Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-02-23

Qay SoGC OIL SIOTy dOOut u Qulct
old man, eminent in the Ma
Il ton, who, in the sunset of life,
looked in mournful retrospect on
glamorous career and said
Now, I remember"
In word, it was to be one of these
carry-me-back affairs with appropri.
ate wheel chair and crutch sound ef-
fects.
This, however. was before the po-
tential perpetrator had met Brig. Gen.
David L. Brainard, last living member
of the ill-starred Greely expedition,
who probably was in a worse fix right
then-if he had only known it-than
at any time during those terrifying
months in the Northern wastes.
It must have been the portentious
sound Of last survivor" that conjured
up that tolling-bell picture Of the
square-shouldered, ramrod-straight,
bright-eyed Army officer, who at 10
steps around with more yigor than a
second lieutenant and hikes 4 or S
miles day just because he enjoys 1t.
In fact, Gen. Brainard believes
or says he does-tliat those Arctic
hardships which entailed a diet Of
seal skin garments and shoes, prob
ably added 20 years to the lives Of
the half dozen hardy individuals who
came through the ordeal.
StonnachS Given Rest.
"You see," he chuckles. looking from
sunny window Of the Army and
Navy Club and putting on one of the
three or four cigars he allows himself
each day. "our stomachs got COM
plete rest, for we had no use for
them. When we were rescued, and fed,
1t was just like starting out with a
new stomach"
But he doesn't recommend that
treatment as an aid to longevity.
1t Is easy to see that Gen. Brainard
misses his longtime companion and
former commanding officer, Maj. Gen.
Adolphus w. Greeley, gone since
October.
"You know" he says, II stayed in
Washington after I retired because
Gen. Greeley was here. I could have
lived any place else, but we were the
last left from the expedition, and had
been friends for so many years, and
enjoyed each other so much"
Talking about survivors reminded
Gen. Brainard that 6 man died in
Alaska two or three years ago claim
ing to be the last survivor" OF the
Greeley party.
Funny how he developed that
quirk," he commented. HE may have
been survivor of one of the relief ex-
petitions that were sent for us, but
he was not in our party. There were
only six" And that little group, he
added, always kept in touch with each
other afterward.
The expedition might have written a
different story, Brainard thinks. had
it not been for their orders. When
they went out in 1881 as part Of an
international meteorological survey
around the polar cap, they were in
structed, in event no relief reached
them in 1882 or 1883 to start back
in September of the latter year. It
was on the retreat" from their Grin
nell Land base that disaster overlook
the sturdy band A relief party sent
out in 1881 failed, taking the supplies
intended for the explorers back to St.
Johns, Newfoundland. after what Gen.
Brainard feels was nothing more than
a "half-hearted" effort at succor, The
following year, another party set out,
under Lieut.. Darlington, but their
ship was lost near Cape Sabine, where
the Greeley group a short while later
set up Camp Clay, the Starvation
camp" from which they were rescued
by the Schley party June 20, 1884.
Leaving Base Mistake.
Had they not left their "farthest
north" base until relief was assured
Brainard thinks, they would have
made out all right, for musk oxen
and seal assured q meat supply. ana
conditions were better.
Lieut.. Greeay had his orders
though, and, as q good soldier, he
carried them out" he says simply.
When they based at Camp Clay,
they had 40 days food for as men.
They made it last nine months.
1t was there that stark drama was
written.
A member Of the party always re-
ferred to as Charles Henry" but
who also had been known as Buck,
was detected stealing food after he