The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-22
FOR AN ARCTIC HERO
EFFORTS TO HAVE SERGEANT FRED.
ERICk PROMOTED AND RETIRED.
Resolutions Adopted by the Lcgisla-
ture RecaIIed-The sergeant's Trip
with Lieutenant Greedy.

1Ee famous Lady Franklin bay eXpedl-
ton. commanded by Lieutenant Greedy, is
| often recalled in this city on account OF
this being the home OF one of the seven
| survivors. Sergeant julius r. Frederick,
| now of the signal service. An effort is on
| foot to have him promoted to lieutenancy
| ard retired from the service. 1t was only
| on account of his superior constitution and
| ability to stand more exposure and hard
| ship than the average man that he is now
| able TO recall the miseries and horrors of
that trip. He was placed in many positions
where the weaker ones succumbed and died
by the wayside. All this hardship was not
without effect ON him, and he is now al
most physical wreck of the former strong
/ man that ne was.
During the desperate straits of the party
when it was camped at Camp Clay, in the
spring of 1884, waiting for a relief party to
rescue the few survivors, food was the all
important subject, and any chances were
taken to procure it. In 1875 an English
party left IA pounds of meat at Baird inlet
in cache, and Sergeant Frederick, who
was then a private, and Sergeant Rice vol
unteered to go after it. The distance was
about forty-eight miles, and the thermome-
ter was lowering around point similar to
the coolest weather here last winter, the
coolest temperature during the trip being
"A degrees below. Having been on short ra-
tions for some time the trip was an ex-
ceedingly risky undertaking. Lieutenant
Greedy would not at first give his consent,
but finally, when an Eskimo of the party
died of starvation, he was compelled to
listen to the opportunities of the two volun-
teers for the service, and on April g. 1884,
they set out on their journey, which was
destined to be the last for one of the party
eli 4f,a;, rlo
the first night, and the next morning had
to dig their way out of the snow and travel
awhile to get warm enough to be able to
stop to eat their breakfast For two more
Gays the brave volunteers labored on, each
gay gays getting closer to the eslze, but on the
tnat his companion was weakening. The
sleeping bag had been abandoned that
morning in the hope that the end of the
journey might be reached and the prize Sc
cured and the spot where the bag had
been abandoned reached before they be-
came exhausted. Sergeant Frederick saw
that his companion would hardly be able to
hold out for the trip, and advised re-
turn to the bag before it was too late.
The advice was not needed, and the next
day Rice died from exhaustion, leaving
Sergeant Frederick alone with is dead
companion nearly forty miles from camp,
in a snow-bound country and with the Their
mometer nearly or quite 20 degrees below
zero-a most unpleasant thing to contem-
plate.
This was, without doubt. one of the most
trying circumstances of the entire trip.
Many weaker men would have persisted be-
lore reaching camp. and instead of one
man In a grave known only to the single
survivor there would have been the I'M
cared-for resting place of another. In
Speaking of this trip in his report Lieut..
1T ohe death of the Eskimo from star
vation) determined me to SEND Sergeant
Rice and private Frederick after the En-
glish meat in Baird inlet, course L had
hesitated over, despite their tender of serv-
ices and their declared certainty of sue
cess. They We're fitted out as thoroughly
they were given an extra allowance of food,
amounting in all to six ounces of pemmi-
can and six ounces of bread daily, while in
the field. This slight increase was depre-
Gated by them, as they wished to attempt
their work on the. regular ration which
g. the day on which Sergeant Linn died. :
Private Frederick returned at p m. of
haustion the previous Wednesday in Baird
inlet, some six miles from our old camp
at Eskimo Point. The remarkable energy
and excellent Judgment displayed by pri-
vate Frederick in his trying trip is modest
ly, but incompletely, shown by his re-
ports. which form appendix No. Ill. Private
disastrous journey and brought in the en-
tire load hauled out by the two. and re-
scanty ration of six ounces of meat not
awaiting himself OF the additional increase
authorized by me in case of extraordinary
Neumstances. His extremely valuable
services as one of the supporting party to
the furthest north as engineer at the
critical point of our retreat, as cook during
the terrible winter and as hunter and gem
eral worker in the more disastrous spring,
all showed the stamp of no ordinary man.
AS some reward an order was issued pro-
noting him to be sergeant and transferring
him to the signal corps of date of Ser
confirmed by the War Department as be-
ing beyond my power. Private Frederick's
report. merits careful reading
In Sergeant Fredericks report of this
trip he enters into the details of each days
journey and describes the death of his
companion Some time ago in speaking
the most awful experience of HIS life 1t
made him shudder to think of it. At that
fairs of everyday camp life TO cause the
stoutest heart to quake but the said the
thought of his position, after he had
scraped a shallow grave in the snow and
laid his companion in it, and then started
on his journey of over forty miles through
semi-daTkness of an Arctic winter made
him about ready to give up the attempt
and place himself besloe his dead friend.
the upper hand and he bravely set out
his journey of four days back to the camp,
which he finally reached in safety.
Sergeant Frederick was one of the sup
porting party. to Lieutenant lockwood on
the the, trip in the sumner Of Of 1883 known as
this trip Lieutenant Lockwood speaks in
the highest terms of Mr.. Frederick, and
and loyalty to the party could hardly be
found in another member.
Since the return of the party Mr.. Fred
erick has been, according to common
precedent of all governments, raised one
degree in rank. This is the custom of all
governments in dealing with those who
faithfully perform their duties on Arctic
expeditions. He has now been in the sig-
nal service for several years, but his
health and constitution are broken
count of his exposures and hardships and
his friends have interested themselves in
an effort to have him promoted to the rank
of second lieutenant and retired from the
service. His case is looked upon as one
of the most meritorious of any that has
yet action has been taken on 1t or no
recommendations made. Several Congress
men have taken an active interest in him,
and his friends hope for favorable action
during the session of the next Congress.
Mr.. Fredericks friends presented his
case to the recent Legislature, and joint
resolution was passed instructing Indiana
Senators and requesting the Indiana Rep
resentatives to use their influence in his be-
half. The resolution follows.
Whereas, julius r. Frederick. an hon.
ored citizen of Indiana who served over ten
years in the United States army, and who
closed such service in a scientific under
taking commanded by Lieutenant Greedy,
in the Arctic ocean, and is one of the six
survivors of the heroic American explor-
ers who bore the stars and stripes further
north in that peri1ous sea than the national
colors of any other people had ever been
borne, and
Whereas. Others of the true-hearted and
patriotic survivors of that historic expedi-
bOn0Tpd