IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I *iiM21 125 *u B&i |2.2 2.0 ■ 40 I ^ 111^ li^ ^ 6" ■ — ► Photographic Sciences Corporation 7i WUT MAIN ITMIT WIMTIR.N.V. MSCQ (7)6) e-"»-4S03 ,v Si CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Inttltuta for HIatorlcal MIcroraproductlont / Initltui Canadian da microraproductloni hlalorlquaa Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D D D D n n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagAe Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurie et/ou pelliculAe I I Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes g6ographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or blackl/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re Mure serrde peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intdrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have bean omitted from filming/ 11 se peut que certains i pages blanches ajouties iors d'une restaurntion apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas AtA fllmies. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a At6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuwent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mithode normale de filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. n Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplAmsntaires; V □ D Map Invtrttd for filming. This Item Is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de reduction indlqu* ci dessous. Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou peliicuiies Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d6color6es, tacheties ou piqu^es Pages detached/ Pages ditach^es Showthrough/ Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ Quulit6 in^gale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du matiriei suppi^mentaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to ensure the best possible Image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont M fiimies A nouveau de fagon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. 10X 14X 18X 22X 2ex 30X y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X ._ 1 lire details Lies du modifier jer une fiimage The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Library of the Pubiic Archives of Canada The images appearing here ere the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in iteeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire film* fut reproduit grAce h la gAnArositA de: La bibiiothAque des Archives pubiiques du Canada Les images suivantes ont 4t4 reproduites avec le plus grsnd soin. compte tenu de la condition at de la nettet* de l'exemplaire filmA, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de fiimage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated Impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated Impression. 6es Les exemplaires originsux dont la couverture en pepier est imprimte sont filmte en commenpant par ie premier plat et en terminant soit par la derniAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustratlon. soit par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont fiimAs en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustratlon et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. re The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Un des symboles sulvants apparaftra sur la dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symboln V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, plenches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmia iS des taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atrt. reproduit en un seul clichA, il est fllmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche * droito, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaira Les diagrammes suivants lllustrent la mAthode. y errata id to nt le peiure, 9on A n 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 '/j.}^' ^^ ./V' cA V ■•/•>' si Trnwirr-rrmmmw/tHmm^/^^ LONQ, riUUIRIOKt. ■ RAINARU. OONNILL. ■(lOtNIIOK LIIUT. QNIILV. TH« HUKVIVORS OM IIUAKI) THK TIII'TIS AT OlSKO. THE KESCUE of GrREELY I BY COMMANDER W. S. SCHLEY, U.S.N. COyUANDINO TilB RELIEF EXPEDITION OP 1834 AND PROFESSOR J. R. SOLEY, U. S. N. ILLUSTRATED FROM THE PffOTOGRAPH': AND MAPS OF THE RELIEF EXPEDITION NEW YORK CHARLES SCRTBNER'S SONS 1885 COPYRIOHT, 1885, BV CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. Edward O. JenkinV Sons. ■J%^1^ PREFACE. The bifitory of the rescue of Greely and the other surviv- ors of his party would hardly be complete without some account of the original expedition to Lady Franklin Bay, and of the two voyages undertaken for its relief before it left Discovery Harbor. In giving this account, it has been the aim of the writers to describe the events simply as they oc- curred, and studiously to avoid all criticism of those who took part in them. The facts are to be found for the most part in the voluminous testimony taken before the Court of Inquiry, and in the reports and oflBcial correspondence an- nexed to the proceedings of the Court. The history of the Circumpolar Stations is chiefly derived from the Mittheilungen published from time to time by the International Polar Commission. The illustrations in the book are from photographs taken during the voyage of the Relief Expedition of 1884, the neg- atives having been further treated by Mr. M. P. Rice, of Washington, before impressions were made. The writers desire to express their obligations for the as- sistance given them by various oflicers of the Relief Squad- ron, in the preparation of the latter part of the work. (ill) I CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. The Gateway of the Polar Sea, CHAPTER II. The Circumpolar Stations, . 11 CHAPTER III. The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, • • . 20 CHAPTER IV. The Relief Expedition of 1882 : The Nkptune^ . . 35 CHAPTER V. The Reuef Expedition of 1883 : The Proteus, . . 47 CHAPTER VI. The Retreat from the Wreck of the Proteus, . . 73 CHAPTER VII. What was to be done for Greet y ? 95 CHAPTER VIII. The Preparations for the Relief Expedition of 1884, . 113 CHAPTER IX. The Departure of the Relief Squadron, » • . 139 (V) ▼i Contents. CHAPTER X. Melville Bay, 170 CHAPTER XI. Cape York to Littleton Isiand, 196 CHAPTER Xn. The Rescue, 211 CHAPTER Xni Cape Sabine to Disko, 238 CHAPTER XIV. The Return Home, 266 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The Survivors on Board the Thetis at Disko, Frontispiece. Lifeboat Cove and Littleton Island, To face page 76 Berg near Upernivik, 165 Relief Ships and Whalers Moored to the Floe, . 172 The Tbetis Nipped off Horse Head, . . . .175 The Arctic Waitinq for a Lead near the Duck Islands, 187 Bow of the Thetis in the Iob off Cape York, . . 196 The Thetis WAiTiNa for a Lead at Conical Rock. . 198 The Bear in the Pack, 208 Greely's Cairn on Stalknecht Island, . . . .213 The Tent at Camp Clay, 229 The Graves, 232 Conical Rock, with Cairn on the Summit, . . 246 Passing an Iceberg off the Waigat, . . .260 LIST OP MAPS. {The maps are placed at the end of the book.) Smith Sound, showing Cape Sabine and Littleton Island. Track Chart of the Greely Reuef Expedition of 1884. (In three sections.) Official Chart of the Region from Baffin Bay to Lincoln Sea. (vii) » 1 1 THE Rescue of Greely. CHAPTER I. THE GATEWAY OF THE POLAE SEA. Although every Btudent of Arctic exploration is familiar with the series of long, narrow channels that separate the coast of Greenland from the labyrinth of straits and islands north of the American Continent, it may be well to give once more a sketch of their characteristic features, upon which so much depended in the events of which this book x'ecites the story. Of the three entrances to the Polar Ocean, by Behring Strait, by the North Atlantic, and by Baffin Bay, the last has aroused by far the greatest interest, and has been the scene of the most numerous and successful expeditions, espe- cially of American explorers. For a long time after the voyage of Baffin in 1616, little was known or thought of it. Even in this century, the absorbing problem of Arctic navigators was the discovery, not of the Pole, but of the Northwest Passage, and the voyage of Sir John Franklin in 1845 v;rith this object, together with the innumerable expe- ditions to ascertain his fate, resulted in mapping out with fullness and comparative accuracy the islands of the North i 2 The Rescue of Greely. American archipelago. In 1352, however, Captain Ingle- iield, of tlie Royal Navy, also engaged in the Franklin search, visited Smith Sound. After him came the second Grinnell Expedition under Dr. Kane in 1853, the expedition of Dr. Ilnyes in 18C0, that of Hall in the Polaris in 1871, and that of Nares in tlie Alert and Discovery in 1875 and 1876, each going beyond its predecessor and each contributing its important additions to the geographical knowledge of the region. Last of all has set out and returned the Lady Frank- lin Bay Expedition, which has surpassed the furthest north- cm limit of the Alert and Discovery, placing its 83° 24. 5', the northern latitude of Lockwood, beside the 83° 20' 20'' of Kaikham, and adding by actual discovery and survey a numlxjr of miles to the previously known geographical ex- tent of the North Greenland sliores. Due north from St. John's, Newfoundland, at a distance of 1,300 miles, lies the little settlement of Lievely, on the island of Disko. It is the principal one among the northern group of Danish trading posts on tlie west coast of Green- land, and its sheltered harbor, called Godhavn, makes it a convenient nnd usual point of departure for all expeditions making for Smith Sound and the waters beyond. Its im- portance is increased by the neighborhood of the coal mines at the KudliscBt cliffs, wliich lie on the shore of the Waigat, a long strait separating Disko Island from the mahilanJ. From Godhavn to Upernivik the way lies either through the Waigat, or around the western shore of the island, across the broad estuary known as the Omenak Fiord, and past the little village of Proven. Upernivik lies on an island forty miles beyond Proven. Its liarl>or is an open roadstead, ex- posed to gales from the south and west, with do good holding The Gateway of the Polar Sea. 8 ground, and subject to the inroads r f drifting icebergs, which are kept in constant motion by the .-trong winds and currents, and make the anchorage a difficult and dangerous one for ships. The coast beyond Upemivik as far as the Duck Islands is as ugly a bit of navigation n»i one would care to find. The shore is bold and cut up into ribbons by numbers of bays and estuaries, while the waters are filled with little islands whose position is imperfectly ascertained, and with countless sub- merged rocks and shoals and hidden dangers absolutely un- known and uncharted. The position of Tassuisak even, the northernmost of thd Danish settlements — a little cluster of huts in a deep bay, midway between Upemivik and the Duck Islands — is given on the Admiralty charts as " approx- imate." The points marked definitely on the charts are as likely to be wrong as right, so hurriedly and imperfectly has the coast been surveyed ; most of the vessels that have vis- ited the region having had all that they could do to get through or past the spot, in time to accomplish more important work at points beyond. West of the Greenland coast lies the great cxpanso of Baf- fin Bay. As far as Disko, and in the midsummer season even as far as Upemivik, navigation is usually attended with little danger, but as soon as a vessel starts across, from which- ever point she sets out, her difficulties begin. One hundred and fifty miles north of Upernivik the shore turns sharply to the westward, following this course another one hundred and fifty miles to Capo Dudley Diggos, whore it turns again to the north. The bight thus formed is Melville Bay. A few miles oast of Capo Dudley Diggcs is ("Jape York, and it is to this point that all Hliips crossing Melvillf Bay are directed. I !| 4 The Rescue of GreeVy. The run across is justly dreaded by Arctic navigators. Even the whalers who go there every summer are more anxious about Melville Bay than any other point. There are two ways of getting across — the Northern Passage following the curve of the coast, and the Middle Passage in a direct line across the Bay. Early in the season the first only is practi- cable. At that time the whole sheet of water is filled with the " middle pack " — a vast field of ice which represents the accumulations of years firmly held together by the additions of the winter before. The pack is generally out of the in- fluence of the swiftest current passing south from Smith Sound to Davis Strait, but drifts with the winds and currents back and forth across Melville Bay. Sometimes it leaves a stretch of open water, sometimes again it closes up against the land ice, which forms a belt along the coast varying in width from one hundred yards to fifteen or twenty miles, as solid and impenetrable as terra firma. By the middle of July or the first of August the pack is generally either broken up into floes or has drifted to the southward and westward into Baftin Bay, so that a passage may then be made with care di- rectly across to Cape York. Early in the season, however, a ship must take the Northern Passage, skirting the land ice and following the seam of water which lies between it and the pack, and defines the edge of l>oth more or less distinctly, — generally, however, less rather than more, especially when a southerly wind drives the pack on the land ice, until the two bccojne glued togetlier in what seems for the time a homogeneous mass. Whichever passage is taken there is always a possibility of encountering the pack, although, from the number of ves- sels that have crossed in recent years in August or late The Gateway of the Polar Sea. 6 in July, the run over at this season would seem to be com- paratively easy for a cautious navigator. Occasionally, how- ever, the middle pack is caught in the current and drifts away hundreds of miles to the southward. The Fox, the lafit of the Franklin search vessels, commanded by Captain McClintock, in August, 1857, could not find any middle pas- sage, and though well to the northward, was beset in the middle pack, and was unable to extricate herself until the following April. During these eight months she drifted twelve hundred miles in the ice to a point nearly opposite Cape Farewell, the southern extremity of Greenland. After rounding Capo York, the navigator enters a sheet of water, of large extent and triangular in outline, be- tween the coasts of Greenland and Ellesmere Land. The shores gradually approach until at the northern apex of the triangle they are only twenty miles or so apart. At this point Cape Alexander on the Greenland coast, and Capo Isabella in Ellesmere Land, — the "Northern Pillars of Hercules," m they were well called by Dr. Bessels, — mark the entrance to Smith Sound, which gives access to the diffi- cult waters beyond. No name has been affixed to the trian- gular body of water above Cape York, but it will be called for convenience lower Smith Sound. It is hero that vessels penetrating or skirting the ice of Melville Bay find the " North Water," — a name given by the whalers to the water-space loft open by the progress southward of the winter pack. It is generally met not long nfter passing the promontory of which Cape York and Capo Dudley Digges are the principal points. But it may be found much lower down ; and, on the other han..' The Gateway of tlte Polar Sea. 9 and only rarely by the bears and Arctic foxes. North of Cape Isabella, where Nares made a small cache, is a deep estuary called Baird Inlet. The northern point of the sound on this side is marked by Cape Sabine, on the extremity of what was supposed to be a peninsula, but which one of Greely's men discovered to be an island. Just south of the cape is Payer Harbor, lying between the shore and Brevoort Island. Stalkneciit Island, a low and narrow strip of rock, lying to the west of Brevoort Island, was the j)lace of Nares' third depot. Around the cape, on the northern shore, about four miles from the point, is a little cove. It is around this cove and the hill above it, that the interest of the present narrative centres ; for it was here that the stores were land- ed from the wreck of the Proteus^ and here that Greely made his final camp, October 21, 18S3. Beyond Smith Sound the Greenland shore trends away one hundred miles or more to the eastward, forming Kane Sea, whose shores were first outlined by Dr. Kane and his party of the second Grinncll expedition, during the two des- olate years passed at Kensselaer Bay. The sea forms a large oval basin, covered most of the time by a nearly impenetra- ble polar pack. Only four vessels have succeeded in crossing it, — the Polaris, the Alert and Discovery, and the Proteus on her wonderful voyage with Greely in 1881. On the western side of the baibin the most prominent point is Cape Hawks, so often referred to in the plans for the relief expe- ditions, where a small cache had been made by Nares. Ilis fifth and last depot was at Cape Collinson, fifty miles to the north. North of Kaio Sea, the shores again converging, form Kennedy and Robeson Channels, the long, narrow strait lead- J *l \ ■ { 10 The liescme of Greely. iiig directly to the Polar Ocean, and separating Greenland froni Grinnell Land. A little more than half way up is Lady Franklin Bay, wiiore Greely fixed his station, and where he passed two years with his command. The site of the station was Discovery Harbor, on the north side of the Bay, where the Discovery had wintered in 1875-76. Above this point, on the shores of the Sea itself, the Alert had pass- ed the same winter, and a few miles away, at Thank God Harbor, the Polaris^ under Hall, had mado her station four years before. But these were all. Before these expeditions no one had entered the long, narrow passage, and since then, those who have attempted the journey have failed even to get beyond the ice-pack in Kane Sea. (It »k. i^ CHAPTER n. THE CIRCUMPOLAR STATIONS. Of those whose names \\z ^ e been added during the last century to the roll of Arctic explorers and investigators, there are few to whom science must acknowledge a greater debt than to Karl Weyprecht. As the commander of the Tegetthqf, in the Austro-Hungarian expedition of 1872, he discovered and named Franz Josef Land. But his most im- portant service consists in having first drawn up in a definite shape, and pushed to successful execution, the project of es- tablishing a series of co-operating stations in the higher lati- tudes to make simultaneous observations for a considerable time. It was on the 18th of September, 1875, at the meeting of the association of German naturalists and physicists at Gratz, that Lieutenant Weyprecht first unfolded his plan. He pointed out that while the polar regions offered one of the most important fields for the investigation of natural phe- nomena, esi)ecially in reference to the physical condition of the earth, the costly expeditions that had gone there had done little more for physical research than to show what a wealth of imtouched materials lay within the grasp of the in- telligent and systematic inquirer. He therefore proposed to leave the beaten track of Arctic exploration, and subordinate geographical discovery entirely to physical observation. As previous investigations had been largely ineffective from (11) Ml ' \l I ill f i' 12 T/ic Rescue of Greely. their isolated character, his plan was to send a number of ex- peditions to remain for some time, and make contempora- neous observations, according to a pre9 , ^ i programme. Although these views may liave been held more or less by scientific men in advance of Wcyprecht, to him alone belongs the credit of having drawn up a definite plan of action, and of securing its adoption. No single state could be expected to furnish either the means or the personnel for so many expeditions, and it was decided from the start to put the scheme on an international footing. A beginning was to be made by Austria-Hungary, but it was as a private enterprise, the expenses being borne by Weyprecht's friend, Count Wilczek, who had taken a lively interest in his pro- ject. These two prepared a pi*ogramme of operations, which was submitted to the meteorological congress held at Rome in 1879. The congress received it favorably and recom- mended its adoption, but as the delegates had no authority to act, the international meteorological committee was instruct- ed to summon a special conference later to consider it. The first International Polar Conference met at Hamburg, October 1, 1879, with delegates from Austria-Hungary, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Rus- sia, and Sweden. It organized as a permanent commission and decided that at least eight stations would be necessary to make the plan a success. The twelve months of observation were to be comprised between the autumn of 1881 and that of 1882. Dr. Neumayer, of Hamburg, was the first presi- dent of the committee, but was afterward succeeded by Pro- fessor Wild, of St. Petersburg. Active efforts were now made by the commission and its members to secure the co-operation of a suflScient number of III The Circiimpolar Stations. 13 Governments, and a second Conference met at Bern in the following summer. The reports were encouraging, but not enough so to carry out the undertaking at the proposed time. Four States had agreed to take part— Austria-Hungary, Den- mark, Norway, and Kussia. The Austrian station, still as a private undertaking, was to be fixed at Jan Mayen Island, off the east coast of Grreenland, and was to be under the com- mand of Lieutenant von "Wohlgemuth, of the Austrian navy. Denmark was to select Upernivik or Godthaab; Norway named Bossekop, near Alten ; and Russia the Lena Delta. This was all that had been done, and the beginning of the work was postponed for a year, or until the summer of 1882. Early efforts had been made to secure the co-operation of the United States. Already in May, 1879, Weyprecht had writ- ten to General Myer, at that time the Chief Signal Officer of the army, urging that the Government should join in his new scheme of Arctic research, which was to be devoted to the investigation of magnetic and meteorological phenomena. He suggested that in completing the circle of circumpolar ob- serving stations the United States should establish their post at Point Barrow, on the coast of Alaska, northeaat of Beh- ring Strait, where the English ship Plover had wintered in 1852 and 1853. As the work was partly meteorological in character, it would naturally fall under the cognizance of the Weather Bureau, directed by the Chief Signal Ollicer of the army. The plan commended itself strongly to G'ii^eral Myer, and as it required no special legislation for the Office to estabhsh a signal station anywhere w< thin the limits of the United States, steps were taken in the course of the year to carry it out. Lieutenant Ray was ordered to command the expeditioujwhich ! II 14 The Rescue of Greely. I left San Francisco July 18, 1881, in the schooner Golden Fleece, and arrived September 8th at the point where the station was finally established, a few miles from Point Bar- row. After landing the party and stores the vessel returned to the United States. The dwelling-house and the observa- tories were at once put up, and by October the work was fairly in progress. It was steadily kept up until the end ; the series of hourly magnetic and meteorological observations being continued without interruption until the final abandon- ment of the station. Other valuable observations were taken, and exploring expeditions were sent into the interior. On the arrival of the relief vessel the records and instruments with the scientific collections were put on board and the ex- pedition embarked August 29, 18?3, arriving safely at San Francisco in October. The work had been admirably done, and the results were accomplished without a mishap. Meanwhile a plan ox different scope, but with some fea- tures in common with the other, had been conceived by Lieutenant Howgate, an army officer attached to the Signal Service, and had been actively urged by him for several years. It was known as the scheme of Polar Colonization, and everybody was familiar with it under that name. The plan consisted in establishing a colony at some suitable point as far north as possible, where it should remain for three years ; it being thought that during that time some occasion would arise presenting favorable conditions for reaching the North Pole. The failure of the Nares expedition to accom- plish this object in 1875-Y6 was partly attributed to the cold season and exceptional winds prevailing during that year which formed ice ridges across the line of march and so ren- dered progress slow and difiicult. The place selected as the i :■ The Clroumj^olar Stations. 15 Bite of the proposed colony was Discovery Harbor, on the shore of Lady Franklin Bay, where the Discovery had win- tered in 18T5-7G. It was chosen because of its advanced po- sition in an important region and its vicinity to a coal-seam. During its three years' residence the colony would be able to choose a favorable time for effecting its primary object, the journey to the Pole. Besides this it would carry on a series of meteorological observations. As a result of Howgate's efforts, Congress passed the Act of May 1, 1880, authorizing the President to establish a sta- tion at or near Lady Franklin Bay, and to accept the Gul- nare^ a vessel owned by Howgate, for the use of the expedi- tion. First Lieutenant A. W. Greely, of the Fifth Cavalry, was assigned to the command, and Doctor Octave Pavy was engaged as surgeon. The Gulnare was not accepted by the Government, and Greely never went on the expedition. The vessel, however, started on her voyage and proceeded as fiu* as Disko, but, proving entirely unfit to continue the jour- ney, she returned in the autumn disabled, and the whole af- fair was in consequence a failure. In September, 1880, Dr. Wild, the President of the Inter- national Polar Commission, in announcing to General Myer the progress of its work, stated that only two stations were needed to complete the circle, Point Barrow and some point in the North American archipelago. In -^aew of this, al- though there was no necessary connection between the orig- inal "Howgate Plan" and Weyprecht's proposed circum- polar system, it was natural that the two should have been blended by the Signal OflSce, as they had been already con- nected in the Report of the House Committee recommend- ing the passage of the bill in the previous May ; and so it 16 The Rescue of Greely. happened that after the failure and disappearance of the first project in the fall of 1880, it reappeared in the winter clothed with the mantle of Weyprecht, and received an appropriation of $25,000 in the Sundry Civil Act of March 3, 1881. This was stated to be " for continuing the work of scientific ob- servation and exploration on or near the shores of Lady Franklin Bay," which, however, could as yet hardly be said to have begun. In this manner was assured the second ob- serving-post of the United States in the circle which the International Polar Commission was seeking to establish. If it had not been for the adoption of the Howgate plan the year before, authority would probably never have been ob- tained for a second station ; but the most unfortunate result of the combination of the two distinct projects was the necessity of taking Lady Franklin Bay, specified in the Act of 1880, as the site. It had been one of Weyprecht's ideas that each circumpolar station should be fixed at an accessible point, which Lady Franklin Bay, as the result showed, cer- tainly was not ; and while no place could have been better adapted to servo as a base for an expedition to the Pole, which Howgate contemplated, it did not offer any marked advantages for making scientific observations, which alone was th(3 purpose of Weyprecht. The third International Poiar Conference met at St. Pe- tersburg, August 1, 1881. Already in the May preceding, the required number of stations had been secured, and l)y August the pro])arations for most of them had been under- taken. Others were subsequently added, until they reached a total of fourteen, as follows : AiiHtriii-IIungary, nt Tan Miiyon iHland. Doiunark, at Oodthaab, in OrccMilund, Finland, at Sudaukylu. The Circumpolar Stations. ir France, at Cape Horn. Germany, at Cumberland Sound and the South Gcorj^ian Islands. Great Britain and Canada, at Fort Kae, on Ihe Great Slave Lake. Netherlands, at Diekson Haven, near the mouth of the Yenesei River. Norway, at Bossekop. Russia, at the Lena Delta hiA Nova Zcmbla. Sweden, at Spilzbergen. United States, at Point Barrow and Lady Fianklin Bay. An elaborate programme of scientific work had been care- fully drawn up, which was to be followed at all the stations. The obligatory programme included meteorological, magnetic, and auroral observations to be made hourly during the whole period ; and on certain fixed days, the Ist and 15th of the month, the magnetic observations v/ero to bo made every twenty seconds, during a stated hour, at Gottingen time, at all the stations. Besides the required work, suggestions were made as to optional observations, including the investigation of solar radiation, evaporation, earth currents, atmospheric electricity, ice, tides, and, in fact, nearly all the natural phe- nomena peculiar to the region. The principal observatories in the temperate zones were to co-operate with the work, and all the observations, with the necessary reductions anml)er, 1S82, in the ice-pack in Kara Sea. The observations were, therefore, imperfect. The shij), after being roughly handled by the ice, was finally disabled, and sank in ,Inly. The members of the expedition The Cinyumpolar SiatlmxH. 19 were saved, and the scientific collections were brought back by tlie Dijmphna, which had wintered near by in the ice. In the spring of 1884 the fourth and final International Polar Conference met at Vienna. It was a remarkable meeting. The great project had been carried out, the work had been performed and reported, and it only remained to make arrangements for the final reduction and publication of the immense mass of scientific data. The members had much upon which to congratulate themselves and each otiier. At the assembling of the Conference, there were present not only the members of the Polar Commission, tlirough whoso efforts the work hatl been set on foot, but many of tlnjse who had actually commanded the expeditions, and wlio had brouglit tlieir parties safely home from the stations around the poles, with the results of a year of fruitful labor. Among these were Captain Dawson, from Fort Rae ; Eckholni, from Spitzbergon ; (liese, from Cumberland Sound ; Paycn, from Cape Horn; P.lulson, from (Jodtliaab; Kay, from Point Parrow ; Snellen, from Dickson Haven ; Stecn, from Bosse- kop ; and Wilczek and Wohlgenmtli, from Jan Mayen. After a week of friendly intercourse and discussion, the Con- ference adjourned on the 21rth of April, its last act l)eing the adoption of a resolution, proposed by Dr. Neumayer, of Hamburg, expressing "its warm and genuine sympathy for the misfortune of Ca])tain Greely and his ])arty, and the most earnest hope for the happy return home of the second American Expedition." At the moment when Greely's co-laborers were uttering their kindly words of sympathy at Vienna, ho and his command were wasting away at ('ape Siibine, on the edge of the Arctic wilderness, with little ])roHpect of escape from starvation and death. CHAPTER III. THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION. I li [Jndeterred by the failure of tlie previous summer, the Signal Office, in the winter of 1880-81, entered boldly upon its preparations for a new expedition to Lady Franklin Bay. The Act of 1880 gave general authority for the enterprise, and in the following March the appropriation was made to carry it out. General Ilazen, who had succeeded General Myer as Chief Signal Officer, had the general direction of the expedition, and Lieutenant Grecly was again selected for the command, being formally assigned to the duty on March 11th. Complete preparations were made, stores for three years were procured and shipped, and the steam- sealer Proteus, of St. John's, was chartered to take the ex- pedition to its destination. The Proteus was an excellent vessel, of 019 tons (gross), built at Dundee in 1874. She was built of oak, witli a sheathing of ironwood from above the water-line to below the turn of the bilge, and her prow was armed vith iron. Iler speed was 8^ knots. Captain Kichard Pike, who commanded lior, had had considerable experience in ice-navigiition, having made several sealing trips to the coast of Labrador. The following officers and enlisted men com})osed the force : First LieuUiimnt A. W. Om-ly, ntli Civvalry, Aotin;? Siffiial Ofllcer. Socond Lioufcimnt Frederick V. Kislinfi;l)iiry, 1 Ith Infantry. Second Liciitoniuit .Tantes IJ. riOcUwood, 2i>d Infantry. (30) The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. 21 Acting- Assistant Surgeon Octave Pavy. Sergeant Edward Israel, Signal Corps. '« Winfleld S. Jewell, Signal Corps. «' George "W. Rice, Signal Corps. «« David C. Ralston, Signal Corps. *• Hampden S. Gardiner, Signal Corps. »* William H. Cross, General Service. " David L. Brainard, 2d Cavalry. " David Linn, 2d Cavalry. Corporal Nicholas Salor, 2d Cavalry. " Joseph Elison, 10th Infantry. Private Charles B. Henry, oth Cavalry. " Maurice Connell, 3d Cavalry. " Jacob Bender, 9th Infantry. " Francis Long, Oth Infantry. " William Whisler, 9th Infantry. " Henry Bierdcrl)ick, 17th Infantry. " Julius Fredericks, 2d Cavalry. William A. Ellis, 2d Cavalry. " R. R. Schneider, 1st Artillery. Two Eskimo were added at Upernivik, Jens Edward, and Frederick Thorley Christiansen, making a total of twenty-five persons. Two other enlisted men went to Lady Franklin Bay as members of the expedition, but returned with the vessel. On Juno lYth, the following instructions were issued to Lieutenant Greely by the Chief Signal Officer : The 'permanent station will bo established at the most suitable point north of the eighty-flrat parallel and contiguous to the coal-seam discov- ered near Lady Franklin Bay by the English expedition of 1875. After leaving St. John's, Newfoundland, except to obtain Eskimo Innilcrs, dogs, clolhing, etc., at Disko or UiMTiiivik, only such stops will be made as the condition of tlu^ ice necesHitiilcs. or as are esscntiid in ord<'r to di'tennine the exact location and condition of the Hlorcs t^achcd on the east coast of Orinnell Laud by the English expedition of 1875. ;. 22 The Rescue of Greely. . .1: I'i During any enforced delays along that coast it would be well to supple- ment the English depots by such small caches from the steamer's stores of provisions as would be valuable to a party retreating southward by boats from Robeson's Channel. At each point where an old depot is examined or a new one established, three brief notices will be left of the visit : one to be deposited in the cairn built or found standing, one to be placed on the north side of it, and one to be buried twenty feet north (magnetic) of the cairn. Notices discovered in cairns will be brought away, replacing liiem, however, by copies. The steamer should, on arrival at permanent station, discharge her cargo with the utmost dispatch, and be ordered to return to St. John's, N. F., after a careful examination of the seam of coal at that point has been made by the party to determine whether an ample supply is easily procurable. A report in writing on this subject will be sent by the re- turning vessel. In case of doubt an ample supply must be retained from the steamer's stores. By the returning steamer will be sent a brief report of proceedings and as full a transcript as possible of all meteorological and other obser- vations made during the voyage. After the departure of the vessel the energies of the party should first be devoted to the erection of the dwelling-house and observatories, after w*hich a sledge party will be sent, according to the proposal made to the Navy Department, to the high land near Cape Joseph Henry, The sledging parties will generally work in the interests of explora- tion and discovery. The work to be Jone by them should be marked by all possible care and fidelity. The outlines of coasts entered on charts will be such only as have actually been seen by the party. Every favorable opportunity will be improved by the sledging parties to de- termine accurately the geographical positions of all their camps, and to obtain the bearing therefrom of all distant cliffs, mountains, islands, etc. Careful attention will be given to the collection of specimens of the animal, mineral, and vegetable kingdoms. Such coUections will be made as complete as possible ; will be considered the property of the Govern- ment of the United States, and are to be at its disposal. Special instructions regarding the meteorological, magnetic, tidal, pen- dulum, and other observations, as recommended by the Hamburg Inter- national Polar Conference, are transmitted herewith. It is conteinplattHl that the permanent station .^liall be visited in 1882 and 1883 by a sleam sealer or other vessel, by which supplies for and such additions to the prescuit party as are deemed needful will be sent. lu case such vessel is unable to reach Lady Franklin Bay iu 1883, she I ' M:l 1 The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. 23 will cache a portion of her supplies and all of her letters and dispatches at the most northerly point she attains on the ea%t coast of Orinnell Land, and establish a small depot of supplies at Littleton Island. Notices of the locality of such depots will be left at one or all of the following places, viz. : Cape Hawks, Cape Sabine, and Cape Isabella. In case no vessel reaches the permanent station in 1883, the vessel sent in 1883 will remain in Smith Sound until there is danger of its closing by ice, and, on leaving, will land all her supplies and a party at Littleton Island, which party will be prepared for a winter's stay, and will be in- structed to send sledge parties up the cast side of Orinnell Land to meet this party. If not visited in 1882, Lieutenant Groely will abandon his station not later than September 1, 1883, and will retreat southward by boat, following closely the east coast of Orinnell Land, until the relieving vessel is met or Littleton Island is reached. A special copy of all reports will be made each day, which will be sent home each year by the returning vessel. The full narrative of the several branches will bo prepared with accu- racy, leaving the least possible amount of work afterward to prepare them for publication. The greatest caution will be taken at the station against fire, and daily inspections made of every spot where fire can communicate. In case of any fatal accident or permanent disability happening to Lieu- tenant Grcely, the command will devolve on the officer next in seniority, who will be governed by these instructions. W. B. IlAZEN, Brig, and But. Major-OeneraJ, Chief Signal Officer, U. 9. A. A few important points are to be noted in these instruc- tions. The work of the expedition was to be — first, explora- tion ; secondly, the collection of specimens ; and third and lust, the observations called for by the International Polar Conference. On the way up the only points to be visited after leaving the Danish settlements were the caches or depots of provi- sions made by the English expedition under Ca])tain Kares in 1875. The importance of these caches lay in the fact that in case of the abandonment of the station from any cause they furnished a continuous series of supply depots at intervals i \ I' 24 The JRescnie of Greely. It along the line of retreat between Lady Franklin Bay and Cape York. Precautions had been taken to secure from the Admiralty, through the State Department, an authoritative list of these depots. Their position and the amount cached at each became subsequently a matter of vital importance. Beginning with the most northerly, they were — Cape CoUinson, 240 rations. Cape Hawks, a quantity of bread (amount not exactly known), pota- toes, rum, and stearine. Cape Sabine (Payer Harbor), 240 rations. Cape Isabella, 150 pounds of meat. Cary Islands, 1,800 rations. The instructions contemplated a stay of two years at Lady Frankhn Bay, and stated that a vessel would be dispatched to the station both in 1882 and 1883. These vessels were to bring " supplies for and such additions to the present party as are deemed needful." If the vessel of 1882 failed to reach the station, she was to cache a portion of her suppUes at the most northerly point reached on the coast of Grinnell Land, and to make a small depot at Littleton Island. If the vessel of 1883 also failed to get up, she was to remain in Smith Sound as long as was safe, and, on leaving, to land all her supplies and a relief party at Littleton Island for the win- ter. Finally, if neither vessel reached the station, Lieutenant Greely was ordered to abandon it not later than September 1, 1883, and retreat southward by boat, until the relief ves- sel of 1883 was met or Littleton Island was reached, where he would find a fresh party with stores awaiting him. The party after arriving at St. John's embarked on board the Proteus^ and, on the 7th of July, Greely with liis com- mand left that port for Lady Franklin Bay. This was the iS^li^lll! The Lady FranTdm Bay Expedition. opening act of the drama — ii drama marked by varied inci- dent, bv perilous undertakings, by successful acbievements, and by unsurpassed sufferings ; a drama wbicli was to last three years, and to arouse the deepest interest and sympathy in Europe and America, until the rescue was accomplished and the few survivors were at last brought home. The voyage to Godhavn, the first stopping place, was un- eventful ; there were continuous northerly winds, with thick weather. On the fifth day out pack ice was encountered, but it was not extensive or compact, and did not delay the vessel. Godhavn was reached on the 16th. Here everything was favorable. The winter had been un- usually mild, and was followed by an early spring, so that the ice to the northward had broken up some time before. For fourteen years, it was reported, Upernivik had never been so green. Doctor Pavy, the surgeon of the Howgate expedition, who had stayed behind the year before at Disko, joined the party, and the dogs and other supplies which he had secured were taken on board, together with the remains of the house and the stores which had been brought up in. the Gidnare. Other supplies were obtained at Rittenbenk, whither the Proteus sailed on the 21st. On the 22d she left Rittenbenk, and passing through the Waigat, arrived on the 23d at Upernivik. Upernivik was the last point in reg- ular communication with the world of Europe and America at which the expedition would touch before taking its fmal plunge for two years into the great unknown. Six days were spent here in making the closing ]irei)arations. Lieu- tenant Lockwood took the steam launch to Proven, forty miles away, and brought back tlie two Eskimo, who iiiiide the last accessions to the party, while Lieutenant Kislingbury I !; I! V ! I 'in 111 26 7%« Hesctce of Greely. succeeded in getting four hundred guillemots at the loomery near Sanderson's Hope. More dogs were bought, and skin clothing, sledge fittings, dog harness, and other supplies were taken on board the vessel. Leaving TJpernivik on the afternoon of July 29th, the Pro- teus started on the uncertain passage across Melville Bay. Here everything depended on the treacherous ice-pack, which might delay the vessel for days. In 1875, it is true, the expedition under Nares had crossed to within forty-five miles of Cape York in sixty-five hours, but everybody consid- ered this passage as most remarkable. The Proteus taking the Middle Passage, advanced steadily without check or ob- stacle until 7 A.M. of the Slst, when the engines were stopped in a thick fog. The dead reckoning placed the land about six miles off. An hour later the fog lifting. Cape York was seen five miles away, sho^ving that the run had been made in thirty-six hours, which as Greely truly observed was " without parallel or precedent." Pushing on into the North Water, the Proteus reached the Cary Islands on the afternoon of the same day. Two parties were landed on Southeast Cary Island: one under Doctor Pavy, to look at the cairn made by the Pandora / the other, under Greely himself, to examine the depot left by Sir George Nares. At the depot was found a whale-boat and a large supply of provisions, all in good condition. Leaving the Cary group, the Proteus reached Littleton Island at about noon on the 2d of August. Here she re- mained ten hours. Some necessary repairs of the wheel were made, and the island was thoroughly searched. The English mail, which Sir Allen Young, in the Pandora^ had placed here in 1876 for the Alert and Discovery^ was *iiu The Lady FrcmJdin Bay Expedition. 