Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-08-18

equipments landed. On the zSih OF August
came the sad partiag between the Greedy
party and the men d the Proteus The little
band gathered On tlt frozen shore and Tear
fully watched the Pruteus as ,he steamed
slowly down Lady Franklin Bay. leaving
, them 70 the mercy Of the erlel North On
> the evening Of the same day the temperature
sank below the freezing point ana the Arctic
winter was an them lin earnest The house
was I'm shed about & week after the Proteus
. left. Ii was named in honor OF Senator
, COnger, Fort ConEer. During the first
month the cold affected the men more than
at any subsequent time AT Fort Conger.
Later on in December the temperature sank
from So 10 60 below zero and 80 remained
tor days AT time, but even in that weather
the cooks tavorite amusement was DANG
ing bare headed, bare armed, and with
shppervd feet ION tie top Of q
snow drift. During the days we dressed in
ordinary outside clothing which Boston men
wear during Winter. but the hannels were
very heavy. Five of the men were generally
Tor part of the day engaged in scientific
work, under Lieut.. Greely> directions and IN
the duties Of the camp the rest OF the men
were employed, generally about one hour a
day, and devoted the remainder of the time 10
amusement. They all slept in hunks and
quarters heated by coal stoves, the average
heat maintained being 80 degrees above zero
( PLAYING checkers, cRris, chess and reading.
were the amusements of the evenings. Life
was said by Gretly ID he far from lonely. one
and many OF the men, said they had never
passed two happier years than those at Con
/ ger On the 18th OftOCtuher. the sun left Us
/ for l3j days, and twilight VARYING from one
halt an hour TO two hours succeeded Tor two
months. Ii was so dim that a watch could not
be read by il. On April lOth. the sun came
. above the horizon ami remained there for l5j
days, giving the party great sutcienCy OF
midnight sun. During three months the stars
were visible constantly, and the consultations
. OF Orlons Belt and the great Bear being
brightest, and the north star looked down
from almost overhead. Standing alone ont
side the fort on one Of these nights the scene
was wierdly grand. TO the north, famed the
aurora boreais and bright consultations were
set like jewels around the moon over every
thing was dead silence, so horribly oppressive
that man alone, salmost tempted to Kill
himself, so lonely does he feel The ther-
/ mometer registered Jpne 30, 1852, the highest
temperature at Lady Franklin Bay which We
knew during our stay; It was - degrees
. above zero; the lowest was in February. our
and was G6 degrees below zero. In this Feb
ruary our mercury froze and remained solid
for II days 50 intense was the cold, The
mercury IN the termDmeter invariably rose
during storms or high winds. the highest ba-
rometer was slightly above 81 inches and the
lowest slightly below % inches showing
great range; the greatest variations were in
Winter. Our elect9mer, and instrument
used to ascertain the presence of electricity,
was set up, but to the astonishment OF Lieut..
Greedy not the slightest results were obtained.
/ The displays of the aurora were very good
but were not to be compared with those seen
at Disco Island or Upernavik as far az 1t.
Greedy could observe. no cracking sound ac-
/ Companied the displays and the general shape
was that of ribbon. The south western
/ horizon was the quarter in which the brightest
displays were seen. Sir George Mares report
/ ed in 1876. that not a shadow was east hv the
/ aurora, but Greedy says lac observed his own
shadow cast by it, There were no electrical
disturbances save these manifested by the
rumbling of distant thunder heard twice far
away to the north. Io the course of the tidal
| observation made, very interesting fact was
! discovered, viz That the tides of Lady
/ Franklin Bay came from the north, while
those at Melville Bay and Cape Sabine came
! from the south. Lockwoods trips to the
north in 1882 50 were productive of most val
liable results. Standing on the 10Th of Nav
in each year where Dr. Hayes had formerly
stood at about the same time. so TODAY Lock
wood from an elevation of 2O0O feet using
the strongest glass upon Halls basin and
/ Bobesons channel could discover nothing
but ice packs, here il was that Dr.. HAYES
claimed to have seen his open
/ Polar sea. On the trip of 1884
/ Lockwood reached the highest latitude
/ ever attained, that Of 50, - n This was
about 800 miles directly north Of Lady
/ Franklin Bay, but to get there he travelled
over 1000 miles open water and broken packs
/ frequently causing them to retrace steps 50
miles lockwood souGded the sea both wears
/ between Cape Bryant and Cape Brittania
but could not touch bottom with l35 fathoms
/ line.
] Markham, few years before. about 100
miles to the west, got bottom at - fathoms
Lockwood found at tarthest NORTH about the
same vegetation as at Lady Franklin Bay
but by no signs Of the open current or the
open polar In 1888 he was stopped
near Cape Bryant, l25 miles from Lady
Fanklin Bay by open channel extending west
to the coast Of Grinnen Land. Width OF the
channel varied from 2Q0 yards to five miles
but on the north ice packs extended as far as
( could be seen with the glass. With his sup
ply of provisions, the failure OF which had
caused his return the year before, Lockwood
was confident he could have reached So deg.
north if this open channel had not barred the
way. No fossil remains were discovered on
this trip and the only ones found we're the
/ trunks of trees on the 5. W. coast of Grin
nell Land. Maps of the new regions he dis
covered were in possession of Lieut.. Greely
/ are are very carefully fnade. All throughout
/ the two years at Lady Fanklin Bay the mag
netic needle was never quiet except during
storms.
/ On Aug. 9, 1888, came news that the ice
was open. All had been made ready, and
/ that very day the party embarked in a little
/ steam launch. Behind them they left their
/ dogs because they could not be taken. and
/ four barrels Of pork and some seal oil were
I left for the animals. Large quantities of
/ heavy ice were met and the extreme danger
was that the little launch would any moment
( be crushed. Suffering of the men was great
| In thirteen days they drifted 25 miles south
/ of the foes, suffering horribly from cold.
The Blaine Libel Suit.
TERRE H4UTE, Ind, Aug II.
1 John Shoemaker, proprietor Of the Indian