The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-08-28
UNDER THE POLAR STAR.
Greedy Relates His Sad Story, in Which
He Sets Forth the Object of
His Expedition,
And Tells of the Happy Days Spent at
Fort Oonger, and of Fearful
Suffering

of the general nature and probable value
of the scientific observations made by
Greedy at Lady Franklin Bay the returned
explorer was interviewed at Portsmouth.
n. II. Greedy first stated the object of the
Lady Franklin Bay expedition, viz: To
establish polar station, one of the thirteen
suggested by Lieut.. Weyprecht, of Austria,
who discovered Franz Josef Land. Stimuli
taneous observations of all physical phe-
nomena were to be taken. The complete
programme which was to be followed was
arranged by an international polar con-
gress, in which representatives of thirteen
nations took part. The observations, in
which the greatest possible accuracy was
TO be had, were those of the declination and
deviation of the magnetic needle, the tenn
pemture of air and sea, the height
of the barometer, and the mean and
maximum rise and fall of tides. All ex-
plantations were incidental TO the main OBJ
jects. The expedition was fitted out under
the authority of Congress; it was composed
of three officers of the army one acting
surgeon, and nineteen enlisted men from
the army. Stores for twenty seven months
were put on the Proteus, which left st.
John July z, 1881, with the party. She
touched at Disco Island and UpernaviS to
procure sledges, dogs, skins, and dog food
Two Esquimaux were added to the party mt
Proven. A landing was made at Carey
Island and the provisions cached by Mares
in 1875 in the Alert were found in good
condition At Littleton Island Greedy per-
sonally recovered the English arctic mail
left by Sir Allan Young in the Pandora in
1876. At Carl Ritter Bay, in Kennedy Chan
mel, cache of provisions for use on the
retreat was made. 1t was the original inten-
ton TO establish the polar station at Water
Course Bay, but heavy masses of ice rem
dered Water Course Bay exceedingly dam
gerous anchorage.
Moving TO Discovery Harbor, the station
was there established on the site occupied
by the English expedition of 1875. The
erection of n house at once commenced,
and stores and equipments landed. On the
2Sth of August came the parting between
the Greedy party and the men of the Pro-
teus. The little band gathered on frozen
shore and watched the Proteus as she
steamed slowly down Lady Franklin Bay.
In the evening of the same day the tenn
perature sank below the freezing point, and
the arctic icy winter was on them in earn
est. Their house was finished about q
week after the Proteus left. 1t was named,
in honor of Senator Conger, Fort Conger.
During the first month the cold affected the
men more than at any subsequent time
at Fort Conger. Later on, in December, the
temperature sank TO from 90 to 60 degrees
below zero, and so remained days at time
But even in that weather the cooks favoTite
amusement was dancing, bare headed,
bare armed, and with slippered feet, on
top of a snow drift. During the day the
men dressed in ordinary outside clothing
but their hannels were very heavy. Five
men were generally, for part of the day,
engaged in scientific work under Greely's
direction, and in the duties of camp.
The remainder were employed GENERALLY
about one hour day. and devoted the rest
of the time TO amusement. All slept in
hunks in the quarters, which were heated
by a large coal-stove, the average heat
maintained being 30 degrees above zero.
Checkers, cards, chess, and reading were
the amusements of the evening. The life,
Greedy said, was far from a lonely one.
Mary of the men said they had never
passed two happier years than those spent
ut Fort Conger.
On the 18th Of October, the sun left
them 1875 days, and twilight varying from
half an hour to twenty-four hours sue
ceeded. For two months it was so dim
that the dial of watch could not be read
by it. On April IL the sun came above the
nOIlLOu anu ItuillutNl NutIt Loo NbiNH, CIV
ing the party a great suthciency of the
midnight sun. During three months the
stars were visible constantly, the constella-
ton of Orion's belt and Great Bear being
the brightest The north star looked down
from almost overhead
For one standing alone outside the fort
on one of these nights the scene was
weirdly grand. To the north famed the
aurora borealis, and bright consultations
were set like jewels around the glowing
moon. Over everythi- g was dead silence,
so horribly oppressive that n man alone
was almost tempted to kill himself, so
lonely did he feel. The astronomer of the
party said that with the naked eye star of
l degree smaller magnitude than could be
seen here in the same way might be dis
cerned. The moon would remain in sight
from eleven to twelve days at time.
The thermometer registered on June 80
the highest temperature at Lady Franklin
Bay which they knew during their stay. 1t
was 50 degrees above zero. The lowest was
in February 1SS3-66 below zero. In this
February the mercury froze and remained
solid for fifteen days. The mercury in the
thermometer invariably rose during storms
or high winds. The highest barometer was
slightly above 81 inches, the lowest slightly
below 80 inches. The greatest variations
were in winter. The electrometer, an in
strument used to ascertain the presence of
electricity, was set up. but not the slightest
results we're obtained. The displays of the
aurora were very good, but not compared
with those seen at Disco Island or Uper-
navik. AS far as Greedy could observe no
cracking sounds accompanied the displays,
and their shape was that of a ribbon. The
southwesterly horizon was the quarter in
which the brightest displays were seen.
Mares reported in 1876 that no shadow was
cast by the aurora, but Greedy says he dis
tinctly saw his shadow cast by it. There
were no electrical disturbances, save those
manifested by rumbling distant thunder,
heard twice, far away in the north.
In the course of tidal observations made
the very interesting fact was discovered that
the tides Mt Lady Franklin Bay came from
the north, while those at Melville Bay and
Cape Sabine came from the south. The
temperature of this warm tide'is two de-
grees warmer than that of the south tide of
Cape Sabine. Why this was, Greedy would
not venture to say. He used in measuring
the ebb and flow of the tide fixed gauge
an iron planted in the mud The average