27 found and brought off to the ship, to be forwarded to Eng- land. What was supposed to be the Nares cairn was discov- ered open and empty, having probably been plundered by the Etah Eskimo. Lieutenant Kislingbury and Doctor Pavy visited the Polaris^ winter-quarters at Lifeboat Cove, on the mainland, to communicate with the Eskimc; but they had apparently abandoned the place, as all traces of them were more than a year old. The transit instrument of the Polaris was recovered. It was decided to make a depot of fuel for possible future use, and 6^ tons of coal were landed by Lieu- tenant Lockwood, placed in and around a large cask, on low ground, on the southwest side of the island. Leaving Littleton Island at 10.45 p.m. August 2d, the Proteus went direct to Cape Hawks. It had been Greely's intention to stop and examine the Narcs cache at Payer Har- bor, near Cape Sabine, but the weather was fair, and no ice was in sight — an almost phenomenal condition — and he did not venture to delay. Three hours after starting he had passed Cape Sabine, and at ten minutes after nine in the morning he was lying to just north of Cape Hawks, between the mainland and Washington Irving Island. Lockwood and Doctor Pavy landed with parties on the island, while Greely, with Kislingbury and another party, went to examine the Nares cache on the Cape. The cache was found, contain- ing a large quantity of bread, some of which was mouldy, two kegs of pickles, two partly full of rum, two barrels of stearine, and a barrel of preserved potatoes. The party took off with them a keg of piccalilli, one of the kegs of rum, and three cans of potatoes, to try them, and to experiment in cooking them. Greely also, as he was short of boats, brought off the jolly-boat of the Valorous^ which had been left at the IP 'imh ' i ■ IL, ii :' Vi ; 1 ■ 1 f » f t .1 i ! i 28 The Jiescue of Oreely. Cape in 1875. The stores that were left behind were pro- tected more securely to resist the weather. Two hours after her arrival, the Proteus was again under way, and picking up the parties on the island, steamed cautious- ly in a northeasterly direction, along the western shore of Kane Sea. Cape Louis Napoleon was passed at 1.10 p. m. and Cape Frazer at 3. An hour later, through the rifts in the fog which was slowly settling, Greely sighted the Greenland shore at the northern edge of the Basin. At Cape Colli nson, just before the entrance to Kennedy Channel, Nares had left another provision-depot of 240 rations. Greely passed this point at half-past five, but fearing a heavier fog, he again concluded not to land, but to push onward to his destination. After running for five hours or more, the fog became so dense that the ship came to a stop. Shortly after eleven on the morning of the next day, Au- gust 4th, the fog lifted, and the Protev^ advanced to Carl Hitter Bay, arriving at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. This was only 75 miles from the end of his journey, and Greely landed, and made a depot of 225 rations, as a provision for his possible retreat southward. Thence lie hurried on to Cape Lieber. Cape Lieber is the eastern point of the great promontory separating Archer Fiord and its embouchure. Lady Franklin Bay, from Kennedy Channel. Beyond the promontory, on the north side of the bay, lies Discovery Harbor, where the sta- tion was to be fixed. Up to this point the voypge had been absolutely free from danger or difiiculty, and it looked as if the terrors of Arctic navigation existed only in the minds of explorers. Tho expedition was destined, however, to have a little experience before it reached the end of the journey. m lU Tlie Lady Franklin Bay Expediticni. 29 Approaching the bay at 7.45 in the evening, the Protens found a heavy pack against the land, and made a wide sweep to the eastward to pass it. All went well and good progress was made, until nine o'clock, when the vessel reached the southeast point of the bay. Here she was stopped, for the first time in her journey, by the solid ice-pack. She had come from TJpernivik to Lady Franklin Bay, YOO miles, through all the perils of those perilous waters, in less than seven days, and had met no obstacle, seen no impending danger ; and now, with the winter station in sight only eight miles away, she found herself face to face with an impenetrable barrier. The polar pack, twenty, thirty, in some places even fifty feet in thickness, cemented to a solid mass by harbor ice, lay close to Cape Baird on the west, and stretched away in a vast semicircle to the Greenland coast on the east, at the mouth of Petermann Fiord. In this massive wall not an opening was to be seen. The polar current driving south- ward had wedged it firmly between the opposite shores, where it lay for the moment immovable. There was nothing to do but to wait, and the ship was anchored to the edge of the pack. On the 6th the ice began to move, and the Proteus shifted her moorings. A northerly wind blowing steadily drove the pack down, forcing the vessel before it. Presently the ice began to break off in huge masses. The Proteus steamed around the floes to keep head against the current, and to lose as little ground as possible. During the 7th and 8th, ice fields reaching twenty-five miles in length passed to the southward. These were again wedged in below, between the shores of Kennedy Channel, opposite Carl Rit- ter Bay, and another wall was formed south of the vessel. She was thus hemmed in before and behind. On the even- w \ M ■I.; H' h ! ifSi [Ji; 80 The Rescue of Greely. ing of the 8tli the northern pack began to move down in a solid mass, until only a mile of open water remained. The position of the Proteus was now critical, and a nip seemed imminent. Fortunately the gap did not close, but tlie vessel was for the next two days driven slowly southward, losing about forty-five miles. At noon of the 10th the wind came out from the south- west, and the situation changed at once. The pack began to move rapidly to the north, and on the morning of the 11th open water could be seen along the west coast as far as the eye could reach. The Proteus was again on her way, and at one o'clock in the afternoon had passed Cape Lieber, and in two hours more had crossed Lady Franklin Bay. Enter- ing Discovery Harbor by a narrow lane, slie rammed her way through light harbor ice for a quarter of a mile, and the journey was ended. It was decided to fix the station at the winter quarters of the Discovery rather than near the coal-seam at Watercourse Bay, as the latter point was exposed to the pack ice, and the ship might be endangered by lying there. She was tliero- fore on the 12th pushed through the harbor ice to within a hundred yards from the shore, and the work of unloading and establishing the station began at once. In sixty hours the cargo of stores and instruments was discharged. One hundred and forty tons of coal wore landed, and the house was rapidly put up. The post was now established under the name of Fort Conger. The Proteus remained at the station until the 18th, and vas delayed by ice at the entrance of the harbor a week longer. Under date of the 15th Greely had made a re]K)rt of the passage up and the installation of the party, and dur- Tlie Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. 31 iug tlie delay occasional bulletins were sent off, noting the progress of preparations for the winter work. On the ITtli Greely requested that certain necessary stores should be pro- cured through the Danish Government, to be brought up with the expedition of 1882. On the 18th he reported that the house was entirely framed and partly boarded, and by the 20th it had been covered. Two of the party who proved to be unfitted for the service were sent back in the Proteus. By far the most important, however, of the communica- tions made by Greely from his station at Fort Conger, in view of what afterward happened, was the letter of August lYth, in which he gave directions to govern the relief parties which had been promised, and on which he depended. The letter was as follows : Fort Conobb, Qiiinnbll Land, Augmt 17, 1881. CuiKF Signal OFPiCiiR of the Army : Sir : — I huvc the honor to recommend that in connection witli tlio ves- sel to visit this station in 1882 there he sent some captain of tlie merchant service who has had experience as a whaler and ice-master. Five enlist- ed men of the Army are requested to replace, men invalided or who are found to be unfit otherwise for the work. One of the number should bo a Signal Service sergeant. Sergeant Emory Braine, 2d C.avalry, and Sergeant Martin Hamburg, Company E, 10th Infantry, are rcconimend- ed most highly, and without they are physically or morally imllttcd within the year their detail is requested. The two remaining men should be Fiich as have had some sea experience. All the men should be rigidly examined as to their physical condition. The ice-master should be ex- pected to see that every effort Is made to reach this point by the vessel sent. In case the vessel can not reach this point, a very possible con- tingency, a depot (No. A) should be made at a permanent ])olnt on the east coast of Urinnell Land (west side of Smith Souni' or Kennedy Chan- nel), consisting of ninety-six cans chocolate and milk, ninety-six cans coHeo and milk, one-half barrel of alcohol, forty-eight nuUton, forty- oight beef, one keg rimi, forty-eight cans sausage, forty-eight cans mul- berry preserves, two barrels bnuid, oiu- box butter, forty-eight cans con- densed milk, one-half barrel onion pickles, forty-eight cauH cranl)erry ll! ■ 32 Tlie Rescue of Greely. Sftucc, forty-eight cans soup, twenty-four cans tomatoes, one gross wax matches (to be in water-tight case), one-eighth cord of wood, one wall- tent (complete), one axe and helve, one whale-boat. At Littleton Island, carefully cached on the western point, out of ordinary sight, with no cairn, should be placed an equal amount (depot B), but no boat. A notice as to the exact locality should be left in the top of the coal (prefer- ably in a corked and sealed bottle) buried a foot deep, which was left on that island. A second notice should be in the edge of the coal furthest inland, and a third in the Nares cairn, now open, which is on summit southwest part of island. The second boat should be left at Cape Prescott, or very near, in order that if boats are necessarily abandoned above that jx)int one will be avail- able to cross to Bache Island and go to the southward. These boats should be not exceeding forty feet and not less than twenty above high- water mark, and their pasilions should be marked by substantial scant- ling, well secured and braced, to the top of which a number of pieces of canvas should be well nailed, so that it may be plainly and easily seen. A second staff, with pieces of can .as, should be raised on a point which shows prominently to the northward, so a party can see it a long dis- tance. Depots A and B should be made ready in Saint John's, and be plainly marked and carefully secured. The i)ackages during the voyage should be easily accessible. Depot A should be landed at the farthest possible northern point. A few miles is important, and no southing should be permitted to obtain a prominent location. The letters and dispatches should all be carefully soldered up in a tin case, and then boxed (at Saint John's) and marked, or put in a well-strapped, water-tight keg, and should bo left with depot A if such depot shall be at or north or in plain sight of Capo Hawks, and the newspajiers and periodicals left at Littleton Island. If doiwt A is not so far north, the letters and all mail should l)o returned to the United States. After making depot B, at Litt'eton Island, the vessel should, if possible, leave a record of its proceedinu^s at Ca|)o Sabine. If tlu! party does not reach here in 1883, there should be sent in 18Hi] a (;api»ble, ener- getic ofllcer, with ten (10) men, elj^ht of whom should have hud pra(!lical sea exi)erience, provided with three whale-boats and ample provisions for forty (10) persons for fifteen njonths. The list of all provisions taken by me this year would answer exceedingly well. In (!iise the vessel was obliged to turn southward (she should not leave Smith Sound near Capo Sabine before September 15th) it should leave duplicates of depots A and B of 1882 at two different points, one of which should be between (^ipo Sabiuo uud Bu.ch«) Island, thu other tu bo an iutermcdlate depot bctwoeti 'H The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. 33 two depots already established. Similar rules as to indicating U)oality should be insisted on. Thus the Grinnell Land coast would be covered with seven depots of ten days' provisions in less than three hundred miles, not including the two months' supplies at Cape Hawks. The party should then proceed to establish a winter station at Polaris winter quarters, Lifeboat Cove, where their main duty would be to keep their telescopes on Cape Sabine and the land to the northward. Tliey should have lumber enough for house and observatory, fifty tons of coal, and complete meteorological and magnetic outfit. Being furnished with dogs, sledges, and a native driver, a party of at least six (6) men should proceed, when practicable, to Cape Sabine, whence a sledge party north- ward of two best-fitted men should reach Cape Hawks, if not Capo Collinson. Such action, from advice, expex'ience, and observation, seems to me all that can be done to insure our safety. No deviation from these instructions should be permitted. Latitude of action should not be given to a relief party who on a known coast are searching for men who know their plans and orders. I am respectfully yours, A. W. Greelt, \st Lieut. 5th Cav., A. S. 0. and Ass't, Commanding Expedition. On the 25tli Greely sent this last dispatch : L. F. Bay, August 25, 1881. All stores under cover. Freezing weather commenced. Observatory under way. House entirely done except inside work, which can be done at leisure. Otart a small party north and one into interior in few days. Ice in L. F. Bay has unfortunately not gone out at all this year, and so steam launch is kept here. No snow on ground. Party all well. Pro- teus delayed by ice at <>ntranco to harbor for days, although channel open outside. Since Starr and llyun are gone, seven men should come next year. Lowest temp., 22". ca 20th. ,„ , ,, A. W. OUEELY. Gen. W. B. FLvzen, Chief 8igma Officer, Washington, D. C, United States. Soon after this dispatcli was written the Proteua startcMl on tlie voyage lionie. Tliis was accomplished as rapidly and with as little difticnlty as \\q journey \i\), and the ship oi'- rived ut St. John's about the 12th of September. 8 / 84 The Rescue of Oreely. Greely and his companions, numbering twenty-five in all, were now left to their own resources. They were to begin at once the magnetic and meteorological observations, and the more brilliant, though perhaps not more important, work of exploration — all of which was to occupy them during two years of Arctic solitude and isolation. They were well pro- yided with all that could be had to make life bearable in that dreary and desolate region. Their provisions were ample for three years, and before the ship left they had killed at the station three full months' rations of musk-oxen. The supply of beef on the spot would be enough to keep them from want long after the period when the stores they had taken with them were exhausted. Moreover, they rested in the confi- dent belief that a vessel would be sent to them in the next summer, and again in 1883, as had been promised, or, if these failed, that a station of refuge would bo established at Lifeboat Cove, 260 miles to the southward ; and they settled down to their work in i^ood health and courage, with no ap- prehensions of the future. How terribly their expectations were to be disappointed, and how it happened that the disas- ter overtook them which such precautions had been taken to avert, is to bo told in the chapters that follow. I i i 1. CHAPTER IV. THE RELIEF EXPEDITION OF 1882. — THE NEPTUNE. t \ Thb fortunate voyage of the Proteus in making her way in six days from Upernivik to the edge of Lady Franklin Bay without a check had one most unfortunate result. It created a false impression in everybody's mind, not only that the station could be reached easily, but that it could be reached without danger. The fact was forgotten that of all the vessels that had ever attempted to pass Kane Sea only three had accomplished the voyage before the Proteus, and that these had accomplished it at great risk. The influence of this impression that the difficulties had been exaggerated was seen again and again in the events of the next two years. In preparing for the expedition of 1882 the suggestions of Lieutenant Greely's letter of August 17th were carefully fol- lowed. The letter did not draw up a complete plan for the expeditions, although some of its directions were extremely minute and specific ; but was rather a memorandum, contain- ing such suggestions as occurred to him after the experience of tlie voyage. Thus it is not quite clear from tlio letter wliat kind of vessel was to bo sent on the first relief expedi- tion. The object of this expedition was to carry a detach- ment of five enlisted men to the station (or seven, as tlio last bulletin suggested), one of them to be a Signal Service ser- geant, together with a mail and certain stores and instru- ments, and to make two depots at points below. No men- }\ I 'i '}. 36 The Rescue of Greely. I . tion was made of a commissioned officer, altliougli tlie uuty was an important and arduous one. This fact and the sug- gestion that a " captain of the mercliant service, who has had experience as a whaler and ice-master," should accompany the vessel, would seem to imply a possible intention that a naval vesbel should be employed. Possibly no such idea ex- isted ; but at any rate it was not distinctly stated what the vessel was to be, or who was to be responsible except the ex- perienced " captain of the merchant service " for the success or failure of the enterprise. Of course, there was no neces- sity of making specific recommendations upon these points, as they could be determined by the authorities at home. The two depots, A and B, were to be made, " in case the vessel can not reach " Lady Fr iklin Bay. This was in ac- cordance with the original instructions to Grefily, in the preparation of whicii he was doubtless consulted. Depoi A was to be landed at the furthest possible northern point, and depot B on Littleton Island. The exact quantity of stores composing the depots was prescribed, and was the same for both, each depot being estimated at 250 rations. Two boats were to be taken — one to be left at depot A, tl . other at Cape Prescott. The purpose of depot A and of the two boats is clear. They were to be at points on the coast of Grinnell Land, and therefore to serve as aids in a retreat southward in addition to those already provided. The object of placing depot B on Littleton Island is not ol)viou8. It wjjg intended in case of a retreat the next year to have a relief party there with a very large depot, enough for both detachments for fifteen months- -certainly not less than 18,000 rations. If this largo depot was established in 1883, — and its establishment was ''■ji Tlie Relief Expedition of 1882.— 7%^ Neptune. 37 clearly tlie mosi; vital element in the whole plan of relief, — the 250 rations of 1882 would be superfluous. If through any mishap this supremely important depot of 18,000 rations should not be made, the 250 rations of 1882 would be utterly inadequate to supply its place. The only other possible ex- planation of depot B is, that if the large depot was not es- tablished, Greely meant to use Littleton Island as a way sta- tion to the Gary Islands, one hundred miles below, where 1,800 rations were deposited; but this would seem to be negatived by his express direction not to leave a boat with the depot, where, if such a plan was contemplated, it might be of great use. Measures were taken early to set on foot preparations for the relief party. On November 30, 1881, the Chief Signal Officer called the attention of the Adjutant-General to Lieu- tenant Greely's requests, and asked that the General of the Army would call for volunteer offers to complete the detail required for service at Lady Franklin Bay. On the 2d of December, a letter was written to the Secretary of War, pre- senting revised estimates for the required appropriation to the amount recommended by Greely, namely, $33,000, and stating that the expedition should sail July Ist. On the 5th, the two whale-boats were ordered at New Bedford, and pro- posals for the supplies were invited from firms at St. John's. On the same day, the Danish minister was asked to take the necessary steps in ord*' ' that his Government might direct that the stores mentioned by Greely should be ready for de- livery in Greenland On the Gth of May, 1882, a board of officers attached to the Signal Service was orderrAi to meet in "Washington and consider plans for the supply expeditions at Point Barrow I I li ii m I hi,i I I II II ;ii 38 The Rescue of Oreely. and Lady Franklin Bay. Two days later the Chief Signal OflEicer asked that an agent be sent to charter a steamer at St. John's, and that a naval oflSicer should be detailed to accom- pany him. Mr. William M. Beebe, Jr., a private in General Service, was designated as the agent, and ordered to St. John's, and Commander S. Dana Greene, of the Navy, was ordered to inspect the steamers offered. As no appropriatioTi had yet been made, Beebe was directed to enter into a pro- visional contract, conditional upon the passage of the appro- priation. Reports from St. John's indicated that the season was bad and that the time was late for securing a suitable vessel. Commander Greene and Mr. Beebe sailed from Baltimore on the 17th of May, and arrived at St. John's on the 24:th. They found that there were three sealing vessels suitable for the work, the Proteus^ Neptune^ and Bear, but the last re- quired repairs, and would not be available. Two smaller ves- sels, the Hector and Ranger, were also adapted to the service, but they were of less steam power and speed. Of the three larger vessels, tenders were received for the Proteus and Neptune, and the bid for the latter being the lower, it was accepted. A provisional contract was made with the owners June 3d, which ^ecame final when the appropriation was passed June 27th. The Neptune had her own officers and crew. Her master was William Sopp, a very capable seaman. Her chief mate was Norman, who had been mate of the Proteus on her voy- age of the previous year, and who first and last was a con- spicuous figure in the relief expeditions. Apparently it had not originally been intended to send Beebe farther than the Greenland ports, where he was to secure certain additional s- sel crossed over to Capo Isabella, and left tlui remaining whale-boat, marking its position by a tripod. This done, i/ m , I 46 The Rescue of Gredy. nothing could be gained by a longer stay, and a little before midnight on September 5th, the Neptune started on her homeward voyage. Godhavn was reached on the 8th, and after a week's delay to make repairs to the boiler, the ship left Godhavn for St. John's. Here she arrived September 24th, and the expedition of 1882 was ended. ittle before bed on her le 8th, and 5r, the ship September CHAPTER V. THE KELIEF EXPEDITION OF 1883. — THE PROTEUS. The first relief expedition could hardly be said to be a failure, as far as the final result was concerned, as it performed every duty bearing materially on that result with which it had been charged. True, it had not reached Lady Franklin Bay, but th.\t was in no way essential, as Greely was to stay only one year longer, and still had two years' supplies. The arrival of the Neptune at Camp Conger would not have altered one whit the final catastrophe, except by making a few changes in the list of its victims. In regard to the placing of stores, Beebe had carried out his instructions to the letter, except that one of the depots had been made at Cape Sabine instead of at a point to the north ward, in Grin- nell Land, —which was a most happy mischance. In the amount of ^ rovisions deposited, the directions of the Signal 0->^co were exactly followed : 250 rations, or ten days' sup- ply, had been left at each depot ; and the remainder of the stores carried by the Neptune., amounting to at least 2,000 rations, or a full supply for three months, had been safely brought back to St. John's from the perils of the Arctic. After the return of the relief party, it became a matter of very grave importance to make such arrangements for the expedition of the next sutnmer as would eimuro success. Tlio general guide to be followed in prej)aring ilie ])lnn,aH before, would naturally be Greely's letter of August 17, 1881, giving (47) li i I 1 » ( HI • -i ! hi ¥ i ill I 48 The Hescite of Greely. an outline of the steps which he desired to have taken. This plan was briefly to send a capable ofl[icer and ten men, eight of whom sliould have had practical sea-experience, with three whale-boats and provisions for forty men for fifteen months. If the vessel was obhged to turn southward, she should leave small depots similar to those of the year before, at points in- termediate between depots already established o^ the coast of Grinnell Land, thus completing the series of way-stations in case of a retreat by boat. The relief party ^v^ere then to es- tablish their winter station at Lifeboat Jove, close by Little- ton Island, " where their main duty would be to keep their telescopes on Cape Sabine and the land to the northward," and when ostablished there, with provisions, house, coal, boats, sledgjs, and dogs, they should send a detachment to Cape Sabine, and thence to Cape Hawks, or even to Capo Collinson. On the Ist of November the Chief Signal Officer submit- ted to the Secretary of War a plan for the relief expedition, the details of which accorded with Greely's general sketch, which was enclosed as a part of the plan. General Ilazen stated that the expedition should leave St. John's by June 15th, and if possible reach Discovery Harbor. Failing this it should land at the designated point, establish itself for the winter, and open communication with Greely. If the vessels reached Lady Franklin Bay it was desirable that the station there should be kc])t up for another year. It was further stated that " it is most desirable that the officer and the en- listed men who are to go next year be detailed as early as practicable, in order that they may be trained and have v^xpe- lience in rowing and managing boats, and in the use of boat conij[)a88e8 It is desirable that men bo selected whoso ' ■ [ I The Belief Exjpedition of 1883.— r/id Proteus. 49 service has been in the northwest, and it is also important that the entire party, before going, should be familiar with boats and their management under all conditions." The plan was returned the same day by tlie Secretary with an endorsement stating that "it seems tliat it would be much more desirable to endeavor to procure from the Navy the persons who are needed for this rel?-^* party." To this Gen- eral Ilazen replied : "To change the full control of this duty now would be swapping horses while crossing the stream, and when in tiie middle of the stream. To manage it with a mixed control, or even with mixed arms of the serv- ice under a single control, would be hazardous, and such action is srongly advised against by the many persons of both Army and Navy I have dis- cussed the subject with. The ready knowledge of boats and instruments is but a very small part of the indispensable requisites in this case. This whole work has required a great deal of attention and study from the first, and I have not a doubt but any transfer of control now would result in failure to convey all the threads of this half finished work, and that it would work disastrously in many >,ays. "In view of these facts, I would consider the transfer now of any part of this work to any other control as very hazardous and without any apparent promise of advantage." In accordance with General Ilazcn's plan, orders were is- sued on February Otli to Ist Lieutenant Ernest A. Garling- ton of tlie Tth Cavalry, then at his post at Fort Buford, Dakota Territory, who had volunteered for the service in December, to i)roceed to Washington, and take command of the expedition. Four enlisted men who had volunteered wjro also ordered from Dakota. Lieutenant Gjirlington, who had served with his regiment contiimously sintio his gnidiiation from the Military Academy in lSt»J, arrived \\\ AVashington on February 2()th. Soon afterward he wan ])laced ill charge of the preparations for the expedition, ?H3- 1 \ \ i 50 The HesGue of GreeVy. lieving Captain Clapp, of the Signal OflSce, who had made a special study of Arctic matters, and who until then had superintended the arrangements. From this time until his departure, on June 13th, in the Tantic from New York, Garlington was engaged in preparing for the expedition. The passage of the appropriation Act on March 3d, com- pleted all that >Tas necessary to enable the Signal Office to go on with the preparations. The Act required that the work at the stations should be closed, and the force brought back to the United States. Up to this time it had been hoped to keep up the station until the summer of 1884, as stated by the Chief Signal Officer in his letter of November Ist, to the Secretary of "War ; and one object in sending out the relief expedition had been to inform Lieutenant Greely of this decision. Otherwise he would move south in the com- ing summer, in accordance with his instructions. Under the law of March 3d, however, the work was to be discontinued, and therefore one object of sending the relief vessel through to Lady Franklin Bay had ceased to exist. There remained the other object, which was to bring back the party with their records and instruments , or, if Camp Conger should not be reached, to establish the supply station at Lifeboat Cove. The second was really the essential thing. As to reaching Camp Conger, Greely himself did not seem to con- sider it of great importance, as he made no direct reference to it in his letter of August 17th, and in his full report, dated two days earlier, he had said that, in his opinion, a re- treat souLiiward from the station to Cape Sabine would bo "safe and practicable." Every arrangement had been made for Greely to go to this point, or somewhere near it, and go he would to a certainty, unless an accident prevented him ; \ \ The Belief Ecj>editim of 1883.— 77w Proteus. 51 and he was not likely to bring with him any considerable means of subsistence, as it had been arranged that he should find a depot on his arrival. Work upon the outfit of the relief expedition had already been begun. A dwelling and storehouse for the party that was to winter at Littleton Island were contracted for at St. John's, and the Navy Department was called on for two whale-boats, a dingy, and such other supplies as came within its province. Arrangements were made to charter the Proteus, the same vessel which had made the extraordinary trip in 1881, sul)ject to inspection, and in the latter part of May General Hazen, accompanied by Lieutenant-Commander B. H. McCalla, of the Navy, proceeded to St. John's, and ex- amined the vessel. McCalla reported her as fit for the purpose, and she was accordingly engaged. Captain Pike, who had taken her up in 1881, was again to command her. Up to, or nearly up to this time, it appears to have been the intention to employ only one vessel on the relief expedi- tion. On the 14th of May, however, request was made by the Chief Signal Officer that a vessel of the Navy should bo detailed for service in connection with the expedition, " as escort, to bring back information, render assistance, and take such other steps as might be necessary in case of unforeseen emergencies." It was added that the vessel need not enter the ice-pack, or encounter any unusual danger. As only about four weeks were given for preparation for this very exceptional service, it was impossible to fit out a vessel specially for the purpose, and the only thing that could be done was to take the most available of the vessels in commis- eioii on the North Atlantic Station. The Yantic, com- manded by Commander Frank Wildes, which was then at i 62 The Rescue of Greely. ' ' ■'i i U: ■' I' Hampton Roads, was selected, and after her arrival at Kew York underwent such preparation as the time permitted. Her battery and ammunition were removed, to allow the stowage of additional coal, and a sheathing of oak plank was put on, 2|^ inches thick, increasing somewhat at the bow, and extending down from the water-line a distance of seven feet. This sheathing was not calculated to resist pressure in the ice- pack, but was merely to prevent the sharp ice from cutting the ship's sides. She was in no sense a vessel fitted for ice navigation, nor, as was stated in the Chief Signal Officer's application, was such navigation con :emplated. In order to serve any useful purpose as a reserve ship or tender, it was necessary that she should cross Melville Bay and put in at some hiirbo? in Smith Sound ; but in most seasons this can be done in July or August without entering the pack. Upon these facts the sailing orders of the Yantie were based. The orders were as follows : Navy Department, WaaJungton, June 9, 1883. Sir : The steam sealer Protetis, Captain Pike, has been chartered by the Chief Signal OfTlcer of tlie Army to proceed to Smith Sound and Kennedy Channel for the purpose of bringing to St. John's, N. F,, Lieu- tenant Greely, U. S. A. , and the party under his command (about twenty in all, who have been stationed at Fort Conger, Lady Fraiddin Sound), for the past two yoars, engaged in obtaining meteorological data for the use of the U. S. Signal Service. Lieutenant Qreely's party was conveyed to Fort Conger by Captain Pike, in the Proteus, during the summer of 1881 ; and last summer an unsuccessful effort was made in tlic steam scaler Neptune to communicate with the above-mentioned officer. Inclosed herewith for your information are copies of a letter from Lieutenant Greely, to the Chief Signal Officer, written after the arrival of the former at Fort Conger: "Work of the Signal Service in the Arctic rcg'ons"; track chart of the siti'AXXiQV Neptune from July to Sep- tember, 1883 ; instructions to Lieutenant Greely ; and instructions to Lieutenant Garlington, U. S. A., "commanding relief vessel to Lady Franklin Bay." ( ^ I ^ I il at New permitted, allow the plank was ! bow, and even feet, in the ice- m cutting 3d for ice I Officer's n order to ler, it was put in at s this can ;k. Upon ed. The T, 9, 1883. artercd by Sound and F., Lieu- out twenty in Sound), itii for llio I convoyed ummcr of the steam Icr. stter from lie arrival ce in tho ly lo Sop- U'tions lo to Lady The Relief ExpedH'on of 1^%'6.—The Proteus. 53 An examination of these papers will acquaint you with the object of the relief expedition and the importance of its success. You will, there- fore, when in all respects in readiness for sea, proceed with the vessel under your command to St. John's, Newfoundland. After having filled up with coal at St. John's, proceed to the north- ward, through Davis Straits, in company with tlio steamer Proteus, if praciicablc ; but before leaving that port you will confer with Lieutenant Garlingtou, and make arrangements which will enable you to act advan- tageously in the event of an early sei>aration from the Proteus, which ship, being fitted for cru'sing in the ice, will probably take advantage of opportunities to reach her destination which you would not feel author- ized in .aking in the Tanilc. In vi 3W of the possibility of the destruction of the Proteus, it is desir- able tl'at you should proceed as far north as practicable in order to afford succor to her oflScers and men in the event of such an accident, and it is desired that you should await there the return of that ship, or the arrival of authentic information as to her fate. Under no circumstances, however, will you proceed beyond Littleton Island, Smith Sound, and you are not to enter the ice-pack, nor to place your ship in a position to prevent your return this season. You will take on board at St. John's all the coal that you can safely carry below and on deck, as it is very desirable that you reach your destination with an ample supply still remaining for use. It may be possible to obtain a small supply of coal on the coast of Greenland, but this can not be relied upon. In cruising to the northward, you will rely to a certain extent upon the ice pilot, and upon the information which is given you by the Danish authorities at Disko and Upernivik, as to the probable movements of the ice in Smith Sound, based upon their knowledge of the prevailing winds and their effects upon the moving ice. The lengtli of your stay to the northward of Upernivik must depend upon your discretion, and should you find it imperative to leave tho vicinity of Littleton Island or Cape York before the return of the Proteus, you will establish a station on shore (having previously, in consultation with Lieutenant Garlington, settled upon prominent points on the coasts of Smith Sound or Bafllu Bay for this purpose), iu which you will leave information as to your movements. In issuing the instructions for your cruise the details must be left to your judgment, and the Department considers it only necessary to call your attention to the desirability of cordially co-operating with Lieutenant Garlington, affording him all the assistance iu your power. { 54 Tlie Rescue of Greely. : !! t " When you have completed this duty you will return with the Tantio to New York. Very respectfully, Ed. T. Nichols, Acting Secretary of the Navy. Commander Frank Wfld^ic, TT. S. N., ComrrCiEg U. d. 8. Tavtic. New T| ill :■ -11 ticable, will th any party- surer, your lag or helio- bc kept iu 3y Franklin t will be of sfforts being II endeavor, informing gs be made lirough the )rmation as !r it discov- )e made at ossible, ex- , of course, be pushed your party esscl, with with your or in case IU will en- nal charge for sledg- whence a will push met. In of Lieu. :h is fur- le in prc- prepara- flc appa- h. The work to uoranda The Relief Expedition of 1883.— 77i^ Proteus. 57 In addition to the medical officer, enlisted men taken from this city, you will employ three hardy ice-men at St. John's who have been already selected by the U. S. consul there under my direction, and iu Greenland such Esquimaux as you may require. It is important that * careful and complete record of events should be made, and in case your party does not return this year that a full report be sent by the vessel on her return to St. John's. Each member of your party will be required to keep a private diary, which will be open to the inspection of the Chief Signal Oflicer only in case it should be necessary. Whenever a junction is effected with Lieutenant Grecly you will report to him with your party for duty. Should any important records or instruments have been left behind by Lieutenant Greely in his retreat, they may be recovered by the steamer to be sent in 1884. It is believed that with the stores and supplies sent last year, which are at St. John's, N. F., and at the Greenland ports, a list of which is here- with furnished (enclosure " 3 "), and which you will gather on your way northward, together with the provisions and articles supplied this year, everything needful will have been furnished for safety and success. I believe and expect that you will zealously endeavor to effect the object of the expedition, which is to succeed in relieving your comrades, since upon your efforts their lives may depend, and you can not overestimate the gravity of the work entrusted to your charge. A ship of the United States Navy, the Yantic, will accompany you as far as Littleton Island, rendering you such aid as may become necessary and as may be determined by the captain of that ship and yourself, when on the spot. With my best wishes for your success and the safe return of the united party, I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. B. IIazen, Brig, and Bvt. Maj. Qen'l, Chief Signal Officer, U. S. A. In the envelope with tliese instructions were several enclos- ures. Enclosure 1 was Greely's famous letter of August ITtli from Fort Conger, which was of paramount importance as a guide to the relief party, taken in connection with such other instructions as prudence might dictate after the light of the second year's experience. Enclosure 2 was composed of the memoranda containing directions for scientific observa- t i i 68 The Rescue of Greely. tions. Enclosure 3 was a list of stores designated as being " at St. John's or caclied." Enclosure 4, not, however, referred to in any way in the body of the instructions, was a copy of the agreement for the use of the steamer Proteus. There was also in the envelope another paper or memo- randum, not signed or dated, containing apparently a pro- posed scheme of operations for the Proteus and Yantic^ which was in some essential points in conflict with the in- structions. Tills paper read as follows : \\\ " The naval tender to join the Proteus at St. John's, N. F., and to pro- ceed with her to the neighborhood of Liftleton Island. " The Proteus to land her stores, except supplies for more northerly de- pots, at Littleton Island, on her way north. If she succeeds in reaching Lady Franklin Bay, to pick up tlie stores, excepting the house and de- pots, if possible, on her return. The naval tender will await tlie return of the Proteus at the neighborhood of Littleton Island, and, ou her re- turn, stoara to the south in her company, until she reaches the southern limits of the ice-pack, when the vessels may sep;'.mte. Should the Pro- teus be crusht 1 in the ice, her crew will retire on Littleton Island, and the tender will bring to St. John's, N. F., the oflicers and crow of the Proteus. The rest of the party to remain at Littleton Island. But should the ice render it dangerous for the tender to remain in the neighborhood of Littleton Island, until the Proteus returns or her crew and the expedi- tionary force succeed in reaching there, the tender may go to the south, leaving full particulars at Littleton Island. " Signals by Hags, heliograph, and guns should bo preconcerted, and communication by this means should be maintained between the two vessels as long as possible after they are separated by the passage north of the Proteus. "Nothing in the northward movement must be allowed to retard tho progress of the Proteus, It is of the utmost imporlaneo that she take advantage of every lead to get up to Latly Franklin Bay." The first point to bo noted in tho main instructions is that Greely 's supplies would be exhausted in tho fall, and that no ellort must bo spared to reach Lady l^'nvnklin Uay. In thia being "at eferred to opy of the or memo- tly a pro- l Yantioj th the in- ane! to pro- 3rtherly de- in reaching use and dc- t tlie return , OL her rc- 10 pouthcrn Id the Pro- island, and row of the ut should hborhood le expcdi- tho south, rted. and the two liigo north retard tho t Hho take ^< is tlmt tliat no III thiB The Relief Expedltmi of 1883.