New-York tribune., 1886-02-14

and the remnant of the supplies were Stui'" '
while two men had been sent overlaho acI"o' ''
glaciers to Cape Sabine for news IL was Vcl'"'i
when they returned with Lieutenant Darlington
t,, of tho vvrack of the Proteus and his written
assurance that "eycrytLiug within the power Oh
man would he done to rescue the brave men "l
Fort C,nQer Lieutenant Grecly's comments on inc
situation are incislvc: ~ A.
This record speaks in varying ways; hut 10 tlt
party and to me it meant that We c"t, @ ,oS ,yonld
tnat everything within the power Ol inah Vnt
me done t. rescue aud on the Strehgtn % ttio &
promse at once decided to proceed to app 'I",mo
and await the promised heip Wy JoutHiIi Snn Snu"'
that Looked forward 10 prlyatiOn. pa tial s'pIN
ton and possible death for lew ot lhe Nc"N'a''
but expected no snch thsng ing Us .i n1d aitb"ngn
the sun ahont leaving us LOT tho Mli,r'i @ 80
could yet travel southward, there peilE 3pen WMa, M
visible at Cape isabella llai Dc'h P''lIS !t Hiu
that we must now depend upon ourselves tn"o
trouble and lack of discipline prevailed among tn1 @
Proeus crew. that the lantic was = lalr-"rat5nri
shin and that its commander and Licutcnaht var
lneton we're acting independently oi e&cn otHcr,
should certainly have turned my D1Gk w ~ + "pU @
Sobuc and starvation to face possible dcath Oh
the perions voyage along shore to the southwark
One boat had been found at Capo Sabine AMI one
of tne boats abandoned by the Grccly party hah
drirtca ashore These with the boat at Point Is
kiIno made three rhc fourth TO which reference
is made above was eTronconsly reported Dy Lieu
tenant Garlington as having been lelt at Cape lSa
boIIa That Lieutenant Greely had thought of pro-
tle Cary Islands and then crossing in the open sea
his diaries attest lie did not carry out tins project
"a he SAYS because he was not distinctly told that
bc nus denend upon his own resources, hut on IN"
controrv WAS informed that "cvcrythlnB IN the
power of man" would he done to rescue thoh'
rocky summit dimlv seen across the Souhu was
L,ttlcton Island where he had reason TO pcIo'e
that there would be relief party II there was not
one there already. lie did not then suppose that
.1.N., Lola nm
iz,np that any officer of navy could leave
Smith Sound under the circumstances without
c.cbein, one ounce of provisions even though lie
mad no fears for Lieutenant Geely who liyins IN
n region reported we'll stocked with game, had
economical all his provision" This is terrihIe
satire on Commander Wildcs's conduct Lieutenant
Greely has repeatedly been criticised for not send
ing part at least Of his force across the Sound 10
the east side. where some supplies wore to he ex-
pected and game was plentiful. His answer Is con-
elusive on this point:
II NAV seem strange to uniformed readers that
nv diary il those days makes no hehi'oh - 10 Wv
non feasibility OF crossing smith sound 10 lItlittoi
Island and the expected rcl.ct party "i llc LtdH
Eskimos Tho impos>hlity OF such passage was
SO patent to every one, that not even tne mos
uucrulous and Impractical ol tAe PHIy cNci i,L SuI
gestcd it, The conditions were ~ loII""s oIn.tn
Sound in shape resembles a partly oPehcd iai tic
omen part to the southward. and has IouthtiB
riuuiug cure. of four To eight nIleS per 1dN OuI
experience of eighteen days had proved lhaI' even
when working Tor our lives, we coull Eot aNcIdT'
more than two miles daily across moving paCh
The chances of crossing channel twenty -h\e mii'S
,,i,i M thc ulrrovcst part by travelling two miles
TO the east and drifting four mles l" ne s"uin
where the channel soon became MY ih'I'S Nj
are oby.uus. The conditions Wmch Pl'V1nto"
tyyentv-tive active men, who had Just Pa'sru SUI
/ ccssfullv through an experience ol over louI
hundred miles al ice ndyigdtioi rom 'oH'"c'l"S
this atcrnatv We were Gr,t' s'f'ns ,.Ir' rnr. s
