The Washington times., 1901-08-26
TALES OF SCHLEY AND LEMLY.
Sidciights ON the Characters of the
Two Naval Officers

sidciights on the Characters of the
Two Naval Officers.
1t is not generally remembered that
Capt. Samuel c. Lemly. Judge Advocate
General of the Navy (who will represent
the Government before the Court of En-
quiry created to look into the great sea
hight at Sai.tiago), was lieutenant
the Thetis under SchIey when that dis
tinguished officer commanded the Greedy
Relief Expedition in 1884.
'Lemly was the most studious member
of our expedition" was the comment of
one of the brave men who went on that
perilous undertaking. There were days
when we had to move at the cautious
rate OF about two knots hour. At
such times some of the officers and men
beguiled the tedum by shooting at wal
rus or at innumerable fiocks of little
auks. Elder ducks, brant geese, and
ptarmigan tempted sportsmen when
ever We were stationary in the Ice pack
Lemly seldom joined in these diversions
His spare time was consumed over pom
derous leather volumes. We used to call
him the anchorite And IL any of his
comrades who esteemed him highly and
were proud of his intellectual accomplish
ments. succeeded in getting him to
shoulder a rifle occasionally, it was more
to have a little friendly fun at the studi-
Gus lieutenant's expense than in the hope
that his Indifferent craftsmanship would
add to the stock of game they were bag
ging. His mind was not on the shoot
ing. Lemly couldn't hit one of Green
lands icy mountains was specimen OF
the good-natured banter provoked when
the bookworm turned hunter.
1T was reserved. however. for the law
yer-lieutenant to surprise our entire crew
and by one act to rise to enviabie leader
ship among the hunters. 1t occurred in
Melville Bay. We were anchored at the
edge of an ice-bar, where we had disem-
harked Lieutenant CoiwelI and party to
interview Eskimos and to make search
for cairns, caches, writings, or other IN
dications of GreeIy's whereabouts On
the Bear and the Thetis it was day of
waiting. The weather being fair. and
there being no fatal and treacherous
water-blinks to be seen from the crows
nest the crews of the two relief ships
were given a holiday WITH the privilege
of hunting for bears and seals. Several
hours later one of the hunters, who had
separated from his mates was seen trudg-
ing over the ice field toward the Thetis.
Close behind. and unobserved by the sail
or, strobe a polar bear. The spectacle
caused commotion on board. Some OF
the crack shots had not Joined in the
chase, and here was their opportunity,
they thought. II was. of course. a dill
cult and delicate situation, for a nisdi-
rected shot might have brought down
the sailor. There was a lot of comedy in
the picture, too, and this. together with
the general excitement. may have impair
ed their Workmanship. At all events.
several shots were vainly fired. the bull
let's sinking ingloriously into the sur
rounding hummocks The sailor, sup
posing that they were shooting birds,
came on, blissfully unaware Of the men
ace in his wake, and fortunately for his
peace OF mind, not turning to look be-
hind. The bear was gaining on him
AT this junc-ure Lemly seized a rifle.
Ordinarily his brother officers smiled
when he took up a gun. and some say
they did on this occasion, despite the
seeming peril in which his action placed
the unwilling sailor: but there was a look
of determination i'll the lieutenant S face
and steadiness in his movements that
disarmed interference. In the presence
of danger he had ceased to be the stu
dent. His habits of concentration came
to his aid. He lifted his weapon. took
aim deliberately. and fired. The bear
ana 1tlI. SnOt through tne
We all rushed out, them bravely
enough. Up came two cubs gazing won
deringiy at their stricken mother and
protector. We took them captive, and on
our return to the United States present
ed them to the menagerie at Central Park
'Schley Is a crack shot. He is equally
sure, too, with carbine. rifle, or revolver;
but he took no part in the sport on the
way North There was too much serious
business on his mind for any diversion 1
never saw a man SO deadly in earnest
His one thought and purpose was TO effect
the rescue of Greedy. Schley had donned
IA blue shirt and had got down to a hard
working basis before we had passed Gov
ernor.s Island on our embarkation from
New YORK.
You will notice in his book The Res
cue of Greedy few pages about the |
crows nest-a barrel-like arrangement at
tached to the foremost up against the top
sail fOotropes. In the bottom is a trap
door. To get to this eyre one must climb |
the ratlines and then mount a Jacobs
ladder. On an iron rod above the crows
nest is fixed a telescope Schiey tells how
colored cylindrical attachments at their |
lower ends were run to the bridge; and |
how pull on the green meant 'starbOard.
on the red port on the green and red |
steady and so on. He tells too, how
from this coign of vantage foes, bergs |
ice-blinks. tides and currents, and all the |
could. by the closest watchfulness be de- /
tected. but he omits to say who kept up |
that ceaseless watch by day and by night |
1t was the commander himself. i have |
known him to be in that lookout forty [
eight hours at stretch. The only time /
ne spent out of it, in fact, on the entire /
voyage from st. Johns to Upernavik and |
beyond to the far desolationS of Grinnell !
Land until he finally rescued the helpless |
survivors of the Greedy expedition, were
the enforced intervals required for sleep. /
Even then, the slightest alarm would /
arouse him and send him flying up the /
ratlines.
We had ice-pilOts on board and efficient !
men in every capacity. but Sehley was de-
termined that no danger should be I'M
foreseen and no error of navigation COM
,.itted through any neglect of duty on his
part Saturday Evening Post.