Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-07-18
AT WASHINGTON.

The Dispatch Sent to Secretary Chandler
BY the Commander OF the Saving Expe-
ditiOn.
WASHINGTON, July 1.-The following is
copy of the telegram relative to the dis
covery of the Greedy party received at the
Navy Department.
ST. JOINS, \. f., "a. NJ, July II, 81.
Hon. W. Z. Chandler, Secretary of the
Navy Washington:
Thetis, Bear and Lock Garry arrived here
to-day from West Greenland. All well.
Separated from Alert one hundred and
fifty miles north during a gale. At 9p m.
June 22d, FIVE miles OF Cape Sabine,
in Smiths Soand, Thetis and Bear
rescued, alive, Lieut.. A. ". Greedy,
Sergeant Brainard, Sergeant Fredericks,
Sergeant Long, Hospital Steward Beider-
back, Private Connell and Sergeant Ellison,
the only survivors Of the Lady Franklyn
Bay Expeditiau. Sergeant Ellison had
lost botb hands and feet By frost bite and
died July 9th at God Haven, three days
after ampatation, which had become i'm
peratiye. Seventeen Of the twenty-five per
sons composing this expedition perisbed by
starvation at the point where found. One
was drowned while sealing to procure food.
Twelve bodies ofthe dead were rescued,
and are now on board the ThetiS and Bear.
One Eskimo, Turnevik, was buried at DISCO
in accordance with the desire of the
inspector of Mister Gizaland Five
bodies buried in the ice fort, near the
camp were swept away to sea by winds and
currents before my arrival and could not
be recovered. The names Of the dead re-
covered, with dates Of death are as follows:
Sergeant Cross, January lst, 1884, We'd
rick Eskimo, April 5th Sergeant Linn,
April 6th; Lieutenant Lockwood April
9th; Sergeant Jewell, April 18th; Private
23d; Private Whistler, May 9th; Sergeant
Israel, Nav 9th; Lieutenant Kislinbury
June LIST; Private Henry, June 9th: Private
Schneider, June lSs The names of the
dead buried in the ice fort, with date of
death where bodies were not recovered, are
as follows: Sergeant Rice, April 9th, 1884;
Corporal Salen, June Sd; Private Bender,
June 9th; Acting Assistant Sur
seon Pavy, June 9th; Sergeant
Gardner. June l6. Drowned by breaking
through the newly formed ice while sealing
.Ieno Edwards, Eskimo A Eil 4th. would
urgentl, suggest that bodies now on board
he placed IN metallic cases here for safer
and better transportation in seaway. This
appears to me imperative. Greeley aban.
doned Fort COnger, August 9th, 1883,
and reached Baird Inlet September 10Th
following with the entire party we'll He
abandoned all his boats and was sdrit for
thirty days on an ice foe in Smith Sound.
His permanent camp was established DC
tober 2lSt, lSS%, at the point where
he was found during nine months
his party had to live upon
a scaut allowance of food brought from
Fort Conger that was cached at Polar
Harbor and Cape Isabella by Sir George
Mares in lSTj, but was found to be much
damaged by lapse of time. That cached
BY Beebeed at Cape Sabine in 1882, and
small amount saved from the wreck Of the
Proteus in 1883 and landed by lieutenants
Darlington and Cowel on the beach where
Greeley party was found camped. When
these provisions were consumed the party
was forced TO live upon boiled seal skin
strips from their seal skin clothing, hchens
and shrimps preserved in good weather
when they were strong enough to make
exertiOn. As thirteen hundred shrimps
were required to fill gill measure the labor
was too exhausting to depend upon them TO
sustain life entirely. The channel between
Cane Sabine and l4ittleton Island did not
close on account of violent gales all winter,
so that 24O rations at the latter point could
not be reached All of GreeleyS records
and all instruments brought by him from
Fort Conger are recovered and are on
board. From Hare Island TO Smiths
Sound. had constant and furious strug-
ole with ice. Impassable foes and solid
barriers of ice were overcome BY wathful
ness and patience No opportunity to ad.
vance a mile escaped me, and for several
hundred miles the ships were forced to ram
their way from lead to lead through
ice varying in thickness from three
70 six feet, and when RATED much
greater. The Thetis and Bear reached
Cane York. June lS, after a passage OF
81 tdays in Melville Bay, with the two ad-
vance ships of the Dandee whaling Heet,
and continued to Cape Sabine. Returning
seven DAYS later we fell in withseven Others
OF inlS Meet on NOSlcuuOtluS 1Sa0HNr So
annouced Greeley's rescue, to them that
they might not be delayed from their hSh-
ing grounds nor be tempted into the dan
gers of Smiths Sound in view of the re-
ward OF S25, 900 offered by Congress. Re
turning across Melville Bay We fell in with
the Alert and Lock Garry, off Devils Thumb
struggling through heavy ice. Commando
Coffin did admirably to get along. SO far
with the transport so early in the season
before the opening had occurred. Lieuten,
ant Emory, with the Bear has supported
me throughout with great skilfulness and
unfagging readiness in accomplishing the
great duty of relieving Greeley, Iwould ask
instructions about Lock Garry, as the charter
party held BY her master differs in several
respects from mine, The Greeley party are
much improved in heelth since rescued. but
ileir condition was critical IN the ex-