The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-07-23

bv the master differs in several re
spects from mine. The Greely par
ty are very much improved sine
the rescue, but were critical in th'
extreme when found, and for severa
days after. Forty-eight hours delay
In reaching them would have beer
fatal to all now living. The season
north is late and the closest fol
years.
! Smiths Sound was not open whei
/ left Cape Sabine. The winter
about Melville Bay was the most Sc
we're for twenty years. This grea
result is entirely due to the unwea
ried energy of yourself and the Sec
retary of War in fitting out this ex
pedition for the work it has had ths
honor to accomplish.
[Signed]
w. S. ScHLEy,
Commander.
Rear Admiral Nichols to-day tele
graphed to Commander Schley al
st. Johns as follows:
Use your discretion about care
and transportation of bodies. Report
by wire when ready to sail for New
York. Department sends most
hearty congratulations to yourself
officers and men,"
A LETTER FROM GREELEY.
WASHINGTON, July 17.-General
Hazen, chief signal officer, U. 5. A.,
this afternoon received the follow,
ing telegram from Lieutenant A.
w. Greedy, dated St. John, n. f.,
july II:
"For the first time in three centu-
ries England yields the honor OF the
farthest north. Lieutenant Lock
wood and Sergeant Brainard May IL
reached Lockwood island, latitude
SO "a, longitude 445. They saw
from 1000 feet elevation no land
north or northwest but to the
northeast Greenland, Cape
Robert Lincoln, latitude S3.35 lon
gitude 3S. Lieutenant Lockood was
turned back in 1883 by open water
on the north Greenland shore barely
escaping a DRIFT into the Polar
ocean. DIR. Pavy, in 1882, following
the Markham route, was adrlft
one day IN the Polar ocean, north OF
Cape Joseph Henry, and escaped to
land. abandoning nearly everything
In 1882 | made IA spring and later a
summer trip into the interior OF
Grinnell land, discovering Lake Ha-
zen, some sixty by ten miles in ex-
tent, which fed by ice cape of North
Grinnell land, drains Ruggles river
and Everyprecht ford into Cony-
beare bay and Archer fiord From
the summit of Mount Arthur, 1000
feet, the contour of land west OF the
Conger mountains convinced me
that Grinnell land tends directly
south from Lieutenant Aldrich's S
farthest in 1876. In 1883 Lieute-
nant Lockwood and Sergeant Brain
ard succeeded in crossing Grinnell
land, and ninety miles from Beau
tux bay, the head of Archer's ford,
struck the head of ford from the
western sea temporarily named by
Lockwood, Greely ford. From the
centre of the ford, in lat. 5000, lon.
1880, Lieu. Lockwood saw the nor
therh shore termination some twenty
miles west, the southern shore exten-
ding some fifty miles with Cape
Lockwood some seventy miles dis
tant, apparently a separate land
from Grinnell's land. Lieutenant
Lockwood followed, going and re-
turning ON ice; cape averaging about
80 feet perpendicular fall.
at follows that the Grinnell land
interior is ice capped with a belt of
country some sixty miles wide be-
tween the northern and southern ice
capes,
"In March, 1884, Sergeant Long,
while hunting, looked from the
northwest side of Mount Carey to
Hayes sound, seeing on the northern
coast three capes westward of the
furthest seen by Mares in 1876. The
sound extends some twenty miles
farther west than shown by the En-
glish chart, hut is possibly shut in
by land which showed up across
the western end. The two years
station duties, observations, all ex-
plorations and the retreat to Cape
Sabine were accomplished without
loss of life, disease, serious accident
or even severe frost bites. No sour
w was experienced at Conger and
but one death from it occurred last
winter.
"We abandoned Fort Conger Au-
gust 8. Frozen in pack off Victoria
Head August 20. Abandoned steam
launch September II eleven miles
northeast of Cooked Hat island.
When on the point of landing were
three times driven by southeast
storms in to Kane's sea. Finally
landed on Sep. 29 in Baird
inlet. Learning by scouting par
ties of the Proteus' disaster, ana that
no provision had been lett for US
from Cape Isabella to Sabine, moved
and established winter quarters at
Camp Clay, half way between Sa-
bine and Cooked Hat. An invento-
ry showed that by daily ration OF
four and one-third ounces of meat,
seven of bread and dog biscuit, and
four ounces of miscellaneous, the
party would have ten days full ra-
tions left for crossing Smiths sound
to Littleton island, March |. unfor
tunately Smiths sound remained
open the entire winter, rendering
crossing impossible. The game
failed despite the daily hunting,
from early February. Before the
sun returned only 500 pounds of
meat remained, This year minute
shrimps, sea weed, sassafras, rock
lichens and seal skin were resorted
to for food with the results as
shown by the number of survivors.
The last regular food was issued on
May IA. Only 150 hounds of meat
left by Darlington compelled me to
send in November four men to OBJ
tain hundred and forty four
pounds of English meat at Isabella.
During the trip Ellison froze sol