The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-27
persisted ON ICE FLoES
FORTv-EIGHR or This STEAMER
GREENLAND's CREW FROZEN.
Caught I'm a Fearful Blizzard While
ly FrOst-Bitten.

er Greenland, returning from the seal fish
cry, put into Bay de Verde tonight and re-
ported terrible disaster. On Wednesday
last, when among the ice foes when her
crew were travelling about the foes in
search of seals, a storm arose, accompanied
by binding snow, which drifted rapidly,
and severe frosts.- The members of the
crew who were on the ice could not regain
the vessel and were exposed to the terrible
weather throughout the night and all the
next day. Forty-eight men persisted, and
between fifty and sixty were so badly FROST
bitten that the anputation of one or more
of their limbs will have to be undergone by
all Of them Yesterday the Greenland sue
ceeded in recovering the bodies of twenty
five of the victims but the remaining twen-
ty-three were buried beneath the snow
drifts. All Of the frost-bitten men are now
aboard the steamer and are suffering terri
bly,, having been without proper medical at
tention.,
From the circumstances of the disaster it
is feared that other steamers have suffered
in a similar manner. The city is in a state
of great excitement. The disaster is the
worst recorded in the history of the sealing
industry. Most of the victims were married
men. The Greenland is expected to arrive
here tomorrow, and the government is
making preparations for the accommoda-
tion of the frost-bitten sufferers.
Further facts concerning the disaster are
difficult to obtain because a heavy snow
storm is now raging Interfering with the
telegraph wires. The steamer is lying off
Bay De Verde, and further messages can
not be delivered tonight, owing to the
heavy seas. Walter Baine Grieve, owner
of the Greenland, gives out the following
statement. My opinion is that the Green
land met with the misfortune on Monday.
On Sunday night a heavy gale ragged all
along the Atlantic seaboard of the island,
and reached the northern latitude where
the Greenland was cruising Monday fore
noon. Being frozen solidly in the foe, she
sent her crew out on the ice perhaps ten
or twenty miles in search of seals. The
crews are usually divided into three
watches or companies. Her whole crew
being 21O, she would have sixty in each
watch, thirty remaining aboard the Off
GERS, engineers stewards and deck hands.
Each watch carries a bag of bread and
kettle for boiling tea. When the storm
arose, the men probably scattered over the
foe in parties of two or three, trying to
make for the ship. My belief is that the
first watch which started worked farthest
lost the most men. Only the master of the
watch would have a compass. The crew
were unable to find him any more than the
ship, with snowdrifts binding their
steps during the night and fear
ing to move about because a false
step might send them through a fis-
sure in the ice into the ocean, probably
drowning them. The men. fearing to move,
lay beneath the shelter of ice hummocks,
where many were overcome by intense cold
and persisted. Others were smothered to
death beneath snow drifts, being unable to
maintain sufficient vital energy to struggle
for life. 1 believe the storm continued
Tuesday, because we had it here, and the
steamer could not reach the men. During
that evening and night others persisted, hun
ger being added to cold. On Wednesday,
when the steamer was able to start to pick
up the remnant of the men, few of these
were able to help themselves. Another
night probably would have caused the
death of all on the foe. Most of the crew,
$50 at least, were from Green's Pond, and
the reighborhood of Bona Vista bay, and
nearly all were married. This will prove a
terrible disaster in every respect, espe-
cially in the number of widows and orphans
made. 1 would not be surprised if one or
more other steamers had met the same mis-
fortune"
Mr.. Grieves's statement represents the
view of most men of experience in the seal
ing business, and fear prevails that sto-
ries similar to that told by the Greenland
survivors will be received from other
steamers within the next two days.