News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-04-23
THE RESCUE OF GREELY.
COMMANDER sCALEY'S STORY OF
THE SUCCESSFUL EXPEDITION.
He Tells Us how he Found the Remnant
of the Party At Point Sabine

He Tells Us how he Found the Remnant
| of the Party At Point Sabine.
Commander W. S. SchIey's book. en-
titled 1.-THE Rescue of Greedy" is verv
interesting. Navigation in the Polar
seas is but dimly comprehended bv
landsmen. The general impression
| seems to be that there is nothing to do
| but look for clear water and sail through
it as fast as possible. The record of the
Greedy Relief Expedition shows that
almost the sole work is to force wav
through the ice, which is ever present,
and, although continually in motion
never disposed to get entirely out of the
navlgator's way. Consequently, the
commander of a vessel in Arctic
waters spends most of his time in the
crows nest"-a large barrel attached
to mast as high IS possible. Com.
mander Schley thus describes the work
OF managing ship in the ice.
"To an inexperienced eye the first
| impression from the crows nest in look
ing over the pack, is the solidity and
apparent impenetrability of the ice. and
| the first question that presents itself is
how these qualities are to be overcome?
| at first nothing can be seen that gives a
remote prospect of advance Gradu-
ally, as the eye becomes accustomed to
the work, dark spots appear under the
glass dotting the wide expanse, which
one soon learned to be water holes
Presently stringy black lines come out
here and there, suggesting a break be-
| tween foes, and the possibility of work
ing through them to point beyond.
After little while it is to be noticed
that the ice has movement, sometimes
slow. sometimes rapid and sudden,
which may be connected closely with
the wind or with the ebb or flow of the
tide. When the tidal movement is
strong, it is observed that the ice has a
tendency to follow the axis of greatest
motion, and that both tides running
along the coast draw the ice away from
the land. Winds from tho southwark
and westward pack the ice; those from
| the northward and eastward clear it out.
| The closest watchlulness must be given
to these two all-powerfuI influences,
wind and tide, and it is upon this watch
fulness that the ability to seize opportu-
mites for advance depends"
Even when water or soft ice or a lead
in the pack is found, there is none of
petitions seem to imagine. The author
says:
with all the watchfulness and skill
in the world it would be futile to pass
through the real ice pack without ship
built for ramming. Even with the
Thetis and the Bear, the best fitted YES.
sells for the purpose afoat, there were
many days when they could not move
mile in any direction, because the ice
was too dense and too thick to break.
Whenever the work was done, it was
done by constant ramming; a crack
would open little way and the ships
were pushed in. When it came to an
end, the advance ship, whichever it
might be, would back a little to gather
Roadway, put on full steam, and strike
the ice fairly with her stem. In ice of
ordinary thickness, if she got square
blow, she would run her length, perhaps
twice her length, and often open up a |
crack beyond, which repeated blows |
would widen and lengthen. Sometimes |
a single blow, fairly delivered, would |
split pan of ice two hundred yards |
across. If the lane ended in point the |
ramming ship where there was room |
enough, would charge the ice on the |
side and crack off a large segment, re-
peatiDg the process again and again, |
rather than ram directly into the point,
where there was possibility that she |
might stick fast"
The story of the expedition has large |
ly to do with fighting way toward the |
point where the Greedy party was sup |
posed to be. The record of the best |
day, called i'll the narrative "a splendid |
day" was about sixty miles. When it |
is remembered that there never was q |
day when the ships were not in danger |
of being ''nipped," and that the loss of |
the ships probably would result in the |
loss of the Greedy party, and perhaps of
the relief expedition also, the recent !
protest of a score OF Navy officers against |
Schley and some of his subordInates re-
ceiving the thanks of Congress and
slight advance in the line of promotion
seems peculiarly uumanly.
The story of the rescue itself is told
with great rapidity and effect After
the landing at Littleton Island a run
was made toward Cape Sabine, about
twenty-five miles distant, and landings
were made at small islands near the
cape. The party that landed at Stalk
necht island suddenly signalled:
"Have found Greely's records; send
five men"
The papers, when examined, showed
that eight months before that Sunday
morning the Greedy party had but forty
days rations left. Hope of finding the
survivors alive dwindled to about moth
ing; nevertheless the Bears cutter, with
Lieutenant Colwell in charge, made for
Cape Sabine, where the camp was
known from the records to be. She
dashed off, while the Thetis blew her
whistle vigorously to attract the atten-
ton of any one who might be alive.
Only poor Greedy, of the men dying in
the miserable tent, heard the sound,
and his companions laid it to his imagi-
nation. But suddenly on little ridge a
few yards from the ice foot the crew of
the cutter saw man. 1t was Long.
"He was CHASTITY sight His cheeks
were hollow, his eyes wild, his hair and
beard long and matted. His army
blouse, covering several thicknesses of
shirts and jackets, was ragged and dirty.
AS he spoke his utterance was thick and
mumbling, and in his agitation his jaws
worked in cOnvulsive Witches"
The location of the tent was learned
and the number of thesurvivors. Then
two of the cutters crew, followed by
1lGUl0udub OOlW6II, WHO udC LHOuSHb-
fully stopped to fill his pockets with
biscuits and pemmican, started for the
tent. They met Sergeant Brainard, of
Greely's party. Brainard was about as
near dead as any one else; but, true to
his professional instinct, came promptly
to the position of a soldier" and was
about to salute the Lieutenant, when
the latter grasped his hand. Arrived
at the tent, Lieutenant Colwell slit the
cover and looked i'll.
cit was sight of horror. On one
side, close to the opening, with his head
toward the outside, lay what was ap-
parently dead man. His jaw had
dropped, his eyes were open but fixed and
CLASSY, and his lips n.otionless. On the
opposite side was poor fellow, alive,
to be sure, but without hands or feet,
and with a spoon tied to the stump
of his right arm. Two others, seated
on the ground in the middle, had Just
got down rubber bottle that hung on
the tent pole and were pouring from it
into q tin can. Directly opposite, on
his hands and knees, was dark man
with a long matted beard, in dirty and
| tattered dressing gown, with little red
skull cap on his head aud brilliant,
staring eyes. AS Colwell appeared he
raised himself little and put on pair
of eyeglasses.
"Who are you ?" asked Colville.
The man made no answer, staring at
him vacantly.
EEANi,n