The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-10-23
UT the Finding of Lieutenant GreeIy
and His Starving Party
IN DEsoLATE ARCTIC SOLITUDE.
A Narration, Touching and Pitiful In
the Extreme.
LONGS SIGHT OF THE SHIPS
Desolation That Was Home and n Grnv,
Nard-Greely Reading Prayers toa
Dying Comrade- General
HaEen's Statement.

Commander Winfield Scott Schley. of
the expedition under his command +,
the relief Of tho Greedy party, has been
submitted to the secretary of the navy.
1t cites the orders under which the ex
petition organized, then enters upon n
graphic narrative of the events of the
voyages but the most interesting il that
describing the discovery and rescue of
Greedy and his mon. Commander
Schley relates as follows: "There was
an impressive scene inside OF Greely's
tent Lieut.. Greedy was found on his |
sleeping bag, his body inclined |
forward, and his head resting upon his |
left hand, The book of '"Common
Prayer" was open and held in his right |
hand lie appeared to be reading pray |
| ers to Private Connell, 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 IL was with difficulty he
swallowed stimulants given him by
! Drs, Green aud Ames. His laws had
dropped, his heart was barely pulsating
and his body temperature very low,
This tender scene of the helpless and
almost iamished officer cousOlng a dy-
ing companion was in itself one that
brought tears to the eyes of
the strongest and stOutost of those
who stood about them ON
theirmorciful orrandof relief. Sergeants
Braiuard and Fredericks, and Hospital
Steward Breiderbach were extremely
weak and hardly able to stand. They
were no longer able to venture away
! from their camp to seok food. nor pre-
pare their simple dict of boiled scalslIin,
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 indicated that the
eu'iro party had but u short lease ON
life, probably not more than forty-eight
hours at tho most, This fact was recop-
ni2ed by them ALL and had come to them
from their experience during
that long and desolato winter in watch-
ing their dying companions, as ono aftor
another passed away from them forever.
: Poor Sergeant Ellison was found in his
sleeping bag, where he had lain helpless
and hopeless for month, His hands
; and feet were frozen OIL. Strapped Il
, one OF the stumps was found spoon
y which some companion had strapped
! there to enable him TO feed himself. Iii.
physical condition otherwise appeared
I, to be the best of any of the survivors
= and this may be attributed TO the fac
y that each of his companions had doleC
q out To him from their small allowance %
y food something to'help him ON account
OF his complete holplcssness To- ado
I anything to his own by hunting about
. the rocks for lichens or catching
u shrimps. He suffered no waste o
strength by eXortion thoreto. This care
OF Ellison was such rs only bravo anC
generous mon, suffering with each Other
. under the most desperate circumstances
j. could think Of Sergeant Long was very
O much reduced, though in some
e. what better condition than somt
a Of the others. His Office of hunter foi
~ the starving party had made il necessary
4 20 increase slightly his pittanco of foo,
: to maintain his strength that he nigh
!. continue the battle for life 10 help them
\ The effect of this continued effort ha,
= told the story on his wastet
y form. Shorter and shorter journey
" were made In good weather, while n
~ the frequent bad weather of that "egiOl
y, his strength was so much imp, I'd tha
= whom the joyful signal whistle wa
y, heard he had only enough life left I,
~ stagger out to the rocks ovCrlOOknl
Il the water 10 see II the sigma
u heard had proceeded from ship
" in sight. Ills FIRST visi
II was bitter disappointment, as he saw
NJ nothing. A second visit, fifteen min
utes later, brought him within nrt,
yards of the Bears steam cutter and Ii
Wow Of the relief SHIPS coming nroun,
N Cape Sabine, When the cutter IAN int,
A. the beach whore Long was seen, h
, rolled down tho icecoverod elf an,
j. was takon into the cutter. lie Informed
r. Lieu" Culwell that the location OF tn
:, camp was lust over the clitf In the cast
~ of Sergeant Ellison, the medical officer
" were fearful from the first that hi
70 chances for lite was very small. As sool
Il as healthful food was available, and tn
digestive funotions should be full,
" rc-Ostahlished and healthm
/. round OF blood circulation should hav
d begun its distribution of now life to tn
injured parts, an Inflammation .woul,
x naturally occur. II Ellison's strengtl
n Increases more rapidly than the inflam
J. nation, nmputation of the injured part
10 would perhaps save his life. Severa
days after his rescue, on June ~, Di
Green reported that Ellison wa
threatened with congestion Of the braiu
d Tho symptoms increased rapidly unit
X he lost his reason. At God Haven hi
"A condition was so critical that the sur
geOn, after consultation, determined 4
+ the only chance TO save his life. Tn
" disease. however, triumphed, and ami,
" tho bleak scene that had sur
II rounded him for three years Il
u his heroic sacrifice, and withi
y the dosOlate solitude of that reg'o
10 OF everlasting ice and snow, surrounde
by his sorroNing comrades, he passe
away. Lieut.. Greedy was physically th
weakest, but mentally the most vlgoi
IL Gus OF the party. lie had LAIN down |
y his sleeping bag for months on accour
IN Of his gradually failing strength. II
" was unable to stand alone for any lengi
lt OF time, and was nlmos
helpless, except In n sittin
posture. All pangs had ceased. III
appearance was wild. His hair wa
or long and unkempt. His face and hand
Or were covered with sooty black dir
His body was scantily covered with HI
worn-out clothes. His form was waste,
his Joints swollen and his eyes sunkol
His enquiry was " they were not Enj
~ lishmen, but when he was told that "
4. were his own countrymen he pnuso
for a moment, ~ IL retlpcting, then sale
"And am glad 10 SEQ YOU" The col
~ ditiOn of hls camp was In keeping w
W. the scene. inside his tent IL was de
,a nerate and desnlate. The bleak barrel
~ ness over which wild Arctic Dir
would not fly; tho row OF graves on Il
NJ ridge, 100 feet away, with tho protrudir
:, heads and feet OF those lately hurie
~ tho sad but silent witnesses OF tho dali
increasing weakness Of the little bar
a. of survivors; the deserted winter qua
y, W ters In the hollow below. with its br
~, ken walls, invaded by water from ii
49, melting snow and ice above; tho DEF
A bodies oftwo companions stretched
~ the ice; the scattered aud worn O
nd clothes and sleeping bags ofthe dead Il
nd absence Of all food save few cunlu
~ OF boiled seal skin scraps; the wild al
~ wide scene OF ice and snow overhangl