The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-07-30
Starving on Cane Sabine.

of the remnant Of the Greedy expedition give |
the Notwithstanding accounts OF the sniieringss
of the survivors, and of the utterly wretched
condition In which they were found. The
Thetis and Bear, by incredible energy and
skill, had been pushed up through Bafiiu's Bay |
to the entrance to Smiths Sound, reaching |
Littleton Island, on the east side, June 2lst,
Thence they steamed northwest across the
Sound to Cape Sabine, run OF four hours. |
Cairns were deserted on Brevoort and Stark
necht Islands Men were sent Off to examine
them.
THE DISCOVERY
of the dying and famished victims to the Arc
tic craze Is thus described: " In each OF the |
cairns records Of Greedy were found, dated In
October, 1883, and reporting all well at that |
time. The location Of their camp was given as
being at point midway between Cape Sabine
and Cooked Hat Island. Captain Schley went
on board the Bear at once and started Tor the
camp. The Thetis remained to pick mp her Of
ficers and men, and soon joined the Bear at camp
Clay, as the winter quarters of the Greedy party
were called. All remarked on the possibilities
of the next hour while on our way around,
but no one dreamed of the horrible tragedy
that was to be revealed The wind had in
creased to well-nigh a hurricane. 1t tore
over the hills in furious blasts, driving the
water in sheets before it, and heeing the ship
to an uncomfortable degree. The Bear had
steamed nearly up to the ice, and people could
be seen running about on shore. Some one
WAS seen on L0b lC0 SlH0dl10R WIFI IhRS 1OuT
correspondent ran forward and took the mes
sage, as follows: Send doctor with stretchers
and Harlow with photograph machine; seven
alive When it came to the last two words
made him repeat them. With what careful
interest watched them no one can realize. 1t
might be DEAD; but no, ALIVE waved
plainly through the air, and the fate OF the
Greedy party was known on board the Tbetis.
Boats were lowered at once, manned with
strong crews, and party of officers and men
IL /. I-x.a
1t was hard pull, but with water dashing over
the rail at every lunge and rolling gunwales
under in the short but heavy seas, we finally
reached the ice foot and hurried to the scene OF
misery. few steps from the landing we met
a black face, with horrid, staring eyes, wrapped
in clean blanket that contrasted strangely
with the filthy clothes that covered the body OF
one OF the survivors 1t was Fredericks, who
was strong enough to walk to the boats-a mis-
cradle sight, but cheerful compared with the
one that met our gaze few steps further on:
A slight incline to the left and the busy relief
parties came in view. Passing small fire on
which pots of milk were warming we came to
the tent under which lay four OF the poor fell
lows. Two lay outside, one with his face
swollen SO that he could barely show by his
eyes the wild excitement that filled his being
The other was muttering in voice, that could
scarcely be heard in the bowling OF the gale, bis
hungry appeal for food. Pushing aside the
flags Of the tent we saw sight the like OF
which we trust never to see again. Crowded
together in the little of the tent that was left
standing lay Greedy and three of his men in
their sleeping bags, their faces black with dirt.
Their hollow cheeks and their cleaning eyes
made picture that we will never forget and
told story that has but few rivals in the his
tories of miserable sufferings. The short glance
revealed four men with the hand OF death laid
upon Them one, indeed, was gasping his last
feeble breath while food and stimulants were
forced between his teeth. The fate OF the other
three was question of very few hours The
gale was killing them in their weak and ex-
hausted condition. To move against such a
wind was an impossibility. An able bodied,
healthy man bent to it at times. So there they
lay, waiting for death, unable to cook the pitt
full ration of tanned oil sealskin and lichens
that they called their meal. Our glance was
short one; work was to be done, and all turned
to it with heart and hands. The poor ferers
were wrapped in blankets, fed with warm milk
beef tea and crackers. and carried to the boats
A photograph was taken of the camp, despite
the time, eleven p NJ, and the weather. The
living having been provided for, our next sad
duty lay with the dead. The graves were on
the summit of ridge behind the camp-ten Of
them, with their scanty coverings of gravel.
Each body was carefully unearthed and
wrapped in blankets, marked to correspond
with its number on the diagram, that was
made and carried to the boats. This task
being finished, and the bodies divided between
the boats, the next difficulty was to reach the
ship. 1t seems almost miracle that they got
safely alongside and could discharge their sad
cargoes, with the survivors in charge of the
sympathzing officers and crew, who removed
their rags, bathed and fed them. Their dead
comrades were piled on the dory and covered
with tarpaulin. We steamed back to Payer
Harbor, and about four A. NJ. made fast to the
ice again in about the same place we first had
the information that led to the stirring events
of the night. The next day the Bear revisited
the camps, and collected every scrap and relic
appertaining to it, The cairns were revisited
and the records left by Greedy, his pendulum
journals, the flag of the Mares expedition that
he proudly brings back from the place where
they left it as marking their highest latitude,
his instruments, and their records. Our work
being completed, we turned homeward from
the places made sad by so many former
and triply so by the recent, disasters. They
have closed the gates OF Smiths Sound for a
time but expeditions to come-and they are
sure to come-will learn more from the con
duct Of the party in command OF Lieutenant
Greedy than they could ever know from the
combined experiences of the earliest to the
latest explorers in those regions The worl
that he has accomplished is marvellous Tit
lessons he will teach Arctic explorers are valu
able ones, but how very, very dearly bought
Aside from the valuable additions to scientif
and geographical knowledge that he brings us
is his testimony to the heroic devotion OF com
rades to one another when evil days had be
ldlItu lutUl. IL ID II thlo VI SoIl-bdCIlhCo, ONoi
to the laying down of ones life for his friend
He and his party are band OF heroes; thei
doings the record OF heroes"
LIEUTENANT GREELY's NARRATIVE.
During the trip from the Arctic region to ST
Johns, Lieutenant Greedy gave detailed de
scription, at the mess table of the Thetis, of tn
hardships his party encountered during tn
long winter in camp on Cape Sabine The fo
lowing is the substance of his story: "Whe
the site for the camp had been selected we sc
at once to building house to shelter us fror
the seventies of the winter. Stones were gail
cred together and piled in walls to inclose
space Of about twenty-five by seventeen feet
Over the top of this was placed the whalebos
found at Starknecht Island, left by the Nel
tune in 1882. This formed ridge pole, an
the rest of the roof was make by stretchin
tent and boat sails down to the sides of tn
house, and pinning them down with rock
Snow was heaped up to the caves. which wei
about five feet high, to keep out the wind
this miserable hut we laid down from the i
of November until the latter part of Ma,
From the inside the walls were barely hig
enough to allow the men TO sit up in the
sleeping bags. All during our retreat fro
Fort Copger fuel had been very precious a
tice. Everything was saved, OF course, al
the strictest watch kept on its issue. The
was never enough for more than cooking pu
poses, so that all during the long, dark, bitt
cold days of winter we had no source of warm
except our clothes and sleeping bags As
matter of economy cooking was done on
twice day, and then the dscomforts from b
smoke more than cOunterbalanced the lit