— 7%^ Proteus. 59 statement it must have been assumed that from some unex- plained cause a very large part of the stores had been spoilt or destroyed during the two years, for it was afterward stated by the Greely Relief Board that the force was furnished with subsistence stores — the components of the army ration or their e^'f^9 was crushod the tender wub to bring back her crow. The niemuranduui ' I I I 'US as far ; become >tain ant^ !• the con- aid out a ■oremost, a, except n Island, my with 38 on the lepots al- t proini- no upon Bay, vir- 18 result, enioran- ilso pro- pel. In and the it had or wore to join ttloton 'liny to voshcIb )arate Its \vm (>(1 the induni T/ie Belief Expedition of IS^^.—The Proteus. 61 ended with tlie somewhat vague statement that nothing in the northward movement must be allowed to retard the prog- ress of the Proteus^ which can only be interpreted to mean nothing except such causes of delay as were specified in the niernorandum. These specified causes of delay were two — first, the injunction to land stores at Littleton Island, which was only a slight delay ; and secondly, the injunction to remain in the company of the Yantic, which would be a serious cause of obstruction, as the Yantio was a considerably slower vessel. It subsequently appeared that the memorandum was drawn up by Lieutenant Caziarc, of the Signal OlRce, upon his own views of the necessities of the case, at the order of the Acting Chief Signal Officer, during the absence of General ILizen at St. John's, and in consequence of a request from the Secretary of the Kavy that the Signal Oflico should indicate what it wanted the tender to do. A copy of the memorandum was sent to the Navy Department, by whom or through whom could never be ascertained, but not through the reu;ular official channels. Here it was seen at one time by an officer in the Department, the copy being headed " Memoranda," or "instructions for naval tender," but it subsequently disappeared, and could not be traced. An unsigned copy of the memorandum was also, through misunderHtandlng or iiuidvcrtencc, put in the envelope con- taining (Jarlljigton's instructions. Upon reading it Oarling- ton immediately went to the Chief Signal Officer, ami ])()inl('d out the contradictions betwoon the main instructions and t'le imsigned memorandum. In the conversation that ensued, he was verbally informed bythe(niief Signal Ollicer that ho was to follow the main instructions and Grcely's letter, m < 62 The Rescue of Greely. 1,^/ i''! and that the memorandum " was no part of his orders "; and this direction appears to liave had reference to the landing of stores on the way np. This was, in its consequences, by far tlie most momentous decision made in connection with the expedition, up to the time of its arrival in Smith Sound. The YantiG sailed from New York June 13th, caiTying Garlington, the Surgeon, and the enlisted men, and arrived at St. John's June 2l8t. Upon learning that Wall, the Sergeant who had been sent in the Alhanibra, had left the vessel at Halifax, Lieutenant Garlington telegraphed a re- quest that Lieutenant J. C. Col well, of the Navy, an officer of the YantiG, who had volunteered, should be detailed to ac- company the expedition. The request was comi^lied with immediately, and, as subsequent events showed, it was a most fortunate circumstance that this addition was made to the party. A further addition of three men from St. John's brought up the total number of the force to thirteen persons Two Eskimo were subsequently added. Lieut. Colwell's telegraphic orders were to report to Lieut. Garlington for duty, as a member of his party. Garlington, on the voyage up, assigned to him the duty of taking charge of the magnetic and meteorological work required by the Signal Office at the proposed station at Littleton Island, and also that of accompanying the sledging party that was to l)r()cced north during the winter. No duties were given him in connection with the navigation of the vessel, or the dis- position of the stores, nor had ho any authoriliy in referenco to those matters. During the vi>yago of the Proteus, im- til a short time before the wreck, Colwell was sim^)ly a pas- senger. At St. John's Commander Wildes and Lieutenant Gar- The Relief Expedition of 1883.— 7%^ Proteus. 63 lino-ton entered into an aorreemeni as to the movements of the two vessels. This agreement was as follows : MEMOllANDUM OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN LIEUT. OAllLINGTON AND COMMANDER WILDES. Tanilc to proceed to sea with the Proteus, and remain in company as long as possible. Yaniio will proceed to Disko under sail, "will leave letters for Lieut. Qarlington at Disko and Upernivik. Cairns enclosing bottles or tins will be left at Cape York, S. E. Cary Island or Ilakluyt Island, Pandora Harbor, and Littleton Island. Yantio will remain in Pandora Harbor not later than August 25t)i, Disko not later than September 20th. Lieutenant Garlington to leave letters in Disko and Upernivik, and rec- ords on Southeast Cary Island, or Ilakluyt Island, Littleton Island, and Pandora Harbor if entered. Proteus to endeavor to communicate with Yantio at Pandora Harbor before August 25th. Should Proteus be lost, push a boat or party south to Yantio. Pandora Harbor will be headquarters, but before departure Yantic will run u ;o Littleton Island. In reference to this agreement, and to the circumstances that followed, it must be remembered that tlie Yantio was not, hi a military sense, a part of the relief expedition. That expedition consisted of fifteen persons, of whom Lieutenant Colwell was one, under the command of Lieutenant Garling- ton, who were to be transported to their destination in a chartered vessel. Had the relief party and tlio Yantio form- ed a single expedition, they would liavo been under a single cornmand — in tliis case, necessarily, that of Commander Wildes. The Signal Otlico had not, however, ex})ressed a desire to constitute the expedition on such a basis, and the Navy Department acted in accordance with its wlKho^. 'i'here wore, therefore, two independcMit commands. Com- mander Wildes was to co-operate cordially with Lieutenant Garlington, alTo ding tho latter all tho assistance in his ' I )■ I 1 \ { I'' i I s f)4 The Rescue of Greely. iji' power. He was not, liowever, to assiimo any direction of the expedition. His sLip was to be employed as a tender, or rather as a transport upon which to fall back in case of dis- aster, and in which the crew of the Proteus might be taken liome. Even in reference to a supply of provisions, when inquiry had been made of the Signal Office whether the YantiG should take any beside those for her crew, a negative answer was given. It follows, therefore, that her connec- tion with the relief of Greely, the object of the expedition, was entirely a secondary and subsidiary connection, to be effected through the medium of Garlington, in whom the primary authority and the primary responsibility were vested. It may be objc^ied that this would be a narrow view for Commander Wildes to take of his duties. But it musi bo remembered that the present statement is not made by Com- mander Wildes, but by the authors of this book. It is un- doubtedly a purely technical view; but in determining a question between jDrimary and secondary responsibility, a dif- ference as essential as that between principals and accessories, it is necessary to start with a technical view. Had the relief party been lost, it would clearly have been AVildes' duty, in a technical sense as well as in every other sense, to take the same steps to rescue Greely that ho would have taken had he been originally sent on that mission alone ; but as long as the members of tho relief expedition remained alive and well in the Greenland waters, and in a condition to effect their object, although it was Wildes' duty to afford them every succor and assistance, the primary responsibility of measures for Greely's rescue rested not upon him, but upon thom. If the relief i:arty had become palpably demoralized, and had lost their when The Relief Expedition of 1883.— T/^^ Proteus. 65 heads, the commander even of a tender would doubtless have ])cen right in taking the enterprise in his own hands ; but Wildes was bound to assume until he had evidence to the conti'ary, that they had the capacity to discover and the in- tention to adopt the right methods to accomplish the end in view. A failure to execute orders is one thing, but a failure to exercise an independent discretion outside of and^beyond orders, — in some ways, perhaps, contrary to orders, — to re- trieve the failures of others, is a very different thing. Another fact to be remembered in reference to the sepa- ration of the Proteus and Yantio is that in two essential , points — capacity for ice navigation and motive power — they were very different vessels. The Proteus was built to cope with the ice, while the Yantio was no more fitted for such work than any other ship taken at haphazard. As to their coal capacity the Proteus carried between 500 and GOO tons, and the Yantio barely 200 below and on deck, while at full speed she consumed much more than the sealer. The Proteus made 8 J to 9 knots, while the Yantio made only 1. Garlington could therefore remain in company with the Yantio, but the Yantio could not by any possibility remain in his company unless he chose to have her. Commander Wildes had no control or supervision over Garlingtou's move- ments, and if ho saw fit to separate himself from Wildes, the latter had no right to detain him or even to make an objec- tion. The agreement said the two vessels should proceed to sea and remain in company as long as possible. They proceeded to sea, and the Proteus steamed right away from the Yantio, It is only fair to Lieutenant Garlington to add that she could not very well have done otherwise, if she was to reach Lady Franklin 13i]y and reUirn that summer. C r! 1 1 1< 66 The Rescue of Greely. r w ■ w The day of departure from St. John's was the 29th of June. Soon after the separation the Yantic, running a Ht- tle to the eastward to avoid the Labrador ice, liauled her tires and proceeded under sail, while the Proteus^ taking a direct northerly' course and steaming all the way, arrived at God- havrs July 6th. Here she remained for several days awaiting the arrival of the ^nsroct )r, from whom she was to obtain skin clothing and Esk do ; drivers. The interval was occupied in an attempt to di. .wer i<»i''sing articles of cargo, filling the coal bunkers, and arranging the stores for the proposed de- pots. Tiie Yantio came in on the 12th. On the same day the In spGctor arrived, and arrangements were made as far as possible <'^or what was required. As the Yantic required a week i!- port to repair her boilers and take coal on board, the Protev, after a further delay from bad weather, left God havn jii th3 IGth, and, after stopping at Disko Fiord for a second Fwlvinio, ^jroeeeded alone +o Smith Sound. The Proteus found plenty of ice in Melville Bay, but it was mostly rotten and thin, and, on the whole, she had a fair passage. When two days out from Disko Fiord, on the 19th, she was stopped for the first time by the pack, and worked back to the eastward, occasionally approaching the land in the bight of the bay. According to Garlington's report, the cap- tain of the Proteus had made a considerable error in his po- sition, and it appears from lier track on the chart that she nmst at one time at least have been heading directly into the land ice. It is therefore not to bo wondered at that she found tlie pack impenetrable in that direction. Turning again to the southward and afterward to the westward, on the morn- ing of the 20th she was in the neighborhood of Cape York, and again heading for the land when the ice stopped her. Re| the an'l icall on Isk The Relief ExpedUi(m of 1883.— 7%^ Proteus. 67 Retracing her course once more, she made twenty miles to the south, and, continuing on to the westward through loose and rotten ice, she succeeded in rounding Cape York. Con. ical Reck and Saunders Island were passed on the 21st, and on the afternoon of the same day a landing was made at Cary Island. Garlington made an examination of the Nares cache of 1,800 rations on Southeast Cary Island and found the boat sound and sixty per cent of the rations in good condition. A record for Commander Wildes was placed in the < -.♦h'^- Leaving the island after a stay of four hours, he stea'ned ., Pandora Harbor, where he left a record early on the morn- ing of the 22d. The weather was fine and no ice was 'o be seen, and it was determined to push on at once w^it^ out stop- ping, with a view to making the first cache at Cape r*rescott. Littleton Island was passed a little before ten o'clock, and three-quarters of an hour later the ice-pack was sighted. At half -past eleven the ship had come up with it, and it presented an unbroken front. Garlington thereupon decided to go to Cape Sabine "to examine cache there, leave records, and await further developments." At half -past three the Proteus came to anchor at Payer Harbor. She remained at her anchorage from 3.30 to 8 p.m. This stay of four hours and a half at Cape Sabine was a turning- point in the history of the relief expedition. It was made up of golden moments. It is true that no one could predict that by that time next day the Proteus would be at the bot- tom of l\ane Sea. It is also true that Garlington's instruc- t ons had been ofticially construed as not including the for- mation of depots on the way north, and that the importance of reaching Lady Franklin Bay had been impressed upon m. A 08 The Rescue of Greely. \\ V 'J 1 ( his mind as the main purpose of his enterprise. At the same time, it was known with tolerable certainty that two months later Greely would be at that point, if he carried out his Intentions ; and the commander of the relief expedition, although not expressly directed to land anywhere, had been instructed that if landings should be made at points w here caches of provisions were located, he was, if possible, to ex- amine them, and replace any damaged articles of food. lN"ow there were two caches at or near Cape Sabine. One of them, left by Beebe the year before, was around the point of the cape. The other, left by Nares in 1875, was on Stalknecht Island, a long, low rock in the harbor itself, due west from Brevoort Island, and close to it. The position of this cache was well known. Beebe had visited it in 1882, and had made a report of its condition, as stated in the last chapter. The Proteus was now at Payer Harbor, probably within half a mile of Stalknecht Island ; and on board the vessel were the four depots of provisions, of 250 rations each, that had been arranged at Disko to be in readiness for landing, at some time and at some place. The first thing done at Payer Harbor was to land two privates of the expedition with magnetic and other instru- ments to get a set of observations. Garlington, with a party of his men in one of the ship's boats, then went to search for the cache left at the Cape by Beebe. It was found after some difficulty. The tripod with its flag which marked the cairn had fallen down, and the tari^aulin which covered a part of the stores had been pulled up. Everything else was in good condition except the boat, which bore marks of the claws of bears, and from which a patch of lead had been pulled off ; but the damage was slight. The tripod was set The Belief Expeditim of U^^.—The Proteus. 69 up and secured. The repair of the cache and the set of oljservations are all the work that was reported as having been done at Cape Sabine on the way north. The Nares cache, according to Garlington's second letter to the Chief Siirnal Officer of October 20th, " was not disturbed." While the men were at work Garlington took a look at the ice to the northward in Kane Sea. Seeing open lanes of water in the direction of what appeared to be Cape Hawks, and prompted by the conviction that he ought to take advantage of every opportunity to reach L..dy Franklin Bay, he hurried back to the ship, recalled his men, and directed Captain Pike to get under way and examine the leads with a view to going north. The Proteus started at eight in the evening. Lieutenant Col well took his post in the crow's-nest with the mate. After making about twenty miles through the loose pack, the ship was stopped near Cape Albert, within six hundred yards of the open water, beyond which a lane extended as far as the eye could reach, along the coast. Entering a crack in the ice, she got through half the distance by ramming. Beyond this point she could make no impression, the ground-up ice forming a cushion under her bows and so deadening her way that there was no mo- mentum in her blows. At midnight the attempt was aban- doned, and other leads were tried, until, at 5 a.m. of the 23d, the ship was in the open water. But the long lane of the evening before had now disappeared, and in its place was the solid pack. The ship now turned to the southward to escape from •what might bcconic at any moment a critical position. Tlie tide was bringing back the Hoes that had been started down Smith Sound, and Buchanan Strait and the lower part of ,i ! / 70 The Rescue of Greely. ! [■' Kane Sea were fast filling up. Toward three o'clock the ship was stopped within four hundred yards of open water. Suddenly the ice in the crack began to snow signs of enor- mous pressure. Unfortunately the ship, in the endeavor to extricate herself, was lying at the moment east and west, w^hich subjected her sides to the full strain of the pack work- ing north. Had she been headed south, the pressure, though it would have thrown up her bow, would probably have left her without serious injury. As it was, her situation was tlie worst that could have been contrived, and with a con- tinuance of the nip, the result was inevitable. The Proteus vas a staunch vessel, and nothing showed it more than the way in which she stood the terrible trial of that July afternoon in Kane Sea. Had she not been of ex- traordinary Ftrength and endurance, the ice, which was from five to seven feet thick, would have made short work of her. As it was, there was ample time for preparation, supposing that the ordinarj"^ precautions of ice-navigation had been taken. The nip began about three o'clock. At half-past four the starboard rail was crushed in. At this time, Garlington and a part of his men were in the hold getting out stores, and another party under the Sergeant was at the same work in the fore-peak, where the prepared depots had been stowed. Presently the ship's side opened with a crash, the ice forced its way into the coal bunkers, the water rushed into the hold, and the deck planks began to rise. The pressure of the floes kept the ship up, and the stores wluch had been got on deck were thrown upon the ice. In the hurry, a third of what was thrown overboard was lost by falling too near the ship. The whale-boats, one of which had Ixjcome jammed and was saved with difficulty, and the dingy, were got out by n TJw Relief Expedition of 1883.-2%^ Proteus. 11 Lieutenant Colwell, wlio was the last man to leave the ship. At a quarter past seven, as the tide turned and the pressure slackened, she began to sink, and soon passed out of sight. The crew of the Proteus, freed from the restraints of dis- cipline, with one or two exceptions, lent no assistance in saving the stores, and after securing their bags, spent their time in plundering the property of the expedition. The captain could not prevent it, and when it came to a question of force between the relief party and the sailors, the latter had in many ways the advantage. After the ship went down, it was agreed that the crew, numbering twenty-two men, should take the three ship's boats, and the relief de- tachment, numbering fifteen, the two whale-boats belonging to it, and that they should all sail in company and work for the common good. One of the whale-boats was then loaded with provisions, estimated at five hundred rations, and Lieutenant Colwell, making up a crew in part from the steamer's men, took them ashore at a point four miles west of Cape Sabine, and made a depot, afterward known as the " wreck-camp cache." After Colwell's return to the floe, Garlington took a boat and attempted to reach the land, but " after going half a mile found all approaches closed, so returned, and pulled the boats on the floe." Later, Colwell made another trip to Cape Sabine, followed shortly by Garlington in the whale-boat, and by all of Captain Pike's boats. All these arrived safely although with -^lifliculty, only two men in Garlington's boat knowing how to row. The boat came near swamping on the way over, the plug in the bottom of the boat having been worked out by boxes rubbing against it. Garlington then attempted to return to the floe, but found the approaches cut I ( il I i n The Rescue of Greely, off, and pulled back to the Cape. Reaching the floe a second time, Colwell was obliged to fill his boat with the men who had been left bohind, and was thus prevented from taking any considerable quantity of the provisions that re- mained. A final ittempt was made by Sergeant Kenuey, which resulted in saving the dingy and another boat-load of stores. The rest, consisting of two barrels, and some scattered cans and clothing, were abandoned on the ice. ' W CHAPTER YI. THE RETREAT FROM THE WRECK OF THE PROTEUS. In reference to the events at the time of the wreck and following it, it must be confessed that it was a cruel situation in whi(;h this young officer of cavalry was placed, taken from liis station in Dakota, after six years of service with his regiment, and suddenly finding himself in a sinking ship, in the middle of Kane Sea, with the whole responsibility of a most important expedition on his shoulders. That he had voluntarily assumed this responsibility did not make his position any the less distressing. As long as no mishap occurred, the charge of conducting the expedition was a light one, by whom.-^oever it might he borne. Eut the moment an accident happened, — and the history of navigation in those waters is little more than a chapter of accidents, — the nautical experience and nautical judgment of the head of the expedi- tion became the prime element in the situation. From that mome!it there was not a decision to be taken, not an act to be performed, that did not call for this experience and judgment, and call for them in a high degree. Under such circumstances, the presence of a professional subordinate, though it may lessen, does not obviate the dllhculties of a conunandor whose occupations have been foreign to the business in hand. (hu'lington now had his imrty of fifteen safely on shore at Capo Sab'.ne, with two whale-boats, and provisions for forty (78) «; iM 1 l!" 1 J, 1i The licscue of Grcely. days. The crew of the Proteus were not materially cither a help or a liindrance, excejit that they rendered possible a Reparation of the two boats of the relief party. A plan of this kind was sni jj ■ t^ ll '1 ( • 16 The Hescae of Grechj. Oary Island. The resources wliicli would be at Greely's dis- posal, should he arrive at Caj^e Sabine for the winter, were correctly described by Garlington in tlie record left by him on Brevoort Island, on tlie second day after the wreck, the essential part of which, is as follows : " A dopol was landed from the floe at a point about three miles from the point of Cape Sabine as yon turn into Buelianan Strait. There were five hundred rations of bread, sleeping bags, tea, and a lot of canned goods ; no time to classify. Tliis cache is about thirty feet f»*jin the water-line, and twelve feet above it on the west side of a little cove under a steep cliff. Rapidly closing ice prevented its being marked by a flag- staff or otherwise ; have not been vble to land tiiere since. A cache of two hundred and fifty rations in same vicinity left by the expedition of 1881 ; visited by me and found in good condition, except; boat broken by bears. There is a cache of clothing on point of ("ape Sabine, opposite Brevoort Island, in the 'jamb' of the rock, and covered with rublior blankets. The English depot on the small island near Brevoort Island in damaged condition ; not visited by me. There is a cache of two lnuHlr"d and fifty rations on the northern point of Littleton Island, and a boat at Cape Isabella." Soon after starting from Cape Sabine, the relief detachment was 8C])arated from tlio others, and cros°n>.<< the sound, landed near Lifeboat Cove. No.\l mortiing ir ^ -oppod at Littleton Island, leaving a record, which announced the disaster to the Proteus^ and stated that all hands had beeti saved, and that the relief party had arrived at Littleton Island. Consistently with Garlington's theory that the Yantio could not or would not come up, notwithstanding the agreement, the record was not expressed as if Wildes woidd ever see it, but was appar- ently iuteude.l to eidighteii and reassure Lieutenant (ireely, \\\ case that officer should come to the island before going to Cape Sabiuf. It v\rent on to say : "Much provisions g()tti'U Qvor side of ohip, but a gr-^at q^iantily ^\'ent under before it ll 0C^:r V *«ft. . Mr?' ' I ^! I' i;^ I ) II rtl li' I' n r?f'S. ■J T 1 'f The Betreat from the Wreck of the Proteus. Y7 could be removed a sufficient distance from the sliip for safety. 500 pounds of hard bread, sleeping bags, and assorted subsist- ence stores were landed from the floe, about three miles from Caj^o Sabine around point toward Baelie Island. Tliere is also a cache, made last year, along same sliorc. The depot was secured as well as possible. Ice was rapidly clos- ing, heavy, etc. A quantity of clothing was left on extreme point of Cape Sabine, and one barrel of beef, all poorly se- cured for same reason as above. I am making for the south to comnmnicate with U. S. Steamer Yantlc, which is en- deavoring to get up. Every effort will be made to come north at once for the Greely party. The Yantic can not come into the ice, and she has a crew of 140 men. So will have to get another ship. Everything will be done to get as far north as possible before the season closes. Ice thick and heavy. Calm to-day, and I am in a great hurry to take advantage of it and tide." As it turned out, Greely passed the winter at Cape Sabine, and did not cross to Littleton Island, so that he was never in a position to obtain whatever encouragement might have been derived from the perusal of this record. If he had been, it would have puzzled him not a little. It reasoned substantially that although the Yantio (presumably some- where between Upernivik and Littleton Island) was endeav- oring to get up, Garlingt(jn would not wait for her, but would nudce for the south to communicate with her, cause her to desist from her perilous undertaking, as she could not enter the ice, and tlien go back in her to St. John's to get another vessel, — for certainly no otlier vessel could be obtained short of thii; place, — after which, all would bo done to get as far north as possible. i\m liii '1 \ Y8 The HesGue of Greely, li 111 tlie endeavor to comrauiiicate with the T'cmtie, which, according to the record, Garhngton now purposed making, the natural course to pursue was to visit those points of com- munication which had been agreed upon by the two com- manders before leaving St. John's, leaving records which should indicate as closely as possible the next stages in the retreat southward. However impossible the Yantic migiit find the passage, she was endeavoring to get up, and Garling- ton was endeavoring to meet her, so that in pursuing this plan he was only following the most obvious and necessary line of conduct. The stations agreed upon as places of com- munication were in the inverse order, Littleton Island, Pan- dora Harbor, Ilakluyt or Southeast Gary Island, and Cape York. If any meeting was to take place, therefore, it would probably be at or near one of these j^oints ; and if the Yantio passed the boats without meeting, it was by a record at theso points that the mishap could most quickly be remedied. The next point sought was therefore Pandora Harbor, whero Caj)- tain Pike's party, composing the crow of the Proteus, were rejoined, and where another record was left. Some deten- tion occurred here from fog, but on the afternoon of the 28th the boats were again moving southward. The party passed the night at Cape Saumarez. At Gar- lington's request, the boatswain of the Proteus was trans- ferred to his boat, only two of his men being, as he states, " at all versed in the management of a small boat." North- umberland Island was reached in the evening of the 29th, and the boats were delayed here by a strong easterly wind until the following afternoon when they started for Gary Island ; but after proceeding twenty miles, they were obliged by bad weather to run iu to the mainland. On the 31st the bo tl Tl h '4t I The Heir eat from the Wreck of the Proteus. T9 t)oats readied a point seven miles noi-tli of Cape Parry, where they remained two days, during a lieavy easterly storm. Tliis was now the natural point of departure for the Cary Islands, the next of the prearranged post-oulces. After a consultation with Colwell, Garlington decided not to go there, as Colwell " thought it would be extremely hazardous witli our heavily laden boats." Accordingly, on the morning of August 2d, the expedition proceeded southward towards Cape York, the last point of communication, passing the Cary Islands, at a distance of from twenty to thirty miles, and reached Saunders Island at 9.20 in the evening, where they landed and made a camp. As the sequel showed, it was most unfortunate that the circumstances should have seemed to require such a decision, for if the boats had gone to Cary Island, or if, in accordance with the suggestion previously made by Colwell, and renewed by him at this time, one of them lightly equipped and provided with a picked crew had gone there, the whole year's work might have borne a dif- ferent aspect. To understand this fact, it will be necessary to return to the movements of the Yantic. After the departure of the Proteus from Disko, on July 15th, the YaiitiGy which bad arrived on the 12th, was de- tained six days by repairs of the boiler. After a further delay of two days on account of bad weather, she left God- liavn for Rittenbenk and Kudlisret, where she stopped for coal. Proceeding on without incident, she arrived at Uper- nivik on July 27th, late in the evening. The orders of the Department to Commander Wildes di- rected him, in cruising to the northward, to rcily to a certain extent up(m the ice-pilot, and uj)on the information given by the Danish authorities at Disko and Upernivik. as to the V. Hi rft ! n : } 80 The BescvAi of Greely. •'!*! probable movements of the ice. Governor Elborg, of Uper- nivik, informed him that the previous winter had been mild, the prevailing winds having been southwest, and that he thought it likely there was little ice in Melville Bay, and that what there was would be close to the land. The Yantic remained at TJpernivik from 10 p.m. July 27th, until noon July 31st, waiting for thick foggy weather to clear. Upon leaving his anchorage, Wildes found that the predic- tions of the governor were correct. The Duck Islands were reached early on the morning of August 1st, and the ship headed across the bay. From noon until 8 in the evening she was in a thick fog, but she held steadily on her course, and by one o'clock the next morning she was in sight of Cape York. During the passage she had met streams of loose ice, and had seen the pack to the northward, but had not found it on her course. At Cape York the land-ice extended fifteen miles ofE shore, and the pack fifteen miles beyond, stretching along the coast as far as could be seen from the crow's-nest. It was therefore decided not to stop at the Cape, although it Lad been designated in the agreement with Garlington as one of the communicating stations ; nor indeed had the Proteus done so on her way up. It may be suggested here that CajX" York, though a good place for a cairn on account of its prominence, is very apt to be surrounded by ice, and that Conical Rock is much more accessible. Skirting closely the edge of the pack, and occasionally cutting off a corner, or driving through a lead, the Yantio continued on daring the morning of the 2d, only impeded by a fog. By noon it had cleared. Cape York had been rounded, and the ship was headed directly for the second of the post-ofiices named in the agreement, the Southeast Cary Island. The Retreat from the Wrech of the Proteus. 81 Wildes readied tlie island at 9.30 p.m., Aiigust 2d, landed, and examined the cairn. Here lie found the record left by the Proteus on the 21st of July. He also examined the English depot, which he found in good condition. Having made his examination and left a record, he got under way at 10.30 p.m., the weather being very fine, and steamed to the northward. It was on the morning of this very day, the 2d of August, that Garlington and his party, with the crew of the Proteus^ had left the camp seven miles north of Cape Parry, where they had passed two days, and w^here the question of going to the post-ofiice at Gary Island had been decided adversely. The three points — Cape Parry, Cary Island, and Saunders Island, form the vertices of a nearly equilateral triangle, with its northern apex at Cape Parry, Saunders Island lying to the southeast, well in with the coast, and Cary Island to the southwest. Had Garlington, instead of going southeast to Saunders Island, where there was no reason to suppose the Yantlc would touch, and where he arrived at 9.20 p.m. on this memorable day, gone to the southwest to Cary Island, where there was every reason to suppose the Yantlc w^ould. touch, if she came up, and where he would have arrived in nearly the same length of time, the boats and the reserve vessel would have met beyond a doubt, the party would have been landed on Littleton Island for the winter, as Garlington desired, and the disaster of the next spring would in all hu- man probabiHty have been averted. The Yantic arrived at Cary Island at 9.30, ten minutes after the boats arrived at Saun- ders Island. Even without this extraordinary coincidence, by which it seemed as if the fates had placed the issue in such certain lines that nothing short of a miracle could have pre- vented a meeting, if the boats had reached and left the 6 li P V \ '1 ■ f IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A ^>^ :^ f/ A Z/. ^ 1.0 I.I !tf lift IL25 i 1.4 |25 1 2.2 ■ 2^0 oS> ^ / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT 'MPBSTIR, N.Y. MSIO (7U) •73-4503 ; 1 82 TJie Eescue of Grecly. k> aI ■ post-office before tLe Yantio arrived, the latter would have been enabled from the indications in the record to have fol- lowed and found them by the next day. In reference to this, one of the most important decisions taken on the return voyage, Garlington, in his report, gives no reason existing in his own mind for his action. As far as tiie report shows, he depended entirely on the judgment of Lieutenant Cohvell. He says: "After consulting with Lieutenant Colwell, I decided not to go to Cary Island as originally intended. He thought it would be extremely hazardous with our heavily laden boats. We left this camp at 8.30 A.M. AugUEt 2d." This apparently settled the matter. The decision was a result of the arrangement by which a landsman found himself in command of a nautical expedi- tion, with a nautical subordinate. When a nautical question arises, — and all the questions upon which success or failure depended would ])robably be nautical, — the non-profession- al commander abdicates his rcsjionsibility and tlirows it on his professional assistant. Whether the latter, had ho been in the jwsition of responsible command, would have been unable to reach the place of meeting, is another question. Hal Colwell been permitted to carry out the suggestion made by him at Cape Sabine, and renewed before leaving (yape Parry, of proceeding alone to the place of communica- tion, he would certainly have elTocted his object, for it is clear that the man who successfully accomplished two weeks later the passage across Melville Bay in a single boat, would have found no serious difficulty in making hia way from Cape Parry to Cary Island. The ship and the boats were now moviog in opposito direc- I i ■ > V The Ectreat from tlie Wreck of the Proteus. 83 tions. The retreating party in tlic boats, leaving a record on Saunders Island, pursued their way southward with great difficulty and with frequent delays from the ice. When in the neighborhood of Cape York on the 9th of August Col- well with a party of five men took the light punt belonging to the Proteus and set out over the ice to the Eskimo settle- ments to find out whether anything had been seen of passing vessels. lie rejoined the main party next day after having seen the natives, but no ship had been seen at Cape York. Ko more definite information could be obtained. Other Es- kimo were afterward met and questioned, with a like result. (jrarlington remained about Cape York until the 16th. It was decided that Lieutenant Colwel!, taking one of the whale-boats, should leave the main purty and make directly across the bay to Disko, to reach the 1' antic before she pro- ceeded south ; while Garlington in the other boat, accompa- nied by the boatswain and the rest of the relief party, should remain with the people of the J*ro(c'us and proceed to Uper- nivik, keeping as close in to the laud as possible on the out- side of the ice. This plan was carried out. Meanwhile the Yaiitlc, having left Cary Island at half- past ton on the 2d of August, steamed up the eastern side of Smith Sound and arrived the next afternoon at Littleton Isl- and. Hero Garlington's record of July 2Gth was found, and the first news waa obtained of the disister to the Protens. All hands had been saved and the relief party had arrived at Littleton Island ; but no statement was made as to the situa- tion of the steamer's crew, which, it will be remembered, had nt)t touched at Littleton Island on the way south, and of whoso movements Garlington was at that time in ignorance. The question what course of action should be pursued by .1 H ; i wj » f llll i 1 • i \ i' * fi I ^1 ii ' 'W'- i ; P 1 S' III 84 7%^ Beacue of Greely, Commander Wildes in the light of the record was not a doubtful one. In the first place, the Yantic had positive or- ders not to go north of Littleton Island, and therefore she could not supply the place of the wrecked Proteus and pro- ceed on the latter's unfulfilled mission to Lady Franklin Bay ; nor had it ever been intended or thought possible that she should. Secondly, to carry out the agreement with Garling- ton and remain at Littleton Island till August 25th would now be wholly futile, as Garlington was on his way south. There was therefore only one course to pursue, namely, to follow the traces of the relief party, and overtake and bring them ba'ik as soon as possible. The plan outlined by Garlington was not very clear, as he merely said that he was " making for the south to communicate with the Yarv- ticP The agreement made at St. John's, even if it had not suggested a course of action with a view to the actual state of events, would naturally, however, be reverted to by both par- ties in the absence of other information. It wjis fair to pre- sume that if Garlington was endeavoring to communicate, he would make the endeavor at one of the previously estab- lished points of communication. In view of these facts, the Yantio followed what was clearly a correct course, and went in search of the retreating boats, to ascertain something of the missing crew of the Proteus^ and to pick up the relief party, which might then bo landed with provisions upon Lit- tleton Island. The Yantic^ therefore, put in first into Pandora Harbor. There she found the two records left by Garlington and by Captain Pike. The former stated that the party had forty days' full rations, aiid that he would "go south, keeping cIosj into shore as possible, and calling at Gary Islands, to Cape The Retreat from the ^rech of the Proteus. 85 York, or until I meet some vessel. Hope to meet U. S. S. YaniiC or the Swedish steamer Sofia^ which should be about Cape York." In accordance with these instructions, Commander Wildes set out with his vessel in pursuit of the boats. Following tlie directions in the record, and at the same time keeping the general agreement, tlio Yantic, after running down the coast to Cape Robertson, stood across Murchison Sound to Ilakluyt Island. The island was closely examined, but nothing was found, as Garlington had not visited it. From Ilakluyt Island the Yantic struck across to the mainland, nearing the coast at a point seven miles east of Cape Parry, which must have been about the spot where Garlington camped on the Slst of July, and from which he set out on the 2d of August for Saunders Island. Running over in four hours from this point, Wildes reached Cary Island at midnight of August 4th, but he found that it had not been visited, and his record of two days bef.jre had not been disturbed. The situation was now a perplexing one. It was not likely that i,iie five boats could bo los-t, udv did it seem possible that they could have grne south without touching at Cary Island, after the explicit statement made in the record at Pandora Harbor. The only other supposition was that they had been missed on the way down, and all that could be done by the Yantic was to go once more over the ground, and make a more careful search. She therefore ran back to Ilakluyt Island, and then across to Capo Parry, folK w!ng the shore closely southwards. In these movements, her progress was checked from time to time by the ice, or by threatening weather. Thus it happcMiod that in this last southerly course, along the shore, she arrived on the 5th of August at a point i J 1 . I i i M 86' T/ie Bescue of Greehj. five miles northwest of Saunders Island, to which place Gar- lin^ou had proceeded three days before, and which he had only left on the afternoon of the 4th, after depositing a record. If the Yantic had continued on her course she would have been but a day behind the boats, and would have reached them in a few hours to a certainty. In fact, at this very moment, Garlington and his party were near Cape Athol, at a point seventeen miles from Saunders Island, and "herefore twenty-two miles from the Yantic^ or less than four hours' steaming ; and here they remained until the 7th. But the ice was thickening ahead, and the pack to the west- ward extending in, the wind was " fresh from the north, and fog hanging low down," so the Yajiiio ran oil shore to the Bouthwest, and then stood back to AVhale Sound. The game of cross-purposes which the two parties had been playing for several days in lower Smith Sound now came to an end, and the only chance of their meeting was at the llnal rendezvous at Cape York. On the Cth of Au- gust, at 5.30 A.M., the Yantic came to anchor off Northum- berland Island. Connnander Wildes states in his report : " I determined lr> remain here a few days to await the mov- ing off shore of the ice or a loosening up of the pack so [that] I could get through." On the evening of the same day, i> party of officers from the Yantic, in searching North- umberland Island, came upon the remains of a camp appar- ently a week old, with tin cans and matches strewn about, showing that it had been a station of the relief party. Next day another camp was found on the same island, which was surmised to be that of the crew of the Proteus. This was the first trace that had Ijeen found, but there was no record. It was cleai' that the boats had gouu south, and that iu all The Retreat from i/ie Wreck of the Proteus. 