The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-09-25
NOT A MANS SKELETON
SERGEANT FREDERICK DOES NOT
BELIEVE THE ARCTIC STORY.
His Reasons for Thinking the Peary
Party Did Not Find the Bones
of a Human Being.

Sergeant j. r. Frederick does not believe
the report that Lieutenant Peary and his
men. who were picked up in the northern
seas by the steamship Kite, found the
bones OF one of the lost Greedy explor-
ers. Last nights press dispatches con-
tanned an interview with Maurice Cornell,
one Of the Greedy survivors, with the
Weather Bureau at Redding, Cal. Council
thinks that if Lieutenant Peary found a
skeleton it was the bones Of one of his
companions who died at Cape Sabine Con-
nell says that four of the men, Pavy Gard
iner and Bender, who died during the last
days, We're buried in the ice. as those alive
were too weak to bury them in the ground.
While Sergeant Frederick admits the truth
OF this statement he does not agree with
Connell as TO the finding Of the bones
Sergeant Frederick never tires of talking
over the hardships which he and his COM
panions endured while wandering about
the frozen north with Lieutenant Greedy.
He has been much interested in the ad-
ventures Of Lieutenant Peary and is famil-
lar with many OF the points visited by
the Peary expedition.
II don't think the bones, which it is
claimed were found by Peary, were those
of one of our men," he said last night.
The steamer Kite undoubtedly visited
Joness sound. but / hardly think she got
up to Cape Sabine, which is three hundred
miles north. The man that died furthest
south buried by thirty miles south
Of Cape Sabine. This was Sergeant Rice.
The four men spoken OF by Connell were
buried in the ice at Cape Sabine. Doctor
Pavy and private Bender died June 6. 1884;
corporal SAILOR died June 3, OF the same
year, and the death OF Sergeant Gardiner
occurred June r. The distance between
Littleton island and Cape Sabine, which
Is also an island. is twenty-five miles These
Islands are touched by narrow channel
that connects the Arctic and Atlantic
oceans. The current in this channel is very
rapid, running at the rate OF seven or
eight miles an hour. The bodies of these
four men were buried in the ice at the edge
OF the island and once a year this ice
floats away. Does it look possible that
with such a current to carry off the ice
that the bones of man would remain
there for eleven years? Ii does not seem
so to me. Peary may, have found the bones
of a bear, which could easily be mistaken
for those of man.
I'VE abandoped our steam launch, which
had been left us by the steamship Proteus
i'm 1881, and for thirty-four days we were
on an ice foe in Smith sound opposite
Cape Sabine We left the launch Sept. 10,
1885, with forty-two days rations, Which
a
was in the fall and the long season of
total darkness was coming on rapidly. We
had 10 get ready for IL, and the question
was how would we live through this dark
up on Arctic explorations that Sir George
Mares, i'm 1875. had deposited three hun
bella, forty miles south of Cape Sabine.
volunteered to go after this meat and
took with me Sergeants Rice, Lynn and
Ellison. After a long search in the bitter
Of Gold fIaQr- he aaf In
fine condition. We loaded 1T on to sleds
and started to drag II back to the camp
at Cape Sabine, Half way ON the return
trip Ellison and Lynn gave out. Ellison
was so benumbed with cold that he was
mot able to stand up aid We knew that II
would not do to let him lie down.. IL was
either the beef or the lives of the men,
and / decided TO save the men and let the
beef 20. We abandoned the meat and
marked the spot with a Springfield rifle.
we got back to camp with Ellison and
Lynn alive. The fast disappear
ing and the temperature was growing
lower evesy hour. The rations had been
reduced to eight ounces a day. L said TO
Lieutenant Greedy on the first day of
April: -,
try to find that beef 49,
walk into your grave i was determined
to go and asked for volunteers. April D
Sergeant Rice and myself started out
alone From the start l saw That Rice
was in no condition for such a trip, but he
bore ND bravely as long as he could. We
got to a point which / thought was some
where near the beef and Rice gave down;
He was too weak to go further and
realized. | think just what his condition
was April he died in my arms. he was
unconscious for several hours before MS
death but / remember very distinctly the
last words he said TO me while MS mind
was clear II.
"I may not pull through this he said.
and IL / don't / want you to do something
for me. / have some manuscript TOT the
New York Herald back at the camp
want YOU TO see that IL is delivered
s.He also asked me to take some little
trinkets to his uncle, and | promised 10
perform both services. held him IN my
arms until he died, and then buried him IN
the ice near Cape Isabella, apout three
miles from the shore. Alone l went to
look for the treasure marked with Win
chester rifle, but | never FOUND IL: L SUI
fered terribly in getting back 10 cape Sa-
bine but finally reached the camp empty
handed and without Rice. My companion
had been one of the most popular men on
the expedition, and L dreaded the return
The first man to see men when reached
the cape was Sergeant Brainard.
{" Where's RiceT was the first question
:. He's dead. and I have buried him.
replied; - p,us WV
killed a bear while you were gone and
have enough provision 10 pull us through
81 am confident that the bones OF Rice
were never found, because the ice around
Cape Isabella is cleaned out every year ana
I know that his remains have been washed
into the sea long before this
still n source of Gossip.
ST. JOHNS. N. F., Sept. 24-The Peary
expedition and it's doings continue TO pro-
vide a fertile source OF gossip. The news
naners give conious accounts of the Jour-