Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1884-12-06

Hampshire, the LIST day of August, and,
with the exception of weakness, all in
good health. Sergeant Ellison, who was
frozen in an attempt to secure the pro-
visions cached at Isabella, died on the
home passage, July 6, after suffering
amputation of all his limbs. The work
of rescue under Commander. Schley was
most praiseworthy and successful,
Up to the return. of the expedition
this year I had hoped there would be
no occasion for raising the question Of
blame at this or any future time. But
new light has been cast upon the sub
ject, and with it my duty. becomes
plain, and the truth Of history,.and JUS
tice to all; calls for such impartial in
.quiry and authoritative judgment as q
tribunal broad enough to embrace the
whole question shall institute and pro-
nounce, and the congress of the United
States is manifestly such tribunal.
The international polar expedition
was organized and set in motion; by the
direct order Of the president of the
United States pursuant to the authority
vested in him by an act of congress. Its
progress and achievements have COM
manded the attention and challenged
the admiration Of foreignscountries and
reflected new lustre iutlpon.o our own. /
The magnitude Of those achievements
has only been;paralleled fbyt the disaster
in which it terminated. That such
disaster could have been averted. and
that it was in respect due to the COM
mander of that expedition, can be
established by indubitable evidence.
The causes that c]o-operated to produce
a tragedy that has appalled, the civilized
world, and the responsibility for such
dire result, can be traced with cer-
tainty.
I therefore trust that this whole mat:
ter of the Lady Franklin bay expedi-
ton, and the expeditions organized for
its relief, will be deemed worthy of, a
thorough investigation by congress-
body. that will perform its duty and
stand above the suspicion of being
swayed by partisan considerations.
This expedition will stand among the
foremost of its kind. 1t carried its
work farther north than any other. It
gained detailed geographical knowledge
of greater breadth in that region than
any other. 1t brought back more COM
plete data upon physical problems than
any other. 1t dispelled the myths and
superstitions of Arctic. living, and COM
plotted in q mastery way all the services
it was sent to do, in the exact manner
as it was arranged, having made a clear
addition to the sum Of human knowl.
edge, and returned to the place of rem
devious intact and perfect, and it is
proper that the fault of failure after
wards be fully understood. Both Lieu
tenant Greedy, in the Arctic, and the
signal bureau, in Washington, carried
out their parts Of the prearranged plan
Of rescue literally and successfully in
every particular. :This plan seemed, to
be aogood one and Lieutenant Greedy
reiterated it after reaching his station
and seeing what he wanted, and it
proved to be good.
The sinking of the Proteus, which
terminated this success, which to that
time was complete and faultless, was an
accident for which there may or may
not have been blame. But means to
substantially restore the losses so in
CURED had been p~rovidedsand were at
hand. The Proteus was the best ship
with the best captain for the purpose to
be had, both being the same employed
by Lieutenant Greedy in 1881, and she
was very perfectly supplied and we'll
equipped. She was sent at the exact
season then believed to be the best for
the fullest chances of success, and she
was accustomed to Arctic navigation.
But when she sank the full responsible
ity for what followed rested with those
on the spot, and it becomes necessary,
in the fuller lights, to discuss it, that
eensure may not be misplaced. Besides
the duty that necessarily reposed in the
commander present, Lieutenant Gar:
lington's orders read: "a ship of the
United States navy, the. Yantic, will
accompany you as far as Littleton
island rendering you such aid as may
become necessary and as may be deter
mined by the captain of that ship and
yourself, when on the spot" This was
all any commander so situated, imbued
with a just appreciation of his duties
and responsibilities, could wish.
Lieutenant Darlington failed when at
Cape Sabine, July %, to replace the
spoiled parts OF. the cache of food pre-.
viously left at Cape Sabine, as he was
ordered in his instructions to do. Lieu
tenant Greedy says of this in a letter
written by him for the chief signal Off
Ger, April 80, surprising himself at the