The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-02-12
DIdek 4.
I1 AdNentdre.
A HERO EVERY INCH OF HIM.

o ~ 8 Sergeant Frederick, one o.
u the survivors OF the Greel!
HoN expedition TO the Arctic
He was a plain, unlettered soldier, bu
his nature was noble and heroic. Col
onel Brainard, another member Of th
same expedition. tol1~Thls story TO ii
lustrate the quality of the man.
while we were starving at Cap
Sabine" he said, 1--WE knew that n
Baird Inlet to the south were 1Ol
pounds OF beef which the English haC
cached. We might obtain the mea
IL two men In our party were strOnl
enough 10 haul n sledge, but we were
| all very weak, for we had been living
on a ration Of four ounces Of meat and
four ounces Of bread day. Some Oi
our comrades had already died and
! others could scarcely stand.
Sergeant Rice and Private Freder
! lex were eager 10 make the journey
and were chosen, as they seemed TO br
the best men for the work. They
wished 10 take with them only tho
regular ration, but Lieutenant Greely
said they could not haul a slcdge on
so little food, ana made them add -four
ounces more to the daily allowance.
I'VE raised feeble cheer as they SET
out on April 9, 1888. dragging a sledge
on which were lashcd their ratiOns. a
double sleeping bag, rife, Ak and cook
ing pot.
They had been gone only n day
when n terrible storm arose and they
had to camp Till it subsidized. The
drifts and wind told heavily against
them and Rice's strength rapidly
failed.
"One morning when they crawled
out of their sleeping bag they found
it necessary to explore the route ahead
to see where hauling would be the cas-.
lest Rice walked with totterlng steps,
and after struggling on for some inches
he sank in his tracks. lie could not go
another step.
HE grew weaker minute by minute.
Frederick feared that Rice's feet
would freeze, and so he pulled OF his
jumper and wrapped IL around the
feet OF his dying cOmrade.
"Ie sat down in the snow, after
trying vainly to revive Rice with spir-
its, and held the man in his arms for
four hours till he breathed his last.
Then he laid him down in the snow
Frederick was half dead with cold
and he knew that hc must instantly re-
turn to the slcGgc for food and few
hours sleep.
when he awoke the next day he
knew he must return to our camp or
perish. The longcd- for meat was uu-
attainablc, miles away to the south.
His strength was hardly adequate for
dragging the slcdge, but, it possible,
he must deliver Ricc's rationS at the
camp.
"IIc struggled north a mile or so,
when IL occurred To him that he ought
TO bury Rice under the snow. So he
went back, dug n trench in the snow
placed the dead friend in it and filled
the trench again. 1t cost him ten miles
of travel to pay this last tribute Of af-
fcction and respect.
1.-TWO days later Frederick staggered
into Starvation Camp. He was barely
able to whisper the tragic details of
the journey. The meat had not been
reached, RiCc's body was lying in a
snow grave, and Frederick was scarce.
ly able 10 stand.
Anyway he said, 4 have brought
back all of Rice's rations. knew
we would need them here, and | did
not touch mouthful Of them
This was n fact. Starving as he
was. and hauling sledgc that he
might bring back IA few pounds of food
and the small equipment we could not
afford to lose. he had eaten only the
mcagrc ration allotted to him.
He was plain and simple man,
but hero every inch Of him; and in
those three years in the Arctic we al
ways recognized his true nobility of
character. New York Sun.