Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1884-10-30
The Greely ExDeditiOn.

of Commodore Winfield Scott Schley of
the expedition under his command for the
relief of the Greely party has been sub
mitted to the Secretary of the Navy. 1t
cites orders under which the expedition
was organized, and then enters upon Il
graphic narrative of the events Of the
voyage, but by far the most interesting
portion of the report is that OF describing
the discovery and rescue of Greely and his
men. Commodore Schley relates as fol-
lows the impressive scene inside OF Greely's
tent:
Lieutenant Greedy was found in his
sleeping bag, his body inclined forward
and his head resting upon his left hand
A hook of common prayer was open and
held in his right hand. He appeared 10 be
reading prayers to private Connell, whose
condition was most desperate and critical
He was cold to the waist, and all sensation
of hunger gone and he was speechless, and
almost breathless. His eyes were fixed
and CLASSY. Indeed his weakness was such
that it was with difficulty he swallowed
stimulants given him by doctors Green
and Ames His jaws had dropped his
heart was barely pulsating, and his body
temperature getting lower. This tender
scene of the helpless and almost famished
officer consoling his dying companion was
in itself one that brought tears to the eyes
of the strongest and stOutest of those who
stood about them on their mercitul errand
of relief Sergeants Brainerd and Fred
ericks and the hospital stewart, Brierback,
were extremely weak and hardly able to
venture away from their camp to seek food,
nor to prepare their simple diet, boiled
deer skin, nor to collect lechens, nor to
catch shrimps, upon which they had to de-
pend to great extent to sustain life.
Their faces, hands and limbs were swollen
to such an extent thev could not be
recognized This indicated that the entire
party had but short lease of life, proba-
bly, not more than forty-eight hours, at
most. This fact was recognized by them
all, and it had come to them from their
experience during that long and desolate
winter, in watching their dying compan-
ions, as one after another PASSED away
from among them forever. Poor Sergeant
Ellison was found in his sleeping bag,
where he had lain helpless and hopeless for
months with his hands and feet frozen of.
Strapped to one of the stumps was found
a spoon which some companion had strap
ped there to enable him to feed himself.
His physical condition otherwise appeared
to be the best of any of the survivors, and
this may be attributed to the fact that each
of his companions had dealt him from
their small allowance of food something to
help him on account of his complete help
lessness to add anything to his own by
hunting about rocks for lichens, or catch
ing shrimps. He suffered no waste OF
strength by the exertiOn incident thereto.
This care of Ellison was such as that only
of brave and generous men, suffering with
each other under the most desperate cir
cumstances, could think Of Sergeant
Long was very much reduced, though he
was in somewhat better condition than
some of the others. His Office of hunter
for the starving party had made it necessary
to increase slightly his pittance of food to
maintain his strength that he might con-
tinue to battle for food and life for the
helpless. In his case, however, the affect
of this continued effort had told its story
in his wasted form. Shorter and shorter
the Journeys were made in good
weather, while in frequent bad
weather in that region his strength
was so much impaired that when the joy
full signal whistle was heard he had only
enough left to struggle to the rocks overlook
ing the water to see if the signals heard
had proceeded from the ships in sight
His first visit was bitter disappointment,
as he saw nothing. His second visit, tif-
teen 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 Lieut..
COlwell that the location of the camp was
Just over the cliff
In the case of Sergt. Ellison the medical
officers were fearful from the first that his
chances of life were very small AS soon
as healthful food was available and his
digestive functions could be established
fully, healthful round blood circulation
would begin its distribution of new life to
the injured parts and Inflammation would
naturally occur If Ellison's strength
should increase more rapidly than the in
fammation, amputatiOn of the injured
parts would perhaps save his life. Several
days after his rescue June 2Sth) DIR.
Green reported that Ellison was threatened
with CONGESTION of the brain. The symp-
toms increased rapidly until the poor fell
low lost his reasIh. At Good Haven
his condition was so critical that the sur
geon of the expedition, after consultation,
determined to amputate both feet above the
ankle as the only chance of life left the
sufferer. The disease however triumphed.
Amid the bleak scene that had surrounded
him for three years in his heroic sacrifice
and within the desolate solitude of that
region of everlasting ice and snow, sur
rounded by his surviving comrades, he
passed away. Lieut. Greedy was physical
ly the weakest, but mentally the most Wig
Orous of his party. He had lain in his
sleeping bag for weeks on account of his
gradually failing strength. He was unable
to stand alone tor any length of time and
was almost helpless, except in sitting
posture All pangs Of hunger had ceased,
his appearance was wild, his hair 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 swoolen, and his eyes sunken.
His inquiry was if they were not English
men, but when he was told we were his
own countrymen, he paused for moment
as if rejecting, and then said And I am
glad to see you" The condition of his
camp was in keeping with the scene inside
of the tent-desperate and desolate, bleak
and barren over which wild arctic birds
would not fly. The row OF graves on the
little ridge 100 feet away with protruding
heads and feet of those lately buried, sad
but silent witness to the daily increasing
weakness of the little band of survivors.
The deserted winter quarters in the mol
low below with its broken wall invaded by
water from melting snow and ice about it,
the dead bodies OF TWO companions stretch
ed on ice. the wretched apology for cooking