87 probability they were now in the neigbborhood of Cape York. Tiie Yantic reniaiuecl at ber ancborage for tbrec clays, ber Bcarcli baving now apparently terminated. Late on tbe 9tb sbe made her way again to Gary Island. Here sbe ran in closo to tbe cove, and fired guns, but received no response, and "VVildes beaded for Cape York. It was unfortunate tbat tbe Yantic on ber first arrival at Littleton Island, or at some time during tbe next seven days, wben fbe was knocking about lower Smitli Sound, altbougb ber orders contained no directions on tbis point, did not land on tbe island some part of ber abundant store of provisions, wben it was learned that notbiug bad been done for Grcely's relief beyond tbe establisbment of tbe wreck cacbe at Cai)0 SaMnc. It is true, tbat as it turned out, Greely never crossed to Littleton Island, but remained eigbt niontbs at Cape Sa- bine, and be would tberefore bave derived no benefit from a wbole sbip-load of stores on tbe east coast. But nobody could foresee tbis, and tbere was every reason to suppose be would go tbere. It is also true tbat it bad never been expected tbat the Yantic sbould carry stores for tbe expedition, or tbat sbe would bo of any sorvice except as a tender to tbe Proteus. But if, notwithstanding tbe absence of any directions to tbat end, tbe Yantic bad gone beyond ber orders, beyond tbo spliere for wbicb tbe Signal OlHco bad intended ber, and to wbicb tbe Navy Department bad assigned ber, and bad seized tbe extraordinary opj)ortunity wbicb bad falU^n to ber, of re- trieving in some sense tbo disaster wbicb bud already oc- curred, tbrougb no fault of ber own, it would bave been a most bapi)y occurrence ; and if, in addition to leaving tbo storeE, tt party of volunteers bad been found from bor owu ^'^1 !! ^ ,] l 1 '' t 1 il 88 The Rescue of Greely, people — and it has been officially stated that they were forth- coming — and had been landed on the island, it is more than probable that the tarrying of the explorers at Cape Sabine, during the next year, would have been without its fatal con- sequences. Had a fresh party of seamen with boats under a competent officer been there through the fall and winter, " keeping their telescopes fixed on Cape Sabine and the land to the northward," there is small doubt that they would at some time during those weary months have discovered the party which they had stayed to rescue, and have found a time and a way to cross the twenty-three miles between the capo and the island, whatever might have been the condition of the ice or the currents. After leaving Cary Island for the last time to make her way to Cape York, the Yantlc ran close in to the ice near Cape Dudley D'gges, but could find no opening ; tlie ice was packed close, and reached to the land some distance off. Cape York lay around the bend of the shore, forty miles further on. It was the last place of communication men- tioned in the agreement, and it was the final objective point designated by Garlington in the record at Pandora Harbor. There was every reason to believe that at this time he was in that neighborhood. He ac^tnally arrived at Cape York with the boats on the 10th of August, and here, or near here, he remained till the 16th. At noon of the 10th — the day that Garlington arrived — " having ice/^ says Commander AVildea in his rejwrt, '• in all directions except S.E., and unable to eeo but a short distance in that direction, the land being unapproachable, our supply of coal greatly diminished, the imprudence of remaining in this vicinity became sufficiently obvious, and I bore up for Upernivik, which was reached August I2th.» The Heir eat from the Wreck of the Proteus. 89 Tho failure to meet at Gary Island finds its parallel in the failure to meet at Cape York. It ia not a little singular that by a coincidence in dates as remarkable as that wliieh had occurred eight days before, the Yantic ]xassed the final ren- dezvous at the very time when the party which she had been seeking arrived there ; and it was correspondingly unfortu- nate that as the attendant circumstances in the first case pre- vented the boats from falling in with the Yantic^ in the sec- ond case they prevented the Yantic or her people from meeting the shipwrecked party in the boats. While at Upernivik a launch was chartered, and sent to Tassuisak ^7ith provisions. A boat with a crew of Eskimo was sent on to Cape Shackleton, to keep a lookout for the lost expedition. After lying ten days at Upernivik, Com- mander Wildes decided on the 22d to leave the place, as stated in his report : "Aug. 23rf. The short summer of this hiirh latitude being nt an end, the weather having changed, vegetation having become brown and with- ered, tlie birds having departed witli their young, ice and frost forming each night, the intervals of good weather becoming rarer, the autumn gales being liable to set in at any time and knowing that the first one of any severity would put the ship on the rocks, as the only holding ground was bare rock, feeling that I was incurring great risk, increasing daily by remaini.ig longer, I got under way and proceeded to the Kudlisojt coal cliffs in Wtiigat Straits." Taking on board fifty tons of coal at the coal cliffs, the Yantic proceeded on to Godhavu, where she arrived on the 28th. It only remains to follow the fortunes of the two boat par- ties. They had Fcparated near Cape York, Garling^on's boat remaining with the crew of the Proteus^ and ColwclFs ha* teniug alouo directly across the Bay. Garhngtou's party m I f i; * 1 3 .' ■ I \- : 90 The Rescue of Greely. i i ■ •I ' took a more northerly course, following the trend of the shore, and, stopping at the islands on their way, arrived off Cape Shaekleton a week after the separation. Here they saw smoke-signals, and heading for the land, they were met by the Eskimo whom Gov. Elborg had sent north to establish an advanced relief -post. Next day they arrived at Upernivik, whence the Yantio had departed two days before. The other boat under Colwell, taking a more southerly course, set out alone on its journey across Melville Bay — a journey which takes a place among the best work done by Arctic explorers. For perseverance, good judgment, and courage in the officer who accomplished it almost single- handed, it could not well be outdone. After separating from the rest of the party on the afternoon of August 16th, Col- well steered south-southeast for Upernivik. Meeting a pack which extended to the northward and eastward, he moved off to the southward, so that he might just keep within its broken edge. The wind gradually increased to a gale, with frequent snow-squalls. Inside the edge of the pack there was a heavy swell, but the seas did not break. In the after- noon the southern edge of the pack seemed to trend off to the northeast, and the boat left the i( e, resuming her course for Upernivik. Soon after clearing the pack, the wind in- creased, and Colwell, unable longer to steer his course, was obliged to run before the gale and the short, heavy, break- ing sea. Three of his men were hopelessly sea-sick, and the Eskimo too frightened to understand English, so that his crew was reduced to two men, who, fortunately, stood well to their work. The gale kept up through the afternoon and evening until near midnight, when the weather cleared a little ; but an Tlie Bet real from the Wreck of tlie Proteus. 91 Lour later it was again overcast, with every now and then a thick flurry of snow. Toward morning the wind moderated, and Colwell, giving the tiller to one of his men, lay down for two hours during a heavy snow-storm. Breakfast was made ofE a pot of tea and some canned meat, warmed by burning alcohol in a tin can, and it was the first thing the crew had eaten since starting, except bits of wet hard-tack. After breakfast, the wind hauling to the southward and eastward, Colwell shook out his reef and set the mainsail, making an easterly course on a wind. The sea was rough, but did not break. Toward noon the wind increased, and the outlook was threatening. Both sails were close-reefed, but soon it became necessary to take in the mainsail. The sea was now rising, and Colwell headed for a small island in sight to the northeast, but missed it in a blinding snow- squall. When this passed he found Ltnself a mile to lee- ward of the island, with the sea too hea^ v- \r pull against, and he ran for a line of ice further on, and e fast to a small berg. This was at three in the afternoon. The second gale kept up for nine hours, with constantly increasing wind and sea. Four times the boat was cast off to find a safer place, as the icebergs broke or drifted down. Finally she was made fast to a flat berg, which lasted until the gale was over, although the breaking off of great lumps had reduced it by that time to one-third of its former size. It was a fearful night ; the boat was filled with snow, and the icebergs drove past her before the gale, crash after crash re- sounding on all sides as they ground together or foundered. Wliile the boat was fast, the bow oarsman had to stand with his axe ready to cut the painter. The crew, exhausted from loss of sleep and sea-sickness, wet to the skin, and covered i % li«!;; \ v 4/ )■ i \\ f ' ■ .1 ' 'f l! " 92 The Rescue of Greely. ■ with snow, had sat for fourteen hours on *^^he thwarts with the oars out, ready to pull at a moment's notice, and dozed over their oars as they might. Soon after midnight Colwell h'ghted his alcohol fire again, and warmed some bacon and tea, which, with a little whisky, kept up his men's strength during the night. Toward five o'clock on the morning of the 18th, the clouds broke and the wind moderated. The boat was now near Thom Island. To the north the bergs, driven together by the gale, were packed in a wall as solid as a glacier's face. During the forenoon the boat pulled among icebergs against a moderate head wind, and Colwell got a couple of hours' rest. In the afternoon, a light northeast breeze coming up, he made sail to it, during the rest of the day, and allowed his wearied men to sleep. In the night the wind increased, and hauled to the south. Nothing could be made by working to windward, and Col- well gave it up and took in sail, trying to pull to the east- ward. But by morning the wind and sea were tpo much for the exhausted men, and Colwell ran back to a small rocky islet which he had passed some hours before, and lighting an alcohol fire, got a meal, after which the men stretched themselves on the rocks for a nap. The wind fell light a little before noon, and the boat started again. It was now the 19th of August. For the next three days and nights the party continued on their way to the southward, through bergs and lump ice, with the Greenland coast generally in sight; sailing when the wind was fair, which was about half the time, and during the rest making slow progress with the oars. Toward the close of the 22d Colwell's reckonings placed him not far from Upemivik, but The Retreat from the Wreck of the Protexis. 93 a dense fog that had hung over him all day prevented him from finding out exactly his position. At six o'clock on this evening while skirting the coast, a barrel was discovered on shore, and the sight had an exhilarating effect upon the party. After they had gone a little way 'wathout finding a settlement, they returned to the spot, landed, kindled a fire with the bar- rel, and cooked a meal from the best they had. After two or three hours of rest they were again under way, and at two o'clock on the morning of the 23d they sighted a storehouse, which proved to be on the north side of Upernivik. Pulling round the island, the party landed at five o'clock in the morning. Here everything was done for their com- fort. Colwell found that the other boats from the Proteus had not been heard from, and that the Yantio had sailed for Disko the day before. Wishing to lose no time in commu- nicating with Commander Wildes, he would hear of no delay, and, taking a heavy open launch which the Governor of Upernivik urged him to use in place of the whale-boat, at three o'clock on the afternoon of the same day he started soutli with his boat's crew for Disko, distant 230 miles. The journey to Disko took seven days and a half, the men rowing most of the way, although it was hard work in the launch after the light whale-boat. A stop of a few hours was made at the ; ettlement of Proven to get provisions and water. At Noursoak natives were employed to go ahead in their kayaks with a letter to AVildes. Finally, on the Slst, after a p.'issage through Waigat Strait, the launch arrived at Disko, and Colwell and his exhausted party, after their journey of 800 miles, were taken on board the Yantic. On the evening of the same day the YanttG got under way and returned to Upernivik, where she arrived on the 2d 7\ r^ Ip'i 1 ' J % 1 ■ / 1 i1 :■(• ' ' ( 1 '- . 4 1' >lll m §■ 1 , , i;j H T/i£ liesGue of Greely, of Scptemlicr, and found the remainder of the expedition, which had come in on the day after Col well had gone. The junction which had been barely missed so many times on the coast of lower Smith Sound was now effected ; but the sea- son was advanced, and the question of returning across Mel- ville Bay to carry out the purpose of the ex])edition, if con- sidered, was decided adversely ; and the Yaniio returned to St. John's. 91 CHAPTER VII. WHAT WAS TO BE DONE FOR GREELY ? St. John's, N. F., S<^pt. 18. 1883. To CJiicf Signal Officer, U. 8. A., Washington : It is my painful duty to report total failure of tho expedition. The Proteus was crusiicd in pack in latitude 78. 53, longitude 74,2"), and .sunk on tho afternoon of the 2'id July. My party and crow of ship all saved. JIade my %vay acro.ss Smith Sound and aloni^ eastern ahoro to ('upo York ; thence acrf)S.s Melville Bay to Upcrnivik, arriving there on 24th Aug. The Yaiitic reached Uperuivik 2d Sept. and left same day, bring- ing entire party here to-day. All well. E. A. GAnUNGTON. This was the message that brought tlio first account of tlie disastrous result of tho expedition. It said nothing of G reely, and for the momtmt tlic country was left in suspense, await- ing further light on the particulars of the voyage. Eager tele- grams were at once sent to Garlington from llie Signal Otllco asking what stores had been placed for (i reely. The reply was sent the next day : " No stores landed before sinking of ship. Alxiut five hundred rations from those saved, cached at ('ape Sublne ; also large cache of clothing. By the time suitable vessels could bo procured, \\\Wx\, provi.M!t)'ied, etc., it would be too late in season to accomplish anything this year." "When tho fatal news was received, and it was learned not only that tho relicrf ship had been lost, which was a small niatlcr, but that the wholo expedition was abortive, that oidy 50v) j-ntions, or twenty days' provisions, had been landed from (05) \i ] 1 1 If 1 I: |{! 06 Ti^e Jiesctce of Greely, tlio Proteus^ there was a general outburst of indignation. As tlie situation began to be looked into and pondered over, it gradually dawned upon the public that the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition had been ordered to leave their well-supplied station by Sept. 1st ; that the commander had signified his intention of leaving it ; that it was almost a certainty that at that date, Sept. 14th, he was on his way south, confidently counting on a supply depot and a relief party which had been promised at Littleton Island ; and, finally, that he was destined shortly to arrive there, with little food, and vA\\\ no possibility of retracing his steps, only to find that the Gov- ernment had not carried out its pledge, and that he and his command were doomed to starvation and death. Unfortunately, through a clerical error, the so-called supplementary memorandum which, as related in the last chapter, had found its way into the envelope containing Gar- lington's original orders, appeared from the records of the Signal Office to be a specified enclosure, and therefore part of the order itself. The memorandum directed that the Pro- teus should land her stores on the way north ^ and Garlington having, it will be remembered, called the attention of the Chief Signal Officer, before sailing, to the conflict between the body of the instructions and the memorandum, had been expressly told that the latter " was no part of his orders." This fact had never transpired, and in the absence of the Chief Signal Officer, there being no mention of it in the records, but, on tlio contrary, a record describing the memo- randum as " Enclosure 4 " of the orders to Garlington, the an- nouncement was made that the commander of the expedition liay the time suitable ves- sels could bo procured, filled, and provisioned, it would bo too late in the season toaccomplinh anytliiiifz:. Not satisfied with this, the Secretaries of War and of the Navy, both of whom 7 n 1 ^HL ^H| i ' ^^^H ')^H 1 i \i ' ■ i 1 : ; I^^^k! ^^hi \' ' , Kill ii, : I i i * ;i ■ .1 li 98 T/ie J^escite of Greely. now had an interest in the matter, directed that further in- quiry should be made as to the feasibihty of starting an ex- pedition immediately. Lieutenant Garlington replied : " The ultimate result of any undertaking to go north at this time cxtromoly problematical ; chances against its success, owing to dark nights now begun in those regions, making ice navi- gation extremely critical work. There is no safe winter an- chorage on west shore of Greenland between Disko and Pan- dora Harbor, except perhaps North Star Bay, winter-quar- ters of Saunders. However, there is a bare chance of suc- cess, and if my recommendations are approved, I am ready ai-d anxious to make tlu^ effort. My plan is to buy a suitable sealer, take the crew from volunteers from crews of Yantio and Powhatan^ now in this harbor, paying them extra com- pensation. Lieutenant J. C. Col well to command the ship ; two Ensigns and one Engineer to be taken from those who may volunteer from same ship ; also employ competent ice- pilot hero." On the 15th Commander Wildes telegraphed in answer to the same inquiry, as follows : " To charter another foreign ship with foreign crew for this duty to go north at this late season would simply invite fresh disaster. Proteus handled very unskillfully, and crew behaved shamefully at wreck. Ship must be American-manned, and officered by Navy, and thoroughly equipped. Unless winter-quarters can bo reached north of Cape Athol, the attempt would bo useless. This can not bo done. Melville Bay will bo impassable by October 1, at latest. Sliip can not winter at TJperiiivik, and can not sledge north from there," The Chief Signal Officer sent six telegrams from WaHliing- ton Territory, where he happened to be at the time, suggest- Whai was to he Done for Grccly? 99 ing a new expedition, and earnestly advocating immediate action, being of the opinion that there was still time to repair tlie failure. Chief Engineer Melville, of the Navy, about the Game time, submitted a plan for a relief expedition, proposing to accomplish part of the journey in the YantiCj and the rest by sledge. Others, however, whose experience entitled their opinion to weight, among them Dr. Laws, the surgeon of the Relief Expedition of 1855, and Tyson, who was with Hall in the Polaris^ were decided in the conviction that an expedition at that time would only lead to fresh disaster. After repeated consultations with the most competent and experienced advisers, the Secretaries decided that it would not only be useless to make any attempt that year, but that the probabilities were that those who were sent on such a mission would find themselves in a situation as bad as Greely's. The idea was therefore abandoned. The information gained at the Greenland ports by the Relief Expedition of 1884, proves beyond a doubt that this conclusion was right. Had a ship gone up in the latter part of September, 1883, she would either have been stopped at DIsko, or have been frozen up for eight months in the ice of Melville Bay. The cold weather set in about the 2lBt of September, and the temperature steadily fell at Disko, Upor- nivik, and Tassuisak, until 00° below zero was reached. This continued for a period of sixty consecutive days. Melville J3ay, as far as could bo seen from these three points, was frozen over early in October. As the season of continual darkness had come on by this time, navigation would have been well-nigh impossible, even if the bay had been fairly open; and the project of reaching the party by sledges, must bo regarded as utterly chimerical. Under the circuni- 1 1\\ •1 if ^i ;n 1 1 ^ 1 : l - m ; :?1 J 100 Tlie Rescue of Gredy. stances, any vessel attempting the voyage would have come to grief, if she had not been totally lost. The idea of an immediate expedition having been reluc- tantly given up as impracticable, the next question was to consider carefully the probable situation of Lieutenant Greely and his command, and to prepare a well-digested plan of operations for the coming summer. In regard to Greely's situation in October, 1883, it was known that a little more than two years before, in August, 1881, he had been landed at Discovery Harbor with a full supply of provisions for three years, with a considerable mar- gin over. He was therefore amply provided with the means of subsistence, if he remained at the station. He had, however, been directed in the original instructions of ^,he Signal Office, if not visited in 1882, to abandon his statioi not lat«r than September 1, 1883, and to retreat southward by boat, follow- ing closely the east coast of Grinnell Land, " until the re- lieving vessel is met or Littleton Island is reached." He had been assured in the same letter that, if no vessel reached him in 1882, the vessel sent in 1883 would remain in Smith Sound until there was danger of its being closed by ice, and on leaving would land her supplies on Littleton Island, to- gether with a party which would be prepared for a winter'i stay, and would be instructed to send sledge parties up t'.:e east coast of Grinnell Land to meet him. Finally he had not only concurred in all the arrangements, but had written a letter from Fort Conger giving his last suggestions for the party which was to be left at Littleton Island, saying that they should " establish a winter station at Polaris winter quarters. Lifeboat Cove, wlioro their main duty would be to keep their telescopes on Cape Sabine and the land to the h v ;e; What was to he Done for Oreely? 101 northward"; and further, that a detacliment "should pro- ceed, when practicable, to Cape Sabine, whence a sledge party northward of two best fitted men should reach Cape Hawks, if not Cape Colhnson." Depots were to be made, by the first ex- pedition, at the furthest possible northern point on the coast of Grinnell Land, and at Littleton Island ; by the second ex- pedition, between Cape Sabine and Bache Island, and at some point intermediate between depots already established. It was perfectly clear from this what Greely intended to do, and what in the absence of preventing causes, in all probability he had done. He intended to leave Fort Conger in 1883, and go southward to his main base of supplies at Littleton Island. He also proposed to line the shore with smaller depots, placed at intervals, so that he could find, at each successive point, enough to sustain his party until the next was reached. How far he would progress on this downward trip was a matter of uncertainty, and he counted upon the relief party to come up and meet him in case he was for any reason detained between Cape CoUinson and Cape Sabine. There was little doubt, therefore, in the fall of 1883, that Greely had carried out his programme, left Foii; Conger, and proceeded south. The only uncertain element in the (^uestion was how far he had been able to go. In order to reach Littleton Island he would have to travel 2G3 miles. His party consisted of twenty-five, and he had taken up with him a Navy steam-launch, and three other boats, suitable for navigation in Arctic waters. There were also two boats of which, in case of necessity, he could avail himself ; one an ice-boat left by the Nares expedition at Polaris Bay, twonty-eiglit miles from his camp, and the other a whale-boat, left by the Polaris near Cape Sumner, thirty- i ■lj:{i !{ 'I m • It, n i h^ if si 102 The Rescue of Greely. eight miles off. The most favorable season for boat naviga- tion, or, as far a-' t^at is concerned, for any navigation, in Kennedy Channel and Kane Sea, is during the month of August, and it was therefore probable that the expedition would move at this time. The distribution of depots on the way down, as far as was known, was not all that Greely had planned or asked for, but it was still fairly complete, unless he met with some ex- traordinary misadventure. The longest interval was the first, of 75 miles, between Camp Conger and Carl Ritter Bay. It turned out afterwards that Greely himself, with the careful forethought that distinguished his arrangements, had reduced this gap by making a depot at Cape Cracroft, an intennediate point -wfcich he could reach from his station. At Carl Rittev Bay, the next point, Greely had estaljlished a depot of 225 rations, or nine days' supply, on his way up in the Prrieus. Sixty-two miles beyond, at Cape Collinson, was the Nares depot, of 250 rations. Following the western shore of Kane Sea, the fourth depot was to be found at Cape Hawks. This had been made by Nares, and had originally consisted of 1,500 rations, but the Alert and Discovery had taken off most of the stores on their return trip, and the quantity left was not grea'-., perhaps eight or ten days' rations. Greely had visited it on the way up, and had taken from it an inconsider- able quantity of stores. At Cape Sabine, fifty-three miles further, were several depots, rouojhly estimated as amounting to 1,000 rations in Jl, or forty days' supply, if they were all well preserved. They were in three caches. That of tlio Englisli expedition on Stalknecht Island in Payer Harbor consisted of 250 rations, which Beebe had reported as being for the most part good, but which were subsequently found 1 What was to he Doiu^ for Grcehj f 103 to be damaged. The Beebe cache contained about 250 ra- tions, with a whale-boat, and one-eightli of a cord of wood. This Garhugton had found in good condition, except a shght injury to the boat. The third cache was composed of the provisions rescued by Colwell from the wreck of the Proteus^ estimated at 500 rations. South of Cape Sabine there were tliree depots. At Little- ton Island, twenty-thrue miles distant, on the opposite shore of Smith Sound, was the second Beebe cache of 250 rations, and six tons of coal, placed there by Greely. At Cape Isabella, twenty-five miles from Cape Sabine, was Beebe's second whale-boat, together with 150 pounds of meat left by the English expedition. Finally, at Southeast Cary Island, one hundred miles to the southward, was the largest dc^t of idi, also made by Kares, with 1,800 rations and a boat, which had ])een examined both by Greely and Garlington, and which were still good when visited by the Bear in 1884. As the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition was an Army or- ganization, it belonged to the AVar Department to take the initial steps looking to its relief, whoever might ultimately be charged with the execution of the project. Accordingly, on the 13th of December, Secretary Lincoln addressed a letter to Secretary Chandler, asking the co-operation of the Navy Department in considering and carrying out a plan. The Secretary of the Navy responded ]iromptly, and within a week the President issued an order, constituting the Greely Relief Board. This was the first step in the history of the final expedition. The order was as follows : Executive Mansion, December 17, 1S83. TJjo following-named ofTlccrs of the Army nnd Nnvy will constitute a lioard to consider an expedition to be sent for the relief of Lieutenant ': i- 1 iH' ] Id II ! 1 ^H ' n tj ^V ) H ■■ '1 Mv; |i H \ B9 %^.J E^ 104 The Meseue of Gredy. Greely and his party, comprising what is known as the Lady Frank- lin Buy Expedition, and to recommend to tlie Secretaries of War and the Xiivy, jointly, the steps the Iward may c ..ecessary to he taken for the equipment and transportation of the icLy... expedition, and to suggest such plan for its control and conduct, and for the organization of its per- sonnel, as may seem to them best adapted to accomplish its purpose : Brigadier-General William B. Hazen, Chief Signal Officer, U. S. Army; Captain James A. Greeu, U. S. Navy ; Lieutenant-Commander B. II. McCalla, U. S. Navy ; Captain George W. Davis, 14th Infantry, U. S. Army. The board will meet in Washington, D. C, on the 20th instant. Chester A. Arthur. The Board met on the 20th of December, and remained in session until January 22, 1881, when its final report was presented, although it did not formally adjourn until Febru- ary 2l8t. On the second day of its meetings, it presented a preliminary recommendation, that immediate steps should be taken to secure, by purchase, two full-powered steam whalers or sealers, and to prepare them for service in the Arctic. It was also recommended that a naval vessel should be prepared to act as a tender to the expedition. Three general plans were laid before the Board at the be- ginning. The first, presented by Lieutenant Garlington, proposed the purchase of a steam-whaler as a relief ship, and the selection of a convoying vessel from the list of third-rate cruisers in the Navy. The plan submitted included the sug- gestion that the expedition should be commanded by Lieuten- ant Garlington, and the relief ship by Lieutenant Colwell. The commander of the convoying vessel was not designated. The relief ship was to be pushed forward at the opening of the season, and to land a party at Cape York, which would proceed north by sledge, if it was learned that the explorers had arrived on tlie Greenland coast, meeting the relief ship What was to he Done for Greelyf 105 at Pandora Harbor. If no tidings were obtained at Cape York, the ship should proceed to Littleton Island, and thence to Cape Sabine, where a large depot should be established, and a sledge party be sent north, to be followed by the ship as soon as the ice permitted. The convoying ship was to have positive orders to proceed as far north as Cape Sabine, and her movements were to be regulated by " the discretion of the commanding officers." In addition to the general plan, many details of importance were provided for. The second plan, presented by Lieutenant-Commander McCalla, proposed a purely naval expedition, the ships com- posing it to consist of two purchased sealers or whalers, with a naval vessel as a tender. The first vessel should make a complete depot at Littleton Island before proceeding north, with house, coal, provisions, and clothing for the whole party for a year. If the explorers were not found after a search of the shores of Smith Sound, the ship should advance to Lady Franklin Bay, or as far as possible in that direction, while the second vessel should be used as a reserve, going north of Kane Sea only in case the fij^t should be lost or her absence be prolonged. The tender was to proceed to Little- ton Island, to bring back news of the expedition, and in case of a general disaster to serve as a second reserve. The third plan, presented by Captain Davis, was to some extent a middle course between the other two, and provided for a whaler as the relief ship, with a naval tender, the whole expedition to be in command of a naval officer, and the officers and crew proper of each ship to be from the personnel of tho Kavy. Each vessel was also to carry a detachment from the Army, composed of two officers, a doctor, and ten enlisted men. This plan, like the others, presented several excellent features of detail. irl ! 106 Tlie Rescue of Greely. U In considering these and other plans, several of which were subsequently offered, the Board consulted a number of per- sons having Arctic experience, who appeared at its invitation, and gave it the benefit of their observation and experience. Among these were Lieutenants Garlington and Colwell ; Dr. Bessels and Captain Tyson, of the Polaris expedition ; Mr. George Kennan, who had passed several years in north- eastern Siberia; Chief Engineer Melville and Lieutenant Danenhower, of the Jeannette ; Lieutenant Ray, who com- manded the station at Point Barrow ; Lieutenants Berry and Hunt, of the Bodgers / and Captain Pike, of the Proteus. Advice and suggestions were also asked from Sir George Nares, Captain Markham, and Major Feilden, who had served in the Alert in 1875, and an elaborate and extremely valuable memorandum was drawn up by these officers for the use of the Board. After making a most complete and thorough examination, the Board, on the 22d of January, 1884, presented its report, containing a plan for the expedition. Although there was every reason to suppose that Greely and his party had left their station, and had probably succeeded in reaching Smith Sound, either at Cape Sabine or Littleton Island, it was necessary to aissume that they might have remained in their quarters, and to provide for a cruise extending to Lady Franklin Bay. As this might involve detention in the ice until another season, the expedition must be prepared for a winter in the Arctic. By way of making assurance doubly sure, it was recommended that the expedition should r«/nsist of two vessels, each supplied for a cruise of two years, not only for its own crew, but also for that of the other ship, and for the Greely party besides. The best ships for the work th WJiat was to he Done for Greelyf 107 were the Dundee whalers, or the Newfoundland sealers, of from 500 to 600 tons, two of which should be purchased im- mediately, and brought to a navy-yard to be fitted out. In view of the possibility of delay in securing or getting ready these vessels, it might be advisable to use a third ship for an early advance, in order that by taking greater risks than the two others, it might be enabled, if the party had reached Smith Sound or the Danish settlemeots, to effect an early rescue. A naval vessel was also to be provided to go to Littleton Island, and return the same year. The advance vessel was not deemed an essential part of the plan, and in fact no such vessel was employed ; nor, as the result showed, would it have been of any use, for the first of the rehef ves- sels, although starting a week in advance, was overtaken by the second at Uperuivik, having been unible to get beyond that point in the heavy ice still covering Melville Bay. As the work of the relief expedition was to be of a nautical character, the Board recommended that its control should be entrusted to the Navy Department. The crews were re- duced to a minimum, in order to give abundant air-space in case of wintering at the north. The total complement of each ship was fixed at thii-ty-four persons, the preference being given to Americans, and all being subjected to a rigor- ous medical examination. A general programme was marked out for the relief ships, but chiefly by way of suggestion. The problem of reaching Lady Franklin Bay from Cape Sabine was one that could only be solved by sound judgment and good seamanship ; unless indeed it should happen that Kane Sea was nearly free from ice, in which case it was a comparatively simple matter. It was, therefore, recognized that a wide discretion must be given to the commanding officer on the spot. 4 • i P t ii \ \ 108 The Rescue of Oreely. The Board considered carefully the details of Arctic equipment, clothing, and stores, and made full and valuable recommendations. The information which it collected, and the suggestions which it made in reference to these matters were afterwards of incalculable service in fitting out the ex- pedition. The report of the Board was unanimous upon all the points mentioned, but it was unable to come to an agree- ment in regard to the question whether or not a detachment from the Army should accompany the expedition. As opinion was equally divided, separate memoranda containing the views of both sides were submitted with the report, one advocating the employment of a detachment of enlisted men from the Army, the other that the expedition should be ex- clusively naval. The latter view was that approved by the two Secretaries, and finally carried out. There can be no doubt of the cor- rectness of the theory upon which this decision was based. The work of the relief expedition of 1884 — and for that matter, of all the lelief expeditions — was as purely nautical as any work that was ever entrusted to a seaman. More than this, the whole issue of the work, the ultimate question of success or failure, depended primarily upon seamanship. Nor was tli(>rc any possible contingency which would require in the personnel of the expedition qualities or experience other than those which sonmen will bo found to ]ios8esa at least equally with soldiers. It was not an expedition like Grcely's, which was to remain at a permiincut station making observations and explorations from its base, either on the land or close by it; nor was it in anyway similar to tho wonderful enterj)rise wliich Lieutenant Schwatku undertook and carried to a successful completion. What was to he Done for Greely? 109 Even in the case of Grcoly's expedition, however, it was stated by the survivors on board the Thetis on their way home, that in their retreat from Lady Franklin Bay they had felt the lack of men accustomed to the management of boats, and that if they had had one or two seamen, their chances would have been better, aad the result might have been different. In the relief expedition of 1884, as it turned out, a detach- ment from the Army on board the ships, where there was little room to spare, and where every man was incessantly employed, would have found nothing to occupy them from the time they left New York until they landed on their return. Before the adoption of its final report, the Board made a preliminary statement of the requirements of the new expe- dition, and on January 17th a letter was addressed to the President by the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, embodying its recommendations, which were in a brief form those afterward elaborated in the report. The Navy Department was to have charge of the expedition, and it was to be on the ground at the earliest possible time. As no vessel was known to have passed Cape York earlier than June Ist, the expedition should leave New York by May 1st, and Upernivik by May 20th. To accomplish this the necessary vessels should be obtained immediately. The letter of January 17th, from the two Secretaries, was transmitted to Congress by the President on the same day, with a special message urging pr(»m])t action to enable the Dcpart- nii'nts to carry out the plan of relief. The message was referred in the House to the Committee on Appropriations, and on the 21st, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. K.m- dall, submitted a joint resolution, accompanied by a favorable report. The resolution was as follows : 1! I I ) i 1 I •1 E<\ 110 The Eescue of Grecly. :Jl ;i Resolved, That the President be, and is hereby, nuthon/cd to prepare and dispatcli an expedition to the coast of Greenland, Smith Sound, or Lady Franklin Bay, for the purpose of relieving and bringing liomo Lieutenant A. W. Grecly and party, and that for this purpose the pur- chase of not exceeding three vessels is authorized, and all expenditures necessary for manning, equipping, and supplying them, and for any laud journeys wliicli may be required, and such sums as may be necessary to cITect the object of this resolution arc hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated ; the vessels purchased to be sold after their return and the money arising from such sale covered into the Treasury. And the President shall submit to Congress on the first Monday of December, 1884, a full and detailed account of all expenditures and outlays made on account of this appropriation. Tlio resolution was exceptional in its cliaractcr, in makinf^ an appropriation without any B})ccific limit, but upon Mr. Randall's statement that it was thought unwise to restrict the appropriation to a fixed sum, the resolution was passed by the House almost without debate, on January 22d. Two days later it was discussed in the Senate. Much was said in condemnation of Arctic expeditions in general, and of the relief expedition of 1883 in particular. The necessity for a relief party was admitted on all sides, and the op])ositiori narrowed itself down to the question of making an unlimited appropriation. It was pointed out by Mr. Hale, who had charge of the resolution, that it was impossible to fix an esti- mate of cost; that if it were fixed too low it might result in failure, and that a very high estimate would only have the cfTect of raising prices for the vessels, of which there were only a small number available in existonce; and iinnlly, that an aTuendment would delay the resolution, and perhaps ])ut back the whole expedition, when every day was important. Several amendments M'cre ])ro])()sed and lost, fi.xing limits between half a million and a million of dollars. Finally the ■ < ! II What was to he Done for Gvcehjf 111 resolution was passed, witli an amendment restricting tlie personnel of the expedition to such as volunteered for tlic service. In view of the fact that the duty was not one of scientllic exploration, but for the relief and rescue of Governiiieiit officers, whose lives were in peril, it would seem to have conic within the limits of legitimate service in the Army or Navy, for which any one might reasonably be called on, witliout confining the executive to volunteers. Besides, all history shows that for any work of peril or hardship, however ap- palling, both the Army and the Navy have always been ready to furnish far more volunteers than were needed, men who were willing and eager to go on any forlorn hope, and the small number required for the service would undoubtedly l)e Bolected from among these, so that the question was not one of groat practical importance. In short, its decision one way or the other would not have made any change in what was actually done. Each House, however, insisted on its view of the matter, and at the end of a fortnight, during which there were repeated discussions, and two ineffectual con- ferences, the resolution was in the same situation as when it had first passed the Senate. It was now called up anew by Senator Hale, who, with Mr. Randall, had all along been indefatigable in pushing it forward, with every probability that the Senate would at length recede from its amendment, when a ])arlianu>ntary dilliculty presented itself in the fact that the resolutioi', although bodily in the possession of the Senate, the engrossed copy being on the presiding oflicer's desk, was not technically before it, the House not having reported any action U])on the last conferonco. This led to u prolonged debate as to whether ! t )1 I :: 'W «l 112 The liesGue of Greely. ■ any action at all could be taken on the resolution in its pres- ent situation, and if not, how the difficulty should be obviated, so that the resolution might either be returned bodily to the House or brought technically before the Senate. Another delay seemed imminent, and led the Senator in charge of the bill to express ironically, in the course of the discussion, the hope that if Greely and his fol- lowers were to be left to perish they might die in a parlia- mentary manner. The knot was untied by sending back the resolution informally to the House, which returned it three days later, with a message insisting on its disagree- ment. The Senate thereupon receded from its amendment, and on the 13th of February the resolution was approved. CHAPTER yill. THE PREPARATIONfl. Some time before the Joint Resolution was passed, the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, acting conjointly, had taken steps looking to the acquisition of suit- able vessels. No dependence could be placed upon the Naval fleet, which was totally unfitted for ice-navigation. To assign a vessel of the Navy to the work would only be to repeat the experience of the Yantic, with a greater prob- ability of failure, as the ice would be entered much earlier in the season. It was indispensable that vessels should be taken which had been built directly for the purpose. The only vessels in the world answering this description are the sealers and whalers of Dundee and St. John's. They are given steam-power to enable them to go into the ice, while the American whaler.