The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-07-24
THE GREELY RESCUE.
A Hcartrending Account of the suffcrings
OF the Heroic Band In the Arctic Re-
gfons.
ST. JOHN. n. f., July II.

gions.
ST.. JOHN. n. f., July II.
Hon. w. j. Chandler, Secretary of
the Navy The Thetis, Bear and Loeb
Garry arrived here to-day from West
Greenland, all we'll. They separated
from the Alert one hundred and fifty
miles north during gale at Nine Pin,
June 22d.
Five miles off Cape Sabine, in Smiths
Sound, the Thetis and Bear rescued alive
Lieutenant A. w. Greely, Sergeants
Brainard, Long, Fredericks aud Ellison,
Hospital Steward Beiderback and Private
Connell, the only living survivors of the
Lady Franklin Bay expedition. Ser
geant Eizon lost both hands and feet by
frost bite and died July Sth at Good Ha-
ven, three days after the amputation.
Seventeen of the twenty-five persons
composing this expedition perished by
starvation at the point where found.
One was drowned while sealing to pro.
cure food. Twelve bodies of the dead
we're rescued and are now on Board the
Thetis and Bear. Five bodies buried in
the ice fort near camp were swept to sea
by the wind and currents before my ar.
rival and could not be recovered.
Greely abandoned Fort Conger August
9th, 1883, and reached Baird Inlet Sep
tember 10th following, with the entire
party we'll; abandoned all his boats aud
was adrift for thirty days in the sea foe
in Smiths Sound. His permanent camp
WAS established October 2lst, 1883, at
the point where he was found.
During nine months his party had to
live upon scanty allowance of food
brought from Fort Conger, that cached
at Prayer Harbor and Cape Isabella by
Sir George Mares in 1875, but found
much damaged by lapse of time, that
cached by Beebe at Cape Sabine in 1882,
and small amount saved from the wreck
of the Proteus in 1883 and landed by
Lieutenan,s Darlington and Caldwell on
the beach where Greely's party was
found camped.
When these provisions were consumed
the party was forced to live upon boiled
seal skin strips from their seal skin
clothing, lichens and shrimps preserved
in good weather when they were strong
enough to make exertion. AS 1900
shrimps we're required to ell a gallon
measure, the labor was too exhaustlng to
depend upon them to sustain life entire.
ly.
The channel between Cape Sabine and
Lttletou Island did not close on account
of violent gale all the winter, 80 that
240 rations at the latter point could not
be reached.
All of Greely's records and all the in
struments brought by him from Fort
Coneer are recovered and are on board.
From Hare Island to Smiths Sound |
had constant and furious struggle with
the ice in impossible foes. Solid bar
riers of ice were overcome by watchful'
ness and patience. No opportunity to
advance mile escaped me and for sew:
eral hundred miles the ships were forced
to ram their way from lead to lead
through ice varying in thickness from
three to six feet, and when RATED much
greater The Thetis and Bear reached
Cane York June 18th, after y passage of
81 days in Melville Bay with two advance
ships of the Dundee whaling fleet, and
continued TO Cape Sabine. Returning
seven days later fell in with seven others
of this feet off Wostenholm Island and
announced Greely's rescue to them that
they might not be delayed from their
| fishing grounds, nor be tempted into the
dangers of Smiths Sound in view of the
reward of $25, 1000 offered by Congress.
Returning across Melville Bay we fell
| in with the Alert and Loch Garry off
DEVILS Bump, struggling through heavy
ice.
The Greely party are very much i'm.
proved since the rescue, but their condi-
ton was critical in the extreme when
found. and for several days after; forty
eight hours delay in reaching them
would have been fatal to all now living.
The season north is late and the closest
for wears. w. S. ScHLEY,
Commander.
WASHINGTON, July 1.-THE families
of Lieut.. Greely, Commander Schley and
Lieut.. Emory were informed OF the
rescue. Rear admiral Nichols to day
telecraphed to Commander Schley, atSt.
Johns, as follows: Use your discretion
about the care and transportation of the
bodies. Report by wire when ready to
sail for New York. The department
sends most hearty congratulations to
yourself officers and men.
General Hazen this afternoon received
the following from Lieut.. Greely:
ST.. JoHN's, N. F., July II. 'S4.-
Chief Signal Officer, Washington: Brain
card. Bierberback, Connell, Fredercks
Long and myself, the sole survivors, ar
rived to-day, having been rescued at the
point of death from starvation by the
relief ships Thetis and Bear, June %, at
Camp Clay, Northwest of Cape Sabine.
All are now in good health, but weak.
Sergeant Ellison, rescued, died July Sth ;
Cross died last January; Christensen,
Linn, Rice, Lockwood, jewell and Ed.
wards in April Ellis, Whistler and lrail
in Nav: Keslipgburg, Solar, Henry,
Bender, Pavy, Gardner and Schneider in
June. Abandoned Fort Conger August
9th. frozen in pack off head August
Doth. abandoned the steam launch Sep
tember 11th, eleven miles Northeast of
Cooked Hat Island. When we were on
the point Of landing we were three times
driven by Southwest storms into KaneSea
We finally landed, September 10Th, in
Baird Inlet.
Learning by scouting parties of the
Proteus disaster, and that no provision
had been left for us from Cape Isabella
to Sabine, we moved and established
winter quarters at Camp Clay, half way
between Sabine and Cooked Hat. An
inventory showed that by daily ration
of -four and one-third ounces of meat,
seven ounces of bread and dog biscuits,
four ounces of miscellaneous food, our
party would have ten days full ratlons
| left for cruising Smith Sound to Little