Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-09-18
&eadiug,
THE GREELY SURVIVORS.


THEIR PHYSICAL CONDITION WHEN RES
CUED.
The official report of Edward II. Green,
M. D.. surgeon of the steamship IhetiS. of
the Greely relief squadron, on the condition
of the survivors Of the Greedy party when
found at their camp on Smiths Sound and
their subsequent treatment, is published in
the PHILADELPHIA Medical Neacs. AS pre-
liminary to the medical history Of the cases
of the Wretched survivors of the expedition,
DR.. Green gives a resume of their mode of
life at Camp Clay, in order that the read
er may better appreciate the condition in
which they were found.
On September 90, 1888, the party landed at
Baird Inlet, and all were reported as we'll.
On October 25 they moved to pc point, Mt be, Sh
tween high ridges Of mountains which
screened them from the NOrtherly and
Southerly winds, and established winter
camp. The house which they constructed
was 25 by II feet, and 4 feet in height, max
ing cubic air space of only 1,70O feet-a
cubic air allowance of 20 feet for each OF the
25 men. 1t was in this hut, in which all
could hardly squeeze at one time, that the
explorers were overcome with asphyXla,
and nearly lost their lives on March "A,
1884. The after effects of this mishap re-
many of the party. The water supply was
obtained from an artificial lake 200 yards
to the south of the hut, by melting ice,
which gave brackish water all the time.
For nine months the party had no artificial
warmth and lived in temperature OF from
50 to 10o below zero in the winter. 1t was
decided that the nearer they could approach
state of hibernating the better were their
chances of getting through. So only the
cooks and hunters exerted themselves to
any extent, and were given double rations:
The rest occupied their sleeping bags and
slept from 16 to 18 hours out OF every "A.
On November 1, 1888, says DR.. Green,
Lieutenant Greedy took all account of the
stock of provisions They divided up the
rations so as to make them last until March
l, providing that ten days. supply would be
left at the end of that time. This gave each
man the following daily allowances: Meat
and blubber, 4.33 ounces; bread and dog bis
cult, 6.5 ounces; canned vegetables and rice,
IA ounces butter and lard, rs ounce
soup and beef extract, 10 ounce; berries,
pickles, raisins and milk, ounce-a total
daily allowance for the four months OF
l4.8S ounces. In addition the following
game was added to the stores: Two seals,
yielding 12O pounds of meat; one bear,
Welding 800 pounds of meat; eight foxes,
-four pounds each,) and sixty dovekies,
small birds, weighing one pound each. All
the party were alive on March except Ser
geant Cross, who died in January of scurvy,
the only case of pronounced scurvy that
developed.
On March 1 the rations were reduced to
the following allowance: Meat, &c ounces
bread and dog biscuit, 80 ounces. Shrimp
three ounces of these a day were added to
the rations. On May 12 the last of the reg
ular rations was gone. Shrimps, reindeer
moss and the sealskin Innings of the Sleep
ing bags were boiled. Black lichen was also
used, though DR.. Pavy advised against it..
DR.. Green says:
"There seemed to be but little acute suf-
fering from the lack of food. 1t was only
after the introduction of food into the stom-
ach that the craving became very great:
For days they went without food without
actually suffering. The deaths seemed to
take place finally from heart trouble (hy-
drops pericardii). The feet and face became
edematous for day or so they would
complain of pains over the heart; ). have
spasm of pain over the pr@cordia; slight
Their chief suffering during the winter was
from constipation"
After the rescue, Lieutenant Greedy, Stew
ard Biederbeck, Sergeant Brainerd and Pri-
vate Connell were transferred to the 1hetis,
and were directly under DIR. Green's care,
the other survivors being cared for on board
the Bear. When the rescuing party reach
ed the camp, Private Connell was pulseless,
unconscious and unable to swallow. He was
given little brandy, followed by some
warm condensed milk and beef essence. In
two hours ali were transferred to the ships.
Dr. Green confines himself particularly to
the case of Lieutenant Greedy, and does not
even mention the condition of others, ex-
cept Connell, when found. He tainted on
being carried into the ward room and vom-
tied. After being placed in berth Lieu
tenant Greeley was given teaspoonful of
raw, fresh beef, minced. His clothes were
then cut off, and flannels substituted. His
further condition in thus stated:
On examination his body emitted slck!y,
offensive odor; emaciated to degree, the
skin hanging from his limbs in flaps face,
hands and scalp blackened with q thick
crust of SCOT and dirt (having not washed or
changed his clothing for ten months?
Nervous iSystem.-Excitable and irritable,
at times almost irrational eyes wild and
staring; insists on talking, craving news,
and demanding food; complains ofno pain.
Diqestire Svstem.-Tongue dry and crack
ed, heavy brownish-black coat ravenously
hungry, abdominal cavity hollow and lying
almost in contact with the vertebral column {;
no movement of bowels for six days; liver
dullness, on percussion, confined to right
hypochondriac region.
Respiratory tSystem.-Respiration - per
minute; auscultation and percussion reveal
no abnormal condition of the lungs; Veslc-
ular murmur puerile.
Circulato7y System.-Pulse 50, soft and
compressible ausculation shows marked
murmur (blowing) in systole over base OF
heart.
hategun,entary iSystem.-Skin cold and
clammy, sickly odor emanating from 1t,
shriveled and salloW; temperature97 7.2' (un-
der tongue.)
Loconaotor Systen-Great muscular waste,
unable to move or stand without support
body weight, 120 pounds weight before
leaving Fort Conger in August, 1883, 16S
pounds.
Treatment, from II P NJ, till A. M,
alternated every half hour: teaspoonful. OF
raw, fresh beef (minceD with teaspoonful of
milk punch enjoined strict quiet; pulse
then rose to 60 per minute, soft; tempera-
turc go.
The condition of Lieutenant Greedy is
described daily as he improved. The next
day after his removal to the IhetiS he was
allowed to have some home letters read. On
the fifth day he sat up in bed, and just a
week after the rescue was dressed and al
lowed to walk little. He was given food
at five stated intervals each day. He gain
ed 81 pounds the first week, Is the second, 8
the third, 7 the fourth, 81 the fifth, and 4
pounds the sixth week-bringing his weight
to 1863 pounds when he landed at Ports