St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-28
THE GREELy RELIEF.
A Description of the Expedition by
Commander w. R. Chambers.


New YORK, July 27.-The following de-
tails from the log of the steamship Loeb
Garry, Of the Greedy relief expedition, are
furnished by W. R. Chambers, who was in
command of the vessel during its cruise to
the polar regions:
On our first day out from St. Johns heavy
fog set in and we encountered a large ice
OF the Thetis and could only resume our
position by the sound of her whistles.
May 18th. When off Cape Farewell we
met the first great quantity of ice and were
obliged to go ahead slowly.
May 22d. We sighted Disco but had
much difficulty in finding the harbor. The
island was covered with ice and snow, and
land marks were invisible.
We left Godhaven May "a, at a. m., and
steamed through the ice along the coast to a
point about ten miles below Hare island.
Here we found the ice so thick we were conf
PEELED to lay to. Lieut.. schley signalled for
me to go back to Godhavcn and wait for a
| favorable opportunity with an east wind to
proceed to Upernavlk.
| 81, and encountered more ice. through
which we pushed our way and found the
Thetis lying to at Hare Island, having been
unable to blast passage through the ice
The next morning the whalers, Attic and
| Wolf, joined US and we started ahead The
| ice was heavy and we experienced great diff
ficulty in making progress, and several
| tirpnS no
with the Wolf. We were afraid to back
very much, for our propeller was only a four
bladed cast iron one, and had we broken a
blade it would have been all up with us. We
finally succeeded in gaining ahead and the
| Wolf followed in the opening We made. The
Thetis was now out of sight, andwc set our
course for Oomenack Fiord. Here we sighted
| the Thetis ten miles ahead. We oyerhauled
the Thetis May 2S Capt. Schley hailed us and
said, $50 to Upernavik, calling at Proven.
If you meet the Bear coal her with dispatch"
During fog which came on we got into a
false lead, and while returning to the open
water to try another we met the Thetis, and
proceeded together in the midst of blind
ing snow storm, which lasted all night, to
Upernavik. On our arrival there, May 80,
we found the Bear, and coaled
her. The vessels remained in the vicinity
for nearly week, when the Thetis and Bear
proceeded northward, while we waited for
Alert, which arrived June IA. The governor
of Upernavik told US there was no hope of
getting through Melville bay, as the season
was unusually close.
We left with the Alert June 81, and
| bo1 por ic1o w
ahead, pushing through ice all the way, and
on June IS reached Horsehead. Here the
Alert got nipped in the ice, and in trying to
get her out we lost so much time that the
neck had become impenetrable.
We lay damned in the ice off Duck island
till June 10. We worked all the night of the
2Sth, blasting and saving ice, and finally
got away into open water
June 30th we were off Wilcox head, where
We had more hard pushing to get to open
water beyond Devils Thumb. While busy
here, we sighted the Thetis and Bear coming
towards US, and knew at once from her sig
Mailing that the Greedy party had been
traced, and that the survivors, If any, were
on board, for Captain Schley would never
have come back without having accomplished
his work. We returned to the open waters,
and thick fog set in, and it was some time
before could go on board the Thetis and
Bear, and learn the news of the rescue. We
then pushed south with all the haste
possible, and arrived at Upernavik July Cd,
Capt. Schley there dispatched the Alert and
Lock Garry to Godhaven, while the Thetis
and Bear put in to Upernavik, the former to
shift her broken rudder and the latter to get
coal At Godhaven the Alert's machinery
was repaired and we buried there one of the
Esquimaux of 1t. Greely's party. We left
Godhaven with the Alert in tow. OFF the
coast of Newfoundland we encountered a
gale and our steel barrier parted three times.
The Alert was finally cast adrift July 18th.
We dropped anchor at st. Johns at 9 a. m
on July 18th.