The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-10-30

Report of Commando Schley to the Navy
department Relative to the Finding of
the Greedy Party-F0rIner Published Ac-
counts Verifed-The Expense OF the Ex-
peditiOn.
WASHINGTON, D. c., October "a
Commodore Schley of the Greeiy relief
expedition has submitted his report to
the Secretary of the Navy. After giving
in detail description of the progress of
the expedition through he heavy ice, he
describes Lieutenant Greely's permanent
camp as being located nearly midway be-
tween Crooked Hat Island and Cape
Sabine. He says 1t was situated about
seventy-fiYe feet back from the beach on
a slight elevation above the water and
protected by high mountains to the south
ward.
Commodore Sch'ey then described at
length and substantially as heretofore
pub ished, the impressive scene inside
the tent on his arrival.
In conc uding his dispatch the Commo-
dore says:
/ hope never again in my life to look upon
such wretchedness and such destituIon. The
picture was more startling and more deeply
pathetic than / had ever dreamed could DE
possible. In beholding it. / stood for a mo.
ment almost unmanned, ana then reahzed
that if the expedition had demonstrated any
one in ng more than another, 1t was that an
hour mad its vtlle to at east one of that par
ty. StOuter hearts than mine felt fun of sor-
row. Eyes that had not wept for years were
III u i-tened with tears III the sOlemnlty OF tnaJ
precious hour in the lives of that heroic little
band of sufferers, until this moment SO hope
less and H. lqless.
Continuing, Commodore Schley says.
The survivors were taken on board the ship
The surgeons and myself accompanied them
Iii, utenant Emory was left on shore to eX-
hume the dead, aud to DI1pg OF everything
belonging TO the expedition found in or about
the camp. did not return to the shore. Ihe
dead were buried on a ridge back Of the camp,
fro m about forty wards The bodies
of Private tieRry and Schneider were found
on the ice fort west of the camp, distant nifty
yarIs. In eXhunin2 these bodies, one a
Time, they were taken up and wrapped IN
blankets. Tickets or tags of canvas were
hu.Eing them. /, z, 3, etc. Lieutenant Emory
drew the plat of this burying ground, with the
this eXhuming. This plat was subsequently
submitted to Sergeant Brainard, who had
superintcnded The burials. The names OF the
dead. corresponding to the numbers, were
marked under them. Their identity was
The bodies were carefully wrapped up and
slowed in one of the dories on board tho The
tbs. They were then covered with ice ana
guarled until tanks could be prepared TO hold
alConol. This was done three days after
ward when six of the bodies were trans
ferred to the Bear; Al tne DOGIe5 were
then pla ed in alcohol in the tank and so
carried to st. John, N. +. The orders q
Lieutenant Emory were carried out with
such promptness and dispatch that at
a. m, June q, the bodies Of all the dead
well as all records, instruments cIothlng
and relics found in camp were on board the
Thetis aud Bear:
Both ships then steamed back to Payer Har
Dor, in order 10 give officers and men few
hours sleep and est after their hard work
for fifteen hours Lieutenant Grcely and
Sergeant Branard being much improved by
10 a. IN. of June 23d, informed me ofhcialy
0he former referring me TO his diary Tor Yeri-
ficatiOn) that seventeen men or the Lady
Franklin Bay expedition had perlshed by
starvation and that one had been drowned
while out sealing. The bodies of the dead
were recovered d except that of Jeans Edward,
Esquimaux, who was drowned while sealing,
and those of Sergeant RIces Corporal Saylof,
Private BENDER, Sergeant Gardiner and DR..
PaYy. These bodies having been buried in
the ice fort, were swept away by winds and
tides before my arrival! NO trace OF them
could be discovered, although the vicinity
was carefully searched.
Emory with the Bear back to the wrecked
camp. Lieutenant Sebree, C1ef Engineer
Melville and number OF men from tnc
Thetis were detailed to accompany him in or
der TO make another search more extended
than that of the preceding day, ana 70 IhcIuoe
the coast from the ice limit half mile west of
the camp up to Cape Sabine. This search
that made the previous day. At 5 p. m. the
Bear returned to Payer Harbor. She barely
escaped the crush of ice against the Iand IN
the vicinity of Cape Sabine
The tanks having been prepared by June
25th, the bodies of the deal we're transferred
to them DR.. Green chief Engineer Mel
vile and Ensign Harlow, of the Ihetls, DIR.
Ames, Lieutenant crosby ana Lieutenant
Colwell, of the Bear, prepared the BODIES IN
the following manner; From each body the
clothing was removed 1t was then wrapped
in strips of cotton cloth from head to foot
backward and fOrward several times Cotton
sheetng was then used to cover the whole,
cut to fit the form of the body. Wrapped
in this way the body was placed in the tanks
and secured against movement from ram
ming ice, or when rolling in the passage
after leaving the ice: This arrangemS Mt was
temporary, and would not answer wheIi max
ing the passage beyond st. Johns.
In preparing the bodies of the dead for
transpOrtatiOnEi alcohol to St Johns, 1t was
found that six Of them, Ii L1su6enant kisling-
bury. SCrgeats Jewell and kalStOn, Privates
Whistler, Henry and Ellis, had been cut and
the 1eShy parts removed TO greater or less
extent. Whom the bodies OF the dead we're eX-
posed in preparing them the identification
was found to be complete. Some of them
could be recognized by aid Of picture taken
with us from home. Others, whose features
had decayed, wei e identified by other charac
teristics I am therefore, satisfied that no
mistake made in this important matter
wh ca so impressed us from the beginning.
He states that the total expense of the
expedition will aggregate about $780,
600; but that a considerable portion
of this sum was for the purchase OF
the ships, which were returned in good
condition. He highly commends Com
mander Coffiu aud other officials of the
various ships, and says the selection OF
the crews of the three vessels was fault
less There were no punishments on
board the ships until the return to
civilization, and the few cases then
were caused entirely by rum The Com
modore pays a high tribute to Secre-
taries Chandler and Lincoln for their ef-
forts in securing Congressional action,
and concludes as follows;
beg TO thank you for your earnest, prompt
and cordial support in preparing the exPeqi-
tiOnary force Tor its work, and above all for
tie lasting honor conferred upon me, and
the officers and men composing it, in connect
ing our names in our efforts with yours in o
relief which has nlled the nation, and indeed
the civilized world, with the gravest solicitude
for year past