Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-07-24


WASHINGTON, July 20, 1884
Ceauui w D. Hzftn.
Dsar Slr.~-My professional relation to
lieutenant Darlington IN the late inyesti-
CATION Of The failure OF the ProlenS eNpedi-
zion under his command will signify 20
yoD The occasion for this letter, iils 40.
scncc and your puhfsbcd comments on his
failufc 10 leave more stores az Cape Sabine
supgesi to me the proprie,y OF addressing
IL 10 sou. Your sole object, must as
sun,e. Is 70 tix ths responsibility for the
loss OF eighteen brave men where q pro-
perry belongs. In the Shadow OF this
great calamity viii not believe tint you
eau have a less pure motive. We have
been through this Investigation together.
Generul. aud as the source Of our intelli-
feucc Is the same, feel that you will the
more readily accept the aid That
ehceffuily tender 70 tho common cause OF
firth.
Tie world now knows t,,at the sad fstc
of The eighteen victims was due % tae fail
nrc TO deposit proper quantity Oi stores at
Cape Sabine. You say that =" The raiions
which Lieutenant Darlington let at Cape
Sabine were ia accordance With Lieutenant
Grccly'S Instructors. OF course. II more
stores had been left more lives wond have
been Saycd.1 The legitimate inference
from this IS thsi. whilc she few stores left
by Darlington saved The lives Of IS, o.
Grceiy's party. the loss 81 the others was
due to bis failure % leave q larger supply.
Whose fault was Il that there was not a.
sufficient deposit Of stores nj Cape Sahiacg
III Garlmgioa's. let him answer for it; il
not, you would not wish that We should r..
main lonQor under SUCH suspicion.
In 1872 The Beetle expedition, under
your iustgg csions, wcs crganizcd for ti.
relief % Lieutenant Greedy. Z we trars-
ported north in The shin Neptune, md ar.
rived Ia the yicinity'oi Cape sabine on the
29,h o. July, aud rcma,ned ultil the Jth
day Of September. having been stopped Ia
is northward course by barrier Of ice.
:" In accordance with her Instructions" de-
rived from You. cache OF provisions was
established upon "Littloion Island and an
other on Cape sabine OF 2JO raiions each"
Tie rest % her stores were, by your orders,
brought back 60 s.. Johns and landed for
further use. IhCre was every op.
purfrnity 90 establish cache o,
f0C00 ra,ions instead o. $50 Of Clpc
Sabine. had you so directed. In your to-.
flmony before the court Of inquiry on tho
18Th cl November, iS,g. You approved OF
y
p6is. as IN accordance with your ins,ruc-
tlone. thoggh in your testimony before the
fame cour, on the 10Th Of November in re-
laiioa 80 the prOpriety Of leaving the stores
nj Cape Sabine yon say: 81 have regretted
very much ever since that su"d ins-r."-
fionE were not given. and thgt his supplies
were ot all leii a. Cape Sabine" surely
Il Yves not Gariington's iiult !nat the stores
Of the Neptune were deposited NJ -.
Johns instead OF at Cope Sabine or Liliie-
ton Island, nor can believe that Il WAS
GrCcly's, as you suggest in your memo
rsndum OF tie 18th instant.
Under your sole direction the relief *
pcdition m 1850 was sent north in the Fro
tens. under Lieutenant Gar.inNOn's COM
mand, and arrived or Cape Sabine on the
I'D day Of July, 1899. Ii he had had Or
deTs, or even permission, to leave supplies
az Cape Sabine there was abundan. Opp1r-
tunIty 10 do 50. hut TIE court OF Inquiry
found that under your instructions be had
neither. and justified his course In 40.
dong so. Permit me 10 rcmild you tdlt
YOU specially emphasized The necessity o!
not permitting Lieutenant Darlington 20
deposit anv of his stores I'm the northWar1
course of the Protcus in the very first lines
Of your written Instructions 70 Tin, where.
~ Of reaching Lieutenant 4. W. Grccly
and his panty with The expedition CT this
year. This necessity cannot be over
estimated, as Lieutenant GrCcly's supplies
VIII he exhausted during The coming FALL"
wien your attention WaS called TO thi,. as
The records Of yOur Office disclosed that
GrCely then bad iuil yc0r's supplies, yJu
said - IL WAS either clerical error or IL
was put in by Captain Clamp in his first
rough draft, ard the mater was over
looked afterwards Thi. H. found by the
court TO have been one Of tie niue grave
errors or omissions noted IA your actlo2
"as having either directly led or largely
contributed 10 the abcrtiye issue OF The
expedition" A.ain, you justified your
course in not permitting CARING
ton 20 land any Of bis supplies
on The northward progress 81 the ship
upon the ground that the tender Che Yam
tic). Icing 1T Litileton Island. would ac-
tuaily be q depot. Your instructions, bOth
written and verbal. were explicit on this
point. In the attempt 10 carry ont your
instructions, d" that no effort must be spared
TO pugh the vessel through TO Lady Frank
lin Bay" the Frctcus was caught IN tn
ice and lost oil Cape Sabine on the evening
Of he 23d Of July, 1883. With respect to
Garlingtou's conduct az this tiue, The
court. IN iis findings, says: "Aiter the
disaster the evidence clearly establishes the
fact that Lieutenant darlington and his
party saved all they could from the sinking f.
ship. and that they cached near Cape ST. /
binc att the stores and provisions thai !
could be spared before crossing to Little
ton and"
AS you seem 10 be In doubt whether the 1
should be fixed upon Grasly |
or Darlington, these facts, recalled TO your |
attention, think will relieve you of any I
doubt % 10 where It should i'm fact rest. i
may add that the court took occasion to !
note TINT from July, 1882, to August, 1888, /
not less than 10000 raiions were taken on
The steamers Neptune. Yantic. and Proteus
mp to aud beyond Littleton Island, and yet
OF that number 1000 only were io't
in that vicinity. the remainder being
returned 10 the United States or
sunk with the Protcus. This was
the provision that was made under
yoUr instructions for Greely's arrival at
Cape Sabine. although the officers in your
department connected with this subject
again and again urged the propricty OF
making large dep0ts on the west side OF
Smiths sound. and notwithstanding the /
TACT that Lieutenant Greedy. himself, in q |
letter addressed you from Lady Franklin
Bay. bearing date August II. 1881, said:
" l feel IL proper TO here state thai, in my
opinion, retreat from here southwark to
Care sabine. In case 10 vessel reaches II,
in lsS2 or 1883, viii be safe and p-acti-
cable thus ioreahad0wing to you, his
ehi,f. charged with his relief. the very
course that be subsequently pursued, with
srel iin,.Sscribably terrible results.
II strict obedience 10 orders he the high.
est duty OF 4 soldier, lei Darlington have
The credit which The court accorded 10 him
OF having fuithfully executed yours that
fhe regret over the fatal consequences to
him and bis expedition in having done so
NAV be In some degree assuaged with the
reflection that, as soldier, he could have
done nothing else.
Pardon ne II / express my surprise Of
your attempt In your memorandum OF the
10Th instant 10 shift The responsibility Of
GarliAgton's instructions from yorrseN TO
Greely. When the court says Darlington
carried out your orders you In substance
answer: they were Greely's instructions.
not mine. Does IL not occur TO you TINT
the country may think. II Greedy Ia 10 be
responsible for tire orders that issue from
your high Office, that he should also enjoy
Its emoluments and digntiesg Amid the
expression Of the worlds admiration for
the heroic conduct OF Lieutenant Greely
and his courageous band, the one word OF
repro0f and criticism from his chief will be