Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-04-24
ABOARD THE THETIS.
The Flagship of the Greedy Expedi-
ti0n-snterVieWs With the Captain
and Officers.

tion-lnterv1ews With the Captain
and Officers.
New York Mail Express.
The steamship Thetis, which is to be
the flagship of the Greedy relief expe-
dition, lay at the Main street wharf of
the Brooklyn navy yard this morning
the center of attraction of officers,
marines and gentlemen interested in
the expedition. She is a saucy-look-
ing craft and to the initiated would
appear to be ill-fitted for Arctic serv-
ice. Her crew, however, who were all
ScOtchmen and have sailed in her
since she left the ways, say she is the
''bOnniest ship O them a.. She is a
bark rugged steamer; has length of
181 feet, beam of 80 feet 9 inches.
and depth of hold of 10 feet 1 inch.
She is registed gross 600 tons, and her
engines are capable of working up to
125-hOrse power. She was built spec
tally for the Arctic service by George
Stevens of Dundee, the wealthy seal
and whale fisherman. She has made
two voyages in northern seas, and is
known as the lucky fisher" Her
crew and captain on her last trip
made thousands of pounds. Her
owner pocketed 910, 900 for his share.
the captain 1000, and the percentage
of the crew was good one. The
Thetis is made of live oak. hard pine.
and iron wood. Her bows are solid
timber 4 feet thick, over which is a
heavy forefoot of iron.
When reporter boarded the vessel
his ho 0aoTy vx,ouo
the American navy" as they faceti-
ously dubbed the old hospital hulk,
that rose above them on the right.
Stevedores were discharging the
Thetis' cargo of coal, and the govern
ment purveyor was transferring her
stores. Lieutenant L. L. Reamy was
sitting IN the after cabin before a little
English coal-stove. eve have had
an eventful trip" said he. eve sail
ed through solid ice nearly two feet
thick for seventy-five miles, and [ adj
nit that to the mate and crew belong
all the honor of seeing the vessel safe
lv over, While was muff1ed up to
my ears in all the clothes | could get
on, wearing as much as five coats in
one day, the crew ran around the
deck in their shirt-sleeves.
The boatswain and mate were sub
sequently met by the reporter, and
they said that they would never go to
sea again under an American officer.
They claim that the passage could
have been made in ten days less time
and that the weather was not unusu-
ally severe. Mr.. Robinson, the boat
swain said the men did their tricks at
the wheel with ungloved hands. and
often went about the deck in their bare
feet. They laugh at Lieutenant
Reamy's complaints, and say he never
came out of the cabin for four days.
The men were paid off to-day, each
man receiviI g $40. They expressed
much disappointment at receiving so
small an amount, considering they
have got to pay their passage home to
Scotland out Of it. Seven of them
have volunteered to accompany the
expedition. Each one of the eleven
has seen service in the high latitudes,
several of them having reached as far
as So in the old ship Erin. Others of
the crew are DESTROYS of going but do
not think $35 per month sufficient
pay. They want $40. The Thetis
will be overhauled and reftted to cor
respond with the appointment of the
Bear. She will be commanded oy
Goptoi GoHp