The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-17


and navy have been rivals for arctic hon
ors. While a naval officer has succeeded
at last in reaching the goal, an army
man holds the record Of probably the
bitterest suffering ever encountered by
an arctic explorer. In comparison with
the trials of Adolphus Washington
Greedy, then first lieutenant Of cavalry,
now a retired major general. the hardest
toll of Peary seems like the inconven-
fence OF vacation camping trip. says
a writer in the New York Post.
or the twenty-five men in the Greedy
party. felics Of which were found by
Peary and reported on his arrival al
Sydney. eighteen persisted miserably
before Commander Winfield Scott Schley
rescued the remnant Of seven from
their last stand at Cape Sabine Six
teen starved 90 death. One, an Eski-
mo. was drowned while hunting game
with which 10 feed his companions. One
was shot to death as matter OF neces-
sity by order Of Lieut. Greedy. who had
detected him stealing the scanty ratiOns
on which the weak survivors were at
tempting to preserve life until aid could
reach them. Into oil the other harrow
Ing details of the starving mems expert
ence it is not necessary 10 enter here.
There was no arctic horror that passed
by Greedy and his men, They ate their
boots, then munched dry lichens and
gnawed the remnants Of their sealskin
clothing With hands frozen they strug-
gled over the ice IN vain searches for
animal life. sometimes killing a seal or
bear only 10 see its body sink between
fna. L.. a..
found the last seven. they had given Up
hope. and Greedy afterward said that all
would have been beyond need OF succor
within forty-eight hours.
Before the dark days. however. the
Greedy expedition had done it's share foI
science. and those who survived brought
back 70 America a vast quantity of IN
formation unattainable before that time,
as well as a record Of "farthest north"
Sent Out by Congress.
Under acts OF Congress in 1850 and 1881.
Lieut.. Greedy was ordered to establish a
chain of circumpolar stations for scien-
tifc purposes north Of the eighty-frst
parallel The appropriation was SIS. O00
The venture was known officially as the
Lady Franklin Bay expedition. Greedy
had volunteered for the service and nc
was authorized 10 take two other Of
ficers and twenty-one soldiers from the
ranks. 10 charter a steam vessel and TO
hire the Eskimo hunters and dogs need
ed. The vessel selected was the Proteus.
an iron-sheathed whaler Of 467 tons reg
lister. whose master. Richard Pike. was
a hardy fisherman OF the Labrador coast
II was arranged that. after the explora-
ten party had left the boat and gone
northward. a relief expedition should
seek them in 1852. and, II that failed. an
other in 1883 As il turned out, these two
both failed. and the third under Schley
did not reach the survivors until June
%. 1884
Meanwhile Greedy went as far north
for his headquarters as Discovery Har
Dor 81 degrees a minutes). and from
there the party worked for two years
/ establishing many new Biographies
points and sending out one scientific ex
petition after another. When relief die
not come in the summer Of 1883. a retrea-
southwark began. Up to that time thu
health Of the men had been excellent
On the retreat misfortunes began. and
Tor thirty days the group drlfted on AT
ice foe, having lost their steam launch
IN the ice. 1t was October Is when al
last they reached Cape Sabine.
The officers and enlisted men who had
started out with Greedy were SeconC
Lieut. Frederick F. Kfslingbury. Eleventh
Infantry: Second Lieut. James b Lock
wood. Twenty-third Infantry; Sergts
Edward Israel, Winfield s. Jewell. George
". Rice. David c. Ralston. Hampden S
Gardiner, William H Cross. David L
Brainard and David Lynn: Private,
Daniel c. Starr, Roderlck P Schneider
Nicholas SAILOR. Joseph Ellison. Charles p
Henry, Maurice Cornell. Jacob Bender
Francis Long. William Whistler, Henry
Bierderbick. Julius Frederick. Jane.
Ryan. and William A. Ellis.
As three-fourths OF the appropriation
had been spent 70 charter the Proteus
only about 5000 remained for equipment
II was used economically for coal, scien-
tldc instruments, boats, dogs, wooden and
fur clothing. pemmican. lime juice. nat
ural history supplies. and such other
things as there was money enough &c
buy Later. of course. It was found that
much which should have been provided
had been omitted.
Battle with Starvation.
Arriving at Cape Sabine, where they
could only wait in the hope Of rescue
the party managed OF keep going fairly
well through the winter. The dark days
began, according 10 Greely's dairy
which he afterward transformed into a
book telling graphically the story of the
three years adventures, on April 8, 1884
On that day the ration left for each mar
consisted Of five pounds Of meat. three
pounds of bread, and a little stearine
There would have been more If they haC
brought all their supplies from Discov,
cry Harbor, but lightress OF travelIne
burdens had been necessary for the re-
treat. AS II was. the approaching sum
mer season brought with It the knowl-
edge that they were to have a hard bat.
tie with starvation, and il seemed GER
tain they would lose.
While the stronger members Of the
party, especially Sergt. Brainard, who 1,
now senior lieutenant colonel in the com.
missary department of the army, caught
shrimps to make up for the lack Of bet.
ter food Greedy devoted his energies
largely TO boarding the supplies Every
man was kept on the shortest possible
nourishment except in extreme illness
Such illness came at one time or another
to every member OF the party. so weak.
ened were they that each accident on the
lCSf VI any lcllucICN " bLOildCn A4lulenl
assumed serious proportions Soon only
the hardest were in fit shape for the
days work. The rest merely dragged
themselves about
Christensen, an Eskimo, died on April
5, and DR.. Pavy. the expeditions con-
tract surgeon, diagnosed his fatal illness
as plain starvation On the next day
Lynn died. It Was then decided that two
Of the men should make an attempt to
reach Baird Inlet and recover 100 pounds
Of meat aba aIoned there IN the previous
year. Frederick and Rice proposed to
undertake the trip. Greedy objected at
first, but consented when their confidence
impressed him.
Death to some seemed imminent, and
felt the necessity of yielding" he says
In his story OF the venture. The details
OF the Journey told US in simple. touch
ing words by Frederick on his return,