The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-11-01

wAsHISGToN. DC, October "a.
Commodore ScAley OF the CREEPY relief
expedition has submitted his report to
the Secretary OF the Navy. After giving
in detail description of the progress Of
the expedition through the heavy ice, he
describes Lieutenant Greely's permanent
camp as being located nearly midway be-
tween Crooked Hat Island aud Cape
Sabine. He says 1t was situated about
seventy.five feet back from the beach. on
a slight elevation above the water and
protected by high mountains to the south
ward.
Commodore Schey then described at
length and substantially as heretofore
published, the impressive scene inside
the tent on his arrival.
In concluding his dispatch the Commo-
dore says:
Ihope never again in my life to look upon
such Indebtedness and such restitution. The
| picture was more startling and more deeply
| pathetic than | had ever dreamed oouiu De
| possible In beholding It. 1 stood for mo
| ment almost unnamed, and then real&ed
| that if the expedition had demonstrated any
one thing more than another, IL was ihat au
| hour had its value to at least one of that par
| ty Stouter hearts than mine felt full OF sor-
| row Eyes that had not wept Tor years Weree
| moistened with tears in the solemnity OF that
| precious hour in the lives OF that heroic little
| banG of sufferers, until this moment 80 nope
| less aud helpless.
Continuing, Commodore Schley says:
The survivors were taken on board the ship.
| The surgeons and myself accompanied them
| Lieutenant Emory was left on shore to ex-
| hume the dead aud to bring on everything
| belonging to the expedition found in or ABOUT
| the camp. did not return to the shore Inc
| dead were buried on u ridge back OF the camp,
distant from It about torty yaTaas. ane Fund
| on the ice fort west of the camp, distant MY
| yaris. In exhuminp these bodies, one at
- @,trA and wv
| blankets. Tickets or tags of canvas we're
sewed TO them marked in the order OF ex,
6rp Rss .h pst bnryns the
numbers of the graves marked In order OF
this exhuming. This plat was subsequently
submitted to Sergeant Brainard VINO mad
superintended the buras. The names of the
dead, corresponding to the numbers, were
marked under them. Tneir Identity was
The bodies we're carefully wrapped up and
slowed in one of the dores on board the The
It's They were then covered with Ice ana
guarded until tanks could be prepared to hold
| alconol. This was done three days alter
ward when six of the bodies were trans
ferred to the Bear: All the bodies were
then placed in alcohol In the tank and SO
carried to st. John, N. b. The orders OF
Lieutenant Emory were carrneu t out WIN
a. m, June %, the bodies of all the dead
as well as all records, instruments, clothing
, | and relics found in camp were on DOard the
/, Thets AMI Bear:
Both ships then steamed back TO Payer Hair
, Dor in order TO give officers and men a few
hours sleep and rest after their hard work
for fifteen hours Lieutenant Greedy and
Sergeant Brainard being much improved by
: 10 II. IN. of June 23d, informed me oihcially
(the former referring me TO his diary Tor Nerl-
fcatlon) that seventeen men OF the Lady
Franklin Bay expedition had perished by
: while out sealing. The bodies OF the dead
were recovered except that of Jeans Edward,
Esauimaux. who was drowned. while sealing,
!. and those of Sergeant Rice, Corporal Saylor,
- Private Bender, Sergeant Gardiner and DIR.
Payy, These bodies having been buried IN
the ice fort we're swept away 1y wi ns tb anu
n | could be discovered. although the vicinity
. was carefully searched
Q Emory with tina Bear back to the wrecked
, camp. Lieutenant Sebree, Chief EngineeI
n Melville and number OF men from tne
: der to make another search more extendeu
4 than that Of the preceding day, and to include
q the coast IRON the ice limit half annie west OF
the camp up to Cape Sabine. This search
q lasted several hours, but added nothing To
n that made the previous day AT 3 p. m. tht
A | Bear returned to Payer Harbor. She barely
. | es capped the crush of ice against the land IN
q the vicinity of Cape Sabile.
8 The tanks having been prepared by june
25th, the bodies of the dea we're transferred
to them. DR.. Green, Chief Engineer Mel
vile and Ensign Harlow, OF the Thetis, DIR
b Ames, Lieutenant Crosby aud Lieutenan
. Colwell, of the Bear, prepared the bodies IN
= the following manner: From each body th'
! clothing was removed. 1t was then wrapped
L in strips of cotton cloth from head to foot
!. backward and forward several times Cotton
! sheeting was then used to cover the whole
cut to tit the form of the body. Wrappe'
) in this way the body was placed in the tank
q and secured against movement from ram
n ming zee, or when rolling In Hie pasSag
: temporary, and would not answer when max
j. ing the passage beyond st. Johns.
In preparing the bodies OF the dead 70
transportatonsin alcohol to ST. Johns, It wa
found that six Of them, Lieutenant kissing
bury Sergeats Jewell and Ralston, Private
| tstla nd 06 A
10 the fleshy parts removed to II greater or les
"a extent. When the bodies of the dead were eX
posed in preparing them the identhcatio
was found to be complete. Some of ther
could be recognized by aid OF picture take
1t with US from home Others, whose feature
had decayed, were Identified by other charaC
s. teistcs | am, therefore, satisfied that n
n mistake was made in this important matte
a when so impressed US from the beginning.
He states that the total expense OF tn
70 expedition will aggregate about $3.50,
a 600; but that a considerable porto
g of this SUN was for the purchase O
:, the ships, which were returned in goo
70 condition. He highly commends Com
. mander Coffin and other officials OF tn
various ships, and says the selection O
y the crews of the three vessels was fault
~ less. There were no punishments o
y board the ships until the return t
- civilization, and the few cases the
Y were caused entirely by rum. The Con
y modore pays a high tribute to Secre
% taries Chandler and Lincoln for their Ell
's forts in securing Congressional action
l. and concludes as follows:
10 beg TO thank you for your earnest, prong
l. and cordial support in preparing the exped
tiouary force Tor its work. and ABOVE all fc
to lasting honor conferred upon me, an
the officers and men composing IL in connec
ing our names i'm our efforts with yours in
relief which has filled the nation and indee
the civilized world, with the gravest solicitud
tor a year past.