Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-07-19

insane men, and if they had been allowed
to eat as they desired all would have died.
THEIR LAST FOOD IN CAMP.
AT the time they were rescued their food
! consisted of boiled sealskin boots, cut up
fine and mixed with moss, rock lichens
and small shrimps and boiled into soup.
| The shrimps were so small it required
from 200 to 1400 to weigh an ounce.
They made tea from sassafras and Arctic
willow Occasionally an aux would be
| killed, but very few were secured when
/ killed in water unless they drifted in by
| tide or wind, as they had been obliged to
burn the boat, it being their only fuel.
! The wood of the boat was carefully
weighed to make it last The failure to Sc
cure game after it was shot only added 10
| their misery. 1t almost made them insane
to see many seal, waIrus, ducks and gulls
| sporting in the sea before them while they
were starving.
The body of the last man who died at
| camp, private Schneider, was found Just
outside of the tent. The party was too
weak to bury him, and he was covered
only with his sleeping-bag. For some days
after their rescue the men were in a preca-
rious condition The great joy at their
rescue was followed by depression both
mental and physical. All Of their minds
were weak, and their speech, like their
movements was very feeble and slow.
THE TRIP FOR THE ENGLISH BEEF.
The case of Ellison was most serious
His hands and feet were gone, and his
greatly weakened condition could not with
stand the shock. He became insane a few
days after the rescue, and died of mental
and physical exhaustion. His history is
remarkable. On November I'd he was de-
tailed with three others to attempt the re-
covery of the English beef cached by Mares
at Cape Isabella in 1879 The weather at
times was terrible, but threatened starva-
ton made it absolutely necessary to obtain
food if possible. Sergeants Rice and Lynn, |
privates Fredericks and Ellison started |
with a daily ration of four ounces of meat |
eight ounces of bread, little tea and five |
ounces of alcohol for cooking purposes. |
with the temperature at $50 below zero |
The wind was strong, the snow soft and the |
ice hummOcly. They had sixty miles to |
march and return in four days. They had |
reached the cached meat and were on their |
return journey on the morling of Novem- |
Der 9Th They had left their rations and |
sleeping-bags about two miles from Cape |
Isabella. where they had encamped on the |
ice, and started with only a cup of tea, in
tending to finish their meal after finding
the meat and to save the extra weight of |
sleeping bags, provisions and cooking uten-
sis They intended to use the wooden
barrels for fuel. and thus save their alcohol
and return to the ice camp for dinner.
NIGHT OF TERROR.
On their return Ellison suffered with
thirst, and began to eat snow, against the
order and advice of the others His hands
and mits had become wet, and as north
west gale was blowing his hands were soon
frozen. Snow had also caused his mouth
and tongue to blister, and he rapidly be-
came weak. The men hurried into camp.
and then discovered that Ellison had also
frozen his feet. They cut his boots of. and
put him in his sleeping-bag and restored
the circulation in his hands and feet bv
placing his frozen limbs next to bear
skin. After that terrible night they con-
unUed on their journey, with the tempera-
ture 250 below zero. Ellison was unable to
help haul the load which had been in
creased by the sleeping-bags and camp
gear. His hands and feet were soon frozen.
and Frcdericks was obliged to help him
along. Rice and Lynn struggled manfully
with the sled, but the whole party were I
soon forced by exhaustion to 90 into camp
The men passed another horrible night.
They had no tent, and their sleeping-bags I
were frozen so stiff it required an hours ]
VIZ n ~ Oli iHClll. ne men gradually
worked themselves into their bags and the |
neat of their bodies thawed them out. A
strong wind, drifting snow and their ex.
laustion prevented them from restoring '
circulation in the limbs of their frozen {
Words cannot describe the |
horrors of that night.
THE EFFORT TO SAVE ELLISON.
When they broke camp they were
obliged to abandon meat or their compan a
on, and they chose the former Ellison.
loble fellow, begged them to leave him to
lie, and save the meat and his starving :
They left the meat cached in (
he ice, and also a rifle as a mark. and :
,ushed ahead to Esquimau, point where h
hey could secure shelter in their old n
amp. After reaching camp they worked g
rom in the evening till in the morning. 4
nd partially restored circulation in Ell %
on's hands and feet. They dried his n
IotheS and made him some warm tea. the 4
My warm food they had been able to pro- a,
lre, the wind preventing them from light q
lg fire. Early next day Ellison was able IL
} walk, and was sent ON ahead, while the h
theirs packed and hauled the sled. They n,
)on overlook Ellison, who had strayed h
ON the road. His hands and feet were G.
oxen, and he was scarcely able to see. =,
lis cheeks and nose We're also frozen. The a
zen took turns at leading and helping a,
i'm while two would haul the sled AT -
st it required all three at the sled. and -
icy tied Ellison's arms to the back Of the :,
ed and hauled him in that wav His leos = =.
ere stiff, and he would fall and be dragged -
.Yeral yards before his cries would be r.
card. =
ELLISON BADLY FROZEN. al
Linn began to fall and it was decided q
lat Rice should push ahead, while Fred q
1cks remained with Ellison and Linn. as
ice, with little frozen beef, started for er
'Slstance. The other men remained in al
,eir sleeping bags twenty-fOur hours, when as
'rgeant Brainard reached them, and gave hi
ZEN some hot tea and soup and started lii
1ck to hurry up relief party. which %
rived ten hours later. Lieutenant Lock re
God and DR.. Pavy hauled Ellison into DC
mp, Fredericks and Linn walking. Eli pc
il 5 feet were frozen beyond cure and all an
s fingers and thumbs were lost. Linn th
,yer did recover fully from his exposure to
Ice was unable to move for dav. and til
'edericks was Frustrated for two DAYS
ilson was carefully cared for, and lived
rough the whole winter, receiving the Y,
st OF ratlons and more than others, and wi
ily died July sth. His joy at his rescue Sc.
d has terrible suffering were more than es
5 weakened constitution could stand. pl
TIE LAST SLEEP OF RICE. ap
7 act AnriI tho esoo,,d o4t,,,,,,4 ,,,,....,- SCI
recover the beef by Sergeant Rice and ~
1yate Fredericks. They started with ~
cir sleeping and sled, and reached res
E vicinity OF the cache in three DAYS. At an
IS time a terrible storm began and they ~
led 10 find the cache No doubt it had eei
fitted off, as the ice was continually shift err
g. While searching for it, Rice desired cn
rest. saying he was little tired but WI
'uld soon be all right. Fredericks tried t .I
prevent him from resting, and en- -
avored TO haul him into camp. but he iai