Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-08-04
the ARCTIC HEROES.
A Graphic Account of the Rescue as
Told by the Hospital Steward
Demonstration in their Honor
at Portsmouth. y. H.,
Monday.

INV Okhs aug. =
The New York Post publishes the follow in 2
from its correspondent at Porismoth
Henry Berderbeck. the hospital steward of
the Greely expedinon, described 10 ME today
his recollection Of the manner OF t1e suryiv-
ors Rescue. He is German, and the young
est man Of the rescued party. I'VE had been, ."
he said, at the place Ehere we were rescued
II months hen the relief ships arrived. The
tent had blown down on US and we were una
Bile % get ont from under il. even II we desired
TO do 50. Sergts. Long and Brainard had been
IN an addition 10 the tent which, when II blew
down, was lighter. We ell heard the whistle
OF the steam launch from the Bear, aud we
called out as well as We could 10 Long and
Brslnard 10 crawl out and watch for the boat
for We knew il must be somebody come to
help Us, and We didn't want them TO miss US
LOnd and Brainard got out from under the
canvas and went as far as they could 10 a knoll
and raised a flag made out OF torn strips of
cloth. Brainard could not stand long. and
soon came back exhausted. IL seemed so long
before We heard anything more that we con
cluded the noise we took for whistle was the
wind blowing in some tin can or something
else near the tent After a while we heard
some one call 10 Us that we were seen, and
that two ships had come to take US away
Then made all the effort we could TO get
out from under the tent, but We couldn't move
il. Next We heard some one cry out Cut the
canvas; cut the canvas This was done
quickly, and we were uncovered, and the men
who had come 10 Rescue Us. put out their
hands to US, one IN friendly greeting, the other
extending bareback and other food. When We
saw one hand empty and the other with some
thing 10 eat in ii. we took the one with some
thing to eat it in first. Then. as soon as they
could, they gave Us some warm milk and other
light things. but they wouldn't let us have
much at first We thought they were cruel
10 Us for not giving US more. In a little while
we began 10 realize how kind they were in
their treatment"
Sergt Long, who was the first man met by
the relief party, was fonnd sitting on the sill
of one of the CONSTITUTIONS port holes, enjoy
ing the cool breeze and a cigar. He is a sandy
haired, blne-eyed, round formed man. a good
talker, although he speaks with slight for
eign accent, he related the story of the rescue
which did not differ from that told by Hospit
al Steward Berderbeck. He spoke OF the
scene in a matter of fact way, as if it was one
of the necessary incidents of his explorations
in the north, He said when we heard the
whistle of the steam launch called out as
loudly as | could that relief was come. | got
out from under the tent and Brainard came
with me, bat as We could see nothing and did
not hear any more noise like whistle, Brain
ard thought we had been mistaken, and
returned to his place to crawl under the tent
again. | couldn't see the steam launch,
the storm was raging so hard. until it reached
shore. When the man in the launch called
out for the Greelv party. | knew the voice
above the storm and knew it TO be a Norman.
He was the last man to shake hands with
I nd ba Of ban LON
in 1881, and was the first to shake hands with
me when he found us. We had reached the
limit of endurance If the relief ships had
not come, we had nothing before us but to lie
in our sleeping bags and die under that tent
We had had nothing to eat in "a hours, The
storm which set in on the Tue sdAy before vas
so fierce as to have prevented the strongest of
us from stirring out of our bags to get anv
food, if there had been any to get. If the
storm had not come on, perhaps we might
have got some birds or something else to eat
We had not changed our clothing from the
9th OF August. 1888, till the 22d of June, 1884.
the day we were rescued We had buffalo
skin sleeping bags, which were made from
skins taken from the states, with us, but our
clothing otherwise was wooden, the same as
we wear in this latitude in winter. This wool
len clothing is what we had on when we were
D
weather. For my part think it is the best
for arctic life"
Did YOU not Lave fur c,othing?"
Yes; there were fur clothes among the
party, but our ordinary clothing in winter and
summer was woOlen-the ordinary army pan
falcons"
Didn't you sometimes get wet?"
"Once in a while a man would get ducked
in the water, and would have to swim out.
In that case, all he had to do was to get dr. >
the best way he could. We certainly had no
warm room to run to nor dry clothing tc put
on
Didn't these ducklings give you colds and
rheumstish?'
I'VE never took cold. One or two had
rheumatism. and guess it was increased bv
getting wet. Biederbeck had rheumatism
pretty badly one of his fingers is now badly
swollen and stiff. At ST. Johns he was told
by the doctors he would have to have il
amputated. The fact is that we all had
! excellent health. good sppetites. and stout
hearts for the work of exploring those regions
until we found ourselves cut of from our
food supply. With plenty TO interest us, and
knowing We did not have to carry about sup
plies. we could live as comfortably in that
country as in this, so far as fhe winters are
concerned"
Long described the musk oxen, about
which so much has been said since the relief
expedition returned within the bounds OF
civilization. They are" he said. found
generally distributed, but not in great num-
and mo.tly on the lands below the range of
perpetual snow and ice. They 20 in small
herds or singly, and are shy of anything in
the shape of a man. We got in all perhaps a
hundred of them, which we shot at different
times for the purposes Of food. When dressed
a good sized musk OK will weigh about 500
pounds The smaller sized will weigh from
/ 200 to 500 pounds. They are between a sheep
1 and an OK. The bulls have long. crooked
horns, like ram, but not so crooked, while
I the horns of the cows are like those of ordin-
/ ary cows, only smaller"
Long said he had nothing to regret from
/ his experience. He believed he had retained
/ his strength during the starvation period OF
+ the party longer than any of the others, but
only in this respect had he anything to boast
of above the rest. He was the hunter Of the
party, being detailed to this very useful ser.
vice. Most of the los musk oxen that were
taken in all by the party be shot.
j Didn't You ever encounter any animal OF
/ natives that made it dangerous on your hunt
ing excursions;
Il guess not" he said, with a laugh The
dangerous animals was just the customers
was looking for. The trouble is didn't find
enough of them The only game or animals