The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-20
LIFE IN THEARCTIC REGIONS.
The Story of SergeantFredericks a Sur
yivor of the Greedy Expedition.
4 Graphic Account of How the Party Lived
During Its Terrible Isolation in the Des
Olate Land of the Midnight Sun.

Sergeant Julius r. Fredericks, one of the SIX
survivors of the memorable Greedy arctic ex-
petition, which placed the American flag nearer
the north pole than any other flag has ever been,
10 living in this city, and running fruit store
on North Pennsylvania street. He has become
well known to many people as one of the surviv-
ors Of perhaps the most marvellous feat of human
endurance of this or any other time.
From the latter part of the summer of 1883
until June %, 1884, Lieutenant Greedy and his
twenty-four men were encamped at Cape Sabine.
on the western shore of Smith sound, with no
opportunity of getting to Litteton island, across
the sound, where supplies had been placed for
them, and with very small hope of relief.
Their supplies were nearly exhausted
and winter was coming on. The region was des
elate and uniphabitsd. With death staring them
n the face, the little band set to work to provide
for winter. Their life during the winter is thus
described by Sergeant Fredericks I'VE were
abous FIVE hundred miles north of the southern
most point of Greenland. The winters there are
rold beyond anything people can realize here.
In the winter of 1884 the mercury ranged from
BOZ to 67o below zero. When we realized that
We need expect no relief before the summer of
1854 we made list of our rations and divided
them SO as to last until the daylight should come
In the spring and give Us an opportunity to
get to Littleton island, where we hoped
to find supplies. We had come hard
tack, bacon, English beef, jerked beef,
and some mixed articles of food This
was divided, and it was found that to make it
last until the spring each man must get along
with little over Ave ounces a day. This is
about one-seveEth of what an ordinary man eats
In day. We had but two meals per day
breakfast at about o'clock, and dinner at
fashionable hour, O'clock in the afternoon. On
lhe 18th of October the sun set for the last time
Entil spring, and the long night OF an arctic win
Ter began
eve had built hut for winter quarters of
stones and blocks of ice. This was three feet
high. 1t was covered by canvas which we OBJ
tained from whale-boats. The roof was too low
10 allow one to stand up. The room was just
large enough to allow twenty-five men to lie
down, side by side, in two rows, and to leave
passaeeway between the rows. The
trance was by tunnel, arched over with
blocks of ice, The tunnel extended several
wards from the hut, and made three or four
turns before it emerged In the open air. This
method of construction was adopted in order to
keep the animal heat inside the hut, and to keep
The currents of wind out In this low, dark
room, the twenty-five men lived, slept and ate
through the winter. 1t had no FIRE place, and
the cooking was done by means of alcohol or by
small wood fires The smoke would fill the room
at such times and add to the gloom and discom-
fort already there. Only little wood was to be
had, and at the beginning of the winter it was
split up into little pieces as large as the half of
q lead pencil, and carefully measured out from
day to day. AS soon as the ice and snow was
melted the fire was put out and the remains Of
the small sticks carefully preserved for the next
fire. No warm coffee and tea was drunk. IA
cup of hot coffee" merely the coffee in ice that
had been reduced to liquid form. The only light
we had was from rag wick in cup of seal oil
This could be had only eight hours out Of the
long, dark twenty four. The food was weighed
out to the men by Sergeant Brairerd by the
Pickering light of this little lamp. while fifty
hungry eyes looked on from the gloomy recesses
of the hut The panSs of intense hunger are too
horrible for description. It is impossible for
one who has not experienced them to conceive
TIE pains to which starving man is subjected.
the gnawing at the stomach is a terrible feeling
! would be willing to be tied up, and have an
inch cut out of my flesh for any man, rather
than allow him to endure such sufferings. We
were hurry all that winter Day after day, in
ell waking hours, the longing for food and the
terrible gnawing was felt The suffering from
thirst was mingled with that from hunger. Often
we could obtain only sea water, which was
brackish and unfit to drink"
"What means of diversion did you have9'
I'VE aimed to enliven our minds by imagina-
ton as much as possible. On waking up in the
morning, perhaps, this kind Of conversation
would take place between two of the men:
!" 'What would you do If you welein New York
this morkingp
4 / would go to the Fifth-avenue Hotel, and
get whisky sour. Then l would go down to
breakfast
".What would you orderp
IS 1 would have eggs. broiled beefsteak, rolls,
coffee. quail on toast, lamb-chops and some fruit
What would you hayeP
1.-THE other would perhaps vary the bill of fare,
saying he would take fish, and oysters, and roast
turkey. Thus, the making out of imaginary
bills of fare and talking about the watering
places where they would like to spend the sum-
mer occupied much of the time of these starv-
ing mon. On Sundays a half gill of rum and
quarter of lemon, from box of frozen lemons
that had been saved from the wreck of the Pro
teus, was served to each man. This custom,
however did not last longer than the last of De-
cember because the rum and lemons gave out
Christmas day was celebrated by dividing little
rice, can Of condensed milk and handful OF
raisins among the party"
Gould you sleep wellP
1--WE slept we'll enough when 1t was not too
cold When it coolest would have to
keep awake and pound our hands and feet to
prevent them freezing We aimed to wake
avery morning at given time. about o'clock
1t was necessary to watch some of the men after
time. They were likely to get cold, fall into
torpor and die The atmosphere there makes
one sleepy We had to stir them out and make
them exert themselves to keep from freezing
We slept IN sleeping bags which simply
very heavy padded sacks used in arctic regions
They can be buttoned entirely around the body,
leaving only hole for the occupant to breathe
through.
s'The silence which hangs over the arctic re-
rions is deathrlike and oppressive. In winter it
Is particularly so. When the wind is not blow
ing no sound breaks the vast solitude. One
feels that for hundreds and hundreds of miles in
every direction all life and motion is
locked In the icy embrace Of winter. The
dread silence seems to be intensified by the long