Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-07-18
The Expedition.


marty were left at Discovery Harlor, with
rations equivalent to supplies for three years
on the basis used in the [ nited States army
with additional supplies in the way I" can
ned goods and anti scOrbutics. There was
also an extra store of sugar, beans, coffee
etc. which might help the party through
iour wears if the goods kept well and none
were lost.
IN 1873 the late Carl Weyprect, discover
er of Franz Joseph Land, proposed that the
nations should unite in establishing uniform
and Simultaneous magnetic and meteorologg-
ical observations in both the Arctic and
Antarctic region. His idea was ella
borated. and in 1891 an official Polar
Con. mission was authorized. The stations
recommended by this commission to he es-
,ablshed bv the United States were ut Lady
franklin Bay Grinnel Land, \. lat. ST.
II, ". Ion. 90 30. and 0OglOmie near
Point Barrow. AlaSka, \. 10 Is lat. lon.
W. l5G' ~. The colony at Fort Conger,
in Lady FranShn Bay was established un-
der special act of Congress, and by di-
rection of the Secretary of War, Lieut.
Greelv. in June. lS~l, was charged with
the work of establishing the station. he
left St Johns July Il of that wear The
meteorological records of that year showed
that the winter was unusually mild and the
sprinr very clear. On the afternoon OF
July 20 the anchorage of Uppernavik was
left. Running northward few hours the
middle passage was taken, and at seven IN
the morning of July g the engines were
stopped. as the dead reckoning placed the
vessel only six miles south of Cape York
The experience in going through the mid'
die passage is said to have been without
precedent. The English expedition in 1856
was 70 hours gong from Upper Navik to
- miles south of Cape York, while Greedy
went the same distance by the same route
in ST hours. No ice was encountered IN
shane of a pack in Bathn'S Bay. On Au-
gust , Iittletons Island vas reached, and
by the afternoon of August 10 the vessel
had crossed Lady Franklin Bay. She con
tinued her course through heavy ice and on
the 18th anchored off a cairn about hun
dred wards from shore: the men went OF
the vessel and began to build their winter
quarters at Discovery Bay. His instruc-
tons were that if not visited in 1882 he was
TO leave his station not later than Septem-
Der l. 1888, and retreat southwark by boat.
keeping closely to the east coast of Grinnell
Land until the relieving vessel should be
met or Iittleton Island was reached.
The Proteus Expedition.
In lsS2, an expedition sailed from ST.
Johns on July Sth, and tried until Septem-
Der to get through the ice Of Cumberland
Sound, without success. On the 2nd of
September, the ice having become four
inches thick, the expedition was aban-
doned
Last summer the second Greedy relief eN-
pedition started out The Proteus left St.
Johns on the 18th of June and soon found
great trouble with the ice in Melville Bay;
the retreat was begun in the middle of July,
there being no hope OF getting beyond the
Cary Islands Ice seemed to rise out of
the sea BY magic and the officers Of the
Proteus on the 23d Of July began to despair.
The official account Of the disaster to the
vessel says: The ice continued to close and
at a. N. of the 23d Of July the vessel was
stopped. but the spongy character Of the
ice enabled her to endure the pressure,
which continued for two hours. The lead
again opened and we steamed forward Only
10 End that the water that we labored so
hssd for had disappeared So the saip wss