St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-02
AN ARCTIC NEW YEAR.
How the Greedy Arctic Colony Passed
New Years Day at Cape
Sabine.
The Bill Of Fare Of Their New Years Dinner
How hey Felt and Taeir Hopes
of Reaching Home.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-The following are
extracts from the diary Of Lieut.. Lock
wood, of the Greely Arctic colony, covering
the holiday week and New Years day spent
at Cape Sabine. These extracts give con-
tinuatiou 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.
Begin ming with Dec. &c, the day after
Christmas, when they breakfasted ''late" on
soup made of seal blubber, and supped on
"Euglish meat,n the record is carried down
to the night of January l. In the
entry for December 26 Lieut.. Lock-
w od says tLat in addition to the meals above
me ntIoned ne had few bread crumbs aud
some salt water and gunpowder," which
Long warmed for him over lamp. He
says:
1--WE 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
on 240 rations as certain (at Littleton island).
fox has been seen around to-day, but the
efforts to shoot him were not successful"
He concludes the entry for this day with:
'The talk Of this evening has been all about
food, desserts, etc."
On Dec. 81, with the thermometer at minus
20, he writes OF their suffering from cold
hands and feet, and says: ''The colduess
of our extremities is due, evidently,
to short rations, and shows how food is fuel
in this country. The party this evening dis
cussed Kentucky, in accordance with their
plan of talking about a different state or
quainted, each evening. They read Nc
Carthy's History of Modern Times and a
book on Americ an shipping, which they
found in cache at Cape Sabine. He entered
also on this date:
''Brainerd shot blue fox last night,
weight three pounds and three ounces. He
followed the animal for some time after
US extra for next Sunday. How mpatiently
We watch the cook, as he di-
vides the bread and meat, each
fearing he may get little less than his
share, the other mess have one of their
number to fill the plates, but we still trust to
Long"
On December 2S the thermometer was at
minus 49, and some rope was brought
in and cut up for fuel. He says in his en-
try: "The house was exceptionally quiet to-
day, and most of the forenoon was passed
with everyone down in their sleeping bags.
Little or nothing was said, there was no par
ticular reason for 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 blubber." Here Lieut.. Lockwood writes:
'Lieut Greely seemed obliged to look on the
dark side Of the subject, and directed Ser
geant Brainerd to issue ten pounds OF blub-
ber for an experiment. This is unfortunate,
as It will diminish our food by that much
blubber." He writes also: 81 am eking out
nv tobacco with tea. To-day found two or
three small pieces of raw fox, mere scraps,
on The floor, and, brushing the dampness off,
ate them with great satisfaction" Ohio was
discussed that evening.
On December 30 the thermometer was
topic of the party is, ''cold breast of veal,
stuffed" In his entry he speaks of
trading between members OF the party of
an article of food for another and of por-
tions for another day. He closes the para
graph with: "a good deal of talking WIS
done, but not many solid trades were made"
He writes also: There is a perceptible differ
cnce In the amount Of light, only two more
days of this year, thank God" With pros
pect to the proposal to experiment with seal
blubbrr for fuel, he says Lieut.. Kislingbury
protested, and that he Uockwood) also took
occasion to express his dsapproval Of the
proposition. On the next day, December 30,
he writes: Trading in food continue until
late hour, and that ose bargain was
struck at O'Clock in the morn
ing. He writes: "morning came at
last. Some lin consequence Of 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 one-third Of my
plate of ''son of a gun" "a bread stew which
seems 20 have been in great favor, and one
fourth OF my coffee, but then had also about
twelve ounces of bread and one ounce OF
butter - He speaks OF saving some of this
alowance for New Years day, and the days
ration OF rum for the night before New Year,
so as to drink the old year out. He writes
also on this day: ''Thcre w's very little con-
vrrsation TO-DAY. Full IN ais seem 10 have the
effect OF inducing silence tne party lying
down and enjoying comfortable repose. II
is singular how warm aud comfortable q
good meal makes me.'' ''Cracked wheat
with honey milk" was the food topic of the
dav.
On Dc~cmb 81, h. write tn t the
thermometer was 2l but that the day befor
was minus "a in tine housr. BreaNfast this
dag was OK tail soup and supper Of English
meat. The party suffered from cold feet.
He cloees the entry for this day with these
words: 'How glad We are that the end OF
the year has been reached again can hardly
be explained. Rice expects to start across
about tho end of Jan ,ry.'
The entry for New Years day is as follows:
January /, Tuesday. day was passed
in our bags. Lieut.. GrerlY came over and
paid me visit shortly after breakfast. lie
t1ld me the doefor hac made overtures 10
make allowance (for offensive remarks made
some lIme asuJ, and tnat he had declined.
He told me also that some time ago he felt
certain the doctor was eating up during the
n ight Corporal EI'ison's allowance Of bread.
H was within two and a half feet Of him at
the time au1 would swear 10 the fact before
a court. He thought II right 70 meution the
Ct t. Branerd, but had said nothing TO any
one else ABOUT IT, but this, as well
as former matters, be should make
the subject Of his report 10 the proper
authority He told me that Ellison's hand
and feet were suppurstiug fast, that ampGta-
Iion would evidently have 70 be performed,
but that nothing would be attempted here,
but at Liitl, ton Island. We have all been