Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-20
GRAVEYARD OF ARCTIC
Strange Relics of Old ExpIor-
er.s Found by Peary's Men.
DATE BACK FORTY YEARS
Magazines and Notes Battered by
Many Storms, Still Legible.
WORE GEN. GREELY'S COAT
Food Left in Deserted Camp in Good
State Of Preservation-Foot
Still Marked in Sand.

ON BOARD THE CANADIAN GOV
EMINENT STEAMSHIP TYRIAN. off
the Coast of Labrador, September Is, by
way of North Sydney. Nova Scotia, Sep
TENDER 2O-Like a message from the
tomb was the story told by Prof. Donald
Mcmillan one OF the members of the
Peary expedition, who made separate
Journeys of exploration into Greenland.
Grant Land and Grinnell Land.
He told of finding traces of three expe-
ditions of years ago, of subsistng on the
food that had been discarded by the
members of the Greedy expedition, who
deserted the camp at Fort Conger and
made their way to Cape Sabine, where
they persisted of cold and hunger. He
told of wearing army coats and picking
up scraps Of letters and messages of love
that were lying around the ground in
perfect condition, after almost thirty
years. of finding letters. veritable messages
| of the dead, and leaves from books that
had carried words of love and solicitation
| TO the doomed explorers from relatives
| far away. He also came across remnants
or Hall s camp and a cairn left by Lock-
| wood and Brainard.
| while l was at Cape Sheridan" he
said, Il wanted to make several trips out
into the desolate country to see what l
|
| ritory and the habits. customs and reli-
gion of the people. On one Of my first
| trips l took a sedge and Eskimos and
started. skirttug the east coast Of Grant
| Land and Grinnell Land. l slowly made
my way down to Fort Conger. about six
ty-five miles from the Roosevelt and ran
upon the last camp of the Greedy expe-
dition of 1SS1-1SS4.
| Here 1 found relics, all of which were
in the same condition as when they were
discarded by the Inflated members of
| that expedition. found coffee. hominy.
canned rhubarb. canned potatoes break
fast food and all sorts of supplies. They
were just as good as ever and l pract.-
caily subsisted on them all the time
was there.
Found Gen. Greely's Military Coat.
| Gen. Greelys military overcoat with
the buttons on it was about the first
thing 1 discovered. 1 wore the coat, and
while l stayed there / presume l must
have had on at one time or another the
clothing of all the men in the expedition
On the ground l also found the trunk
that had been carried by Sergt. David L.
Brainard. 1t was as good as new. and /
used it as a shelter from the winds. Here
were records that had been made of the
caches of provisions which had been
stored along the route and showed that
vast quantities OF wood had been left
there when the men started south to Cape
Sabine. where seventeen OF the twenty
| five members persisted.
THE men had been taken to Fort Con-
ger by the PrOteus and had been told to
await her arrival the next year. During
the winter the steamship tried to gel
Through, but was crushed In the ice.
Orders had been issued that'if the relief
ship did not arrive the party was to make
its way to the south and reach Cape Sa-
bine When the Proteus failed to arrive
the party started.
The men were told to discard all bag
gage except nine pounds. and in order to
/ tighten their loads to that extent these
goods, stores and personal belongings
were left behind. II was these that
found after a lapse of almost thirty years.
Nothing had been destroyed. Everything
| was In an excellent state Of preservation.
Those members of the party who did not
/ perish at Sabine were rescued by Com
modore, afterward Rear Admiral Winfield