The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-02
FROM THE FROZEN NORTH.
A Survivor of Three Expeditions in
Search of the Pole.
An Interview with Engineer Spenser of the
Lost Jeannette-TwO Trips to the
Arctic with Captain Kane.

!
terday afternoon, in the Union Depot, as he lev
eled an index finger at man who was leisurey
pacing to and fro in the waiting-room. The per
son at whom the finger pointed did not have the
appearance of man on dress parade He
moved slowly and lifted his feet heavily,
but his step was firm. His clothing was coarse
and well worn, and SLOUGH hat, pulled well
down over his head, with the rim turned up in
front, looked as if it had spent its best days in
friction with oiled machinery. However, the
man seemed to care nothing about the appear
ance of his dress, and the crowd in the room was
of even less concern to him. In stat
ure he was not above the average,
but there was vigorous physique beneath the
greasy old hat, and, in emergency requiring
physical power and courage, he would be singled
out in a crowd. Ms face was weather-beaten,
and the countenance was notable chiefly for the
stern expression
THAT man has been where few others have
continued the gentleman who had called the re-
porters attention to the stranger. He is one of
party which only few months ago was at
tracing the attention of the whole civilized
world
'And who is her was asked.
His name is Edward w. Spenser He is one
of the survivors of the Inflated Jeanette expe-
dition. He has been in Indianapolis for two
days in search of employment and is now going
to Cincinnati on the same mission
Spenser the third assistant engineer in
the expedition. He refused to go with
the crew of Lieutenant Chip, and
was permitted to accompany Danenhower
and Melville, with whom he rescued
by the relief party. He was born in Maine and
Is now hfty-hve years old He has been in the
United States service on land and sea for TWEEN
rV-SIX He hge hear On braa exDpditiOnS
to the arctic region. He was with Captain
Kane in the brig Advance on the Grinnell eXpe
dition in 1888, and carries with him medal
given upon his return from that cruise. He ac-
companied Captain Kane also on his second ex-
petition as far as the Lena delta.
His life has been one of marvellous
adventure and hardship. After the Kane eXpe-
dition he was in the navy-yards along the coast
and in the late was under the command of
! General George B. Mcclellan. He was taken a
prisoner at Bull Run in 1861. in Libby, Belle
! Isle and Andersonville prisons, and ex-
| changed in 1863. After the war he again entered
the navy, and was posted at Charleston, as ma
| chinist and engineer.
THE EXPEDITIONS OF KANE AND DE LONG.
! When asked, during brief interview,
about his experiences while ON the
Grinnell expedition in 1858, he said that it was
well-managed cruise, and spoke in the highest
praise of Captain Kane. He was good to the
men, Spenser says, "and was liked by all ON
board. Many a day held his head in my arm
during his Sickness and fed him blubber from a
! spoon
| ''Was the Jeanette expedition as well man
aged the one by Captain Kane7
Il do not like to say anything about man
mistakes let them be buried with him
| when he dies. There are many things that
| don't care to talk about. The men are dead and
| cannot refute any charges that are made against
/ them They continually DulliOp AGAINST
! each other. If one wanted to go in one diIec-
ton the other wanted to go in some other diIec
! ton, and this was kept up to the last"
| How were the officers regarded by the crew."
melville and Danenhower We're very wen
liked. De Long was stubborn and wouldn't
agree with anything or anybody"
| How was Collins likedW
| Il always regarded him as rather tyrannical.
! He demanded more attention than he had any
| right to expect"
DO you think there is any truth in the charge
| that he treated abusivelyl'
| 1T would have been better | believe, if those
/ charges had never been published. Even if they
We're true. all that can be said now will not help
/ the matter any"
| WAS there any dissatisfaction among the men
any disposition to mutiuyi'
| ''The men We're very much dissatisfied. Once
| they left the ship and refused to take it any
! further They lost all courage, and towards the
! last were led on by kind of hopeless despera-
| ton. The Engagement was bad. When | start
| ed out supposed the crew made up of men
who had had experience in seafaring life.
and would be able TO endure the hardships
found alter we got out that this was all
n mistake. They were West Point fellows, who
knew nothing about the hardships of such voy-
age. l was the only enc on board who had ever
before been ON an expedition TO the polar region
and could see pretty well what ahead; but
| they wouldn't heed what said They We're ex-
| travagant. Barrels and barrels of flour,
and hundreds of pounds of meat, which
the men would all have been glad to have had
after the supplies Were all gone, We're thrown
overheard simply because they didn't smell as
! the steward seem to think they ought. The
officers would order four and five dishes at
meal and would only eat little. The scraps
were all thrown overheard, and these scraps
would have made mighty good food if they had
| been used as they ought. l told them time
after time that they didn't know what they were
| doing, and that they would find that this would
| all be needed
DOG MEAT AS A LUXURY.
| Before the end came they were glad to get
anything to eat and there were times when dog
was a luxury to them. The use of fuel was ex-
travagant, too One day said to Melville: The
weather is fair now, and there is no reason why
we can't use the sails and save this coal The
| time Will come when we will need it
Melville replied that there was no
need of any such economy them that new sup
| ply of coal could be obtained when we reached
| Siberia | told him that he would find it differ
emit When we got to Siberia coal scarce,
and we could only get about $50 tons at very
high prices. | was censured a great deal on ac-
count of my close economy but /
had the satisfaction of having the
men come to me before the end
came and say, If we had followed your advice,
Spenser. we would have something to eat to-
day l don't require much food and could stand
it better to go without than some of the others
1 have often divided my share among them"
What was the longest period that the men
went without foodP
Several times they had nothing to eat
for five days, Five days without food
reduces man to about the minimum
Of lite The fourth day they Ss can generally stand
are delilious and wild. The men would some
times rive nm hone and in their desnair wou1d