^, which cruise to Behring Strait, use their steam-power to keep out of it. The first ai'e distinctively ice-ships, the second open-water ships. The structure of the Dundee whalers is entirely directed to cfii- ciency in navigation under the exceptional conditions pre- vailing in Bafiin Buy. The hull is built of wood, on account of its greater elasticity when squeezed by the ice pressure. It is covered with a sheathing of ironwood to prevxuit abrasion from tlio jagged edges of the pack when forcing through broken floos, or breaking a way through bars into leads. The Bcrew-propellor must be two-l)liule(i, and so fitted that 8 013) 114 The Rescue of Greely. rl it may be hoisted up in case of a nip, or when the ship is stationary, and the ice streaming by with the current. The stem must be protected by a broad guard of iron bolted througli, and the bow must be covered with iron plates ex- tending well aft, to withstand the heavy shocks in ramming, or in smaf^hing through floe-ice. Without this precaution the grinding pack would soon tear off the bow planking. Final- ly, both ends of the ship must have interior water-tight bulk- heads. The question of building new vessels for the relief ex- pedition was presented in the interest of American ship- builders, and carefully considered, but although there was a possibility that suitable vessels might be built within the re- quired time, it was thought best, in view of the exigencies of the case, not to run the risk of delay by placing dependence upon the uncertainties that are almost inseparable from con- tract work. The Dundee fleet makes two cruises annually, the first after seals and the second after whales, the interval between the two cruises being sjient at St. John's. Leaving Dundee toward the end of January, the ships go to St. John's, take on board additional men, and set out for the coast of Labrador. Hero they spend about a month in sealing. Some time in May they make for the " SoutliM'cst fishing grounds " ofi^ Capo Farewell, and in June they move up tiio Greenland coast, cross Melville Bav to the North Water, and thence work over to Lancaster Sound, for the west-side fishing. In order, therefore, to secure any choice of whalers for the Kelicf Expedition, it was clear that prompt action was neces- pary. The resolution had been introduced in the House on the Slst of January. ]n a few days nil the shijw would 1)0 77a€ F I'ejjarations. 115 ^ off on their sealing cruise. To postpone the selection until the voyage had begun would probably defeat the purpose of the expedition. The vessel chosen might be detained, possi- bly lost ; and even if she returned early in the season, she would need repairs, docking perhaps, and the work of refit- ting at St. John's would involve delays that would render futile all efforts for an early start. Already in December inquiries had been addressed to the Consuls at St. John's and Dundee, calling for information as to the possibility of purchasing a vessel at either place. It appeared by the answers received from Mr. Molioy, the Con- sul at St. John's, that most of the vessels were already pre- pared to start for the sealing voyage, having their crews and captains engaged. Several offers were made by owners of vessels for delivery in May, but this was out of the question. It was learned, however, that the steamer Bear^ owned by Grieve & Co., of Greenock, was then on her way from Greenock to St. John's, after a thorough overhauling. She was a sister ship of the Proteus, but had been fitted the year before with a new steel boiler, and was probably the best vessel in the St. John's fishing trade. Negotiations were immediately opened for her purchase, through Mr. Molioy, and on the 23d of January the owners consented to sell her at once for $100,000, delivered at New York. The question of an appropriation was now dragging through its slow parliamentary course. By the 21th the resolution had passed in both branches, and the only difference between the Senate and the House was in reference to the employment of volunteers. It was reasonably certain that the ap])ropria- tion would bo made, but a tii^il agreement might be delayed (as actually turned out to be the case), until the fishing fieet I :\ 1 11),/ I \i ' 1 t' ( !i I B! 'I I 'l 116 The Rescue of Greely. had started on their sealing voyage. In view of the urgency of the case, and of the fact th^.t there was reasonable groand for believing that even without a specific appropriation, authority existed to make the purchase, the two Secretaries, in whose charge the matter lay, directed on their own re- sponsibility that the offer should be accepted and the vessel purchased. To a newspaper reporter, who asked one of them what he would do if the resolution failed to pass, the latter replied that he supposed he " would become part owner of a ship." The offer was closed on the 28th, and the Bear arrived at New York on the 15th of February, two days after the pas- sage of the appropriation. Captain Ash, who brought her from St. John's, was engaged as her ice-pilot for the expe- dition. She was surveyed soon after her arrival, and on the 8th of March, orders were issued to proceed with the repairs recommended. While the negotiations were in progress at St. John's, similar inquiries were being made at Dundee, with a view to obtaining a second vessel. The same difficulties were en- countered here owing to the advanced state of preparations for the sealing voyage. Owners were unwilling to lose their prospective profits, to secure which they had already made an outlay ; and there is no doubt that the prices subsequently paid, both at St. John's and Dundee, were increased at least £6,000 from t^iis cause. The negotiations at Dundee were conducted with excellent judgment by Lieutenant-Com- mander Chadwick, the Naval Attach^ at our Legation in London, acting under Mr. Lowell. Chadwick had he advice and co-operation of the English officers who had served in Arctic expeditions, as well as of the little coterie of English- The Prejparations. 117 men wlio take up Arctic exploration as an amusement, of wliom the foremost are Leigh Smith and Sir Allen Young. The former will be remembered as the enterprising owner of the yacht Eira^ which made two voyages to Franz Josef Land, and was finally nipped in the ice and lost ; while Sir Allen Young, in the whaler Hope, gallantly went to the rescue of his brother explorer, and brought him home from Kova Zembla, a year after the wreck of the Eira. Young had also commanded his own vessel, the Pandora (afterward the Jea/nnetti), in her adventurous voyages in 1875 and 1876 to Smith Sound and Franklin Strait. Among the naval men, Sir Leopold McClintock and Sir George Kares, and other ofiicers of the expedition of 1875, especially Captains Mark- ham, Beaumont, and Aldrich, were indefatigable in giving counsel and assistance. As it was desirable that the Government should not appear in the matter, inquiries were at first conducted through Mr. Leigh Smith and others, but this precaution was presently laid aside, as it verj* soon became a matter of general notoriety that the United States were seeking vessels for the expedi- tion. By the 9th of January the Legation was able to tele- graph that out of the fifteen or more whalers in the Dundee trade, the four best that were available were the Thetia^ Hope, Resolute, and Arctij, at prices ranging from £18,500 for the Hope, to £27,000 for the Thetis ; but only the Hope was offered for immediate use, the others being deliverab'c at St. John's in May. Unfortunately a commercial demand for whalers had just arisen, due to an advance in the price of whalebone, and the Government was thus placed in competi- tion with private buyers. Of the vessels offered, the Thetis was the newest and universally considered the best, and after >r f 4 ,. ^11 «l \ii 118 The Mescue of Greely. > some delay lier owners, Stephen & Son, of Dundee, agreed to an immediate delivery for £32,000. A little further negotiation brought this down to £28,000, and on February 4th a despatch was sent to London accepting the ship, subject to the inspection of the Board of Trade. The inspection was satisfactory, and on the 13th, it was directed that the purchase should be completed. After some delay, required for the removal of the oil-tanks and other whaling equip- ment, the vessel was delivered at noon on Monday, the 25th, to Lieutenant-Commander Chad wick ; and Lieutenant Rea- mey, who hnd been detailed to bring her to New York, was placed in command. No time was lost in preparing for the voyage to New York. The ship was coaled, provisions were taken on board, and a crew engaged. Three of Whitworth's gun-forgings, weighing twenty-five tons, and intended for the armament of the cruisers building for the Navy, together with a lot of pig-iron, were shipped for ballast, and at 3 p.m. of Wednes- day, the 27th, the Thetis steamed out from the docks and anchored in the river. While here the entire crew left the shij), having selected this opportune moment to go ashore for a last spree. After some delay they were brought oJQE in a tug, and at 3 a.m. of the 29th the vessel sailed. She ar- rived in New York March 23d, after a stormy passage, in the course of which she met a large field of heavy ice, and had an opportunity of showing what she could do in that sort of navigation. Some time before the purchase of the Thetis was com- pleted, Lieutenant-Commander Chadvvick had turned his at- tention to the question of securing a third vessel among those which at one time or another had been used or fitted for ! '•! i! ft : li The Preparations. 119 Arctic exploration. There were three of these in England, tlie Pandora, the Discovery, and the Alert. The Pandy. Commander George W. Collin was assigned to the com- mand of tlio AUrt^ and Lieutenant William II. Emory, .Ir., to that of the Bear. All the officers for the three ships, as >/? : ^1 fr I ) 1 " ! :} I b \ ,': 124 T/ie MesGue of Greely. ■well as the seamen, were carefully selected. Every man was examined by a medical board, under instructions from the Surgeon-General, prescribing a standard of physique neces- sary to endure the hardships and exposures of the Arctic, and many of those who came before the board were rejected. Care was taken that on board each vessel there should be at least one oflScer who had had more or less Arctic expe- rience. The list of officers, as finally made up, was as follows : Thetib. Commander Winfleld S. Schley, Commanding Expedition. Lieutenant Uriel Sebree, Executive and Navigating officer. " Emory H. Taunt. " Samuel C. Lemly. Ensign Washington I. Chambers, (afterwards transferred to the Loch Oarry). Charles H. Harlow. Chief-Engineer George W. Melville. Passed Assistant-Surgeon Edward H. Green. Bear. LieL tenant William H. Emory, Jr., Commanding. " Freeman H. Crosby, Executive and Navigating officer. John C. Colwell. Nathaniel R. Usher. • Ensign Lovell E. Reynolds. Chief -Engineer John Lowe. Passed Assistant-Surgeon Howard E. Ames. Albrt. Commander George W. Coffin, commanding. Lioutoiiaat Charles J, Dudgor, Executive and Navigating officer. Henry J. Hunt. Ensign Charles S. McCIain. " Albort A. Ackorman. Passed AHsistunt-Enginocr William H. Naumau. Suigeon Francis B. Nash. , I I i 1^ 136 The Bescue of Greely. The survey of the Bear^ the first steamer to arrive, was completed on the 4th of March, and on the 8th the report of the Board of Survey was approved and an order was given to begin tl \ alteration of the vessel at once. The order was addressed to all the officials connected with the work — the Commandant of the New York Yard, and the Cliiefs of the Bureaus of Construction, Steam Engineering, and Equipment ; and it contained a proviso that " it must, however, be distinctly understood that no work is to be un- dertaken on the J:'ea)\ or any other shin of the Greely Helief Expedition, wliicii can not be fully completed v/ithout delay- ing the expedition beyond the time which may be fixed for its departure from New York." These dates, as already noticed, were decided upon by the ITtli of March, and all the officials concerned were imme- diately informed of the decision. The work was pushed for- ward with energy, and no detail was too minute to receive the attention of the SeCi ;tary. He insisted upon satisfying himself personally t]:at the wcrk was done, well done, and done in time. As the tiiiie approached for the sailing of the Bea)\ the following brief but pointed letter was addressed to all the Chiefs of Bureaus : Navy Department, 'Wabhinoton, Awil 18, 1884. Sin : You arc rcciuestcd to inform the Dcpiirtment whether the Bear, of the Orcely llclief Expedition, is in all respects, so fur us your Bureau is concerned, ready for sea. If she is not, what work yet remains to bo Very respectfully, done ? William E. CiiANDLKn, /Secretary of the Navy. H: On the 28th of April, a letter identical in its language was written, referring to the T/ietis, and another on the Yth of M Y( The Preparations. 137 May, referring to the Alert. As the Commander of the Ex- pedition had sailed before the last date, additional copies of the third letter were sent to the Commandant of the New York Yard and to Commander CoiSn. No fm'ther explanation is needed of the unusual fact that ail expedition, of so elaborate and exceptional a character, sailed on the days fixed, and that in the outfit and prepara- tions not a single omission or defect cf importance was ever discovered. Throughout all the work of preparation, the Navy Depart- ment had the cordial and earnest co-operation of the Secretary of War, and the two Secretaries were in constant consultation upon questions relating to the expedition. In addition to fitting out the Government expedition, it was thought wise to take such subsidiary measures as might offer any promise of a beneficial result. To tliis end recjucsts were made in February by the State Department, through the Consuls at Dundee and St. John's, that the owners of sealing or whaling vessels would direct their captains to be on t^'o lookout for signs of Greely's party, as it was just pos- sible that they might have drifted south on an ice-floe ; and assurances were given that any services performed by the whalers would be substantially recognized by the Govern- ment. Later, Congress wont beyond this, and, on the ITtli of April, directed the Secretary of the Navy to offer a reward of $25,000 for the rescue of Grecly or for the discovery of his fate. Tlie proclamation announcing the offer was issued l)y the Navy Dei>artment on the same day, and distributed through the Legations and Consulates abroad. It was as follows : ■ ( I'l^* • i I ! itf i' ■i • i ) ' '' I,. I ! i; 138 The Rescue of Oreely. proclamation— $25,000 reward. United States of America, Navt Department, Washington, District of Columbia, April 17, 1884. Notice is hereby given that the Government of the United States of America will pay a reward of twenty-flve thousand dollars, to be equita- bly paid or distributed to such ship or ships, person or persons, not in the military or naval service of the United States, as shall discover and rescue, or satisfactorily ascertain the fate of the expedition of Lieutenant A. W. Grcely, an officer of the United States Army, and his command, consisting of about twenty-four persons, which, in tiie month of August, in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-one, landed from the steamer Proteus at Discovery Harbor, in Lady Franklin Sound, in latitude 81° 44' N. and longitude 64' 45' W. Unprepared vessels are warned not to incur extraordinary peril or risk in the effort to secure the reward hereby offered ; the United States will, in no event, bo involved in any future liability or responsibility beyond said reward ; and the determination of the Secretary of the Navy as to the right of any man to said reward, or a share thereof, shall be conclu- sive upon all persons. Witness niy hand, at the Navy Department, in Washington, on said seventeenth day of April, a.d. 1884. William E. Chandler, Secretary of the Navy. Tho proclamation was received at St. John's before the whalers set out for Melville Bay, and aroused the greatest interest among them. Most of them resolved to make an effort to obtain the reward, and tho result was that the whal- ing cruise of 1884: to the North Water was marked by a competition and a zest far beyond those which ordinarilj' characterize tho passage. •i'h !l 'r CHAPTER IX. THE DEPARTURE OF THE RELIEF SQUADRON. The plan upon wliich the N^avy Department had acted in the preparation of the expedition, as described in the last chapter, and wliich it proposed to follow to the end, was clear and consistent. As soon as the decision was reached that it was to take a part in the enterprise, it obtained the fullest advice as to the needs of the service. Before the resolution was passed it took measures to secure 8uital)le ships. Having provided these, it selected a commander, and it placed at his disposal the whole machinery of the Department and Bu- reaus. He was to ask for everything he wanted ; the Secre- tary took care that it should be supplied. Ships, officers, men, provisions, stores, equipment, clothing, — ho had but to sa} hat he needed them and he had them if any country in the world could supply them. That all was accomplislicd according to the commander's fullest wish, and accomplished at the time he fixed, showed an extraordinary energy on the part of the Department. Of course it w;is not done without an unwearied effort, a close attention of the Secretary himself to the minutest details, a personal certainty on his own part that every order was executed to the letter, witli promi)tiieKs and fullness. So much for the preparations. The same })liin was followed in laying out the work of the expedition, llecognizlug that it was impossible to give iiistructions for every contingency in u voyage in the Arctic seas, and that if (180) , ' 1 1 1 a ' 1 il 1 ; I i ■, M M; ii :, m 'I r> 140 Tlte Itescue of Greely. an officer is fit to command at all, he is fit also to judge of the best method to accomplish on the spot a known end, when he is supplied with all the means he has asked for, the Secre- tary hampered the commander of the expedition with no ■ minute directions as to what should be done in this or that hypothesis, but left him i\'<}.Q as air to act accc iing to his discretion. From his first connection with the expedition to the time he sailed, the Department only laid upon him three simple injunctions : first, to ac juaint himself with the circumstances of Greely's voyage in 1881, and of the attempts of 1882 raid 1883, and with Arctic expeditions in general ; secondly, to ask for everything the expedition neodxl; and finally, to take his ships and proceed to the coast of Greenland, or further north, and "find and rescue or ascertain the fate " of the lost explorers. The final orders were as follows : Navy Dei'Aktment, Wasiiinoton, April 21, 1884. Sir : The Thetis, Bear, and Alert, the ships of the Greely Relief Ex- pedition of 1884, being ready, you are ordered to take command of them and to proceed to the coast of Greenland, or further north if necessary, and, if ])ossible, to And and rescue, or ascertiiin the fate of Lieutenant A. W. Greoly and his comrades. All the ofllcers and men under your command are hereby enjoined to perform any duty on sea or land to which you may order them. No detailed instructions will be given you. Full confidence is felt that you have both the capacity and the courajj;e, guided by discretion, necessary to do all that can be required of you by the Department or the nation for tlin rescue of our imperiled countrymen. With earnest wishes and high hopes for your success and safe return, I am. Very respectfully, William E. Chandlku. Secretary of the Navy. Commander Winfikld S. Schtky, U. S. N., Gommaniliriff the Orcein/ Iteluf Expedition, The Departure of the Relief Squadron. 141 The plan adopted was one calculated to call forth all a man's efforts i^ their highest and fullest activity. Power and responsibility were placed from the first, and placed in a single individual, and the fullest confidence was shown that the desired result would be attained. Th«^ Secretary, while untiring in his attention to details, never seemed to feel any apprehension as to the fate of his expedition. At Portsmouth, after the return of the Relief Squadron, some one asked him whether he had not been anx- ious as to the result. " Never for a moment," said Mr. Chan- dler, promptly ; " I thought it possible that one of the ships might be lost, or even two of them ; but there is this advan- tage about being nipped in the ice, that you have always the ice as a refuge. The preparations were so complete, and the precautions taken in the event of any disaster so perfect, that I was sure that, no matter what happened, the result would be accomplished, and that without further calamity." It should not be forgotten that during the preparation of the expedition of 1884 there was little encouragement to be drawn from popular or newspaper utterances ; the recollec- tion of all the disasters in the Arctic regions, and especially of those which had recently overtaken the brave DeLong and his fellows in the Lena delta, was too fresh in the public mind to permit any ^reat hope of success for this new enter- prise. It was generally felt that it was a pity that there should be a necessity of offering new material to almost cer- tain sacrifice; and though all the pcojtlc who vis'tcd the ships before their departure felt that the Government was in duty bound to attempt Greedy 's relief, there were many who freely expressed their regret that the expcMlition should set forth on what seemed to thoni not only a fruitless but a fatal errand. 142 The Rescue of Greely. Hi i ■ (* I^Vi 'v HP y[S| - ,t . 1^1 mlm ''Wim h It is hardly necessary to say that this prevalent feeling did not have a very depressing influence upon the oflScers of the expedition. With regard to Greely's situation there was of course much thought and discussion, but it was recognized as being largely a matter of conjecture. The three com- manders, in their frequent conversations, were never willing to admit the possibility that a general catastrophe had taken place. As for the work of the relief expedition itself, while there was no apprehension of disaster, there was no expecta- on that success would come with a hurrah ; and it was rec- oxyCze^ as a serious imdertaking, to which everybody must give his best efforts. The officers and men of the expedition sailed, if not with a certain, a' least with a possible prospect of wintering beyond Kane Sea ; and although few of them knew much about ice navigation except what they had read of its dangers, and the events of the last two years did not offer much encouragement to the hopes of the public at l.'irge, such considerations did not lead those connected with the squadron to have any doubts about a successful result. Although it is fair to assume that an officer who has the right spirit will always set about any serious duty with the intention of doing his best, it is due to the officers and men of the relief squadron to say that all of them knew that the object of the voyage was something above and beyond the ordinary calls of service, and that they felt an earnestness of purpose which a mere exploring exi^edition would hardly have callo'^ forth. At any rate, whatever may have been tlieir feelings, they certainly evinced a deterniination to spare no pains, to incur any exposure, to assume any required risk, and to 1)0 unflagging in watching for opportunities to gain a mile, a yard, or a foot on the journey toward Greely and his party. The Departure of the Belief Squadron. 143 The Bear^ being most advanced in her preparations, had been designated as the first vessel to depart. Her sailing orders were signed on the 16th of April, and directed her to proceed to Disko and Upernivik, stopping on the way at St. John's only long enough to fill up with coal and take on board the few supplies awaiting her. After engaging Eskimo dog-drivers for the three ships, the Bear was to wait for the Thetis at Upernivik, unless news had been received there of Greely's arrival at Littleton Island, or unless special circmn- stances justified an advance. Neither contingency was very probable, as there is no communication between Cape York and the Danish settlements, and Melville Bay was not likely to be open at that date. If the Bear crossed the Bay, she was to wait for the other ships before advancing into Kane Sea, unless the delay was so long as to lead to the belief that no other ships would arrive. In passing north from Cape York, the coast was to be searched, and cairns were to be placed with records for the other ships at prominent points, of which exact indications were to be given beforehand. If Greely and his party were discovered, they were to be brought to Upernivik, and a record of the fact left at LHtleton Island, Cape Parry, and Conical Rock. General directions were given as to the conduct of the voyage. Sixty days' provisions were to be kept on deck from the moment of arriving in the ice regions, and the men were to have exact and frequent exercises at " fire-quarters," and in " abandoning ship." The date fixed for the departure of the Bear from New York was the 25th of April. It was discovered that this (late foil on Friday, and in deference to the well-known sailor superstition, it was thought best to take another day. It had TF \. 1 \\ ; i 1 i ! 1 fV! 144 The Rescue of Greely. I 1 1 H been determined, however, tb'vt none of the ships should be an hour beiiind the appointed date, and the only alternative was to anticipate it. So the preparations were hurried with redoubled energy, and the Bear set out on Thursday, April "24th. It was half-past three in the afternoon when the advance ship, leaving her moorings at the Kavy Yard, steamed slowly down the East River and out of the harbor of Kew York. The wharves on the Brooklyn and New York sides were thronged with cheering crowds of people, while the steamers and other shipping of the port were dressed with flags and pennants. Tha good wishes and the godspeed were universal. The last message from the Navy Department was a dis- patch telegraphed that morning from Washington to Lieut. Emory : I wish you and all your comrades good health, good courage, and good luck. Good-bye. Wm. E. Chandler, Secretary of the Navy. A week later, at half -past two on the afternoon of May 1st, the Thetis sailed from New York, followed by the same deir lustrations of interest and sympathy. Salutes were fired from the Navy Yard, from Governor's Island, and from Fort Hamilton, the relief ship dipping her colors in return. The Tallapoosa followed her to the lower bay, and the Secretary of the Navy gave her in person his last good-bye. At Sandy Hook lightship, the TJietis was swung to determine the devi- ation of her compasses, and immediately after she proceeded to sea. The passage to St. John's lasted eight days, with fine weather. On the third day out the connecting rod of the air- I T}ie Departure of tJie Relief Stjuadron. 145 pura2> broke. It was rather a discouraging circumstance to meet with such an accident so early in the voyage, but thanks to the efforts of Chief-Engineer Melville, it resulted in only a slight delay. He went to work at the forge himself and spent the night in forging a new rod. The ship continued on her voyage, and early on the morning of May 9th, she steamed into the harbor of St. John's. The Bear had arrived on May 2d, after a severe passage of seven days, part of the time in a thick fog. On the third day out she encountered a heavy gale, which carried away the bridge. She remained at St. John's only two days, just long enough to renew her store of coal, and to receive the supplies which Consul MoUoy had ready for her, — sealskin boots and Elsinore caps for her crew, dogs from Labrador for sled-work, and fresh provisions. The injuries received on the way up were not allow^ed to cause any additional de- lay, only the iron-work being refitted in port, and enough lumber was taken on board to complete the repairs at sea. On the 3d, Lieutenant Emory wrote to the Navy Depart- ment, giving an account of what he had learned at St. John's, and of his proposed movements. He said : " I had the honor to advise you by cable to-day that this season is con- sidered as propitious for favorable ice conditions. Northeasterly gales have prevailed in this vicinity for some weeks ; if they have in the Arctic seas, as there is reason to believe, the ice will have been set in motion to the southward sooner than usual. "The sealing season closed this year the 25th of April, so that all the sealing vessels and whalers in that pursuit have returned to port. These steamers do not go to the northward of the coast of Labrador for seals, so that the information regarding the ico conditions in the Arctic can not be otherwise than the opinions of their respective masters. " AH these steamers report an unusual ciuantlty of ice packed off the Straits of Belle Isle and the southern coast of Labrador. In fact the 10 ; \ i t;*' i\ •I .1 ,; I i y ' f ■■ ^^tf !i11) r' ii!" i, 1 {! ;, ft 146 7%e Rescue of Greely. Neptune, the most successful vessel this season, was jammed in the ice, and her master, while regretting the fact that he was unable to proceed with the other steamers to what he considered the best sealing ground, suddenly found himself surrounded by seals, and in a few days returned to port with forty-one thousand harps [young seals], his ship loaded to her gunwales. The steamers off shore all returned empty. " The above observations have 'determined me to pursue the following course after leaving this port : 1 ake the middle passage of Davis Straits, and Avhcn my progress is obstructed by ice, skirt its edge until I reach the Greenland coast, thence along the edge of the foot-ice to Disko and Upernivik. Should my early arrival at the latter port be prevented by ice, I will then be able to find a lee on the coast, or make one in the foot- ice, to await a favorable opportunity of proceeding. " Should I be able to steam with dispatch to Upernivik, it is not my intention to tarry at Disko ; I will communicate only by boat, leaving dispatches for Commander Schley. Should the ice delay us on the coast of Greenland to the southward of Disko, I will communicate with Hol- steinborg. At the latter place I would be able to obtain news from Uper- nivik of 15th February, and send a mail home via Copenhagen. My instructions say ; ' You may proceed beyond Upernivik if any special circumstances justify such movement.' If upon my arrival at Upernivik I find that the ice conditions are favorable for the passage of Melville Bay, I will attempt it without delay. I have advised the Department by cable that two steam whalers, the Narwhal and the EsqxUmaux, have sailed, and that the Arctic and the Polynia would leave next week for Cape York and the north water, and that their departure two weeks earlier than usual was due to the Greely rewards In addition to these vessels which I have named, several whalers have left Dundee for the same des- tination. All these vessels have instructions for the rescue of the Greely party. In making this attempt the whalers are only put to the additional expense of two weeks earlier in commission. Their intentions are to com- municuto with Cape York, and should they rescue Lieutenant Greely and his party, to land them at Upernivik ; so the only departure from their regular cruise will be a departure of two weeks earlier than usual, and a second passage of Melville Bay. It is not the intention of these whalers, nor Imve they the authority, to go beyond Littleton Island. These stcain whalers are ably commanded, and are efRcicntly fitted out. Their masters are ambitious to secure the Greely party ; and, although the reward will not be a secondary consideration, they are one and all desirous of obtaining the prestige of the rescue. From information that I can gather, it would seem that the Arctic will be our only dangerous ( £ n fii m to ' ba W ot th T] The Departure of the Relief Squadron. 147 competitor. She is not stronger thau the Bear or Thetis, but has more powerful engines. I have arranged everything at this place to avoid any delay to the Thetis, and have left full information of every event for Commander Schley, also of my future intentions. " I am led to believe that even should the season prove most favorable, Commander Schley will be able to reach Upernivik before ^riy vessel can undertake or attempt the passage of Melville Bay. Should he not arrive before I leave I feel sure my decision to sail for Cape York at the first moment practicable will meet with your approval and that of the Commander-in-chief of the expedition." On the 4tli further intelligence had been obtained of the movements of the whalers, and Emory wrote : " The following-named vessels (steam whalers) have sailed for the whale fishery of Lancaster Sound and Pond's Inlet, via Melville Bay, and their masters are intending to go, at least to Littleton Island, in the endeavor to get the $25,000 reward. Triune, \ CornwaXlis, I Barque rigged ; sailed two or three weeks ago from Nova Zemhla, [" Dundee ; are now in Davis Straits. Jan Maen, ) Narichal, sailed April 36, from St. John's for North "Water. Esquimaux, " May 3, Polynia, will sail May 4 to 5, " " Arctic, " " May 6, " " Aurora, " " May 7 to 8," " " Resolute, will sail for the east coast of Greenland. If the fishing is bad, may go up the west coast for the reward." Of the whalers mentioned, the Resolute was the oiily one which the expedition never met. The Jam, Maen and the Esquimaux were only fallen in with on the return trip. Tlie other seven, together with the Wolf of St. John's, attempted the passage of Melville Bay in company with the relief ships. On the 4th the Bear put to sea again, bound for Disko. The passage waa rough and stormy. On the way up the 5 fit I I. k 148 The liesGue of Greely. s ir^ :|i I days began sensibly to lengthen, until the Arctic circle was reached. From this time the sun never went below the hori- zon, until the same point was passed on the return, and the oflScers and men experienced the novel sensation of being obliged to manufacture darkness for purposes of sleep. The first field ice was met ofE Holfl"teinborg, and on the 13th the Bear arrived at Godhavn. Hardly stopping, Emory hur- ried on, steaming up the western shore of Disko Island, but when abreast of Haroen, or Hare Island, he found the ice impenetrable. A gale was blowing from the southward with no signs of abating. With the wind from this direction nothing could be done. The danger of remaining to wind- ward of the pack, and near its edge, was a risk that no pru- dent commander could run. So the Bear returned to God- havn to wait for a change of wind. On the way back along the west shore of the island, the Bear sighted two steamers coming in to Godhavn. These were the whalers Polynia and N^ova Zenibla. The Polynia had left St. John's the day after the Bear. She was commanded by Captain Walker, the oldest and most experienced of the whaling captains in the fleet. The I^ova Zemhla had been cruising off the coast of Newfoundland for seals, and later in Davis Strait for bottle-nosed whales. These two were the first of the Dundee whaling fleet which were met by either of the relief ships in the Greenland waters. As Emory had been told at St. John's, they were on their annual cruise after fish, but they intended before going to Lancaster Sound to make an effort to secure the £5,000 reward. The CornwalUs and Narwhal had been seen off Disko some days before, but had gone off to the southwest and disappeared. The Bear ran in and anchored near the entrance of the The Departure of the Relief Squadr(m. 149 harbor, wliere she remained three days. During this delay precautions were taken to put everything in readiness, for the event o^ a possible disaster. Provisions were got up and stowed on deck. The boats were filled with men and provis- ions, and a trial of them was made to see if they would carry their loads. The spare propeller was got up out of the hold, and lashed in the port gangway. The crew was exercised in " abandoning ship " on the ice-foot, and torpedoes were ex- ploded in the ice to test their effect. At Godhavn the Bear purchased from Peterson, the gov- ernor, a team of seven trained Eskimo dogs, in addition to the eighteen Labrador dogs she had taken on board at St. John's. As a rule, the Labrador dog is a more satisfactory animal than his cousin from Greenland. He is a little more tractable and takes naturally to his work, when the Eskimo dog must be driven. Moreover he is a water-dog, and will swim from floe to floe across leads, where the other must be ferried over — a matter of great importance in working over the ice. Both breeds eat enormously, but with the difference that the Eskimo will not work for some time after eating, while Labrador dogs are ready at all times. All of them are savage and wolfish to a degree, and if a man falls on the ice they will attack him at once. "With an Eskimo team a king must be chosen, and the dogs fight day and night until the strongest comes to the front. During this process they are virtually useless, if they have not been previously trained to the sleds. Even when it is over, the mastery must be established anew whenever dogs from different teams are brought together. When the king- ship is once admitted the entire team are ready to yield him the most crouching subserviency. The king dog always lies on \ h I ,» ■' ■ , 1 ' \ t f 1 150 The Rescue of Oreeh/. i the sled and the others about him on the ice. In travelHng, a growl from the king is enough to start up all the dogs, and it fares ill with any one that heeds it not. A skulker is always punished when the team returns from a journey, not only by the king, but by the whole pack, who pitch upon liim and finally kill him, if he is not rescued from them in time. The Greenland dog undergoes the worst possible treatment from his Eskimo master, and is made to endure all sorts of exposure and liardship on a minimum allowance of food — perhaps a pound and a half of seal meat, which he gets once a day. If he licks the hand he is generally rewarded with a kick, and if he seeks shelter he is driven off to the ice. He is expected to be ready at all times for work, and always to keep up his endurance with nothing in his stomach. If he dies under this treatment, his master wonders what killed him ^ but in fact the only cause for wonder is that he manages to live at all. On Wednesday, the 2l8t, the wind came out from the north, and in the afternoon the Bear left Godhavn and once more steamed up to Hare Island. The two whalers had started betimes in the morning, but about ten o'clock in the evening the Bear ])assed them, both under sail, beating up to the northward. The pack was still dense, and the move- ment of the heavy floes in the tidal currents about the north end of Disko Island was full of danger. The Bear advanced slowly and tediously through tortuous leads, until on the 23d she had crossed the mouth of the Waigat and worked in to the land near Noursoak. Here half a dozen natives came out in their kayaks, among them those whom Ln utonant Colwell had sent on the year before to Godhavn, to bring the Tlie Departure of the Belief Sqiiadron. 151 Yantic tlie news of his approach. Colwell was on board the Bear, and they recognized him at once, and were made happy with a present of bread and tobacco. Steaming along the land through ice heavily rafted, the Bear made slow progress during the next two days. The mouth of Omenak Fiord was passed, and on the 25th, the ship was tied up to a large sheet of ice off Svarten Iluk. On the opposite side of the sheet a third whaler, the Triu7ie, was found at anchor. She had been here a week rejjairing her boilers. A few miles to the northward were two more, the Aurora and Comwallis. It was learned from some of the Trlune'^s people who walked over the ico to the Bear, that another, the Narwhal, had succeeded in getting still further up. Of the fleet of eight vessels that was destined to ac- company the relief ships into Melville Bay, these four, with the Polynia and Nova Zemhla, some distance in the rear, were all that had as yet made their appearance. No further progress was made that day, and very little on the next. On the 27th, however, the pack moved off, leaving open water with occasional streams of ice to the northward, and the Bear cast off early in the morning, and putting on full speed steamed all day along the coast. At seven in the evening she i)a?8cd the Comwallis, and at ton the Nanvhal. Tue Aurora was still ahead, and the Aurora, as the relief ships afterwards learned, was not easily to be beaten. Under the circumstances, Emory, linding he had clear water which, for all hj knew, might extend across the buy, continued on his course without stopping at Upernivik, and did not bring up until he reached Brown Island, eighteen miles beyond, where ho was headed off by a solid barrier. The Aurora, which ho had passed just before, anchored about two miles off 1 \ y I I' ! i ' : :( J il ' i ii I 152 77i6 Hesoue of Greely. from liim on the edge of the ice, where she was joined soon after by the Cormvallis and Narwhal. The Bear waited eight hours at Brown Island, but there was not the shghtest encouragement for expecting a break-up, and Emory rehic- taritly steamed back. Late in the evening he picked up a native in his kayak, and induced him to pilot the sliip into XJpernivik, where she arrived at 10.40 p.m., tlie Polynia^ Triune^ and Nova Zemhla getting in from the southward just ahead of her. Meanwhile, the Thetis^ after her arrival at St. John's on the 9th, had remained tliere two days and a half, long enough to take on board supplies similar to those received by tlio Bear, including eighteen Labrador clogs. During this time the weatiior was foggy and rainy. Sleet storms oc- curred once or twice, and the temperature fell to about 40°. The iiccessary boating was wet and disagreeable work, though the weather did not interfere with the preparation of the ship for sea. During her stay the Thetis was visited by several of the English officers from the Tenedos, and other ships of war lying in port. One of the oflicers had been in the Hope with Sir Allen Young, when she rescued Leigh Smith, and examining the Thetis with the critical eye of an expert in Arctic matters, he seemed to be strongly impressed with the thorouglincHS with which she had been iitted out. On Saturday night, while the parts of tiie engine were be- ing conneccud ioT sea, a small brass bearing was lost in some unaccountable way. The next day Melville went on shore to replace it, but as it was Sunday, he could not induce any ono to give him assistance, although ho was free to take the keys of the shops to work if ho choso. Nothing could bo doiio The Departure of the Relief Squadron. 