Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-07-19

| to the Thetis and Bear and tenderly cared
| for. 1t was with difficulty that they were
| Quoted. Their long fast had left them like
! insane men, and if they had been allowed
to eat as they desired all would have died
THEIR LAST FOOD IN CAMP.
At the time they were rescued their food
| consisted of boiled sealskin boots, cut up
! fine and mixed with moss, rock lichens
and small shrimpS, and boiled into soup
| The shrimps were so small it required
| from 200 to 400 to weigh an ounce
! They made tea from sassafras and Arctic
willow. Occasionally an aux would be
| killed, but very few were secured when
killed in water, unless they drifted in by
tide or wind, as they had been obliged to
burn the boat, it being their only fuel.
The wood of the boat was carefully
weighed to make ii last The failure to Sc
cure game after it was shot only added TO
their misery It almost made them insane
to see many seal, walrus, ducks and gulls
sporting in the sea before them while they
were starving.
The body of the last man who died at
camp, private Schneider, was found Just
outside of the tent. The party was too
weak to bury him, and he was covered
only with his sleeping-bag. For some days
after their rescue the men were III a preca-
rious condition. The great joy at their
rescue was followed by depression, both
mental and physical. All of their minds
were weak, and their speech, like their
movements, was very feeble and slow.
THE TRIP FOR THE ENGLISH BEEF.
The case of Ellison was most serious.
His hands and feet were gone, and his
greatly weakened condition could not with
stand the shock. He became insane few
days after the rescue, and died of mental
and physical exhaustion His history is
remarkable. On November I'd he was de-
tailed with three others to attempt the re-
coyery of the English beef cached by Mares
at Cape Isabella in 1879. The weather at
times was terrible, but threatened starva-
ton made it absolutely necessary to obtain
food if possible. Sergeants Rice and LYNN
privates Fredericks and Ellison, started
with a daily ration of four ounces of meat
eight ounces of bread, little tea and five
ounces of alcohol for cooking purposes.
with the temperature at $50 below zero
The wind was strong, the snow soft and the
ice hummocky. They had sixty miles to
march and return in four days. They had
reached the cached meat and were on their
return journey on the mOrling of Novem-
Der 9th They had left their rations and
sleeping bags about two miles from Cape
Isabella. where they had encamped on the
ice, and started with only cup of tea, in
tending to finish their meal after finding
the meat, and to save the extra weight Of
sleeping bags, provisions and cooking uten-
sis. They intended TO use the wooden
barrels for fuel. and thus save their alcohol
and return to the ice camp for dinner
A NIGHT OF TERROR.
On their return Ellison suffered with
thirst, and began to eat snow. against the |
order and advice of the others His hands |
and mits had become wet and as a north |
west gale was blowing his hands were soon |
frozen. Snow had also caused his mouth |
and tongue to blister, and he rapidly be- |
came weak. The men hurried into camp, |
and then discovered that Ellison had also |
frozen his feet. They cut his boots of. and !
put him in his Sleeping-bag, and restored |
the circulation in his hands and feet bv
placing his frozen limbs next to a bear
skin. After that terrible night they CON
tnued on their journey, with the temporal
Lure 250 below zero. Ellison was unable to
help haul the load which had been in
creased by the sleeping and camp
gear. His hands and feet were soon frozen.
md Fredericks was obliged to help him
ilOng. Rice and Lynn struggled manfully
with the sled, but the whole party were
soon forced by exhaustion to 20 into camp.
The men passed another horrible night. |
They had no tent, and their sleeping-bags
we're frozen so stiff it required an hours
work to unroll them The men gradually
worked themselves into their bags and the
neat OF their bodies thawed them out. A
trong wind, drifting snow and their ex.
laustion prevented them from restoring
circulation in the limbs of their frozen
Words cannot describe the
horrors of that night.
THE EFFORT To SAVE ELLISON.
When they broke camp they were
biged to abandon meat or their compan
on, and they chose the former Ellison,
oble fellow begged them to leave him to
ie and save the meat and his starving
They left the meat cached in
be ice, and also a rifle as q mark. and
ushed ahead to Esquimau, point where
hey could secure shelter in their old
amp. After reaching camp they worked
rom IN the evening till in the morning, I
nd partially restored circulation in Eli
on's hands and feet. They dried his I
otheS and made him some warm tea, the
My warm food they had been able to pro-
are, the wind preventing them from light
lg fire Early next day Ellison was able
} walk, and was sent on ahead, while the !
hers packed and hauled the sled. They =
ION overlook Ellison, who had strayed !
ON the road. His hands and feet were {
Oxen, and he was scarcely able to see. \
is checks and nose were also frozen The !
len took turns at leading and helping a
lm while two would haul the sled At {
st it required all three at the sled. and
icy tied Ellison 5 arms to the back of the (;
ed and hauled him in that way. His legs I
ere stiff, and he would fall and be dragged !
.yerai yards before his cries would be I
card.
ELLISON BADLY FROZEN. y
Linn began TO fail, and il was decided 9
iat Rice should push ahead, while Fred 9
ticks remained with Ellison and Linn a
ice, with a little frozen beef, started for G
SlstanCe The other men remained in a
eir sleeping bags twenty hours, when a
,rgeant Brainard reached them, and gave h
EN- some hot tea and soup and started Ii
-cil to hurry up a relief party. which D
rived ten hours later. Lieutenant Lock r
God and Dr. Pavy hauled Ellison into .
mp, FrederickS and Linn walking. Eli p
Ms feet were frozen beyond cure and all a.
) fingers and thumbs were lost. Linn Il
.yer did recover fully from his exposure. Il
Ice was unable 70 move for a day, and Il
-edericks was Frustrated for two days
A49'il vas I'll eitliF cared Tor, and lFeQ q
rough the whole winter, receiving the Y
st OF rations and more than Others, and W
ly died July Sth. His Joy at his rescue 5,
d his terrible suffering were more than e.
5 weakened constitution could stand. p
TIE LAST SLEEP OF RICE a
Last April the second attempt was made s.
recover the beef by Sergeant Rice and y
iyate Fredericks They started with ! u
cir sleeping-bags and sled and reached =
Is tirna a terrible stcr,,, -, 80, 81. e;
led 10 find the cache No doubt il had V
fitted of as the ice was continually shift 7,
3. While searching for it, Rice desired q
rest, saying he was little tired but W
)uld soon be all right Fredericks tried tIte
prevent him from resting and en-