The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-04-15
The Finding of the Survivors of
the Greely Expedition.
STAYED THE HAND OF DEATH.
The Seven Starved and Half Crazed
Dying Men Were YEARLY Waiting
For tho End When Came the Shout
That Told Thorn Relief Was Niah.

In his story Of the rescue of the rem.
nants of the I'll fated Greedy expedi-
tiOn at Cape Sabine in 1884 Frank B.
Copley in the American Magazine
gives dramatic description of the ac-
tual finding Of the starving survivors,
On June Il furious gale blew down
the tent. which the despairing men
had not the strength to raise again.
On the 22d the gale continued. and the
men felt that the end Of their long
struggle had come.
In the evening all the men were In
their bags. waiting for death. Greedy.
Frederick. frederick. Ellison and Con.
nell were under the fallen canvas Of
the tent. Brainard and Long were
under the fallen canvas Of the adjoin-
Ing shelter. 1t remained light, Of
course. the sun at this season being
continuously above the horizon. Con-
nell passed into the unconscious state
which was The prelude of death. The
other six men. supremely indifferent
to everything. lay idly doing.
But the evening still was young
when. seemingly from distance. there
came sound that forced itself upon
their attention. Once came the sound!
Twice came the sound Three times
came the sound! Each time it was a
long. insistent screech.
At first 1t was annoying, as any
sound is that gradually forces one to
leave ones plearant dreams and awake
But with the Hscond repetition of the
screech Brainard and Long sat up and
looked at each Cther.
From under the canvas Of the tent
came the complaining voice of Greedy.
"Brainard. did you hear it?"
"Yes. SIR"
What was itT'
81 think-I am pretty sure-that II
was the whistle Of a steamer"
There was something OF a stir under
the fallen canvas Of the tent. Bieder-
bick had aroused himself and seized
the bag containing their last bit Of
brandy. Two spoonfuls were left.
Biederbick forced one down the throat
OF the dying COnnell. II they actually
were going to be rescued Connell
should have chance W live. The
other spoonful OF brandy Biederblck
offered TO bis commander When Gree
ly declined II B.ederbicl sent II 10 fol
low the other spoonful down the throat
ot COnnel!.
Greedy now asked Brainard and Long
If they could get out from under their
canvas and report If anything was to
be seen. They said they felt able to
climb to the high. rocky point on the
ridge where Brainard had set q signal
flag.
do your BEST" said Greedy.
Slowly and painfully Brainard and
Long crawled up the narrow path in
the snow to the point which command.
ed a broad view Of the sea. There
was much open water. but nothing
was to be seen on 1t save the old
monotonous foes and bergs.
Long said they must have been mis-
taken In the nature of the sound they
had heard. Brainard agreed. After a
few minutes Brainard. chilled through,
said he would 60 back and report to
Greely. Long, who was more warmly
clad. said he would stay up there a
while longer.
When Brainard, In reporting to Gree
~. again expressed the opinion that
they had been deceived the opinion
seemed 20 be accepted by all the men
under the tent Brainard era wled back
into his bag. fully believing that he
never would leave 1t again and fully
resigned to the prospect.
Presently Biederbick began to argue
that the fact that no ship was to be
seen from the point above them did
not necessarily indicate that they had
been deceived In believing that the
sounds they heard were those Of a
ships whistle. He suggested that the
ship might be in Payer harbor, which
could not be seen from their ridge.
Greedy aroused himself sufficiently
to say that he did not consider this
probable. Biederbick, however, went
on arguing In his persistent German
way that help was near. at length
Greedy, whose nerves were q wreck
and whose mind was fast giving way,
turned on Biederbick and cursed him
for making disturbance.
shut up" he ordered. land let us
die in peacer'
SO once more there was quiet.
Lying outside in his bag, Brainard
WOn6nrnT In
would see Long.
Presently he heard footsteps
Some one was coming.
1t could not he Long.
Whoever was coming was RUNNING.
GOd-he was running!
Ihcn came Shout-the shout oS a
hale and hearty man.
"GtcciVi GrcClW Are pc thCrcy"
There was no mlStaking the voice