The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-23
RESCUE OF GREELY'S MEN.
Extracts from the Official Report of
Commander Winfield S. Schley.
A Graphic Description Of the Scene of Misery
and DestitutiOn Witnessed by the Res
cuing Party at Cape Sabine

under his command for the relief of the Greedy
party has been submitted to the Secretary of the
Navy 1t cites the orders under which the ex-
petition was organized, and then enters upon
graphic narrative of the events of the voyage.
By far the most interesting portion of the report
is that describing the discovery and rescue of
Greedy and his men, Commodore Schley relates
as follows an impressive scene inside Greelys
tent:
Lieutenant Greedy was found in his sleeping
bag His body was inclined forward, ana his
head was resting upon his left hand. The book
of common prayer was open and held in his
right hand, and he appeared to be reading
prayers to private Cornell, whose condition was
most desperate and critical He was cold to the
waist, all sensation of hunger was gone, he was
speechless and almost breathless, his eyes were
fixed and CLASSY. Indeed, his weakness was
such that it was with difficulty he swallowed
the stimulants given him by Doctors Green and
Ames. His jaws had dropped, his heart was
barely pulsing and his body's temperature was
very low This tender scene of helpless al
most famished, officer cOnsoling q dying com
panion, was in itself one that brought tears to
the eyes of the strongest and stoutest Of those
who stood about them on the merciful errand Of
relief.
"Sergeants Brainerd and Frcdericks, and Hos
pital Stewart Brerback, were extremely weak
and hardly able to stand; they were no longer
able to venture away from their camp to seek
food nor to prepare their simple diet of boiled
sealskin, nor to collect lichens, nor to catch
shrimps upon which they had to depend
to great extent to sustain life
Their faces, hands and limbs
were swollen to such an extent
that they could not be recognized. This ndi-
Gated that the entire party had but short lease
of life, probably not more than forty-eight
hours at most. This fact was recognized by
them all. and had come to them from their eX-
perience during that long and desoate winter in
watching their dying companions as one after
another passed away from amongst them. Poor
Sergeant Ellison was found in his sleeping bag,
months with hands and feet frozen of. Strapped
to one of his stumps was found spoon which
some companion had strapped there TO enable
him to feed himself His physical condition
survivors, and this may be attributed
to the fact that each of his
companions had doed out to him
from their small allowance of food something
to help him. on account of his complete helpless
ness to add anything to his by hunting
about the rocks for lichens or catching shrimps
He suffered no waste of strength by eXertion in
cldent thereto, and his care of Ellison was such
as only brave and generous men, suffering with
each other under the most desperate circum-
stances, could think of Sergeant Long was
very much reduced, though in somewhat better
condition than some of the others. His Office of
hunter for the starving party had made it nee
essary to increase slightly his pittance of food
in order to maintain his strength, that he might
continue the battle for food and life In his
case, however, the effect of this continued effort
had told its story in his wasted form.
Shorter and shorter Journeys were made in good
weather. while, in the frequent bad weather of
that region, his strength was so much impaired
that, when the joyful signal-whistle was heard,
he had only enough life left to stagger out to the
rocks overlooking the water to see if the signal
had proceeded from ships in sight His first
visit was a bitter disappointment, as he saw
nothing. A second visit fifteen minutes later,
brought him within fifty yards of the Bears
steam cutter, and in view Of the relief ships
coming around Cape Sabine,
when the steam cutter ran into the beach
where Long was seen, he rolled down the ice
covered cliff and was taken into the cutter. He
informed Lieutenant COlwell that the location
of the camp was just over the cliff. In the case
of Sergeant Ellison the medical officers were
fearful from the first that his chances
of life were very small, as soon
as healthfu food was available, and his digestive
functions should be re-established fully, health
full return of blood circulation would begin it's
distribution of new life to the injured parts and
Inflammation would naturally occur If Eli
sons strength should increase more rapidly than
the Inflammation amputation of the injured
parts would, perhaps, save his life. Several
days after his Tescue-June 28-Dr. Greene
ported that Ellison was threatened with conges
ton of the brain. The symptoms increased rap
idly, until the poor fellow lost his reason. At
Godhaven his condition was so critical that the
surgeon of the expedition, after consulta-
ton, determined to amputate his feet
above the ankle as the only chance
to save the life Of the sufferer.
the disease however, triumphed, and amid the
bleak scenes that had surrouned him for three
years in his heroic sacrifice, and within the
desolate solitude of that region of everlasting
ice and snow-surrounded by his sorrowing COM
rades-he passed away.
Lieutenant Greedy was physically the weak
est. but mentally the most vigorous of his party.
He had lain in his sleeping bag for weeks on ac-
count Of his gradually failing strength. He was
unable to stand alone for any length of time and
was almost helpless except in a sitting posture.
All pangs OF hunger had ceased; his appearance
was wild, his hair was long and unkempt. his face
and hands covered with sooty black dirt, his
body scantily covered with worn-out clothes his
form was wasted his joints swollen,
and his eyes ,sunken; he inquired if they
were not Eng5hmen, but when he
was told they we're his own countrymen, he
paused for a moment, as if rejecting. and then
said, i am glad to see YOU The condition
of his camp was in keeping The scene inside
the tent was sad and desolate. The bleak bar
renness of the spot, over which, a wild arctic
bird would not fly, the row of graves little
ridge one hundred feet away, with the protrud
ing heads and feet of those lately buried, sad,
but silent witness to the daily increasing weak
ness of the little band of survivors, the deserted
winter quarters. with its broken wall, invaded
by water from the melting snow and ice above
the dead bodies of two companions stretched on
the ice, the wretched apology for cooking utensils
improvised by them in their sore distress, hardly
deserving the name; the scattered and WORKOUT
clothes and sleeping-bags of the dead, the alb
sence of all food save few cupsfull of boiled
sealskin scraps, the wild and weird scene of
snow, ice and glaciers, overlooking and over
hanging the desolate camp completed picture
as startling AS it was impressive. hope never
again in my life to look upon such Indebtedness
and such restitution The picture was more
deeply pathetic than | ever dreamed could be
moment almost unnamed, and then
realized that if the expedition had
demonstrated any one thing more than another,
it was that an hour had it's value to at least that