falling from t"u 10 twelve ic'i every IN !u'lS ''
rrptiug and twisting the pack I'D an n'F'' ."HS
second tho character OF the PACK lt'''l, a7 j., ,o
sisted of iurtqucu; pdidocrN 'tI' Hot' W. ny
rnIIi, and ,IuI. ice: third continued strong gales
fourfh .ne constantly forming new Ice. WhIrh vas
surIcirntly strong To impede The passage oi boats
and speedily cut them down. whI'e 10 was "t sun
cirutly strong 10 bear the weight "I rIiI' 'oN H'
man On October -, lN12 two weeks ''t'' III Wy
year thirteen of the crew oi thr I"arI7 h'HI'J az
/ ON a foe ina sight of ouT camp lhnnSh "h'y h''
mile, from shore the report q" tNe - .'N
board OF the Navy SAYS: lhcy Uai' H'''!' az
tennis to reach the land with the! boats, hut
failed notwithstanding their most persistent ''i'I'7
owing t. the Ob,tructlpu OF the ice ana 'H' NI"''n
nf trr wind" With the aid OF Providence We had
once made shore, eleven mIe. distant. IA th"-" very
waters; aud all concnrrcd IN. .2V3idlnS Il 1n'"mnh m
pnl,ris drift which could hardly have resulted lh
tbr arrival of "A second llHrN- ~ an "pp"ftuhr
moment.
Lieutenant Groely decided at once t. abandon th"
hut, which had been buI,t at Point h-"lno an" ID
retire to Cape Sabine. where there were two caches
of provision, and where help wod!d naturally 10"
z
omen to him He expected, however 10 lind stores
at Cane Isabella surprising that the lautir must
certainly have Left supplies Ior HIM at the poHt
,ber. me was told by Lieutenant Darlington 70 look
for "a boat he seat two men TO u, .cri1In the ia't
and was greatly surprised To learn that there was
no boat and no supplies except the b'ei icIt of 'h
English expedition in $50. "Siucc the Gar.iuHt"h
record he remarks u his diary. has mIsi'd us re-
spectins the boat at Cape Isabella, II Is an open
question whether there ls cache on httI''oh
Isl,ud" HIS incrcdulty evidently increased when
he examined the wreck cache, where he lonhd
scarcely a hundred ration, OF meat instead OF tie
/ Gce hundred promised. There vas evidently MY
one thug 70 be done: open winter quAr,er5 collect
supplics wait for the straits 10 freeze over ana
cross to Littleton Island III the sprn2. lhe at
tempt to fetch the English beef from Capn Isabella
! failed owing to the heroic determination Ol Ellison
| comrades TO bring hm bacH to camp alive but 40
| precautOn was neglected not Only to increase tho
lcrdcr store of supplIes by hunting long after the
sun had entirely disappeared, but also to 'ncono-
MIC food and lacl and lar as possible to insure
| tbe health OF the party. Certainly, rs the author
says the men ol the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition
rncritcd by their courage. endurance and helptEI-
ness a better fate than abandonment To staiNAlloh
insanity and death at Camp Clay. The question ol
os,,nsib,lity for that catastrophe is discussed by
| the author with irankues- cOncIseness ana Vlgoi'
The omen water extending southward from Cape
! Isabella raised at once the question ~ 10 wIaJ
yyould be done tor our rcllel ana much discussion
| epsled among Ii is perhaps best hero To break
that silence waiutained.Dy me Tor the many months
| SINCE my return, through the long aud bitter dis
rnssiou5 regarding the responsibility Tor our great
! disaster but | intend 10 weary no one WIN It
| lengthy and unIntcrcstIng argument lheIc oAlStS
no doubt that IN 1881 should have done more than
! arrange for retreat to cape sabine / We should
| not be reached at Congcr. Although not uhder
| orders tn do so, | should have provided hgal+st
! shpwrcck and all other mischanccs. There IS no
| doubt either that Gcncra llazen regrets tina Mem
| oraudum No. / of h:s orders was not allowed To
stand as being in the direction of greater safety Tor
| all. The neglect Of these points would nave Deeh
uncritcIsed nad the PrOteus disaster not occurred
As TO the responsibility for that diSaster othcS are
| - lnL | IL aIrlk. SInlIIrIN. the