Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-05-28
THE RESCUE or GREELY.


q !, - Nho btcah ana uaSOlAtE
acrtlc region will cause book to be pubs
lshed In few days by Charles Scrib.
ners Sons to be read with eapernass
This is THE Rescue of Greely.n by
Commander W. S. Schley, who had
charge of the successful relief eypa.
dltion OF 1884, and by Professor ]. r.
ooley, also OF the United States Navy,
VINO has access to the official documents
bearing on the case.
The story is an old one, but as an
thoritatively and pathetically told by
Commander Schley, it is worth retell-
ing And 30, passing over the discoy.
cry OF Greely's records, which are given
entire on Brevoort Island, we make a
condensation of the narrative. taking n
up at the point where the cutter Of the
rescuing party approached the spot
where the provisions of thewrecked Pro
teus had been left:
AT last the boat arrived at the site Of
the wreck cache, and the sbore was
eagerly scanned, but nothing could he
seen. founding the next point, the
cutter opened out The cove beyond
There, on the top of little ridge. fifty
4 or SIXTY yards above the ice-foot. was
plainly outlined the figure of a man.
instantly the coGswain caught mn the
boat hook and waved his flag. The
man on the ridge had seen them, for he
stopped, picked no signal flag from
tue rock and waved it in reply. Then
ne was seen coming slowly and eau
tIousiy down the steep, rocky sIope.
Twice he fell down before he reached
the foot. As he approached, still walk
ing feebly and with difficulty, Colwell
hailed him from the bow of the
| boat
Who are there left ?" "Seven left. -"
AS the cutter struck the ice, Colwell
jumped of and went up to him. He
was CHASTITY sight. As he spoke, his
utterance was thick and mumbling,
and In his agitation his Jaws worked in
convulsive witches. As the two met.
the man, with sudden impulse, took
OIL his glove and shook Colwell's hand.
Where are thry?" asked Colwell.
briefly. In the tent" said the man,
pointing over his shoulder, lover the
hlll-the tent is down. lis Mr.. Greely
aliveS" eyes Greely's alive" ANY
other officers?" No" Then he re-
peated absently, THE tent is down"
Who are you?" Long"
Before this colloquy was over, Lowe
and Norman had started up the hill
Hastily filling his pocket with bread
and taking the two cans Of pemmican,
/ Coiweil told the Coxswain to take Long
into the cutter, and started after the
Others with Ash. Hurrying on across
the intervening hollow, Colwell came
up with Lowe and Norman, Just as
they were greeting a soldierly- looking
man who had come out from the tent.
As Colwell approached, Norman was
saying to the man-"There is the lieu
tenant" And he added to Colwell-
This is Sergeant Brainard." Brainard
Immediately drew himself up IN the
position of the soldier, and was about
TO salute, when Colwell took his hand.
| Al this moment there was confused
murmur within the tent, and a voice
said Who's thcre?" Norman an
swered, Its Norman-Norman who
was in the Proteus." This was followed
by cries Of "Oh, it's Normanl" and a
/ sound like feeble cheer.
| Meanwhile one of the relief party,
who in his agitation and excitement
was crying like a child, was down on his
hands and knees trying to rcll away
the stones that held down the tapping
! tent-clotk. Colwell called for knife,
cut slit in the tent cover, and looked
in. II was sight of horror.
Directly opposite, on his hands and
knees, was dark man with long mat
/ ted beard, in dirty and tattered dress
( ing gown with little red skull cap on
( his head, and brilliant, staring eyes.
As Colwell appeared, he raised himself
o little, and put on pair of eye- glasses.
who are you?" asked Colwell. The
man made no answer, staring at him
vacantly. who are your" again
One Of the men spoke up, That's the
major-Major Greedy" Colwell crawled
in and took him by the hand, saying to
him, "Greely, is this you?" Yes,
said Greedy, in faint, broken voice,
hesitating and shutting with his words,
"Yes-seven of us left-here we are
/ dying-like men. Did what came to
do-beat the best record" Then he
| fell back exhausted.
/ The scene, as Colwell looked around,
was one Of misery and squalor.
! There was no food left in the tent, but
I two or three cans of thin repulsiye-
looking Jelly, made by boiling strips cut
/ from the sealskin clothing. Except
/ Connell and Ellison, the feeblest of the
party was Lieutenant Greedy. His
| strength was failing fast. He could not
stand upright, and for sometime he had
not left his sleeping bag. He lived on
/ the food which the others brought him
/ but all pangs Of hunger had ceased. and
his wasted form and sunken eyes and
swollen joints told plainly enough what
was in store for him.
| As soon as Colwell understood the
/ condition of affairs, he sent Chief En-
/ gineer Lowe back to the cutter TO put
off to the Bear with Long, to report
what had happened, and bring of the
the others with the surgeon and stimu-
lants. Fredericks and Bierderbick
presently got up and came ont. Col
we'll gave them, as we'll as Greedy and
Ellison, little of the biscuit he had iii
his pocket, which they munched slow
4 ly and deliberately. Then he gave
them another bit, while Norman opened
one of the cans of penmican. Scraping
/ off a little with knife Colwell fed them
slowly by turns. 1t was pitiable sight.
They could not stand up, and had
dropped down on their knees, and held
out their hands begging for more. After
they had each been fed twice, they
were told that thoy had had enough,
that they could not eat more then
without danger; but their hunger had
now come back with full force, and they
begged piteously TO be helped again pro-
testing that it could do them no harm,
Colwell was wisely deaf to their en-
treaties and threw away the can. When
Greely found that he was refused, he
took out can Of the boiled sealskin,
which had been carefully husbanded,
and which he said, he had right to eat
as Il was his own. This was taken away
t,or, him Int while Colwell was at work