153 beyond getting brass enough to enable him to fit a proper fixture himself, the inhabitants concluding that Americans were " a race of Sabbath-breakers," and that no good would come to them if they worked on a Sunday. At St. John's, one of the firemen was found to be dis- qualified for work and exposure at the north, and lie was sent ashore to bo returned to the United States. As one of the machinists had been injured on the way up, and there was some doubt as to the probable time of his recovery, an- other man waB enlisted for the service. Among the articles taken on board at St. John's were two thousand pounds of beef and vegetables which were intended to afford all hands a fresh meat and vegetable ration once or twice a week until the region of deer or otlier game was reached. The beef was covered with gunny sacking and hung up in the rigging out of reach of the dogs. A day's sail from St. John's carried the ships into cold weather and a freezing temperature, so that the beef was frozen hard and all danger of fepoiling removed. It was in- tended to keep at least two quarters exclusively for Lieuten- ant Groely and his party, for it was recognized from the be- ginning that when found they would probably be in a desti- tute condition. The coaling steamer Loch Garry^ which had been char- tered to carry 500 tons of Cardiff coal in bags to Littleton Island for the use of the expedition, was found waiting at this point. She was an ordinary iron steamer of 1,000 tons, entirely unprepared for the ice, although her crew had seen some service at the North, and her master. Captain Kobert Jones, was an experienced ice navigator, whose knowledge was of great use in the management of Lis ship. Notv/ith- ■I I » I I I \, \\ ''•;/ i I: i i 'ip Li!;! 'I'll !!;,, 164 TJte ResGite of Greely. standing lier defects, the importance of having coal at hand was so great that it was necessary to take some risk in get- ting it to the point where it was wanted. Ensign Chambers, of the TJietis^ was detailed for duty on board the Loch Ga/rry to represent the Government, and to protect its interests in its responsibility for the ship and cargo from the time of her sailing until her return to St. John's. Two seamen were detailed from the Thetis for duty with him, and were required to keep a regular watch. The master's position was to be verified each day, and he was required by written instructions to follow the directions given by Ensign Chambers as to his movements. While the two ships I'emained in company, the Loch Garry was di- rected to take a position at three cables' distance on the star- board quarter of the Thetis. The two vessels left St. John's at 6 a.m.. May 12th, and soon after clearing the harbor were enveloped in a dense fog. During the afternoon the wind hauled to the northeast, and blew up into a gale with heavy sea, which increased very much the difficulty of keeping the prescribed distance. To- wards 5 P.M., broken lumps of ice were reported ahead, but they were discovered to be the washings from an iceberg soon after seen through the fog close aboard. At this time, an iceberg was looked upon with considerable concern, as a formidable and dangerous object, and to come within a quar- ter of a mile of it was regarded as getting uncomfortably close. A week's experience in Melville Bay produced a wonderful change in the feeling of awe with which a berg was regarded. On this occasion, the Thetis prudently got out of the way as soon as possible. The ships continued their journej' ''ith alternations of fair The Departure of ilie Relief Squadron. 165 and bad weather, meeting occasionally with field ice, until the morning of May 22d, when tliey arrived at the edge of the harbor ice of Godhavn. Considerable time was required to moor the vessels properly, as all hands lacked practical experi- ence with ice-implements, and several attempts were made before the process was successful. Afterwards during the cruise, when practice had made everybody familiar with the tools, ice-anchoring was seldom an operation of more than three minutes. The ordinary ice-anchor was a large iron hook bent nearly at a right angle, with a point to be inserted in a hole in the ice. At first, the hole for the fluke of the anchor v/as made with picks and cliisels, but later ice-augers were tried and found to be a decided improvement. These augers, -^rhicli had been furnished by the Ordnance Bureau for bor- lag holes for torpedoes, were designed by Lieutenant Brad- ley A. Fiske, of the Bureau, and were contrived with con- siderable ingenuity, after experimenting with cakes of ice in the ice-house at the Navy Yard at Washington. The borer was a half cylinder of steel, four inches in diameter and four feet long, witli a twisted point, and the instrument was pro- vided witli additional sections, so that its length could be ad- justed at four, eight, twelve, or sixteen feet, according to the thickness of the ice to bo bored through. Generally two sections wore sufiicient. Although only intended to be used for torpedoes, the augers were found to servo equally well for ice-anchors. On the day after the ships arrived, a southerly gale packed the harbor so full of ice that they were delayed for thirty-six hours. During this enforced delay many little kindnesses and courtesies ^- zero shown to the ofiicers and men by the authori- 1(1 ' t j i i • i I ! I I I \ i /, ■I. I i'i I, '!' ii it I 156 The BesGue of Greek/. ties of North Greenland, Mr. Anderson, the Royal Inspector, and Mr. Petersen, the Governor and Chief Trader. As the dogs had been without a proper keeper since leav- ing St. John's, an Eskimo nanicd David Danielsen was en- gaged for the cruise of the Tlidisy and a contract was signed for his services as dog-driver. David had served in tlie Proteus on her voyage of the year before, and on the retreat had been assigned to Colwell's boat, which made the memorable passage alone across Melville Bay, and along the coast from Uperuivik to Disko. In spite of the hard- ships and fright he had experienced on the trip, the i-ecol- lection of his good fare on board the steamer overcame any lingering impressions of the retreat from the wreck, and he was glad to go with the Thetis. Here he made the mofct of his opportunities after his ecanty allowance of food at Disko, and in a few weeks he grew to aldermauic proportions. On the 24th, at nine in the morning, the Thetis and Loch Garry sailed for Upernivik. At the North Fiord they came up to a solid ice barrier, which from its pressed-up and hum- mo(,;ky appearance was recognized as the polar pack of the last season. The Thetis rauimed her way in for fifty yards, and lay there during the night, while the collier remained on the edge. Next morning a gale sprang up from the south- west, and the Loch Garry was sent back to Godhavn to await a cliango of wind. The Thetis now got everything in readiness to enter the ice-pack. In the sudden and treacherous movements of the ice, there is little opportunity to save much, if preparation has been delayed uutil a disaster occurs, and there is never time enough to make a selection from the variety of stores in a Bhi])'s hold, so as to take those which contain the most I 2%e Departure of the Relief Squadrmi. 157 nourishment in the least space. Careful instructions were tlierefore given, assigning to each officer and man his indi- vidual duty, in case a nip made it necessary to abandon the si lip, and everything was made ready for lauding on the ice. Knliber knapsacks were packed and served out to each officer and man, containing a complete shift of under-clothing and foot-gear, a tablet and pencil for records or notes, and a box of rifle or sporting ammunition. The daily change of foot- gear, which comprises the whole of an Arctic toilet on the ice, is of the utmost importance to avoid frost-bite, the wet gear being dried under the clothing of the wearer on the march. Sixty days' supplies of provisions, consisting of pcmmican, beef, pork, tea, sugar, hard biscuit, salt, and pepper, together with stoves, alcohol, pots, pans, and two boxes of ammunition for the fowling-pieces and rifles, were stowed on deck along- side the boats for which they were intended, and marked ac- cordingly. Thereafter the provisions were regularly inspected from day to day to see that none should be spoilt when they were needed for use. Packed as they were in tin cases, no injury was feared from moisture or from exposure to the elements, and deterioration within could easily be discovered l)y the swelling of the heads of the cases. In making these preparations the Arctic experience of Sebree and ]\lelville was found invaluable. As soon as everything was in readiness, the Thetis pushed on into the pack. It was here that the crow's-nest lirst came into frequent and important use. From its position near the masthead, at an elevation of 120 or 130 feet, it gives a broad lookout, with a range of twelve or liftceu miles in clear weather. The ice-fields are stretched out in a wide pane- [■I i ■K y \ 1 .11 ■ ■1 ■'i ^ 1 ■ \ i; \ \ . f ^.' 158 The Rescue of Greely. Mi n ■in; rama, and every lead and crack is marked out like the lines on a map, when nothing can be seen from the deck. It is the only place from which the movements of a ship can be intelligently directed in the pack, and from the time of en- te**iiijr, during all the ice-work, with little intermission the Captain has his station here except while he is asleep. Ex- cept for the conf "iPTa-, and the increased jar from the shock of ramming- hicn last, however, soon wears off — it is a comfortable place enoL;.:>', and no captain who has any concern for his ship would occupy any other while she is in the pack. In all the Dundee whalers, to which class the Thetis and Bear of course belonged, the crow's-nest is a heavy barrel with the upper head knocked out, attached to the foremast or mainmast, and largo enough to hold a man standing up- right. It is held in place by two stout iron bands fitted tightly around it, and secured to two others around the mast. The bottom is arranged as a round trap-door on heavy hinges, opening upward and closing down on a heavy supporting ledge. A seat is placed on the after side of the barrel, but there is not much chance to sit down while the vessel is working through the pack. An iron rod encircling the top gives a rest for the telescope. The whole structure is abaft the mast, and a rope ladder extends up to it from the deck. For directing the movements of the engine, a line extends from the after part of the crow's-nest to the bell-pull, by which the usual signals arc g.'ven. For communicating witli the helmsman on board the Thetis^ an arrangement was used which had been suggested by Ensign Harlow. Three twine lines were run from the crow's-nest to the bridge, each hav- ing a play up and down of about a foot. On the bottom of The Departure of the Relief Squadron. 159 eacli of these lines, lead cylinders were placed, in full view of the quartermaster, one green, one red, and one green and red. A pull on the green meant " starboard," on the red, " port," and on the green and red, " steady." Two pulls meant " hard starboard," or " hard port," as the case might be. These simple little contrivances made it as easy to direct the ship from the crow's-nest as from the bridge, and avoided all calling out from aloft. To an inexperienced eye, the first impression from the crow's-nest, in looking over the pack, apart fronx itf 'V'tiire of ihe Relief Squadron. IbT It V as agreed that Governor Elborg should go on board the Thetis to Eangitok, to secure Ooloo's services, and at 5 p.m. the relief ships sailed northward. At Upernivik, a second Eskimo, Nicolai, was engaged for the Bear as interpreter, as Hans, the man shipped at Disko as dog-driver, could not speak English. As the ice in Melville Bay was too formidable for the col- lier, she was directed to remain at Upernivik and await the arrival of the^^^;'^, which would convoy her across to Smith Sound. She was also directed to land fifty tons of coal as a base of supply on the return, and during her delay to secure herself against dangers from the ice. The sailing orders of the Alert, issued before the departure of the Thetis, directed her to proceed at the earliest possible date to St. John's, thence to Godhavn and Upernivik, where information could be obtained of the advance vessels, and so on to Littleton Island, touching at Conical Rock, Cape Farry, and Cape Alexander to examine cairns. At Littleton Island, if the Thetis and Bear were absent to the northward, a sledge party of eight persons, with provi- sions for lifty days, was to be sent to search the south coast of Kane Basin, an far as the Humboldt Glacier. ^ s soon as the l)arty had got off, the Alert was to proceed to Foulke Fiord, wliere the house brought from New York was to be landed and i)ut up. h\ the house were to be stored all the provisions posnible, leaving 'n the vessel only < nough to sup- ply the crew on the voyage back to New Vork. Forty tons of coal were to bo landed, and the ntation was to 1)0 placed in ('liargo of an oflu'cr i\m\ two men. The party was to bo eu])- plied witli guns and ammuuition, and a steam cutter ftud %\ 4h f> h ^. 1 }\ r I- I i ■ /'I I .1 ;1 .. H ! \^ !| i ■ Ji H^MJ 1 ^ Hiii^ w 11 i'l' p 1C8 T/w HesGue of Greely. wliale-boat were to be left with them. During their stay they were to set up the instruments furnished by the Signal Office, and take the observations directed in its programme. The Alert was intended to remain at Foulke Fiord until September 10th. If nothing was heard of the advance ships by that time, she was to run up to Littleton Island and over to Cape Sabine to look out for signals, and if nothing was observed, to return to Upernivik or Disko, to wait for tidings of the exj)edition. If no news came by September 25th, the Alert was to return to St. John's. It was expected that the collier would meet the Alert at Foulke Fiord, and Coffin was directed to take the remainder of her coal cargo, and send her back to Newfoundland. The inability of the Loch Garry to cross Melville Bay led to a modification of this programme. The Alert left New York on the date fixed, May 10th followed by the same good wishes and popular demonstrations that had been given to the advance ships. As she got under way, the British en- sign was hoisted at the fore, and was kept flying as she steamed down the Iiarbor, the Navy Yard saluting it with twenty-one gun.s. Like the other ships, the Alert was pro- vider] vA\]\ stores for two years, aud carried on her spar deck the firanes aiid lumber for the two houses for the winter quarters at i ■, ulke Fiord, whore it was intended to maintain a depot ui on v liich to fall back, if disaster sliould overtake the advimco slrip.A. She reached St. John's on the 22d, and ly the Alert with dogs, it was affor- warti; deemed wise that she should carry them, and as this The Bqiariure of the Belief Squadron. 169 team liad been ordered by Garlington, and bad been collected at Disko on the strength of this order, instractions for Coffin to take them had been left when the Thetis was at Disko. During the stay in port, the crew were practiced in the use of ice tools and torpedoes, and exercised in " abandoning ship," all hands landing at the drill upon the ice, and the boats being hauled out with thirty days' provisions. The ship sailed from Godhavri June 9th, and after a passage of very much the same character as that of the other vessels, reiched Upernivik June 13th, about two weeks after thd others. The Loch Garry was awaiting her arrival, and Coffin re- ceived the instructions informing him that she was left be- hi!id to come on later under his convoy, the ice to the north- ward making it unsafe to venture with her so early. Under these orders the Ahrt was obliged to delay her departure until the condition of the ice in Melville Bay was favorable to the passage of the collier. The time was occupied in coal- ing and in exercises similar to those })racticed at Disko. The Akrfs bunkers were lilled and a quantity of coal stowed on deck, so that if accident should befall the Loch Oarry^ the Alert would still have enough to make a depot at Foulke Fiord. This done, the two vessels waited for the moving of the ice. :;-1 ! ■' i I! I ii CHAPTER X. u M I H' ii :i MELVILLE BAT. At five o'clock on the afternoon of May 29th, the Thetis and tlie Bear left their anchorage at Upernivik, and started on the passage of Melville Bay. The same stretch of water had been crossed by the Proteus^ with Grecly on board, in 1881, in thirty-six lionrs; by the Neptu7ie^ with Beebe, in 1882, in eiglity hours; and by the Proteus again, with Gar- lington, in 1883, in seventy-two hours. All these passages had been made at least a month later in the season. But Melville Bay in June is a very different place from Melville Bay in July or August ; and the Thetis and Bear, making every effort, seizing every opening and lead, and fighting for every inch of progress, were forced to consume twenty days in reaching Cape York. After leaving Upernivik, the two vessels touched at one or two points to obtain seal-meat for the dogs, and arrived a lit- Ue after nine o'clock p.m., at the island of Kingitok, formerly a Danish trading post. The settlement consisted of a few Eskimo huts, with an abandoned storehouse. Here the relief fillips took up a berth alongside of W\q Arctic, the seven other whalers lying on the seaward side of the island. Governor Elborg was still on board the Thetis', and soon after the ves- sel had anchored, he sent for Ooloo, the native pilot whom he Lad hoped to secure for the expedition. Ooloo was an Eski- mo of low stflture, with a frank and intelligent face. Ho (170) :i -i; .11 Melville Bay. in was tlie head man of tlie settlement, and a man upon whom tlie Governor placed great reliance. Several interviews were held with him, but his wife had just died, leaving several small children for him to look after, and though the prospect of plenty of food and a warm sleeping-berth on board the T/idis was a strong temptation, he could not be induced to leave his family. His supply of English words was limited, but he managed to convey his ideas by saying: "Mi go muchec, — hab spleke pagoniimies, ketch plenty die. Come more time, pagonninny more big, Ooloo can go." All of which meant that he would like to go, and had spoken to his children, but they thought they would die if they were left alone ; but when the ship came back, his children would be larger, and then he could go. While he would have been of Bome iT'e in working through this dangerous part of the coast, it seemed rather hard to repress such commendable senti- ments, and the effort was finally given up. On the afternoon of Friday, tlie 3()th, Elborg started back in his whale-boat, but returned in a little while, havhig been unable to get through the ice. ITe was off again in the even- ing, however, this time for good, and carried back to Uper- nivik a mail from the ships, which everybody sent as the last message for homo and friends before an indefinite stay in the Arctic. The "last message" was picked up at Upcmivik by the ships on their return, no opportunity having occuri-ed to send it off in the meantime. All the ships were detained at Kingitok for two days. Parties of ofiicers were sent repeatedly to the hill-top with glassei, but no signs were visible of a break in the ice. On Saturday, the dog foams were exorcised on the islaTid. The whaling captains crossed the pool of open water in their ■n^i I \ 172 The Jifscne of Greely. i i' V, M. I ^1 II Ml I %n Bteam launches and visited the Rhips, and the Bear Rteamed about the harbor to ascertain tlie local deviations of the compass. On Snnday, the first of June, a squall from the southwest broke up the ice in the harbor, destroying the ice-foot, and the ships ran around to the north side of the island to get out of the "svay of the running pack. Soon after, leads were dis- covered to the northward and westward, and all the ships cast off and followed them. By the afteraoon they had reached a point east of Berry Island. Ahead, the way was blocked by impassable ice, and the ships were again tied up, three of the whalers being to the eastward, lying close under the land. Soon after her arrival, the Bear discovered a lead inshore, and was pushing through it, leading the Thetis^ when she ran upon a rock. The rock was just between two icebergs which were at least forty feet out of watcir, and at the usual ratio of one to seven between the heights of the exposed and the under-water surfaces, tlic depth at this p(jint could not be less than 280 feet, or 47 fathoms. Every precaution had been taken on board tlie Bear — but no care will prevent a vessel from striking an unknown rock fourteen feet under water, where all the indications point to a considerable depth ; and the Thetis was not without mishaps of the same kind. The islands off Tassuisak were reached later in the day, and the injury to the Bear was examined ])y means of a water-telescope — a contrivance used by the whalers, made of ordinary stove-piping, with a glass titted in the lower end to exclude water. It was pushed a foot or two under the w;iter with the glass end down, and showed exactly the na- ture and extent of the iniurv. This was found to Ixj Icse \.\\'\ f 1 ■i ' 1 I M ' ; P 1 ' s ^' ? i' f 1 1 i i • 1 !f V . ' if 1 I )i ^, ..^^v^ w \r 1^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■u lU 12.2 Z lio 12.0 1^ I m '-'' l^ IJ4 ^ 6" » ? Photographic Sciences Corporation «• as WIST MAIN ITRIIT WnSTIR.N Y 145)0 (716) ■7a-4S03 %:\4 I , 'i^ I l\ M W it Meloille Bay. 173 serious than was at first supposed. Three or four inches of tlie stcni-platc were broken off at the bottom, two keel-straps were kncxjked off, and a piece of the fore-foot and a little of the sheathing were gone. The wood ends were uninjured, however, and the leak, which was at first seven inches per hour, wjis very soon stopped. During all the next day, everybody remained fast in the ice. Four of t!ie whalers could be seen to the east near the land, and four to the west. There was so little movement in the ])ack that the four ships lying l)eset to seaward did not even shift their l)caring8 during the day. All through the pack could be seen numbere of icebergs, of all shapes and sizes ; the ice was studded with them. An attempt was made to force a lead by ranmiing, but after jiinking a little progress the ice wjis found to l)o too solid, and it was abandoned. On the bd, some natives came off with sledges to the Narwhal^ and JSicolai was sent to get information. As they reported clear water to the northward, the Thetis and Bear cast off and steamed in and out among the islands and ice- bergs, following such leads as they could find, which turned and twisted in every conceivable direction. At one time the llietia passed so close to a berg that she had to brace her yards sharp up to get by. It goes without saying that it was impossible to tidce anything like courses here — or, in fact, anywhere else in Melville JJay at this season. When the ship was advanc- ing, her progi*cs8 could cnly be determined by taking bear- ings of an iceberg, and estimating its distance after passing a few miles beyond. The charts were of little help; in fact, ])art of the time the ships wore steaming over places which the chart gave as land. In the afternoon a well-marked lead was followed for some distance by ramming, but it ended in ! \\ ri I 174 The Rescue of Grcely. a bar, and the attempt to pass tlirongh was given up for the time, the ships again making fast to the ice near Wedge Island. Soon after anchoring, tliree natives came out with sleds from Titliasook, who contradicted the reports of the morning and gave the discouraging information that there was no open water to the north, and that the ice extended beyond Cape Shackleton. During Wednesday, the 4th, the ships were visited by numbers of natives from Tassuisak, the northernmost of the Danish settlements, a little village lying embayed among the islands. Thesc^ Eskimo are the most northerly of the native inhabitants under the Danish control, and like those seen farther south, were of medium stature, and covered with Bmokc Boot, grease, and other dirt, which seemed to vary only with the age of the individual. As water never touches these people except by accident, the accumulation of dirt on their faces was a fair indication of their age. • The Governor of Tassuisak, Kleeman, also came off in his dog-sled, and by earnest representations of the danger of the exposed position in which the ships were lying, persuaded the Commander of the Expedition, rather against his judgment, to put into the harbor, where the ships were anchored to the ice off the governor's house. Within three hours after an- choring, the lead of the day before opened for several miles. Casting off their linos, and putting on full steam, they made a rush to get through, but were just too late. The Thctia was ahead and ramming her best at a i)lace off Horse Head, where the lane narrowed down to a point, trying to crack off n pioce (►f ice at the sif'e, but not having room enough to strike fairly, slie glanced off, and was driven into the sharp point of the crack. At the same moment the ico closed, and she was held fast in the nil). Melville Bay. ■4 *.«» As the Beai' was cle«ir, although she had no room for turn- iiiir, liawsers were run to her bow from the stern of the Thetis^ and both vessels reversed their engines and X)ut on a full head of steam ; but the T/utis, driven into the crack, like a wedge between the fibres of a tree, would not budge an inch, and a three-inch steel and six-inch manilla hawser were parted in the attempt to haul her out. Holes were then bored in the ice and torpedoes were exploded in them, to break a way before the ship. Five gunpowder torpedoes were first planted in the line of the lead ahead, about fifteen feet apart, and six feet from the surface, the holes being bored through two layers of ice, in all eight feet thick. Tho result of the explosion was a crack, aiiJ some lateral fracture, the crack reaching to the open water beyond ; but the ship waa not eased frotn the nip. A single gunpowder torpedo was next exploded on the port bow without results. An hour later five gun-cotton and six gunpowder torpedoes were exploded off the starboard bow and beam. The result wa8 again disappointing, the gun-cotton making circular holes four feet in diameter, with no perceptible shattering, and the gunpowder making smaller holes with a few inconsiderable cracks. The only substantial effect of the torpedoes was in softening the ice at the side of the ship, which thus formed a cuHJiion and relieved her from the heaviest pressure ; but she remained fast in tho grij) of the pack, and no force could move her. Tho Thetis stood the strain handsomely, and while the nip lasted, it crushed up the ice against her side, and raised her bow three or four feet, but without starting a timber. On the next moving the pack slacked off a little and tho Tliciis was released. It was found that she had sustained no \-\ i: 176 The Rescue of Greely. \\ II * \\ 'I 1 injury. After she had extricated herself, she succeeded, by backing and ramming under full speed, in making her way tJirough the obstruction and into the narrow Etream of open water beyond, followed by the Bear. This stream continued to the northward, but for the rest of the day progress was slow. Icebergs were numerous, the leads were narrow and required frequent ramming, and it was only occasionally that ^arge floes could be forced aside. Every mile of northing brought the ships into contact with heavier and more for- midable pack. Cape Shackleton was passed at three in the afternoon, and at six the two ships were stopped by a barrier about five miles south of the Duck Islands, where they were moored to the floe. Here they came up with five of the whalers, which had passed them during the nip at Horse Head. A sixth, the Polynia^ had followed through the leads astern of the Bem\ up to the moorings ; and the re- maining two, the Triune and the Nova Zeinhla^ were to be seen five miles to the southward in the ofling. On the morning of the Gth, the ships made an advance of two miles, and coming to an ice-bar, butted two or three lengths into the floe, and made a dock for themselves. The Duck Islands were still three miles away. In the afternoon slight changes appeared to the northward, and little openings could be seen here and there, inviting a fresh attack. The bar of ice lying directly in front of the ships showed no signs of weakening, but it was necessary to penetrate it before they could arrive at the leads beyond. In the evening an opening occurred just ahead of the ArGiic^ and that vessel and the Aurora^ the must active of the wlialers, charged the ice with the Thetis and the Bear. The two whalers forced their way through first, and worked up tlirough the cracks beyond* Melville Bay. 177 The Bear was the next to break through, and found a whid- ing lead, just wide enough for her to squeeze into it. The Thetla followed close behind her, and the six other whalers came after in her w^ake, using the openings that had been cut through the bar. Later the Thetis and Bear changed places. It was about nine in the evening when the movement began, but the day was clear and line, and the view from the crow'e- iiest extended over miles of glittering ice. The eight ships were under full steam, and they made a picturesque and beautiful eight in the bright sunlight as they wound their way in line ahead, through tortuous lanes and past lofty ice- bergs, each one with her bow almost over the talTrail of the next ahead, the captains hailing each other from the crow's- nests, and the ships glancing off on corners, and swinging round into the leads beyond. A little before one o'clock in the morning, the long lleet had reached the belt of open water just under the islands, and had moored to the ice-foot. The Duck Islands are regarded as the outpost for advance throMgh the much-dreaded waters of Melville Bay. Hero the first problem to be solved before the passage can Ikj undertaken is to determine the land ice from the floe. The line of land ice varies with each month of the short Arctic summer, breaking off further and further in as the season iidvances. Usually, the first break determines the line for about a month after it occurs, and, if the pack is still in the bay, a ship nmst wait for this break. An the floes detacU from the land ice, they drift off under the influence of the wind or tide, leaving behind them the narrow lanes which are called "leads." Winds from the north or tides from the north are always favorable. Winds or tides from the south are always unfavorable and dangerous, as they drl-vo the 12 I '».'■; i 1 li 1 . 1 i 1 ; T •'t L '\ 'i J ' ' f ' »i ■ i 1 178 The Uescue of Greely. r ■ I ! ,1 1 1 whole mass of detaclxed floe back against the land ice, and the point where they come together is the dreaded nip. Woe to any ship caught between these two masses I As the line of breakage, however, is always ragged and irregular, any move- ment of the floe parallel to the edge of the land ice will bring tlie projections of one opiX)site those of the other, so that when the masses are driven together again the edges do not fit. A ship working along the edge of the land ice can almost always find a refuge in case of a nip in the natural docks formed by these open spaces. It is in order to be in the best position for advancing through the lead as soon as it opens that it is so important to detennine land from floe ice. Another reason for its importance is that there is always danger with noi'therly winds and the low tem]X}rature which they bring with them, if the ship is lying in the floe ice, that she will be frozen in, in which case she is likely to diift off with the pack, and ultimately to drive back through Davis Strait, as happened to McClintock in the Fox during the imfavors'ble season of 1857. If the ship is well in with the land ice she can moor to it, and if necessary she can ram or blow out a dock to avoid nips. The next four day^?, from the 7th to the 11th, were days of anxious waiting and watching. The ships could not move from their ancrhoragc. The weather was generally fine, thougli with occasional fogs and snow-storms. When it was clear, a lookoat was sent to the summit of the hills on the islands to discover any possible chance of advance. Very little comfort was derived from these visits. The vast sea of ice lay unbroken to the north and west. Sometimes it Bcomcd as if it would never break up. The countless ice- bergs lay in stately and silent splendor, with here and there a MelviUe Bay. 179 sligliL pool of water about them. This last was a promising sign, and the expedition had by this time learned that the changes M'ith e'>ery turn of a kaleidoscope are not more com- plete or surprising than those which follow a tidal movement or a gale in the ice. The anchorage of the relief ships during the four days of waiting was close to the western end of Middle Duck Island. All the whalers, except the ArctiG and Aurora, lay on the other side of the island. Occasional mc^vements were made by one or the other of them, in an attempt to gain some little advantage, but none of the attempts came to anything. The Wolf a»vJ Narwhal steamed off five or six miles to sea- ward, where they were beset in the ice, and for the next two days they could be seen at intervals, through the fog, drift- ing helplessly in the pack, back and forth to the southward and westward. Early on the morning of the 10th, the Aurora tried her luck with much the same result, at first, and at midnight she could just be descried endeavoring to fight her way out of the pack. Her captain, Fairweather, was a shrewd young Scotchman, wlio never lost a good chance, but who never ventiirtd on a bad one, and on this occasion, although he gained nothing at the beginning, ho came o it ahead in the end, for he was found the next day ^orae miles to the northward. Among the captains who thought it wiser to remain stationary were the two who ve^ resented the extreme types of boldness and prudence in the fleet. Tiio^o were Guy, of the Arvtic, and Walker, of the Polynia. Guy was a gallant young fellow, ambitious and daring to a degree, and the ship he commanded, '\b has been already said, bore a name which had always been the most famous among the Dundee whalers. He was determined to I i h I. ) !« 180 The Hescue of Greely. !*> keep up the reputation of the Arctic on this cruise, and he had in view both the rescue and the summer's catch. Wal- ker, on the other hand, who was the oldest and most experi- enced of the captains, a thorough seaman and a capable ice navigator, as well as a man of wide information and superior intelligence, represented the element of conservatism. His age and experience, and his position as the " Dean," so to speak, of the lleet, gave Ids opinion great weight with moot of his companions, who always spoke of him respectfully as " the old man," and generally followed his lead. But the qualities which are perhaps the most advantageous for ordi- nary cruising after whales, are not those which will eifect a rescue where competition is keen, and speed is an all-import- ant factor in the result. This was shown in the subsequent movements of the whalers, by which they became separated into two parties, and the greater number following Walker were thrown out of the race, while the Arctic^ Aurora^ and Wolf kept it up nearly to Cape York. Before the ships left the Duck Islands, the oSicers of the relief expedition had an opportunity to see the whaling ves- isels pretty thoroughly, and to learn the characteristics of their captains. Fine fellows they were, these ice-kings of the Dundee fleet, with their bronzed faces and their hearty laugh, and their broad Scotch accent ; frank and genial, gen- erous in their rivalry, always ready to give a friendly counsel or a helping hand, and taking a keen enjoyment in their dif- ficult and dangerous work. Their equipment was generally inferior to that of the relief ships, which hnd been supplied with everything purchasable that it was supposed they could need. Of course the one great advantage possessed by the whalers was in their experience. It is a question, however, Melville Bay. 181 i\\ whether the importance of this quality in such work as the expedition had on hand may not be overestimated. The purpose of the voyage was to make a dash into a difficult region, and accomplish the rescue of the missing party of ex- plorers, and the first consideration was to get north at tiio earliest possible moment. In carrying out such a duty, it is often necessary to take risks which could not be justified under other conditions of service, and at which the caution which comes from experience would perhaps hesitate. More- over, a man who is always on the watch, and upon whom rests the responsibility of directing the movements of one or two ships, gains his experience in these regions with wonder- ful rapidity. His eye soon becomes trained to the signs of coming changes, and he learns to think and to act with a quickness and accuracy that often surprise himself. The crow's-nest, during the first week in J me in Melville Bay, is a great educator, and if a commander s I'loky enough not to fall a victim to his inexperience du that week, he will find himself and his ship pretty well in li. J by the end of it. These views only serve to bear out the opinions expressed by one of our most distinguished and successful Arctic explorers, Lieutenant Schwatka, of the Army. In draw- ing up suggestions for the Greely Relief Board, Lieutenant Schwatka said : " I think it proper, in closing, to warn them (the Board) agaiixst too much reliance in the subject of expe- rience, as applied to Arctic afi'airs. The whole history of continued Arctic expeditions under one commander, will BhoAv a far larger list of retrogradations than advancement in success; noticeably the continued expeditions of Franklin, Parry, Barentz, Hudson, Hall, Kane, McClure, Back, and probably a score of others who had served previously as com- i 182 Tlce Rescue of Greely. manders or in subordinate capacities : and all "his I can ao count for only on the ground of a too rigid application of their principles of experience." The whalers, as has been already stated, begin their annual cruise in January, or early in February. They go first to St. John's, where they take on board a large number of extra hands for the sealing cruise off the coast of Labrador. In these trips the Thetis often carried as many as three hundred men. A sealing captain supersedes the whaling oaptain, who remains on board, but generally as a looker-on. After the vessel arrives at the fishing ground, the extra hands are em- ployed in killing seals on the ice. Immense numbers of seals are taken, and every comer of the ship is filled with them. Even the spar-deck is piled up with them, level with the gunwale, so that the crew walk over them when on deck. After the middle of April the catching of the young seals is forbidden by law, and the ships return to St. John's, unload their cargoes, discharge the sealing captain and crew, and pre- pare for the whaling cruise of the summer. The whaling captain has now resumed his position, and late in April or early in May, according to the season, the ship leaves St. John's for the southwest fishing grounds, off the southern coast of Greenland. Here it is a great advan- tage to arrive first on the ground, as the whales are timid, and late comers are apt to find that the fish have been scared away. After three weeks in this latitude the whalers steam to the northward, to Disko and Upernivik. It was while mak- ing this passage that they were first met by the relief ships. Heading for Cape York they cross Melville Bay, and after Melville Bay. 183 reaching the north water they steer to the westward to Lan- caster Sound, where their west-side fishing usually begins. If the Sound is open it is followed up to Prince Regent's Inlet, and the fishing is prosecuted with great energy during July and August. In September the whales begin to mi- grate southward, and they are followed along the west coast as far as Home Bay. ^y this time the faUing temperature announces the approach of winter, and it is no longer safe to remain beyond the Arctic circle. The whalers then seize the first opportunity to work out of the ice, and by the mid- dle of October they have returned to Dundee. As they gen- erally cruise in company, the stronger and better help the weaker by breaking the way, or, if necessary, by towing them out of danger. A captain who would abandon another in the ice, when he could help him, would peril his future em- ployment, if he escaped being stoned in the streets of Dun- dee. It is said of one of the captains, who some years ago abandoned a consort to her fate in the ice, that as he came in sight of the home port he preferred drowning himself of! the heads rather than face the storm of indignation that would follow the disclosure. While the relief ships were at the Duck Islands, the officers were initiated in the mysteries of a " Mollie." Whenever the whaling fleet is stopped for a number of days in the ice, it is the practice for the captains to assemble on board one or the other of the ships to discuss the prospects of the season's catch. These interviews are called ''Mollies,'* and are an- nounced by a bucket hoisted as a signal at the fore-royal masthead. The meeting is decidedly of a convivial character, and the current of conversation is helped on by frequent potations of hot Scotch whisky and beer ; so that, generally speaking, a " Mollie " means making a night of it. 184 The Rescue of Greely. % -hi ' K .A '21. il \ % During the enforced delay at the Duck Islands, the time was occupied by the crews of the relief ships in visiting the wlialers, and siiooting, and in boat-sailing and fishing in a pool of water on the seaward side. Lieutenants Sebree and Crosby, the navigating officers of the TJtetis and Bear, took the opportunity to make a survey of the islands. Instru- ments were got up, stations were established, a base line measured, angles were taken and plotted, and the local devia*:ioii of the compass was determined. The result of the obocrvations showed the islands to be about six miles out of position on the chart. The surveyors were anxious to do more, but the open water to the southward and other signs gave hopes of a possible break in the ice, and the work was BU an and It ont, r be pre- the the Ivofl 3 of get the tof n a lilt "I - m • IfehiUe Bay. 187 >» > a - X -t; ui -I H u < M X young bear picked up his trail, and followed him to within a hundred yards of the ship, Mitre being all the while uncon- scious that the animal was behind him. The people on board the Aretio watched the pair for a time with much amusement, and when Mitre was safely over a crack that lay in his path, they chased the bear across the ice and shot him. After this, " Mitre's bear hunt " was a standing joke with the crew, and he was chaffed unmercifully by his companions during the rest of the cruise. During most of this day none of the four ships moved from their anchorage. The TFb^ was some little distance to the southward, but the Arciio still remained with the relief sh ips. The other group of whalers which had taken to the Duck Islands, had now made off to what they thought was a lead inshore, and they could be seen hull down, well away to the southeast, near the Sugar Loaf, a snowy peak on the Green- land coast. Late in the afternoon the Thetis and Bear made a strug- gle to advance, the broken appearance about the edges of the large floes giving some little promise of success. After work- ing for a couple of hours, they had made only two miles. Though the pack was broken, the pieces were too close to push through, and the blue flinty ice was really too hard to crack by butting. The squadron was now in advance of the whole whaling fleet. The next two days wore red-letter days in the three tedious weeks passed in Melville J3ay. It was snowing on the morning of Saturday, the 14th, and there were no signs of any immodinte change in the situation. The Theth and Brn}\ now two miles ahead of the Arctic and W(>lf\ were drifting slowly northward with the pack. Early in the