The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-07-18
AN EXPERT
On the Arctic Tragedy-How the Grew
Could Have Been saved.

On the AHctio Iragedy-How the Grew
Could Have Been Baved.
WARRINGTON, D. O., July I7.-Mr. George
Kennan, OF this city, well.known Arctic
traveller and author, who ha7 taken an
active interest in the recent attempts to re-.
lieve Lieutenant Greely'a party, and who
went before the Arctic relief board last
spring to urge the offering olsuch reward
as would secure the co operation Of
whalers in the search, was esked by an
Associated Press reporter tonight what he
thought OF the news received from St.
Johns. lal2-TI sci
He replied: 1T iHa story Of remarkable
and heroic achievements in field clouded
by disester dueto Incompetence in WeBh-
ington. II Lieut.. GreeIy and bis party had
all returned In safety to the United States,
as they might have done, had they been
properly supported, their Arctic record in
point Of skillful management and success
would have been unparalleled No other
Arctic expedition hes ever spent two con.
secutive winters and part Of a third in such
latitudes and achieved such results without
a casualty or single case Of serious sick.
ness" =flI =
Ii Lieut., Greedy had found at the mouth
OF Smiths Sound the shelter and food
which he had right to expect there, he
would probably have brought his entire
party back 10 the United States in perfect
health after three winters In the highest
northern latitudes that have ever been
reached, and after series Of eledging cam.
paigns, which for bo1dness and skillful
execution have rarely, il ever, been sur.
pas3ed. ..,s T. II = ~.
!"Could the disaster which befel his
party have been averted with the knowl-
edge available at the, time the relief expe-
ditions we're fitted out ?"' = ! 15F ~
+gisi'f WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. ~ St -
"Unquestionably. And that ;q the pity
Of It. It doubles the Rriel which must be
felt in the face Of such terrible cate.t.ophe
to think that two ahips in succeesive years,
and probably third, were in a position to
land stores which would have eayed the
live1 of those eighteen dead men, Beebe
in 1882 anchored in Payer Harbor, lust
north Of Cape Sabine, with ship full OF
a!orea Darlington the next sum.
mer anchored in the aame place algo
with 7Aship full Of stores and a
few days later the Yantic with four months
provisions on board was only thirty miles
away. Any one Of these three ships
might have landed stores enough exactly
where Greedy afterwards made hiv winter
camp to have carried that brave party
through, biz their Commanding officers
were not ordered to do 30, and they did not
"Were Gresly's movements these which
were anticipated be would make 2"
"They wer precisely as ! anticipated, It
wrs thought at the Signal Office that be
ldremain at his station until Septem.
Der 1st, but as ! pointed out in letter 10
the New York Herald the 17lh Of last Sep.
tember u be remained until September let
he could not get away at all tnat year on
account Of the impoeslbillty Of eledciup
operating on that coast in the fall. There.
lore thought he would abandon bis station
In July or August, 1883, and come down TO
the mouth Of Smiths Sound in boa.1. as be
was in iact down to the very time my letter
was written. 3 ~ 3 $Si.!I'' ',0''
- d, A TERRIBLE SHOCK. r 'i
ut was Of course q terrible shock and
disappointment TO him whom he failed to
aud shelter and food which be expected.
But the party seems to have faced the ter.
rors Of the Arctic winter without shelter,
fire or adequate food in the most heroic
way, and to have held out to the last viii
unilinching courage and tenacity. Ii Z
few hundred more. rationa could have beer
saved from the wreck Of the Proteus theJ
would 9 have carried the whole part;
through. All but One Of the dead pertahe3
last spring after the4:h OF April" VI
III Lieutenant darlington had landed
: in accordance with what were known a
his supplementary, instructions, woul,
such stores ., have been on any use to Lieut.
Greedy 2" yis.!sss. lsogs T1.l19i.1 :
S"As It turned out, not the slightest