The Mineral argus., 1884-07-31
LIEUT.. GREEDY LIVES.
The Intrepid Polar Explorer with
Six of His Men Rescued by
the Bear and Thetis.
Eighteen Members Of the Expedition
Having Died a Sacrifice to the
Moloch OF the North.

ST Johns, N. F., July IL, 9 a. MO the
Hon. William +. Chandler, secretary of the
Navy, Washington, d. c.: The Thetis, Bear and
Lock-Garry arrived here to-day from West
Greenland. All well Separated from the
Alert $50 miles north, duringa gale. Atop. m,
June %, five miles off Cape Sabine, in Smiths
sound, the Thetis and Bear rescued alive Lieut.
A. w. Greedy, Sergeant Brainard Sergeant
Fredericks, Sergeant Long, Hospital Steward
Beiderbeck, Private Cornell and Sergeant Eli
son, the only survivors Of the Lady Franklin
bay expedition. Sergeant Ellison had lost both
hand and feet by frost-bite, and died July 6 at
Goodhayen, three days after amputation, which
had become imperative. Seventeen of the
twenty-five persons composing the expedition
persisted by starvation at the point where found.
One was drowned while sealing to procure food.
Twelve bodies of the dead were rescued, and
are now on board the Thetis and Bear. One
Eskimo was buried at a village called Disco,
in accordance with the desire of the inspector
of Western Greenland The bodies of six, with
date of death, were received as follows:
Sergeant Cross, Jan. 1, 1884; Sergeant Linn,
April, O; Lieut.. Lockwood, April, 9; Sergeant
Jewell, April -; Private Ellis, May 10; Ser
geant Ralston, May %. The bodies of two
buried in the ice fort near the camp were swept
away to sea by winds and currants before my
arrival, and could not be recovered. They
were: Private Henry, June 8; Private Schnei-
der. june Is. The names of the dead buried
in the ice fort, with date of death, whose bod
les we're not recovered, are as follows: Sergeant
SAILOR june 3; Private William Bender, June 8;
Assistant Surgeon Pavy, June q; Sergeant
Gardiner, June II; drowned by breaking
through the newly-formed ice while sealing.
Jens Edwards, Eskimo, April "A.
/ would urgently suggest that the bodies now
on board be placed in metallic cases here for
safer and better transportation in a sea-way.
This appears to me imperative. Greedy aban-
doned Fort Conger Aug. 8, 1883, and reached
Baird Inlet Sept. 90 following, with the entire
party well. He abandoned all his boats and
was adrift thirty days on an ice foe in Smiths
Sound. His permanent camp was established
Oct 21, 1888, at the point where he was found
During mime months his party had to live upon
a scant allowance of food, brought from Fort
Conger, that was cached mt Payer Harbor and
Cape Isabella by Sir George Fares in 1875, but
found it to be much damaged by the lapse of
time, and that cached by Beebe at Cape Sabine
in 1882, and a small amount saved from the
wreck of the Proteus in 1888 and landed by
Iieuts. Darlington and Colwell on the beach
near where Greely's party was found. When
their provisions were consumed the party was
forced to live upon boiled sealskins stripped
from sealskin clothes, and lichens
and shrimps caught in good weather when
they were strong enough to make exertions.
As it took 1900 shrimps to fill a gallon meas.
ure the labor was too exhausting to depend up
on them to sustain life entirely. The channel
between Cape Sabine and Littleton Island die
not close on account of violent gales all winter
so that the 240 rations at that point could moi
be reached. All of Greely's records and in
struments brought by him from Fort CongeI
are recovered and are on board. From Hare
Island to Smiths Sound l had a constant and
furious struggle with ice in impossible foes.
Solid barriers were overcome by watchfulness
and patience. No opportunity to advance a
mile escaped me, and for several 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
thicker. The Bear reached Cape York june
days in Melville bay, with two ad-
vance ships of the Dundee whal4
ing feet, and continued TO Cape Sabine. Re
turning seven days later, re fell in with
seven others of this feet of Wostenholm is
land, and announced Greely's rescue, that they
might not be delayed from their fishing
grounds nor be tempted into the dangers of
Smith sound in view of the reward of S25, coo
offered by congress. Returning across Mel
vile bay we fell in with the Alert and Lockgar-
ry, of DEVILS Thumb, struggling through.
heavy ice. Commander Coffin did admirably
to get along so far with a transport SO early in
the season before an opening had occurred.
Lieut. Emory, with the Bear, has supported
ma tnIOuSnOub WIFI great sklllluluebs ana un
hlinching readiness in accomplishing the great
duty of relieving Greedy. The Greedy party
are very much improved since their rescue,
but were critical in the extreme when found,
and for several d VS. after. Forty-eight hours
delay in reaching them would have been fatal
to all now living. The season North is late and
the coolest for years. Smiths sound was not
open when we left Cape Sabine. The winter
about Melville bay was the most severe for
twenty years. This great result is entirely due
l. --a - IL
secretary of war in fitting out this expedition
for the work it has had the honor to &C
complish.
[Signedl J.. s. scHLEY, Commander.
LIEUT.. GREEDY REPORTS.
General HaZen, chief signal officer, has re-
eeived the following telegram:
st. Johns, N. f., July 1Z.-For the first time
in three centuries England yields the honor
of reaching the farthest north-Lieut Lock
wood and Sergeant Brainard, May Ii, reach
ing Lockwood Island, latitude 50 min. "a sec,
longitude A min. 5 sec. They saw, from
a two thousand feet elevation, no land north
or northwest, but to the northeast Green
land yet extended, lost to view in Cape Rob
ert Lincoln, latitude 50 min. IS sec., and lon
gitude 80 min. Lieut. Lockwood was turned
back in 1888 by open water on the north
Greenland shore, barely escaping drifts
into the Polar ocean. DR.. Pavy, in 1882,
following the Merkham route, was adrift
one day in the Polar ocean north of
Cape Joseph Henry, and escaped to land,
abandoning nearly everything. In15e2 1 made,
in the spring and later in the summer, trips
into the interior of GTinnell land, discovering
Lake Hazen, SOM go by 10 miles in extent,
which is fed by the ice cape of north Grinnell
Land, drains Ruggles river and Weyprecht ford
into Coneybeare bay and Archer ford. From
the summit of Mount Arthur, 5000 feet, the
contour of the land west of the Conger noun
tains convinced one that Grinnel Land tends
directly south from Lieut.. Aldrich's farthest
point reached in 1876. In 1888 Lieut. Lock
wood and Sergeant Brainard succeeded in
crossing Grinnell Land, and ninety miles from
Beauteaux bay, head of Archer's ford, struck
the head of a ford from a western sea, tempo
rarily named by Lockwood, Greedy Fiord.