morning the Tlwtis \ 'M, I ' t'l |il li lii I (■! V I I I mi f ■'' J IN'ii n \l m 188 The Rescue of Greely. attacked the bar in front, but an hour's ramming only gained her a ship's length in advance. During the forenoon, how- ever, both ships got under way, and by hard work increased tlieir lead by two miles more. Ko sooner had they accom- plished this, than a wide lane of water opened out to the northward, extending apparently several miles to the north- west. It was perhaps two or three miles away, and between it and the ships lay a stretch of the same tough ice that they had just passed through with such difficulty. This was now attackerl, but it took more than two hours to smash through it. As luck would have it, the entrance to the lead extended down to the eastward of the advance position occupied by the relief ships, and in the movements of the ice, the pack to the southward had slackened sufficiently to give the Arctic and Wolf an easy passage in. Seeing their advantage, the two whalers immediately cast off, and putting on all steam, by heading first to the southeast and then to the north, suc- ceeded in getting well into the lead before the Hietis and Bear had worked through the barrier in front, it was rather annoying to the relief ships to find that all their strug- gles of the past two days, and their advance of four miles, had only resulted, through a piece of sheer bad luck, in placing them in a worse position than that which they had left, and that the. two whalers, which had not come up with them during this time, were now steaming by at full speed directly ahead of them, and rapidly disappearing to the northwest, with an un- limited prospect of clear water before them. However, by half-past four the barrier had been passed, the lead entered, the ships had been headed to the northwest, and were doing their best in the clear lane before them. Once fairlv in the open water, they did not stop until they had made good thir- MelviUe Bay. 189 ty-five miles. To those on board, who up to this point had not made more than fifty miles in an incessant struggle of sixteen days, the chan^^e was like magic, and eight knots an hour seemed like the speed of a lightning express train. It was soon after entering this lead that the last glimpse was caught of the whalers inshore. They were beset near the land, and tlie CofnwalUs had the appearance of being nipped. They had made a fatal mistake in going back, and they were now thrown completely out of the race. Occasional obstinictions were met in passing through the lead from loose streams of ice, but tiie ships kept steadily on, until two o'clock on the morning of Sunday, June 15th, when they came to a tiglit string of ice that barred further passage. The Wolf 'MiA Arctic were here at anchor, so that the latter had after all gained no permanent advantage by the start they had got the day before. A few liours later, to every- body's surprise, the A^irora came steaming along, and joined the others. Captain Fairweatlier, with his usual good sense, had not gone so far inshore as tlie five other whalers, and lie was thus able to take advantage of the lead and catch up. lie had left his companions f ist in the ice, to the east of the Duck Islands. At the point wliere the five ships were now lying, not far from the northerly Browne Islands, there was a pool of water around them two or three miles wide. To the north there was a clear view of the great glaciers and ice-covered mou!i- tains of the Greenland shore bomiding Molville Bay. In- closing the pool was the broad expanse of the i>ack, apparently solid, witj hundreds of icebergs imbedded in it on all sides. There was not a sound to break the stillness. At seven o'clock in the morning, soon after the Aurora il 1 ! i ii , t I i fl i m \ : 'i; M 1 I < !i ■' ii ;'.,.i' J 190 The Besciie of Greely. had tied up to the edge of the barrier, water-pools and strong black lines could l)e observed in the northwest; the ice began to slacken, and all the ships got under way. It was not long before they were stopped again. The ice was eight feet thick, and prcst?cd up in many places to sixteen or twenty feet. It was of no use to butt into it, and the toi-pedocs produced only a local effect. So tlie ships once more cane to anchor. Tlie first piece of good luck now came to the Wolf. As the ships were lying moored to the bar in front, side by side, but somewhat spread out, a crack suddenly opened close to the Wolfs moorings. Casting off hastily, she had no sooner entered it than it closed behind her, barring the way to ' e other ships. The ir(?Z/' steamed ahead, and by this httle acci- dent obtained a start of si x miles. In an hour or two, ho wever, the wind liad gone down, and the pack loosened, and after following winding leads for a little while, all the ships found themselves in a wide clear lane along the land ice, and shot ahead at full speed. The lane was struck at five in the afternoon. At seven, the Thetis^ finding that 'ler slowness was keeping back the Bear^ decided to let the latter make a trial of speed, and signalled to her to "go on ahead." The Bear then passed her, and gradually closed with the whalers, until at 3 a.m. of the 16th all the ships were stopped by the pack, after a splendid run of sixty miles. The gains of the last two days had carried the relief ex- pedition over the best part of Melville Bay. The point it had now reached was fifty-eight miles from Cape York. The ships had done tlieir beat, and it was clear that no efforts at any time would have availed to put them a mile further on their course. Beyond tbem still lay the jt>ack, extending ai> I Melville Bay. 191 parcntly for sixty miles off shore. Small streaks could he seen to the south and west, but not a sign of water to the north. The five ships were lying in a pool, a mile or a mile and a half across, which was constantly changing its form and size. Across this the wind and tide were driving the ice in large floes, which were rapidly nipping and opening. The Thetis was unable i ) ram a dock, and made an attempt to cut one in the ice, but nothing could be done with the saws In ice of such thickness. The wind was blowing fresh from the southeast, making the position of the ships rather disagreeable, as it was necessary to keep them under way all night, dodging hither and thither, to avoid the running floes and bergs. Several times during the afternoon of the ICth tempting leads would open for a short time to the southwest, but it would have been bad judgment, under the circumstances, to have left the neighborhood of the land ice to attempt haz- ardous openings away from it. The TJietis and Bear con- tinued to keep the land ice close aboard, with confidence that the surest and safest opening would occur along its edge. This eventually happened. The Arctic, however, whose captain, Guy, had before this made no mistake, attempted one of these enticing leads, at about seven o'clock on the evening of the 16th, but was caught soon after, two miles away, and could not extricate herself. Her stern was thrown up several feet, and she was badly squeezed. After this she did not join again during the cruise. The Aurora and Wolf barely escaped the same nip, the ice closing before they could get into the lead which they had started to enter. On the morning of the 17th the wind moderated, and in i» '1 t 1 • 1 i ■" I '[1 J : "fri .! r< 192 The Rescue of Greely. the afternoon it fell light. The dav was clear, and the land i i I could affain be Been to the north During the day the ice remained obstinately firm, and there was no sign of en- couragement inshore. By nine o'clock, however, the pack loosened, and the four ships got under way and entered it. Guy was now out of the race, still beset in the pack, which he had made the mistake of entering the day before. From nine till eleven the four ships were working through narrow cracks, charging the ice from time to time. The Wolf and Aurora were ahead, followed closely by the Thetis and the Bear. Unfortunately, when about half-way through the stretch of pack, the Thetis^ in backing to clear a false lead, fouled the pack and damaged her rudder. This occasioned a slight delay, and as the Bear was astern of the Thetis^ and there was no room to pass, the whalers got a good start. In the pack, the efiFect of any stoppage is apt to be increased by changes in the ice, and, on this occasion, dur- ing the delay caused by the accident, the lead which the whalers had taken, closed up, and the Thetis could only get through by breaking the ice over again. The Bear had just time to follow when the ice closed a second time. At eleven o'clock the relief ships worked into a fairly clear lead, into which the two whalers had already made their way. Here they put on full steam. They were approach- ing Cape York, and there was a water-blink to the northward which might mean clear water, and consequently a straight/- away course and a trial of speed. Every one felt that it would never ao to let the whalers come in first at Cape York. The Cape was now so near that the race was becoming excit- ing, and as the ships pressed on, one after the other, through the long lane of water, each was doing her best. The efforts Melville Bay. 193 did not count for much, however, as far as the advance ships were concerned, as the Bear came np with them at one o'clock on the morning of the 18th, and progress was stopped by a heavy bar. No sooner had the Bear arrived than all the ships attacked the bar, ramming their way in vigorously, wherever each one saw her best chance. After cracking and pounding for an hour and a half, pushing aside the loose floes, or crashing into them with the whole power of the en- gines, the four vessels, at half-past two in the morning, had passed the last obstruction, and slid out into a great space of open water. As they cleared the pack and steamed off one after the other, the crew of each ship gave three rousing cheers. No ice could be seen from the crow's-nest, and everybody thought that the North Water was reached at last. Whether it was really the North Water is a question. So much ice was seen during the rest of the voyage that the water-space about Cape York was afterwards regarded as nothing more than a break in the pack. However that may be, it was a break, and it was determined to use it for all it was worth. As the Thetis was hardly up to the mark for racing purposes, orders were given to the Bear to go ahead, and ahead she went with a will. The whole engineer force was stationed in the fire-room, and the engines were worked to their full capacity. The Thetis and Wolf^ which were abrefist, were soon left behind, and after a hard tug with the Aurora, the leading ship, she also fell astern ; and at half- past three on the morning of Juiie 18th, the Bear touched the ice four miles off Cape York, the Aurora being a mile to the rear, and the others following in her wake. From the crow's-nest it was discovered that the delusive sheet of water through which the ships had passed, did not 13 I • r J' v ) ! ■ir' : f I i ,1 ^ 194 T7ie Jiescue of Greely. extend around the Cape, but that the pack stretched away for miles to the north and west. The three sliips in tlie rear brought up against its edge, while the Bea/r worked in Bome distance further through the cracks. As Cape York was now within striking distance, the first thing to be done was to send some one over the ice to com- municate with the Eskimo, and find out if they knew anything of the missing explorers. The Bear therefore pushed on to the edge of the land ice and landed the party, which had been already told off for the work. The landing party was composed of Lieut. Colwell, of the j&mr, and three men, one of whom was Nicolai, the Eskimo interpreter. Colwell was lijturally selected for the duty, from his knowledge of the locality and his exixjrience in lx)at and ice journeys of the year before. Everything had been got ready in advance for the landing, and at 4 a.m. on the 18th, Colwell and his men were dropped on the ice with a dog-sled and a small dory, and ten days' supplies. The ad- vantage of this combination is that when yon are on the ice you put the dory on the sled, and when you come to water you put the sled in the dory. The party went over the ice a couple of miles, and then launched their boat. On the edge of the land ice, immediately below Cape York, they came across sled-tracks, and presently they fell in with a na- tive who was seal-fishing, but nothing could be learned about Greely or his companions. The man was able to make it clear that the natives about Cape York had not heard any- thing of the white men in the north country. It was use- less to go further, and Colwell retraced his steps towards the ship. The Aurora and Wolf^ the only whalers that were still in ii Btlll in Melville Bay. 195 the race, apparently now came to the conclusion that it would be as well to desist from the effort to get ahead of the relief ships. In fact, it was always a question whether the Wolf had ever intended going north or trying for the reward at all, her captain having too much at stake in the summer's catch of fish. The Aurora had made no secret of her intentions, but Fairweather, her captain, now announced his purpose of making for the fishing ground in Lancaster Sound, having, as he thought, reached the North Water. Accordingly, he started off to the southward and westward, followed by the iro Z/", both taking the open v/ater along the edge of the pack. Before they got out of sight the Arctic was seen coming up, and she joined the others as they were making off to the southwest. As there might be a chance of getting through that way, the Bear was ordered to steam off in the sa*ne direction, and if she found open water, to work north to Conical Rock, Saunders Island, Wolstenholme Island, and Cape Parry, and thence to Littleton Island, stopping at Cary Islands on the way. The Thetis was to remain to pick up Colwell, whose search might last some time, and to take her chances at Cape York, although the outlook for the moment was most un- promising. Just before the whalers left the Cape, Captain Fairweather came on board the Thetis to say good-bye, and to wish her godspeed before he started for Lancaster Sound. His warm shake of the hand as he said farewell, in his rich Scotch ac- cent, will never be forgotten. " Gude bye. Captain," he said, " we may live without fesh, but those poor fellows up there must have breed. God bless you ! It's na use for us to go further." : ¥ ' ( ' CHAPTER XI. CAPE YOKK TO LTTTLETOTT TSLAXD. Quite in accordance with the general law of ice movements that the unexpected will always happen : before the Bear had been gone an hour, the pack moved bodily off from Cape York, leaving a lane of open water about fifty yards wide. The Thetis lost no time in pushing into it. It brought her along the edge of the land ice, so that Colwell, seeing her approach, after he had made perhaps a mile on his way back, waited with his men for her to come up. Hardly stopping, she picked up the party, which had oidy been absent three or four hours. They had seen only one man ; but his state- ments were conclusive, and the attempt to land and find other natives on shore would have involved a long delay, perhaps for the rest of the day ; and as the ice had so unex- pectecMy moved off, leaving suddenly the opening which every one had been hoping and longing for, it would have been folly to stop longer. Tlie Thetis therefore continued her way alone, and reached Conical Rock with only occasional difficulty at a little before four in the afternoon. Conical Rock is a barren island half a mile long, with a sugar-loaf i)eak, which marks out clearly the turning-point from I^rclville Ray into the triangular expanse of water, which for want of a better name, we have called lower 8mith Sound. The llxeth was anchored to the ice on the northern side, about 200 yards from the island. Soon after (100) lovements Bear had rom Cape irds wide. )ngbt her eeing lier way back, stopping, jeiit three ; his Btate- and find ng delay, so unex- ng wliich )uld have continued occasional ig, witii a ling-point of water, li'd lower w on the ioon after I n| li! .1 \A Gajpe York to Littleton Island. 197 anchoring Sebree took a boat and landed with a party on the western side of the island. Here he built the first cairn of the expedition. It was placed on a level rock, 300 feet up from the wa':9r. The records for Coffin and Emory were placed in a bottle, which was sealed, and set up on the rock. Loose stones were placed around it until a pile was made about five feet high, and a flag-pole with a piece of black muslin was set up on top. While Sebree was away making his cairn, the officers who were disengaged went out with the boats after birds, and shot three or four dozen auks and dovekies. By the time that the party had returned from the island, the outlook ahead had become unfavorable. The pack to the northward, which the Tlietis had now come up with, was formidable, and the stiong tides made its movements uncertain. For twenty-three hours the Thetis was compelled to wait, anchored to an iceberg or to the floe under the lee of Coni- cal Rock. Once, soon after midnight, she ran up a mile or BO, but the ice was too thick and heavy for passage. At two P.M. on the 19th, the southerly wind ceased, while the floes were partially loosened by the tide, and the Thetif^ got under way tor Wolstenholme Sound. Capo Dudley Dijijges was passed by ramming through the pack. Off Cape Athol, only Ave hundred yards of ice intervened be- tween the ship and the open water of Wolstenholme Sound, but it took some time and hard work to cross the barrier. At this time torpedoes were found of real and unmistakable Bcrvice— at one pt)int especially where the llietis,, ramming her way violently into a narrowing crack, about two ships' lengths, found horsolf stuck fast like a wedge. Hero sho wati purfuutly helplesd. There was uo pressure from the ice, 11 H (1 '!< 1^ I 1/ ',: i 198 Tlie Rescue of Grcchj. li' but it was firm and unyieldiiior, and the ship could not be moved. Backing was tried, but it was of no avail. At such a time all liands were at work, on the ice or the ship, wherever they could be of any use, — with a boat-hook, if nothinj;;; else. Some of the men were kept at work pushing the pieces of ice that had become loose away from the screw. But the really effective work was done by the torpedoes. These were planted, both of gun-cotton and of gunpowder, ahead of the ship, and on each side abreast of the foremast, a little abaft the bluff of the bow, where the ship was tight- est ; and, as usual, ten or twelve yards away from her side. The fractures caused by the explosion eased the ship from her jam, and she waii able to push ahead once more through the pack. Passing on through narrow leads and between heavy floes, the Thetis arrived at Wolstenholme Island a little after mid- night. Tlere Colwell went ashore, and left a record in a small cairn, which he built on a slight blufi', just above a shallow cove, about midway on the western side of the island. The cairn was marked by a pole with a white flag. As soon as the jjarty returned on board, the Thetis started for Spunders Island, where she arrived at 2.25 a.m. on Friday, Juno 2.0th, after a passage of an hour or two through rotten ice. She anchored to the ice, about two miles from the point where the relief expedition of the year before had landed on the night of August 2d, while on their retreat from the wreck of the Proteus^ at the moment when the Yantlc arrived at Cary Island on her way up. At Saunders Island there were ))erhaps fifty Eskimo, but they h;id no information to give about Greely. They came off with their sleds to the ship, where they were well ro- 1 not be ail. At lie ship, -liook, it pusliin^ le screw. )rpedoes. ipowder, bremast, as tiglit- licr side, hip from through avy floes, fter mid- ord in a above a of the te flag. started A.M. on through es from ore had retreat hen the imo, but ey came well ro- w i H . ji IWi', ce an to th tVi ex t'dt U a] Dj an bl( an thi sej tw II. an or de lai tw an isl Es Cc ea an nn thi rei Hi CajpG Yorh to Littleton Islaih^. 199 ceived, and given bread and pork, as well as broken oais and pieces of wood to mend their kayaks. They belongjed to the same group as the Cape York Eskimo, and living as they do on the eastern shore of lower Smith Sound, their friendly offices may be of the greatest service to parties of explorers who have lost their ship, or who have been de- tached from their base of supplies on the coast of Grinnell Land or North Greenland. As the Thetis could not approach nearer than a mile and a half to the land, Oolwell was again sent in. This time David wont with him. There was much snow on the island, and above it patches of flowering moss could be seen in bloom. Colwell found the settlement, consisting of ten tents and a hut. The natives were fat and dirty, as usual, and they had plenty of dogs and provisions, the latter chiefly seal-meat and birds. Colwell recognized among the natives two men whom he had seen at Cape York the year before, lie also found here the dingy which he had left at the Cape, and which the Cape York men had brought around a month or two earlier. The cairn made by Garlington had been destroyed, and it was learned that at the time that the latter landed, there were three people on the island, one man and two women, who had stolen away and hidden themselves among the rocks. Garlington had seen no Eskimo on the island, but had found, as ho mentions in his report, " an Eskimo dog, with one foot tied up to his neck." When Colwell pointed out the spot to David, to see if he could re- call the visit of the year before, the Eskimo nodded his head and said. " Mo savy," at the same time holding up his bent arm to his neck. The dog at Saunders Island was the otdy thing about tha journey which he gavo any sigu of having remembered. iillii ■A . ;;* 1 V ll ( ) 200 The BesGue of Greely. Information obtained here from the natives who visited the ship confirmed the l)e]i?f thai Greely could not have worked poiith over such ice as had been met so early in the season. In fact there had been no sledginj^ up to Etah, the settlement in Foulke Fiord. An old man with a wooden leg, who appeared to be the chief of the party, said that earlier in the season, before the ice had broken, a hunting party had gone over the ice, well on towards the Caiy Islands, but that no signs of white men had been seen. This made it clear that the ship must push on at once to the northward. These Eskimo pass the winter at North Star Bay, where they live in their huts built of stone and turf; during the spring and summer they shift over to Saunders Island, where they live in skin tents, and occupy themselves in hunting and fishing for their winter supply. The island is a favorite haunt of walrus, seal, and duck. It wa:^ here that the first large walrus were seen by the expedition. During favor- able seasons the natives work as far north as Lifeboat Covo, and south as far as Cape York. The usual mode of travel is by dog sleds along the ice-foot whiah everywhere skirts the land. Wherever a landing was made on the west coast of Gi-eenland, beyond Cape York, tracks of sleds and human footprints were seen on the snow. North of Saunders Isl- and there are two Eskimo settlements, one on Northumber- land Island, and the other in Foulke Fiord, at the village of Etah. The number of the inhabitants has been growing steadily smaller year by year, and they are now a mere handful of people. Tiie Saunders Island natives said that there were only four families at Etah. The two northern Bettlenients seem to bo closely connected with each other, Gaj^e York to Littleton Island. 201 LICl y and interchange visits in much the same way as those at North Star Buy and Cape York. None of the people in the four settlements ever go south of the latter point, between which and Tassuisak the coa«t is one vast impassable glacier. There was a marked difference in appearance between the natives in the two regions ; those to the north were iine physical specimens, and in their bear-skin suits appeared- hardy and robust. Their good nature and laughing faces contrasted strongly with the surly expression and manner of those about the Danish settlements. Although with an Eskimo food is usually the principal subject of concern, the Saunders Island natives seemed quite as anxious to procure broken oars, or nails, or pieces of metal. Whenever they came on board, however, it was noticed that they generally found the g^iUey the most attract- ive part of the ship, and they were constantly hanging about it. Nothing in the shape of food seemed to go amiss with them ; and it made little difference whether grease, or bone, or bird -skins, or vegetable parings were handed out, — they were always ready to eat anything, dirty or clean, hot or cold, cooked or uncooked. As soon as Colwell returned, the Thetis^ at 4.40 a.m., loft Saunders Island for Cape Parry. The ice presented some difficulty, although after a great deal of winding about, the ship succeeded in making one or two good runs. The floes were loose, but the ice was piled up in large masses, and there wore places where the heavier hummocks would only just clear tlie boats hanging at the davits, and occasion- ally the propeller striking a heavy lump would get a severe shock. The bumping never injured the screw, though it brought the ship up once or twice. On one occasion it car- ;! * 1* It i ■^ ti ' (1 1 1 ,1i i>2 I, i;^:?' 1 202 J77i^ Mesproaching Cape Parry in the forenoon the ice was found packed a long distance from the shore, and there was some doubt v.'hether the Thetis could withou. a groat deal of trouble work in near enough to send a party ashore with the record referred to in the instructions given to Cof- fin and Emory. It would have been easier to pass on to Northumberland and Hakluyt Islands, and leave a record there. The whole history of expeditions in this region, how- ever, shows that it is a cai'dinal principle of Arctic exploration that when two parties are working in concert, and commu- nicating by records left at prearranged points, they should carry out to the letter the terms of their agreement, and nothing short of an insurmountable obstacle should ever stand in the way of making the records at the designated points. Failure to do this is certain to throw the other party into confusion. Cape York to LitUeion Island. 203 As Cape Parry was one of the pre-arranged points at wliicli a record was to be left, and as notices left at Conical Rock and at Wolstenholtne Island had reiterated it as one of the points en rouie^ it was out of the question to pass on without effecting a landing, even though delay might there- by be occasioned. A lead was t: orefore followed to the o])en water to the westward, from whicli place an hour or two later it opened up to Cape Parry. The Thetis arrived at Cape Parry at 1.30 p.m., and anch- ored within 200 yards of the land. The Eskimo sled tracks were again visible on the ice-foot. Lieutenant Lemly land- ed at the Cape, built a cairn, and left a record for the other vessels. The cairn was placed on a knoll, on the western point of the Cape, and marked by a white flag. The Thetis was under way again at 2.25 p.m. Soon after leaving the Cape she struck a sunken rock, not marked on the chart, but as she was going at a speed of only two knots at the time, she sustained no injury. Standing across Whale Sound, through loose broken floe ice, the Thetis passed aroun ' If, :»■ I 208 T/ie Jicscue of Greehj. Cape York, but the Thetis had now disappeared, and the lead whicli had so happily opened for lier, as well as the cl(>ar sheet of water where the ships had been lying, had disa])pGared also. The position of the Bear off Cape York, where she was compelled to remain for nearly two days, was in many respects the most disagreeable she had yet found, and cer- tainly she had at no time been in greater danger. During the afternoon of the 18th she was in a heavy fog which shut out everything from view, even the ice in her neighborhood. At three o'clock a fortunate lighting up of the fog showed that the crack in which she was lying was about to close. She got out just in time, for no sooner had she moored to the floe 200 yards away, than the edges of the ice where she had been anchored came together. During all the afternoon and night, and well on into the next day, the Bear was obliged to keep a sharp lookout for the masses of ice wliich the winds and currents kept in con- stant motion about the Cape, grinding and crushing to- gether on all sides. There was no possibility of telling, during most of the time, where or when the nip was comiiig, and the Bear several times shifted her berth to escape a possible 8(pieeze. On the morning of the liUh two floes between which she was lying came together, rafting the crushed-up ice heavily just astern of her. She was just clear of tl.e ]H)int of pressure. IFad she boon a few yards a^stern, she might have met the fate of the Proteus, The whalers whom Kmory had accompanied were not so fortunate. They also had turned batk, and early on the morning of the lOth, the fog lifting, they were seen four or live miles to the southward bcdct in the pack. The Aurora cer- '"g» ! » I P I I' Ca])(i Yorh to Littleton Island. 209 had evidently been badly nipped. She had lowered all her boats on the ice, and the crew appeared to be making prej)- arations to abandon the ship. The Arctic and the Wolf were doing their best to get out of the pack, but they were unsuccessful during all that day and the following night. On the morning of the 20th, the fog settled down more heavily than ever, but the ice appeared to be slacking. At half-past five, steam whistles were heard not far off to the southeast, and at six the Aurora and PTo^came up, hav- ing extricated themselves from the pack. The Arctio was also near by, but was invisible in the fog. The Bear got under way soon after the others had come up, and started through the loosened pack. It was slow work during most of the time, although towards noon the ship had a fairly good three hours' run. The fog continued all day, and it was only at intervals that the land could be seen. From time to time one or another of the whalers could be descried through a break in the mist, struggling along through the winding cracks in the pack. In the afternoon very little progress was made, and midnight found the relief ship not far from Wolstenholmo Island, having made in all about fifty miles. The next day, Saturday, the 2l8t, was still less satisfactory. The fog continued heavy, and the ice was worse than the day before, compelling a tortuous course which brought the vessel no nearer to her destination at the North. In fact the whole day was passed in running out to the Gary Islands, where the ship arrived in the evening. The islands could only be seen at occasional moments, and the Bear found it necessary to run much of the time by gueswwork. After she had been pushing about blindly for a long time, the U < 'm is ' i !;« iit . 11'^ f: I i ;■ ' 210 The licscue of Greely. fog suddenly lifted, and Southeast Gary Island was seen tvv(3 miles away. Arriving at 8 p.m., Emory landed and examined the Nares cache. It was undisturbed, and the condition of the provisions seemed to be as good as at Garlington'a visit of the year before. Greely had certainly not been here, and. the Bear, at a little before midnight, got under way for Littleton Island. Three hours after leaving Gary Island she found herself in open water. At this point she saw the last of the whalers. They were far away to the south, and steaming to the westward, evidently making for Lancaster Sound. With the help ot th^' southerly gale, the Bear made Buch short work of the i^st of her passage, that in ten hours more she had covered the seventy miles that were left of her journey, and at one o'clock on the afternoon of Sun- day, the 22d, as already rclattd, she joined her consort at Littleton Island. : \ I I m CHAPTER XII. THE EESCUE. As it was evident that Greely had not been at Littleton Island, it was decided to run over to Cape Sabine, take a look at the cairns and caches there, make a new depot of four thousand rations, as a supply on which to fall back in case of disaster, and push north at once. Leaving a final record for Coffin on McGary Island, the Thetis and Bear sailed from Littleton Island, at 3 p.m., on Sunday, June 22d, with a strong breeze, increasing at intervals to a heavy gale. Fortunately the strait, at this point about twenty-three miles wide, was comparatively clear of ice, so that no obstruction was met until the relief ships had arrived within a mile or two of their ice anchorage in Payer Harbor, an indentation of the coast on the west side of the Sound, partly enclosed by Brevoort, Stalknecht, and Payer Islands. The water in the bay is deep, but the anchorage is unsafe, being exposed to the heavy ice which drifts through the strait with the strong tides after the break-up of early summer has taken place. Brevoort Island is the largest and most prominent of tho islands, and for this reason doubtless was selected by Kares as tho sitf) of his cairn. It lies two miles south of Cape Sabine, around which, throe miles to the westward, was the cache made by Beebe in 1882, and a mile further on along the same coast, the wreck-cache where Lieut. Colwell had (211) I ! k i :i ill ' I i s I I, ' ill I m 212 The JiesGue of Greely. landed the stores saved from the wreck of the Proteus the year before. Stalknecht Island, a long, low strip of land connected at low tide with the mainland, lying W.S.W. from Brevoort Island, was the site upon which the English expedition had established their cache of provisions. The harbor was frozen over, and the ships were made fast to the northern edge of the ice, just off Brevoort Island. In order that no time should be lost, parties were detailed to examine simultaneously all the depots in the neighborhood. Lieutenant Taunt, with Seamen Yewell, Brock, and Mitre, were sent to Brevoort Island, and Ensign Harlow, with Sea- men Coffin and McLood, to the English cache on Stalknecht Island. A third party, composed of Chief-Engineer Mel- ville, Dr. Ames, and Seaman Lindquist, went to the bottom of Payer Harbor to examine the coast line as far as it was accessible. A fourth party, in the Bear's steam cutter, af- terwards known as the " Cub," was made up of Lieutenant Colwell, Chief-Engineer Lowe of the Bear, the two ice- masters, Norman and Ash, a coxswain and two men. They set out to go around Cape Sabine and look at Beebe's cache, and at Colwell's wreck-cache. It was into, ded that, as soon as a satisfactory examination had been made and a depot landed, the ships should advance without delay into Kane Sea. There was no expectation of finding that any one had been at the Cape, or that the cairns or caches had been disturbed, as it was clear that if Greely had ari'ived he would have been short of provisions, and would therefore have sought to obtain those at Littleton Island ; and nobody could have imagined for a moment that, with prospective starvation on one side of the strait, and a provision depot (although a small one) twenty-threo miles |i I' ■ '■ lift 111' S Si Ul Id Hi •J The JRescue. 213 a 7, < X 111 Id Hi off on the other, a party supplied with a boat and oars would have preferred the former alternative. In fact, at the time the cutter started, the crew of the Bear were gettins; pro- visions on dec'' to be in readiness for the sledge-journey that was to be made northwards, after the ships were stopped by the fast ice. As the cutter left the ship, Colwdl picked up i can of hard-tack and two one-pound cans of pemmican, as he thought that his party might be out all night, and a little of something to eat would not go amiss. Within half an hour after the first parties had left the ship, cheers were heard above the roaring of the wind. At first it was impossible to tell from what quarter the sound proceeded, but soon the cheering was heard a second time more (fiStinctlv, in the direction of Brevoort Island. Almost immediately after, ETiRign Harlow was observed signalling from Stalkneclit Island. His message read : " Have found Groely's records ; send five men." Before this request could be carried out, Yewell was seen running over tiie ice towards the ships, and a few minutes later he came on board almost out of breath with the in- formation that Lieutenant Taunt had found a message from Greely in the cairn on Brevoort Island. Yewell brought the papers with him, and called out, as he gave them to the ofHoer of the deck, that Grecly's party Avere at Cape Sabine, all well. The excitement of the moment was intense, and it spread with the rapidity of lightning throujijh both the ships. It was decided instantly to go ovi to the Cape, and a general recall was sounded by three long blasts from the steam whistle of the Thetis. Tlie first thing to be done before taking definite action was to go carefully over the papers that Taunt had found. i f :* ^ t ! (I Mr 214 Th^ Rescue of Greely. All the officers who had remained behind in the two ships gathered around the ward-room table of the Thetis, and the records were hurriedly read aloud. As one paper after an- other was quickly turned over, until the last was reached, it was discovered with horror that the latest date borne by any of them was Oct. 21, 1883, and that but forty days' complete rations were left to live upon. Ei^jht months had elapsed since then, and the belief was almost irresistible that the whole party must have perished during this terrible period of waiting and watching for relief. This was the brief story told by the records : I 'ii I ,\. ■ fw V '! )% The International Polar Expedition waa fitted out by the "War Depart- ment of the United States, under the supervision of General W. B. Hazen, Chief Signal Officer. Sailing from St. John's, Newfoundland, July 9th, it touched at Disko, Ritteubenk, Upcmivik, Gary Islands, Littleton Island, Cape Hawks, Carl Ritter Bay, and was stopped by ice for the first time in Lady Franklin Bay, near Cape Lieber. It landed in Discovery Harbor, August 12th. The steamship Proteus sailed August 26th, The winter of 1881-83 proved to be of remarkable severity ; the cor- rected mean for February of a thermometer on the floe was — 48' 03'. Musk-ox meat was procured in large quantities and other game to less extent. Lieutenant Lockwood, during the autumn, explored the " Bel- lows " and the valley of St. Patrick's Bay, and attempted in November, twenty-one days after the sun left us, to cross Robeson Channel, but wa« obliged by open water and heavy ice, to turn back several miles from Cape Beechy. Starting eleven days before the sun returned, he examined Robeson Channel off Cape Beechy, and leaving March 1st, visiting Thank God Harbor via Capycs Beechy and Lupton, returned via Newman Bay and Cape Sumner March 11th, having been detained two days by violent storm. Dr. Pavy visited Lincoln Bay in September, established depots in Wrangell Bay in October, and near Mt. Parry in November, returning on the 8th, and between March 5th and 9th, 1882, established a depot near Cape Sumner, On October 2d, he started to visit Cape Joseph Henry, but was turned back by open water at the Black Cliffs. He The Rescue, 215 leaves Marcli 18, 1882, to reach land, if possible, north of Cape Joseph Henry, Lieutenant Lockwood leaves April 1st, to explore the land north and cast of Cape Britannia. The commanding officer proposes later an attempt to reach the western shore of Grinnell Land via Black Cliffs Valley. The health of the command has continued excellent to the present time. No signs of scurvy except possibly Eskimo Jens ; all well at present date (March 15, 1882). The winter has passed comfortably and pleasantly. A. W. Greelt, 1»< Lt., 5th Cav., A. S. 0. and Ass't, Commanding Expedition. This record is de]X)sited by Octave Pavy, who leaving Fort Conger, October 27, 1882, with party of D. L, Brainard— October 31, 1882. Taken up August 12, 1883, by Lieutenant Greely and party going southward to Littleton Isiand. Fort Conger, G. L,, October 26. 1882. During the spring and summer of 1882, the following trips have been made : A. A. Surgeon O. Pavy left March 19th to reach land north of Cape Joseph Henry, but returned May 4th, having found open Avater in the Polar Ocean, where he was for a time afloat with his party on the moving ice-pack. Lieutenant J. B. Lockwood left April 8d, and re- turned June 2d, having in the meantime discovered llazcn Coast, which extends northeastward from Cape Britannia to 83° 30' N,, and about 38° W. He reached 83° 24' N., and 40° 46' W. No land directly north or northwest, although horizon was searched on clear days from altitude of over 2,000 feet. The coast still continued its trend to the N.E. (tr.) The commanding officer penetrating the interior of Grinnell Land in April, and again in July, discovered a lake about 00 miles by 8, called Lake Hazen, and reached Mt. C. A. Arthur 81° 13' N., 74° 10' W., whence from an elevation of 4,500 feet a view was had on a very clear day. Low land to the W.S.W. and S. as far as eye could reach. In W.S.W. in slight depression, from 75 to 100 miles distant a range of mountains whicli possibly are on a land separated from Grinnell Land by a narrow strait. During August launch L ly Oreely ran to head Arclicr Fiord and part way into Howgatc Fiord, which latter, inland from Mil- ler's Island, receives the water of Lake Hazen via Ruggles River. No t : t I n 4- I ^^H^Hflj! 1 fl^ol HH' 1 ^1/ ' ; 1 I *i i yl\ I 216 The liesGiis of Greely. casualties to date ; all well at present. In case of no vessel, the station will be abandoned August 11, 1883, the party retreating by boats along the wjst coast of Kennedy Channel and Smith Sound. A. "W. Greely, 1st Lt., 5th Cav., A. S. 0. and Ass't, Commanding Expedition. Record left by Lieutenant Greely, Commanding Polar Expedition en route to Littleton Island with ultimate intention of reaching S.E. Cary Island : I abandoned Fort Conger, G. L., August 9, 1883. at 3 p.m., with a party of twenty ive ; all well. Reached Cppe Baird August 10th, and left same evening near midnight, steam-launch Lndy Greely iowmg boats Valorous, J^cMimont, and whale-boat. On board 5,500 lbs. coal and over forty days' rations. Took up enough at Cape Cracroft to make forty- five daya' rations. Had foggy weather with snow ; met some ice. Reached Carl Ritter Ray about 10 p.m., August 12th, and took up cache, leaving at once with about fifty days' complete rations, except sugar. Stopped by floe about 80° 4Si' N., morning August 13th. Took up depot of 240 rations at C^po CoUinsou, August 22d, and at 1 p.m., August 2!)d, were tied up *:t i'!e foot about two miles south of Cape Norton Shaw. Stopped by dcusc a iibblc ice, which extended as far south as could be seen. All well at that lane. Reached Cape Hawks August 26th, took up 108 lbs. potatoes 111 lbs. p'V^klcs, 250 lbs. broad, 821 lbs. stearine. Left same afternoon, anrl wei-e beset that night in about 73" W., 79° 25' N., in attempting to reach Victoria Head by direct course. All well August 27, 18H3. No signs of a ship or of depots for us have been seen, altliough the shore has been carefully followed and watched. A N.E. gale forced us down to 79" 00' 00" N., 74" 45' W., when temperature fell, September 8th, to 0.8\ freezing in the party. It is the intention to aban- don launch Lady Greely and one boat Monday, September 10th, and to reach Cape Sabine with two boats by sledge ria Cocked Hat Island. Party all well and in good sjiirits at date. Have about forty days' complete rations. It is the intention, as soon aa separation shall be safe, to send an oflkier and two men to Brevoort Island to obtain record which should In^ tliere, of tlie movemeiiiH of ship and location of depot this year. If boats have been left there, it will greatly facillti-.te our move- ments and Increase our chances of safety. Abandoned laiuich and one boat September 10th, and later another boat. Driven into the middle of Kane Sea twice by S.W. gales ; once from about three njiles ofT (\i('ke(l Hal Island, and again from about siime distance from Sabine ; yet later, I The Rescue. 