on west shore of Greenland between
Disco and Pandora harbor, except, perhaps,
North Star bay. winter quarters of Saunders.
However, there is a baie chance Of success, and
if my recommendations are approved am ready
and anxious to make the effort" He then made
suggestions as to hiring steam sealer and how
it was to be commanded and manned Com
mander wildes replied in these words, under
date of Sept ID: ITO charter another foreign
ship with foreign crew for this duty to go north
at this late season would simply invite fresh dis
aster r = Ship must be American manned
aJIdO hv ant7f
Unless winter quarters can be reached north of
Cape AthoL the attempt would be useless. This
cannot be done. Melville bay will be impossible
by Oct l at latest. Ship cannot winter at Uper-
navik and cannot sledge north from there"
Under date of Sept IA, 1888, Chief Engineer
George w. MELVILLE United States navy sub
mitted a proposed method of relief for the Gree
ly party, which was il substance to use the
steamship Yantic. but there was no sugges
ton in his proposition of any hope of getting the
Yantic further north than Cape York. his plan
being to sledge northward from there. Under
date of Sept. To- 1883, DIR. James Laws,
who was surgeon In the Hartstene expedition
sent out to the relief of Dr. Kane
in 1850 strongly urged the utter impracticability
from his experience of any expedition, however
we'll fitted, being able to reach point where it
could be of the slightest service to the Greedy
party: He said that before an expedition could
reach the shores of Greenland it would be dan
gerous to proceed above Disco island. Captain
George IL. Tyson, who, as is we'll known, was
of the party which Hoated down from the arctic
regioQs ice.oe, offered his services to lead
an expedition, but he made no suggestion to go
in the autumn of 1881 On the contrary, he ex-
pressed, in personal conference, his firm CON
Vletlon OF the fmpfaeteability and danger of TN
dertaRing such an expedition in the autumn.
Persons whose experience and studies gave
their opinions weight were personally consulted
by the Secretaries of War and of the Navy,
among them being Captain Greer United States
Iii ia1a in in,
command of the Tigress, in search of some of
the company of the wrecked Polaris, and after
its wreck in 1872 spent the winter at Life boat
cove. Upon consideration of ali information,
the conclusion was inevitable that under the
most favorable conditions, a vessel might reach
Upernavik, but it could go no further north in
that season. This point is about 700
miles from Littleton island, and the
stretch of water and land between
is impossible for boats sedges after the LIST of
October. and oftentimes after the LIST of Septem-
Der. The arctic night begins at Upernavik about
the middle of October and it was considered
that setting aside all question of its OWL peris,
the best that relief expedition at that
time could do would be to go part of the way
and wait for the next summer to resume the
journey. The testimony was conclusive that
sledging north from Upernavik was impossible.
The deplorable situation of the Greedy party,
then feared out since known to exist did not
lessen the perils which would have beset any
relief party started at the beginning of an arc
blc Wlluer- Inc secretary or var KNOWS or no
one whose opinion would be considered, except
the Chief Signal Officer, who would not have re-
garded such an expedition not only as substan-
TALLY hopeless for any relief earlier than was
actually gwen, but perilous in the extreme if
not foolhardy.
Nothing is more illustrative of the impossi-
bility of overcoming at all times the difficulties
of arctic travel whether by land or sea- than
the fact that two thirds of Lieutenant Greelys
party starved to death at Cape Sabine with $50
pounds of meat untouched at Cape Isabella, dis
tant about thirty miles, and with 250 rations I'M
touched at Littleton island at about the same
distance, but separated by Smiths sound 1t
probably never occurred to any one that the
Greedy party could not easily reach and use both
of these stores.
The conclusion reached, after most anxious
and careful consideration, was, on the 10Th of
September, 1883. embodied in d written memo
randurn of the Secretary of War and the Secre-