Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-18
GREELY AND SIX SAVED.
THE OTHER 1S OF THE ILL
FATED CREW DEAD.


vIvors OF Cane "a hine and Brings
Them to st. John-The N.-thernmost
Point Of All Other Expeditions Left
to the Southwark by Greely's Brave
Band-Terrible Experiences of suffer-
ing and Death In the Realm of the
Ice KiDg-ValuabIe Additions to Polar
Science the Result of the Trip
WASHINGTON, July 1.-THE following
Telegram was received this morning from
Commander Schley:
ST. JOHN, n. F., July Il, 9A.N
10 hon. W. E. Chandler, Secretary Of the
Nary:
The Thetis, Bear and Loeb Garry arrived
here to-day from West Greenland, with all
/ well on board They separated from the
Alert $50 miles north during a gale. At
| O'Clock at night. on June p. five miles of Cape
Sabine, in Smiths Sound, the Thetis and Bear
rescued alive Lieut.. A. W. Greely, Sergeant
/ Brainard, Sergeant Fredericks, Sergeant
/ Long, Hospital Steward Beiderback, Private
COnnell and Sergeant Ellison. the only sur
/ vivors OF the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition.
Sergeant Ellison had lost both hands and feet
| by being frost bitten, and died July at
Godhavn, three days after amputation,
which had become imperative Seventeen Of
the 25 persons comprising this expedition per-
ished by starvation at the point where
the survivors were found. One was drowned
while sealing to procure food. Twelve bodies
Of the dead were rescued and are now on
| board the Thetis and Bear. One Esquimaux
named Turnervik was buried at Disco, in ac-
cordance with the desire of the Inspector Of
Western Greenland. Five bodies buried in
an ice fort near the camp were swept to sea
by the winds and currents before my arrival,
and could not be rescued.
NAMES OF THE DEAD.
The names of the dead whose bodies were
recovered, with the date Of death, are as fol-
lows: Sergt. Cross, Jan. !, 1884; w. f. Der
ick, Esquimaux, April 5; sergt. Linn, April
6; Lieut.. Lockwood, April 8; Sergt. Jewell,
April Y; Private Ellis, May 70; Sergt. Raj
stOn, May p; Private Whistler, May "a:
Sergt. Iserael, MAY "a; Lieut.. KislIngbury,Juu
/; Private Henry, June 6; Private Schneider.
June IS.
The names Of the dead buried IN the ice
fort, with the date of death, whose bodies
were not recovered, are as follows: Sergt.
Rice, April 9, 1884; Corporal Salem, June 9;
Private Bender, June 6; Acting Assistant
surgeon Pavey, June 6; Sergt. Gardner,
June l2.
Drowned while breaking through newly
formed Ice while sealing: J. Ems Edwards, an
Esquimaux, April a.
1 would urgently suggest that the bodies
now on board be placed in metallic cases here
for safer and better transportation in the sea
way. This appears TO me imperative. Lieut..
Greedy abandoned Fort Conger Aug. 9. 1888,
and reached Baved Inlet Sept. % follow
ing, with his entire party well. He aban-
doned all his boats and was adrft for thirty
days on the ice foe in Smiths Sound.
BATTLING WITH STARVATION.
His permanent camp was established Oct.
Il, 1883, at the point where he was found.
During nine months his party had to live
upon scanty allowance of food brought from
Fort COnger that had been cached at Payer
HarbOr and Cape Isabella by Sir George
Mares IN 1875. The food was found much
damaged by lapse of time. They also had
the scanty supply cached by Lieut.. Beebe at
Cape Sabine in 1889. and a small amount saved
from the wreck of the Proteus in 1888,
and landed by Lieuts. Darlington and
COllwell on the beach where Lieut.
Greely's party was found camped. When
these provisions were consumed the party was
forced to 1--we upon boiled sealskin stripped
from their sealskin clothes. Lichens and
shrimps were procured in good weather when
they were strong enough to make the exer-
tion. As 1900 shrimps were required to fill a
gallon measure, the labor was too exhausting
to depend upon them to sustain life entirely
The channel between Cape Sabine and Little
ton Island did not close, on account of violent
gales, all winter, that 2lO rations at the lat
ter point could not be reached.
GREELY's RECORDS SAVED.
All Lieut.. Greely's records and all the in
struments brought by him from Fort Conger
are recovered, and are on board. From Hare
Island to Smiths Sound l had a constant
and furious struggle with ice in impossible
foes. Solid barriers of ice were overcome by
watchfulness and patience. No opportunity
to advance a mile escaped me, and for sew
eral hundred miles the ships were forced
to ram their prows, lead to lead,
through ice varying in thickness from
three to six feet. and when RATED much
greater. The Thetis and Bear reached Cape
York June is after passage of twenty one
days in Melville Bay with two advance ships
of the Dundee whaling feet, and continued to
Cape Sabine. Returning seven days later we
fell in with seven others of this fleet off
WesterhOlme Island, and announced Lieut..
Greely's rescue to them that they might not
be delayed from their fishing grounds, nor be
tempted into the dangers of Smiths Sound
in view Of the reward of S25,OOO offered by
Congress.
WORDS OF PRAISE.
Returning across Melville Bay we fell in
with the Alert and Loeb Garry off DEVILS
Thumb, struggling through heavy ice. Com
mander Coffin did admirably to get along so
far with the transport so early in the season
before an opening had occurred. Lieut..
Emery, with the Bear, has supported me
throughout with great skillfulness and un-
finching readiness in accomplishing the great
duty of relieving Lieut.. Greely. l would ask
instrupfiOns abnut tho Tooh a o,.rv 4bh
charter party held by her master differs
in several respects from mine. The
Greely party are very much improved
since their rescue, but were critically in the
extreme when found, and for several days
after. Forty-eight hours delay in reaching
them would have been fatal to all now living.
The season north is late, and the closest for
years. Smiths Sound was not open when
left Cape Sabine. The winter about Melville
Bay was the most severe for 20 years. This
great result is entirely due to the nnwearied
energy of yourself and the Secretary of War
in fitting out this expedition for the work it
has had the honor to accomplish.
lSigned.l W. S. SCHLEY,
Commander.
RECEIPT OF THE NEWS AT WASHINGTON.
The news of the rescue Of
Lieut.. Greedy and several of his
party has created much excitement in
this city. The telegram from Commander
Schley was received by Rear Admiral .
Nichols, Acting Secretary of the Navy,
who Immediately communicated its con-
tents to Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan, Acting Sec
retary of War. They proceeded to the
White House and showed the telegram
to President Arthur, who has taken a
deep interest IN the expedition and eX-
pressed great concern at the sad death of
so many of the party. A copy of the tel
egram was telegraphed to Secretary
Chandler at West Point and to Secretary
Lincoln at New York. The families of
Lieut.. Greely, Lieut.. Commander Sehley
and Lieut.. Emery were also informed of
the rescue. Rear Admiral Nichols to-day
telegraphed to Commander Schley, at st.
John, as follows:
Use your discretion about the case and
transportation of bodies. Report by wire
when ready to sail for New York. The De-
partment sends most hearty congratulations
to yourself, officers and men.
FROM GREELY HIMSELF.
Gen. HaZen, this afternoon, received
the following from Lieut.. Greely:
ST. JOHN, n. F., July Il, 1884.
CHIEF Signal 0Bfcer, Washington:
BraInard, Bierback, Connell, tFredericks,
Long and myself, the sole survivors. arrived
here to-day, having been rescued at the point
Of death from starvation by the relief ships