The bee., 1884-07-26
LIEUT.. GREELY FOUND.
Only Six Out of Twenty-Five Men
Brought Back Alive.
Another Thrilling Chapter Of Arc
tic Exploration,

Lieutenant Greely and Commander Sch,ey
announced the safe arrival of the Greely Re
lief expedition at ST. Johns, n F.
The expedition had been successful, but the
success was marred by sorrow, as eighteen
out of the twenty five men who formed the
Greely party had perished from hunger and
exposure before the relieving party reached
them.
When rescued, on June %, the survivors
were in a most deplorable condition, many
having been frost-bitten, and all dying of
hunger. In forty-eight hours more all would
have been dead. Sergeant Ellison had both
hands and feet so badly frozen that they had
to be amputated, but he did not long survive
the operation, and he die1 on July 6. The
others are rapidly improving in health.
The vessels that composed the relieving ex-
petition were the Thetis, commanded by
Commander Schley; the Bear, in command
or Lieutenant Emory, aud the Alert COM
manded by Commander Coffin
Both expeditions are regarded, from a scieIl-
tfic standpoint, as the most successful that
have ever been made into the frozen regions
OF the North, and as all of the records of 90.
servatlonS bearing on the researches of Lieu.
tenant GTeely have been preserved, the impor-
tance Of his intelligent efforts cannot be over
estimated. For the first time in period Of
three centuries America can claim the proud
distinction OF having penetrated to point
nearer the pole than any other country on the
globe. The first announcement of the safety
oil Lieutenant freely was made In the follow.
ing dispatch from Commander Schley to Sec
retary Chandler, dated at St Johns:
Hon. W Z. Chandler, Secretary of the
Narg, Washington.
The Thetis. Bear and Lock Garry arrived
here to-day from West Greenland. All are
well We separated from the Alert $50 miles
north during gale. At 9 P. NJ. June 80, five
nj es OF Cape Sabine. in Smiths sound, the
TheiiS and Bear rescued alive Lieutenant A.
". GIeely, Sergt Brainard. Sergt Freder.
i Ks Sergt Long. Hospital Steward Beider.
back, Private Counell and Sergt. Ellison, the
only survivors Of the Lady Franklin Bay ex.
pe htion. Sergt. Ellison had lost both hands
and feet 10y fr0stbite, aud died July at God.
haven, three days after the amputation,
which had become imperative
Eighteen o. the twenty-five persons com.
posing this cXpe lltion perlshed by starvation
at the point where found One was drowned
while sealing 10 procure food Twelve bodies
Of the dead were rescued and are now ON ard
the Thetis and Bear. One, Esquimau Turns
vik, WAS buried at Disco, in accordance with
the desire of the inspector of Western Green
land. Five bodies buried in the ice fort near
the camp were swept away to sea by winis
and currents before my arrival and could Il /
be recovered. The names of the dead which
We're recovered, with the date of death,
| are a follows: Sergeant Cross, Jauu.
| airy L 1884: Wederick, Esquimau, April ,:
Sergeant Linn, April 6; Lieutenant Lock.
wood, April 9: Sergeant Jewell, April l.;
! Private Elis. Nav l9: Sergeant RalstOn, MAY
%; rivate Whisker. May a: Sergeant Israel
May p; Lieutenant kingsbury. June l; Pri-
vate Henry. June q: Private Schneider. June
| Is Mares of dead buried in the ice fort
with date of death, where bodies were not
| recovered. as follows: Sergeant Rice, April
| 9, 1854: Corporal Salem, June 81 Private
| Bender. June lG: Acting Assistant Sergeant
| Pavy, June g; Sergeant Gardner June -
| Drowned while breaking through the newly
| formed ice while sealing, JenS Edwards, ES
| 'uimau. April "A
| would urgently suggest that the bodies
| now on board be placed in metallic cases here
| forSateF and better transportation in seaway.
| Thlsappears tome imperative. Greely aban
| doned Fort Conger August 9, 1882, and reached
| Baird Inlet September %, following with
the entire party well. He abandoned all
| his boats and was adrift for thirty days on
an ice foe in Smiths sound: His perma-
| nent camp was established October 81, 1888
| at a point where he was found. During nine
months his party had TO live upon a scant
| allowance of food brought from Fort
| Conger, that cacheda at Payer Harbor and Cape
| Isabe Ia by Sir George Mares in 1873 but foun i
much damaged by lapse of time that cached
| by Beebe at Cape Sabine in 1852 and q small
| amount saved from the wreck of the Proteus
| in 1883. and landed 10y LeutS. Darlington and
! COlwell on the beach where Greely's party was
found camped. When these provisions were
| consumed the party was forced to live upon
boilet sealskin strips from their Sealskin
| clothing, hchens and Shrimps preserved i'll
| good weather, when they were strong
enough TO make exertiOn. As 1900 shrimps
| were required to fill a gallon measure the
! labor was too exhausting to depend upon
! them to sustain Ii t entirely. The channel
| between Cape Sabine and Littleton island did
| not close, ON account OF the violent gales all
! winter, 50 that 24O rations at the latter point
| could not be reached. All of Greely's records
and all instruments brought by him from
| Fort Conger are recovered and are on board.
From Hare Island to Smiths sound had q
constant aud furious struggle with ice in I'M.
| pasSable foes. Solid barriers of ice were
overcome by watchfulnesS and patience. No
| opportunity To advance a mile escaped me,
and for several miles the ships were forced to
ram their way through ice varying in thick
| ness from three To SiN feet and when RATED
much greater. The Thetis and Bear reached
Cape York June Is. after a passage of twenty
one DAYS in Melville Bay with the two ad-
vance ships of the Dundee whaling fleet. and
days later, we fell in with seven others of the
feet off Wostenholme Island, and announced
Greely's rescue to them in order that they
might not be delayed from their fishing
grounds or be tempted into the dangers of
Smiths So,md in view of the reward of S25,-
600 offered by Congress
Returning across Melville bay we fell in
with the Alert and Lock Garry off Devils
Thumb, struggling through the ice. Con-.
mander Colin did admiralty to get along 50
far with the transport so early in the season
before an opening had occurred. Lieutenant
Emory. with the Pear. has supported me
throughout with great skillfulneSs and un-
fiinchlng readiness in accomplishing the great
duty OF relieving Grealy. | would ask in
struction ab ut the Lock Garry, as the char
ter party held by her master differs in several
respects from mine
The Grpely party are very much improved
since their rescue, but were critical in the ex,
tUenle when found and for several dayS after.
Forty-eiEht hours delay in reaching them
would have been fatal to all now living The
season nGr5h Is late and the closest for years.
Smiths sound was not open when | left
Cape Sabine. Toe winter about Melville bay
was the mos. severe Tor twenty years.
This great result is entirely due to the I'M.
weaTled energy OF yourself and the Secrerarv
o war in fitting out this Y )edition for the
work it has had the honor II accomplish.
". 5. SCHLEY, Commander
A Talk With Commander SCIIley.
Commander Schlev was found on the deck
Of his vessel at st. Johns He said in reply to
inquiries:
On the 22d of June while living in the drift