The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-02
NEW YEAR AT CAPE SABINE.
Extracts from Lieut.. Lockwoods Diary-How
the Greedy Party Spent the Holidays.

the Greedy Party Spent the Holidays.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-The National Repub-
lican contains further extracts from the diary of
Lieut. Lockwood, of the Greedy arctic colony,
covering the holiday week and New Years day
spent at Cape Sabine These extracts give
continuation of the story of the slow starvation
of the party, and tell of the various devices
resorted to by them to overcome the pangs of
hunger. and to while away the tedium of their
existence. Beginning with Dec. 26, the day
after Christmas. when they breakfasted 'late,' "
on soup made of seal blubber, and supped
on English meat" the record is carried down
to the night of Jan. l. In the entry for Dec. &c,
Lieut.. Lockwood says that, in addition to the
meals above mentioned, he had few bread
crumbs, and some salt water and gunpowder,
which Long warmed for him over lamp. He
says: 'All spoke good deal to-day of the pros
poets of getting across the straits in the spring.
of Rice's preliminary trip, and the chances of
finding food there, etc. We count 240 rations as
certain at Littleton island. fox has been seen
around to-day, but efforts to shoot him were not
successful" He concludes the entry for this
day with: "The talk this evening has been all
about desserts, ETC."
On Dec. 81 with the thermometer at minus
29o he writes of their suffering from cold hands
and feet, and says: Goodness of extremties is
due evidently to short rations, and shows how
food is fuel in this country. The party this
evening discussed Kentucky. in accordance with
their plan of talking about different States,
country with which some of them were acquaint-
| ed, each evening They also read McCarty
| History of Modern Times, and a book of Amer
lean shipping, which they found in a cache at
| Cape Sabine He entered also this date:
| "Branerd shot a blue fox last night: weight
| three pounds three ounces. He followed the an
| mal some time after shooting, but found him
| dead This gives us an extra fox for next Sun
| day. How impatiently- we watch the cook as he
| divides the bread and meat, each fearing he may
| get little less than his share: The other mess
have one of their number to fill plates, but we
| still trust to Long"
On Dec % the thermometer was at minus $50
| and some rope was brought in and cut up for
| fuel He says in his entry: "The house was
exceptionally quiet to-day, and most of the fore
noon passed with every one down in the sleep
| ing bags. Little or nothing was said. There
was no particular reason tor this quiet" For
| breakfast they had chocolate, bread and butter,
| and for supper fox stew. In the evening they
| talked about the quantity of fuel left them and
| found they had sixteen hard wood barrels on
| hand Long said if the wood did not last. they
| could cook with seal bubber. Here Lieutenant
Lockwood writes Lieutenant Greedy seemed
obliged to look on the dark side of the subject
| and directed Sergeant Brainerd to issue ten
| pounds of blubber for experiment This is
| unfortunate, as it will diminish our food by that
much blubber"
He LOCKWOOD writes, also: 81 am ekng out
my tobacco with tea to-day. / found two or
three pieces of raw fox, more scraps of -four,
and brushing the dampness off, ate them with
great satisfaction" Ohio was discussed this
| evening.
On Dec 90 the thermometer was minus 49, and
| his memorandum of the food topic Of the party
is: "Cold breast of veal stuffed" In his entry
| he speaks of trading between the members Of
the party Of one article of food for another, and
Of portions OH other days. He closes the para
graph with: "A good deal of talking done but
not very many solid trades made" He writes,
also: There is no perceptible difference in the
amount Of light: only two more days of this
| year. thank God"
With respect to the proposal to experiment
| with seal blubber for fuel he saws Lieutenant
Kislenbury protested and that he H4ockwood)
| also took occasion to express his disapproval of
| the proposition.
| On the next day, Dec. 30 he writes that the
| trading in food continued until late hour, and
| that one bargain struck at 3 o'clock in the
morning He writes: THE morning came at
| last. Some. in consequence of the trading the
| day before, had good deal more than they could
eat with comfort, and some had much less
One result of my bargaining was that | had
| something more than onethird of my plate
| of son OF a gun a bread stew, WHICH seems to
have been in great favorl, and one-Quarter of my
| coffee; but then had also. about twelve ounces
of saving some of this allowance for New Years
day, and days rations of rum for the night be-
fore New Years, SO to drink the old year out
He writes, also, on this day: There has been
very little conversation to-day. Full meals seem
to have the effect of inducing silence the party
lying down and enjoying comfortable repose It
is singular how warm and comfortable a good
meal makes me-" Cracked wheat with hominy
and milk, was the food topic of to-day.
On Dec. 81 he writes that the thermometer is
but that before was min az
24o in the house. Breakfast this day was OK tail
soup, and supper of English meat. The party
suffered from cold feet. He closes the entry for
this day with these words: How glad are
that the end of the year has been reached can
hardly be explained. Rice expects to start across
about the end of January" The entry for New
Years day is as follows:
January 1.-The day was passed in bags.
Lieutenant Greedy came over and paid me a Wis
it shortly after breakfast. He told me that the
ance for the offensive remarks made some time
ago. and that he had declined. He told me also
that some time ago he felt certain the Doctor
had eaten UP during the night Corporal Ellison's
allowance of bread. 1t with that os the
Doctor at the time, and he would swear to the
fact before court He thought it right to men
ton the fact to Branerd. but said nothing to
any one else about it; but this as well as former
matters ne should make the subject of report
to the proper authorities. He told me Ellison's
hands and feet were suppurating FAST that am
putation would evidently have to be performed,
but that nothing would be attempted here, but
at Littleton island. We have all been feeling
remarkably high-spirited to-day on the coming
of the new year. and this evening all seemed
hopeful. We now speak frequently of getting
home this year. The condition of the party is
far superior to anything expected, and the
future bids we'll to come out all right How my
thoughts wander homeward to the dear ones
there. Are they thinking of mel'