The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-06-18
rHREE eREeLY SURVIVORS
Meeting Of Trio Who Accompanied
~ Fated Expedition


~ Fated Expedition
The tragic history Of the famous
Greedy polar expedition of 1874 was
told over again one afternoon during
the present month in a German res i
taurant along the water front in Ho I
boken, ~ j., when three out of the I
original seven survivors met for the .
first time in twenty-five years and re-
called their experiences. The men
we're Henry II. Biederbick Maurice
Cornell and Francis Long. Mr.. Bic I
derrick who is secretary of the Arctic
Club Of America, is a United States I.
Customs Inspector with offices on
Pier /, of the Bremen Line at Hobo
ken.
Mr.. Cornell is chief of the United
States Weather Bureau at San Jose,
Cal, and Mr.. Long is in the same SER
vice in this city There are two other
survivors OF the expedition, Gen. A.
W. Greedy, who commanded II and d.
l.. Brainard now q colonel in the
army. stationed in the Philippines,
where he has charge Of the Commits
sary department. Gen Greedy is with
his family in Florence, Italy.
Mr.. Biederbick and Mr.. Long meet
! frequently as both are living in New
York but neither has met Cornell
since the expedition, or what was left
of it, was brought back to the United
States by Admiral Schley, who com
manded one of the three expeditions
sent in search of the Greedy party in
1884.
Cornell was assigned to the Signal
Corps of the army after he recovered
his health The Weather Service was
in charge Of the Signal Corps at this
time but soon afterward it was trans
ferred to the Agricultural department
and Mr.. Cornell went with it. He
was put in charge of the Weather
Bureau of San jose Cal, and has
stayed there ever since.
His coming to New York involves
n romantic incident in itself, for he
came to meet a sister whom he hadn't
seen in forty years Mr.. Council left
ireland when he was a boy and his
family few years later lost all trace
of him. His sister did not know he
was alive until she read an account of
l q
in newspaper. This account of the
expedition mentioned the name and
address OF Mr. Biererbeck and she at
once communicated with him. He
Sent her Conne's address and she
came 10 New York From here she
sent word to the Pacific coast and Mr.
Cornell at once came to New York.
When he arrived he went first to the
Weather Bureau Office in Broadway
and greeted Mr. Long. Neither had
seen the other for a quarter of a cen
fury and there was considerable hand
. shaking Finally Long suggested that
both go over to Hoboken and call up
on Biederbeck.
The found the customs man busy
among pile Of books and Connell
/. waited outside the little Office as his
part in the surprise the two had pre-
} pared while Long and Biederbeck
chatted.
There's somebody outside who
wants to see YOU" said Long finally.
Lets have a look at him." replied
Biederbeck, reaching for his hat.
A minute later Cornell and Bieder-
beck met face to face. They looked
: at each other a full minute and then
both hands shot out.
"Morry,' said Biederbeck.
Harry" replied Cornell. while
tears started On the eyes OF both and
their hands went up and down like
pump handles.
Guess we'd better get somewhere
where We can talk it over" suggest.
ed Biederbeck. Il know a coy little
place about block away"
The three adjourned to the cafe and
II was late in the afternoon before the
gathering broke up and then only AZ.
ter the three had agreed to meet at
Mr. Biederbeck's house in the even.
ing and have dinner together.
The three men shared prominently
In one OF the greatest battles against
starvation and death that ever took
place In the north The tales OF lat
ter-day polar exploration read like
vacation camp stories compared Will
It.
twenty-five men under Lieut. Greel-
went north for scientific purposes n
= 1881. Their ship. the Proteus. an iron
fH'NthfA'A NAANANAf WIS NAMNnNu IN lUl
ice and was abandoned early In IN,
year. The party continued north
ward on foot In 1882 a relief exped
. ition was sent after the men and an
other In 1888, Both were unsuccess
: tul In reaching them. Commando
Beebe OF the last expedition shot hin
stlf later through remorse az not b,
ing able TO find the explorers. o.
June %, 1884 the third expedition III
der Schley, reached the handful q
survivors OF Cape Sabine and brough
them back OF the original twent,
five, eighteen persisted before relic
came. Sixteen starved TO death. on
an Eskimo, was killed while huntin
game and one was shot 20 death a
matter OF necessity by order :
Lieut.. Greedy who had detected hin
stealing the scanty ratlons on whic
the weak survivors were trying I
keep alive.
Greedy and his men sounded ever
arctic horror They ate their boot
munched dry lichens and gnawed IN
remnants OF their sealskin clothing.
was even said that they had resorte
to cannlballsm but this was stout
denied.
When Schloy found the last sove
/ mVmhnra Of tho avp.tftt.. ~.