217 Lbe station oats along Ass't, ledition. edition en S.E. Gary tf., with a lOth, and ving boats 1 and over alee forty- some ice. up cache, 3pt sugar. : up depot igust 25]d, ion Shaw, could be 26th, took . stcarine. T., 79° 25' All well icon seen, AN.E. aturefell, 1 to abnn- ;h, and to md. >rty days' be safe, ni which ('pot this |>ur movo- 1 and one iiiddlc of T (\)cked yet later, when within two miles of Brevoort Island, driven by a N.'W. gale and ice-pressure to north side Baird Inlet, between Leffert and Alfred New- ton glaciers of Admiralty chart, or just north of Cape Patterson, Nares map. Reached land September 29th, with one boat, 12-man sledge, 25 days' rations. Party of twenty -five all well yet, and hopeful of future. Lieutenant Lockwood probably btart? for Sabine October 1st, and will deposit this record. If no rations except English are found, they will be hauled away to this point, and Cape Isabella visited by sledge, in hope of finding another there ; as a forlorn hope, when rations are re- duced to ten days, an attempt will be made to reac'^ Littleton Island by sledge, leaving records and cairn here with boat; records to be not exceed- ing 35 feet from boat. Pendulum and duplicate records will be cached at site of English depot by Lieutenant Lockwood. Hope to obtain game enough to keep us alive until February, when we will stjirt for Littleton Island as soon as sun permits travelling. A. "W. GUEELY, Ut Lt., 5th Cav., A. 8. 0. and Ass't, September 80, 1883, Commanding Expedition. If. side Baird Inlet. Visit Brevoort Island for maps and records in English cairn. Our party winter under desperate circumstances, in imminent danger of star- vation, on N. side Baird Inlet. All well ; twenty-flve yet in party. A. W. Gkkely, 1st Lt., 5th Cav., A. S. 0. and Ass't, September 80, 1883, Commanding Ex2)edition. If, «tut fiaird Inlet. Left Lieutenant Qreely's party at north side Baird Inlet on October 1st, accompanied by one Eskimo, and arrived at Payer Harbor yester- day, October 5th. Encountered great difllculty in travelling. Rosse Bay and all its ramifications entirely open, and a strait found optMiing out to the west of Cocked Hat Island and separating Sabine from main land, had to be followed on the inside throughout its entire length. Travelled through thick weather yesterday, and did not see cache landed from wreck of Proteus, and mentioned in Lieutenant Garling- ton'a notice, but found depot cf 210 rations marked by tripod all right. Boat daniiiged as stated. The cache of clothing opposite the place lirts beeji scattered by bears. Two bags of hard bread foiiiid with the cloth- ing; one jmrtly destroyed (also some ....). I shall now endeavor to examine th(- English cache so that we may know what to depend upon, I ut it is now a dense fog and the ice not very secure, and it is possible I U 218 The Rescue of Greely. i ! i it J , 1 , i may have to return to my party without the information regarding the latter cache. It is impossible for Lieutenant Greely and party to move with their equipment to this neighborhood until later in the season, and it is my opinion he will go into winter quarters at his pijscnt position, and send for the provisions herein mentioned so soon as Rosse Bay freezes over. I take up all records concerning us for Lieutenant Greely's informa- tion, as I can not wait to make copies. Too cold to add further particulars. I start back at once. Geo. H. Rice, Signal Goi^is, October 6, 1888. Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. My party is now permanently encamped on the west side of a small neck of land which connects the wreck-cache cove or bay and the one to its west. Distant about equally from Cape Sabine and Cocked Hat Island. All well. A. W. Que ELY, 1st LU, 5th Cav., A. R O. and Ass't, Sunday, Oct. 21, 1888. Commanding Expedition. It was a wonderful Btory. It told liow the expedition, dnrint:^ its two years at Lady Franklin Bay, had marked out the interior of Grinnell Land, and how Lockwood had followed the northern shore of Greenland, and luid re- claimed for America the honor of " the farthest north." Lut there was no time now to think of what the expedition had accomplislied, — that was ah'eady a matter of history. The pressing question was, where was Greely's party now ? and to that quok^tion it vas too prohablo that there was hut one answer. The recoi'da liad named the wreck- cache as tlio site of Gi'eely'd camp, and preparations were made at once to ^o there. 'J'he cutter, 'vith Colwell and liis party on board, had not yet got away, having been 8toj)pcd by the erica from the t*hore, and she now steamed hack under the stern i IT -1 The JRescue. 219 ding the to move son, and position, DS8C Bay infornaa- :ditufn, f a small he one to iked Hut Anff't, ^edition. )e(litioii, marked 00(1 bad luid re- " Eut ion hud Tl.o w ? and but one Y site of t;e to go board, lio criea 10 eteru of the Thetis. Colwell was directed to go to the Bite of the cache and look for the explorers ; and if any were alive — of ■which the record gave little hope — to tell them that relief was close at hand. As he was about to leave, he called out for a boat-flag, and one was thrown to him from the ship. This was bent on a boat-hook, and set up in the stern of the boat. Before the cutter had disappeared to the northward the commander of the expedition had gone on board the Bear, and the ship was under way, following the track of the cut- ter around the cape. The detachment under llarlow, which liad found Greely's scientific records and instruments on Stalknecht Island, and the other party under Melvills, some of whom had not yet retnrnod, were to come after in the Thetis^ which was left behind to pick them u]). The pas- sage which the ships and the cutter were to make was about BIX miles, although from Payer Harbor to the wreck cache, in a straight lino, across the rugged neck of intervening land, it was less than half that distance. Fortunately the pouilierly gale had set the ice off shore into Kane Sea, leav- ing a clear pass;igo around for the vessels. It was half past eight o'clock in the evening as the cutter steamed around the rocky bluff of Cape Sabine, and made her way to the cove, four miles further on, which Colwell remembered so well from his hurried landing with the stores on the terrible night following the wreck of the Proteiiit. The storm, which had been raging with only slight intervals since early tlie day before, still kept up, and the wind was driving in bitter gusts througl> the oi)ening8 in the ridgo that followed the coast to the westward. Althougli the sky was overcast, it was broad daylight,- — the daylight of a dull O' r i ,1: fi: 1^ '.' ft < V I 220 T^e Rescue of Greely. winter afternoon, — and as the cutter passed along, Colwell could recognize the familiar landmarks of the year before ; the long sweep of the rocky coast, with its ice-foot spanning every cove, the snow gathered in the crevices, the projecting headlands, and the line nf the ice-pack which had ground up the Proteue, dimly seen in the mists I ) the north, across the tossina: waters of Kane Sea. At last the boat arrived at the site of the wreck ca^he, and the shore was eagerly scanned, but nothing could be seen. Rounding tho next point, the cutter opened out the cove beyond. There, on the top of a little rid^e, fifty or sixty yards above the ice foot, was plainly outlined the figure of a man. Instantly the coxswain caught up the boat-hook and waved lis flag. The man on the ridge liad seen them, for he stooped, picked up a signal flag from the rock, and waved it in reply. Then he was seen coming slowly and cautiously down the steep rocky slope. Twice he fell down before he reached the foot. As he approached, still walking feebly and with difficulty, Colwell h.iiled him from tlie bow of the boat : "Who all are there left?" *' Seven left.-' As the cutter struck the ice, Colwell jumped off and went up to him. He was a ghastly sight. His cheeks were hol- low, his eyes wild, his hair and beard long and matted. His army blouse, covering several thicknesses of shiris and jack- ett, was ragged and dirty. He wore a little fur cap and rough moccasins of uucaiined leather tied around the leg. As he spoke, his utterance was thick and mumbling, and in his agitation his jaws worked in convulsive twitches. As the two met, the man, witli a sudden impulse, took oft' his glove !ind shook Coi well's hand. The Resc^ie. 221 leer. "Where are they ? " asked Colwell, briefly. " In the tent," said the man, pointing over his shoulder, " over the hill — the tent is down." " Is Mr. Greely alive ? " " i'os, Greely'a alive." " Any other officers ? " "No." Then be repeateu absently, "The tent is down." " Who are you \ " "Long." Before this colloquy was o\er, Lowe and Norman had started up the hill. Hastily filling his pockets with bread, and taking the two cans of pemmican, Colwell told the cox- swain to take Long into the cutter, and started after the others with Ash. Reaching the crest of the ridge, and look- ing southward, tliey saw spread out before them a desolate expanse of rocky ground, sloping gradually from a ridge on tlie east to the ice-covered shore, which at the west made in and formed a cove. Back of the level space was a range of hills rising up eight hundred feet, with a precipitous face, broken in two by a gorge, through which the wind was blowing furiously. On a little elevation directly in front was the tent. Hurrying on across the intervening hollow, Colwell came up with Lowe and Norman, just as they were greeting a soldierly-looking man who had come out from the tent. As Colwell approached, Norman was saying to the man : " There is the Lieutenant." And ho added to Colwell : " This is Sergeant Brainard.'" Brainard immediately drew himself up to the " position of the soldier," and waa abc.it to salute, when ColwclJ took his band. W i i^ \\ '••!ll % k •' \ i,' I II y III'' • \\ 222 TJie Hescue of Gredy. At this moment there was a confused murmur within the tent, and a voice said : "Who's there?" Norman answered, "It's Norman — Norman who was in the Proteus.''^ This was followed by cries of " Oh, it's Norman ! " and a sound like a feeble cheer. Meanwhile o?ie of the relief party, who in his agitation and excitement was crying like a child, was down on his hands and knees trying to roll away the stones that held down the flapping tent cloth. The tent was a "tepik" or wigwam tent, with a fly attached. The fly with its posts and ridge-pole had been wrecked by the gale which had been blowing for thirty-six hours, and the pole of the tepik was toppling over, and only kept in place by the guy ropes. There was no entrance except under the flap opening, which was held down by stones. Colwell called for a knife, cut a slit in the tent cover, and looked in. It was a sight of horror. On one side, close to the open- ing, with his head towards the outside, lay what was appar- ently a dead man. His jaw had dropped, his eyes were open, but tixed and glassy, his limbs were motionless. On the opposite side was a poor fellow, alive to be sure, but without hands or feet, and with a spoon tied to the stump of his right arm. Two others, seated on the ground, in the middle, had just got down a rubber bottle that hung on the tent po' ., and were pouring from it into a tin can. Directly opposite, on his hands and knees, was a dark man with a long matted board, in a dirty and tattered dressing-gown with a little red skull cap on his head, and brilliant, staring eyes. As Colwell appeared, he raised himself a little, and put on a pair of eye-glasses. if The liescue. 223 «Wlio are you?" asked Cohvell. Tlie man made no answer, staring at him vacantly. " Who are you ? " again. One of the men spoke up: "That's the Major — Major Greely." Colv7cll crawled in and took him by the hand, saying to liim, " Greely, is this you ? " " Yes," said Greely in a faint, broken voice, hesitating and shuffling wi til his words, "Yes — seven of us left — here we arc — dying — like men. Did what I came to do — beat the best record." Then he fell back exhausted. The four men in the tent with Greely were two Sergeants, Elison and Fredericks ; Bierderhick, the hospital steward ; and Private Connell, who with Brainard and Long were all that remained of the twenty -five members of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. The scene, as Cohvell looked around, was one of misery and squalor. The rocky floor was covered with cast-off clothes, and among them were huddled together the sleeping-bags in which the party had spent most of their time during the last few months. There was no food left in the tent but two or three cans of a thin, repulsive-looking jolly, made by boiling strips cut from the sealskin clothing. The bottle on the tent-pole still held a few teaspoonfuls of brandy, but it was their last, and they were sharing it as Colwell entered. It was evident that most of them had not long to live. Connell was for the moment in the worst condition of all. WheJi Colwell first caw his nearly inanimate body, it seemed that life was extinct; and in fact he had almost ceased to breathe. He was speechless, his heart barely pulsating, his ! i 224 The Rescue of Gveely. '•i / body cold, and all sensation gone. The brandy which lag companions were giving him revived him a little, and with returning consciousness, he could just gather the idea that relief had come, and that he must brace himself to live. ■ Elison, who was next him, though not in such dire ex- tremity, was little better off. His hands and feet had been frozen off in a journey made seven months before, in a vain attempt to get the English meat at Cape Isabella, and all that time he had lain helpless in his sleeping-bag. Cared for by the others, his mind and body had wasted somewhat less than theirs, but he had nearly reached the limit of his endurance. The two others in the tent. Sergeant Fredericks, and Bierdcrbick, the hospital steward, were too weak and ex- hausted to stand long, much less to walk. Their worst symptom, apart from their weakness, was their swollen con- dition. In their experience of the last six months, when they had seen the others pass away, one after another, they had learned to recognize this as the surest sign of the ap- proaching end, and although now their faculties were more or less blunted, they had realized that the hand of death was on them, and that a little more would put an end to the liorroi's of existence. Except Conncll and Elison, the feeblest of the party was Lieutenant Greely. His strength was failing fast. lie could not stand upright, and for some time he had not left his Bleeping bag. Ho lived on the food which the others brought him, but all pangs of hunger had ceased, and his wasted form and sunken eyes and swollen joints told plainly enough what was in store for him. The two other survivors of the party, Long and Brainard, ■I ' The Rescue. 225 ■who had been first found, were in somewhat better condi- tion. Tliey were men of more than ordinary endurance, and it is of course idle to speculate upon what might have !)een their end if relief had not been at hand. Brainard, though much weakened, had latterly been Lieutenant Greoly's right-hand man. Long had been the hunter for the starving party, and it was necessary to increase his pit- tance of food above that of the others, so that he might have strength for his work, but the effects of his continued effort could be seen in his wasted body. His journeys had grown shorter and shorter fi-om week to week, and in the stormy weather which prevailed during much of the time at Cape Sabine, he could not go at all. As soon as Colwell understood the condition of affairs, he Bont Chief-Engineer Lowe back to the cutter to put off to the Bear with Long, to report what had happened, and bring off the others with the surgeon and stimulants. Fred- ericks and Bierderbick presently got up and came out. Col- well gave them, as well as Grecly and Elison, a little of the biscuit lie had in his pocket, wliich they munched slowly and deliberately. Then he gave them another bit, while Norman opc^^ed one of the cans of* pemmican. Scraping oti a little with a knife Colwell fed them slowly by turns. It was a pitiable sight. They could not stand up and had dropped down on tiicir knees, and held out their hands, beg- ging for more. After they had each been fed twice, they were told that they had hud enough, that they could not eat more then without danger ; but their hunger had now come back with full force, and they begged pitoously to be helped again, protesting that it could do them no harm. Colwell was wisely deaf to their entreaties and threw away the can. 15 !| .i i| ■: I II 1 ! 226 The HesGue of Gredy. S i! i:j mi i When Greely found that he was refused he took out a can of the boiled sealskin, which had been carefully husbanded, and which he said he had a right to eat, as it was his own. This was taken away from him, but while Colwell was at work trying to raise the tent, some one got the half-emptied can of pemniican, and \)y the time it was discovered the party had scooped out and eaten its contents. The weaker ones were like children, petulant, rambling and fitful in their talk, absent, and sometimes a little inco- lierent. "While they were waiting for the return of the boat, Colwell and the ice-masters did their best to cheer them up by telling them that relief was at hand, and that the others would soon arrive. They could not realize it, and refused to believe it. So they were humored, and by way of taking up their thoughts, Colwell told them something of what had been going on in the world during their three years of exile. Curiously enough, there was much that they knew already. It turned out that among the stores from the Proteus were two boxes of lemons, and the fruit had been wrapped up in scraps of English newspapers — "those lemons which your dear wife put up for us," as one of them said to Colwell, in a moment of wandering fancy. The latter could only dis- claim the imaginary obligation to an imaginary person, but the impression had already faded. As Greely complained of cold, Colwell gave him his gloves, and persuaded him to go back to his sleeping-bag. This was lying under the fallen tent-cloth, which the party had been too weak or too disfjouraged to raise up and dis- engage. Where the single remaining pole supported the tent tliere was a clear space of perhaps six feet, just enough for a man to stand upright, but around it the canvas was Pi The Rescue. 227 ?-bag. lying on the ground. The bag, from wliich Greely had hardly moved for a month, was found under the canvas, and by the united efforts of the three men the tent was p;irtly raised. Meanwhile the Bear had arrived and Lowe had .f^one off in the cutter, taking with him Sergeant Long. Long was too weak to get on board withont assistance, and was l.fted over the side by some of tlie crew and taken to a chair in the ward-room. In reply to questions about the party and their condition, Long, in a husky voice, told his story: that all were dead except Greely and five others, who were on shore in '' sore distress — sore distress"; that they had had a hard winter, and " the wonder was how in God's name they had pulled through. " Ko words can describe the pathos of this man's broken and enfeebled utterance, as he said over and over "a hard winter — a hard winter"; and the officers who were gathered about him in the ward-room felt an emotion which most of them were at little pains to conceal. The first sign of the relief expedition which had reached the camp was the sound from the steam whistle of the Thetis^ re- calling the shore parties at Payer Harbor. Lieutenant Greely, lying on the ground in his tent, had heard it, as it was borne faintly over the neck of land, but the others had not noticed it in the roaring wind, and when he told them he had heard a steamer's whistle, they thought it only the impression of his disturbed imagination. Long crawled out of the tent and bracing himself against the wind, strug- gled up to the ridge ; but nothing could bo seen but the rocky coast, and the ice-foot, and the chopping sea with the pack stretching off in the distance. It was a bitter disappoint- ment. Long went back disheartened, but after waiting un- i' ( ii' ^i I i i 1 11^ 228 27ie Hesoue of Oredy. ! IS- easily a little while longer, he mounted the rid<>e a second time. Still there was nothing to be seen but the same li ope- less prospect, and he was about to return again when the cutter came into view around the point above. After all these months of waiting it was hard to believe that he was not dreaming, but when he saw the coxswain wave the femiliar flag, he knew that relief had come at last. This was Long's story. While he was telling it the cutter had taken on coal and water, and supplies for the starving men on shore — condensed milk, beef extract, and stimulants. The doctor gave Long a milk punch and some beef tea, and leaving him in charge of Lieutenant Crosby, a party com- posed of the Commander of the Expedition, Lieutenant Emory, Ensign "Reynolds, Dr. Ames, and several men from the crew, started in the cutter for the shore. The gale had made a heavy sea, and although the shore was not far off, everybody was wet through before reaching it. As the cut- ter approached the ice-foot Norman was seen on shore. Fol- lowing his indications the party landed at the deep cove filled with ice to the westward of the camp, and from here they huVried up the ridge to the tent. As soon as the first greetings were over, prepai-ations were at once made to apply restoratives to the weakest of the sur- vivors, and to give them suitable food. Soon after, the Thetis came in sight, and signal was made to her to send her sur- geon, with stretchers and more men. In reply to this signal. Lieutenant Usher and Ensign Harlow, Chief-Engineer Mel- ville, and Dr. Green, with a party of seamen, came ashore from the Thetis, and joined the others at work around the tent. The doctors, with the assistance of some of the officers and men, kindled a fire near the tent, under the lee of a I \ ri ( J ^i J i\ i ,, i[ i- i: llie Hescue. 229 rock, using cliarrcd bits of wood tliat wore lying about, the remains of former fires. Over this, and over an alcohol stove which had been brought ashore, milk punch and beef extract were warmed, and given every ten minutes or so, for tlio next two hours, to the invalids who were lying in and about the tent. Gradually, all the survivors were restored, though they remained still in a d^zed condition. Before the rescue, all seemed to have given up hope. They had ceased to think much about anything, or even to feel much. Tlie craving for food was almost gone, and it was not until they had had some that it came back, like a drunkard's craving for rum. As soon as they had taken a little food, they wanted to eat voraciously anything they could get. If they had had good weather they n)ight have been much better off, but the storm, which had kept up for two days with incessant fury, had weakened them, broken their spirits. They could not go out for food, for they wore too weak to stand against the wind ; and their tent, which had made at least a habitation, had been wrecked the day before, and although it had fallen down almost on them, they could not raise it up. A little more and the other ])ole would have gone, leaving them buiied in the covering, or if they had managed to crawl out, without shelter from the wind. With most of them the rescue haixJly made a revulsion of feeling. Except the commander, they took it as a matter of course. There was a little, a very little excitement, and they were perhaps more than ordinarily talkative, but in general they did not seem to rise or fall much above or be- low the level of ordinary good Bpirite. I'robably of tough ilbre to begin with, their year of privation and hopelcssnesa !i| ; ) il ll ' 230 The liescue of Gredy, 11 1^ had blunted or deadened their recollection of the world, as they had known it, and the feelings to which the reccllec- tioii gave rise. In one thing, however — in their treatment of the helpless ones in their diminished party — they ap peared to the officers of the relief ships to have shown though tfulness and care. When Fredei'icks and Bierderbick took down the bottle, it was to give the best part of the last brandy they had to Connell, of whom all hope had been, given up. Elison had been cared for through seven months, his companions keeping him supplied with food from their scanty stores, which they were each day less and less able to replenish. Notwithstanding his interview with Oolwell, Greely's first question, when the party from th-. Bear came up, was " whether they were not Englishmen ? " and upon being told that they were his countrymen, he said, " I am so glad to Bee you." There was some little talk with him, and with the others of the party about their families, of whom the re- lief expedition had happily nothing but good news to give ; for care had been taken, the last thing before sailing, to get word from the friends of all who had been at Lady Franklin Bay, and it had been learned that the nearest and dearest of all, without exce])tion, wore still alive and well. ''This seems so wonderful," said Greely ; and when he was told that the ])icturcs of his wife and children were on board the ThetJs, he added, " It is so kind and thoughtful." All the survivors were eager to leave the place which had been their refuge for the })ast eight months. When Long had (Mice got oil' to tiie shij), although he had left the tent expecting to return, he had no wisii to go back, oven for a moment. The only fooling among them all was a desire to luid The Rescue. 231 get away from the scene of their sufferings ; and when in answer to their questions, they were told that the surgeon must decide when they could be moved, Greely said plain- tively : "It seems so long to wait/' Wiiile tlie doctors were applying restoratives and prepar- ing the sick men for transfer to the ships, a look was taken at the camp and its surroundings. The plain or level space in which lay Camp Clay, as it had been named by Greely, wiis about two hundred yards long, running east and west, and extended back to the southward perhaps one hundred and fifty yards from the shore, but separated from it by the ridge on which Long had first been seen. On the land side it was shut off by the chain of rocky, snow-covered hills, divid'»d by ravines tilled with glaciers. Near the western end, where the cove made in, was the hut in which the party had lived during the winter, and from which they had moved only a month bef >re. The walls of the hnt were made of loose rocks filled in with moss. They were threj feet thick and very solid, and the labor of building them must have cost no slight effort. The hut was twenty-fivo feet long and seventeen feet wide, and barely held the whole pnrty. It was four feet high, and had been roofed in with the canvas that had been saved from the Proteus, stretched over a whale-boat, which had been turned bottom up and placed on the walls as a ridge-polo. This was the boat which Beebo had left at the (^ape in 18S2, and which, when Greely arrived, was sound excei)t for a little hole which had been covered by a patch of load. The hut was placed in a hollow not far fi-om the ice foot, and in May the occupanta (there were seventeen still living) were driven from it by tho water from tho molting snow and ice, and moved to tho I ''I L!l ' 'J •I ! , ; t. '.] m 232 The Re^sGue of Greely. Ill '1 !-( L::|Jl *S % I ' 9 I tent, which was pitched on higher ground, one hinulied and fifty yards away. After the hnt was deserted, the boat had been taken down and broken up for fuel, and nothing was left of it but the fragments of its bow. Fifty yards beyond the tent, on a slope that formed the eastern side of the plain, were the graves where ten of the party were buried — the two Lieutenants, Kislingbury and Lockwood, the Eskimo Christiansen, and seven others, Cross, Linn, Jewell, Ellis, Ralston, Whisler, and Israel. The grave of Sergeant Cross, who was the first to die, was marked by a row of stones surrounding it, and the noxt two or three also showed signs of having been made with care. But after these, the survivors growiag fewer and weaker, the later graves showed less and less of preparation, until at the end thore was little done besides placing on the body a thin covering of the gravelly dust that formed tlie only soil about the place ; and from one or two a hand or foot protruded. It is not easy to give an idea of the desolate and horrible aspect of this bleak and barren spot, as it looked to those who reached it on that memorable Sunday in June, 1884. In front lay the sea with its ice-pack stretching away to the northward, and at the back the glaciers and rocky preci- pices of the mountains. On one side was tlie slope with its rude graves, and on the other the deserted and roofless hut, with the ice-foot below it ; while between them was the wrecked tent, in which lay the remnant of the expedition, halt' dead with cold, and hunger, and distress. Everywhere was the barren rock, except Nvhero the snow still lay deep in the hollowfl. There was no soil, except the sandy disinte- gration of the rocka thcmselvos, u,ad but little of that. On * i The Rescue, 233 tbe southern slopes, here and there, were little patches of flowering moss, the only vegetation that could find support in this Arctic wilderness. At the foot of the ridge that faced the shore lay the body of Schneider, who had died four days before, and whom the others had been too weai? to bory. Everywhere, around the hut and around the tent, were scattered broken cans, rude cooking utensils, and tat- tered clothing. It was determined soon after the camp was reached, that the bodies of the dead should be brought back with the liv- ing to the United States. Greely remonstrated at this de- cision, and spoke of the desire of bis men to lie where they had died, or, as he said of one of them, " in the ground consecrated by his great achievements." However reason- able might be this sentiment, it was felt that the friends of the dead would have wishes which deserved at least equal consideration, and the pains and expense which the Govern- ment had willingly borne to bring from Siberia the bodies of De Long and his companions made it clear that the relief expedition would fail in its duty if it left these other ex- plorers in their rude graves at Capo Sabine. As soon as the surgeons had reported that the survivors were sufficiently restored to make it safe to remove them, they were taken to the ships. Five of them, Lieutenant Greely, Sergeants Brainard and Elison, and Bierderbick and Connell, were placed upon stretchers and carried down to the ice foot of the cove, where they were put in their sleep- ing-bags on board the boats. Fredericks insisted that ho was eti'ong enough to walk, but such strength as he coulre- vent their having a severe wetting, but fortunately it did them no harm. They were saved, and had left behind them Camp Clay and its horrors. Greely fainted after being taken below, but he was shortly revived by spirits of am- monia. His clothes were carefully cut off and heavy fian- nels which had been warmed were substituted for them ; aniJ after taking a teaspoonful of raw fresh beef he was made as comfortable as possible in Norman's berth in the ward- room. Meantime Emory was carrying out the orders given him some time before to collect the property belonging to the camp and to exhume and bring ott* the bodies. Articles of all kinds were scattered about the tent, — clothing, sleeping- bags, note-books and diaries, guns and ammunition, empty tins, cooking utensils roughly constructed, — the debris of the winter, most of it littl'^ bettor than rubbish. Everything of value was first carefully collected, to be returned to the owners, — or to their representatives, for most of the owners, unhap])ily, lay on the ridge across the hollow. One of the seamen found a pocket-book containing a largo roll of bunk i^L. Tlie Rescue. 235 bills, which the owner, for wliat reason it is hard to say, had carried with him to Lady Franklin Bay. Within the tent, rear each sleeping-bag was found a little package of cher- ished valuables carefully rolled up, and addressed to friends or relatives at home. It was not alone to the dead that these belonged ; the survivors, too, had already made up their little packages. The work of taking up the bodies was one of little diffi- culty. It was only needed to remove the t' a covering of sand from the mounds that formed the graves. ittle could be seen of the condition of the bodies, aa thev had been clothed, and all that appeared was intact. In preparing them subsequently, it was found that six. those of Lieuten- ant Kislingbury, and of Jewell, Ralston, I .nry, Whisler, and Ellis, had been cut, and the flesh removed. Care was taken that there should be no mistake about their identity, and as each one was taken up, it was given a number correspond- ing with a number on a drawing made of the burial-ground. The names were afterwards designated by Brainard, who had been in charge of the burials, so that the identification was complete. The bodies were carefully wrapped in blankets and car- ried from the graves to the boats. The shrivelled form of poor Schneider, who had perished only four days before, was brought up from the edge of the cove, where it lay covered with a blanket, and placed with the others. It was hard work to bring them safely off to the Thetis^ which was to receive them. The ships could only with difficulty be kept head to wind, and the frequent squalls knocked them oft', broadside to, when their rail would bo driven almost into the water. The boats in coming off' were nearly swamped, \l\ 236 The Eescvs of Greely. \\ ■ tr 'I I ! and several times they were in danger of losing their freight, if not of sinking with it. As one of them came alongsida the Thetis, two of the bodies were carried out by tlie swash of the sea, but they were recovered by one of the seamen before they could sink. It was near midnight, and the last boat was about to re- turn to the shore for the few who had been left there, when Colwell strolled off with Ash, the ice-master, to take a look at the stone hut. The same confused heaps of clothes and rubbish were to be found there that they had seen about the tent. Among the clothes Colwell recognized his uniforrii coat, which had somehow or other found its way ashore after the Proteus wreck. Looking out from the side of the hut to the ice-foot, his attention was fixed by a dark object outlined on the white snow. Following a path which led to it from where he stood, Colwell found the mutilated remains of a man's body. It was afterwards identified from a bullet-hole as that of Private Henry, who had been exe- cuted on the 6th of June. Wrapping it in a blanket, Col- well carried it to the landing-place, where a seaman took the bundle on his shoulder. Presently the boat came off, and all who had remained on shore were taken on board the Bear, The ships now steamed back to Payer Harbor, where they lay until the next morning to give the men a little rest after the labor and excitement of the past fifteen hours. At eleven o'clock on the forenoon of the 23d, Lieutenant Em- ory was directed to return with the Bear to the wreck camp. Sebree, Melville, and a number of men from the Thetis were detailed to go with him, to make another search, more extended than that of the day before, and to include the The Rescue. 237 '"I m coast from the ice limit, half a mile west of the camp, up to Cape Sabine. Two parties were landed, in charge of Sebree and Crosby. The search lasted several hoin-s, and added nothing of importance to that already made, but everything was brought off", no matter how valueless or insignificant. During \k\Q Bear's absence the tin boxes containing Greely's scientific records and tlie standard pendulum with its long narrow case, which had been set v^ on end in the cairn, were brought to the Thetis from Stalknecht Island, where Harlow had discovered them. At 5 P.M. \hQBear returned to Payer Harbor. The wind had meantime slackened, and the ice in Kane Sea was niov- ing rapidly to the southward, so that as tlie Bear came steaming along it closed up just astern of her the narrow passage through which the vessels had passed and repassed around Cape Sabine, and which had only opened at their arrival. So closely was the Bear followed by the incoming pack that she barely escaped the crush of ice off the Cape. i \ Jl! I i] f4 ^.i| CHAPTER XIII. CAPE SABINE TO DISKO. At four o'clock on the afternoon of June 23d, tlie work of the relief squadron having been accomplished, and all that •was left of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition having been found and taken on board, the Thetis and the Bear, driven out by the ice, left Payer Harbor and started on their return voyage. It was perhaps with some little feeling of regret that there was not an opportunity even to attempt the pas- sage of Kane Sea and Kennedy Channel : for there is always the enticing possibility of success, and it does not often happen that an Arctic expedition finds itself so well equipped, and certainly none had ever been so far north as Cape Sabine by the 23d of June, on its first season. The best i^rospect of success in reaching a verj' high latitude, apart from the chance of just happening upon an exceptional and extraordinary condition of the ice and water, is to be found in going up early and watchitig for an opportunity to make a dash in the first summer. If the conditions for advance, either by ice or by water, are highly unfavorable, it would seem to be better to return to the south and try another sea- son, rather than make the attempt with a crew exhausted by an Arctic winter. The ships reached Littleton Island at 8 p.m., and trans- ferred to the Bear five of the bodie-; of the dead explorers, in addition to the one — that of Henry — already on board of that vessel, with instructions to prepare them for transporta- (288) 1 r ;. Cape Sabine to Disko. 239 tion in alcohol. These preparations were made on board the Thetis by Dr. Green, Chief-Engineer Melville, and Ensign Harlow, and on board the Bear by Dr. Ames, Lieu- tenant Crosby, and Lieutenant Colwell. The work was done on the forecastle, across which a sail was rigged as a cur- tain. During the process of preparing the bodies, they were examined and fully identitied. Some of the dead could be recognized by the aid of the })hotograph of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, which had been taken before they started, a copy of which was on board the Bear. The others were known by some characteristic mark or peculi- arity, so that the identification in the case of all of them became a matter of absolute certainty. Of the surviving members of the expedition, the three who were in the best condition — Brainard, Fredeiicks, and Long — began already to show signs of improvement, and it was clear that their recovery was only a question of tinje, and a short time at that. Of the others, the hospital stew- ard, Bierderbick, was also doing well, though suffering fn>m rheumatism. With Lieutenant Greely and Private Conncll the effect of exposure and suffering had gone so fiir that f«)r some time their lives were trembling in the balance, and they were only brought around by the skill and close watch- fulness of the surgeons. For poor Elison the medical officers had grave apprehensions. As soon as he had health- ful food, the circulation of blood would give new life to the injured parts, and inflammation would doubtless set in. If his strength could first be re-established, amputation niight save his life; but it was feared from the first that his chances were slight. At Littleton Island, where the ships passed the night, [:: n \ 1 ■I 1 l^. [ ;(' 9 . ,' 240 77ie Rescue of Greely. game wai=. abiindant and the shooting fine. If it had been necessary thousands of eider ducks and brant geese could have been secured. The former, when dressed for the table, weighs about five pounds, and the latter about six or seven. As the birds in the high latitudes are covered witli a down which is tedious to pluck, and the skin has a fishy taste, they are ffonenillv skinned. Nothing can be found in these re/rions more delicious to the taste than the plump breasta of these birds. McGary Island appears to be the haunt most preferred by them ; thousands of them congregate on its suimy southern side, where tlieii* nests are made from down picked from tlieir own breasts. The eggs of the duck are about as large as those of the Muscovy duck, and make excellent omelets. The shell is bluish, mottled with dark brown spots, and thicker and stronger than that of the do- nestic duck. As the season is short, the operation of hatcliing is quickly finished ; the ducklings as soon as they break from the shell t.tke to the water, and with their mothers begin to ])ad(lle Bouth M'ith increasing speed as they grow stronger. Tho same migratory instinct is found in all the birds hatched iu these latitudes. Tho fresh beef remaining on board from the supply re- ceived at St. John's was reserved for the invalids, but the quantity was not large, and as the rapidity of their recovery dei)eiided somewhat ii])on the amount of fresh food that could be given them, the opportunity was taken to shoot enough game to last until the ships could reach the sett'e- meiits on the (iroenland coast. (tIuus and ammunition were served out to nil who cared for the sport, and during tho whole nigiit the reports could be heard among the hills T « Cape Sabine to DisTco. 241 lad been Be could ho table, Dr seven. 1 a down hy taste, in these ) breasts e haunt epate on de from ;he duck id make ith dark ' the do- quickly he shell ])ad(lle . The ciied iu ply re- but the ecovery 0(1 that shoot sett'e- ori wore uv* the 10 hilis of the islands. Tt was a continuous fusillade. Great num- bers of birds were bagged and scores of eggs were l)rouglit in. Tlie shooting was somewhat promiscuous, and was some- times carried on without mucli regard to otlier sportsmen in the line of shot, but fortunately no accident occurred. The amount of ammunition expended M'^as nearly equal in weight to the game taken. It was amusing to watch the suri)riso of the sailors when they missed easy shots. Some of them would make an examiiiatiiju of the gun, as if it was respon- siltle for the failure. Others were confident tliat the duck had carried away the entire load in his back. Tiie sport was thoroughly enjoyed all the same, and though many of the amateur sportsmen came back empty-handed, the two ships wore supplied with all the game that they could use. The Bear had four hundred ducks hani^iuif that niorninn: in the rigging. The ships left Littleton Island at 0.30 a.m. on Juno 24th, after depositing a record for the ^^^^^"^ in the Naros cairn, an- nouncing the result of the expedition, and directing hor to return to Upcrnivik or Disko, where the other vessels would await her. Tiie Thetin got under way iirst, having been moored to a borg. While the Jicar was getting up iier anchor, an oomiak and a kayak came ahmgside, filled with na- tives. The oomiak is an open flat-bottomed boat, made of skins, and large enough to hold several persons, while the kayak is a canoe only largo enough for one man. Tho oomiak was pulled by seven Eskimo, men and women. One of the women was tattooet"., which showed that she canio from tho western side of tho Bay, probably from tho neigh- borhood of I'oTurH Inlet. Some of tho (>thor8 may have bo- longed to Etah. They had seen the ships when tho latter 16 M > I ill' i ^JSmi ;i ! 242 The Itescue of Greely. i ': I , I . I came up two days before, but had been unable to reach them on account of the gale. 'J'he women of the party were fine-lookin"^ and well -dressed, and aa UFiual bronght off a number of walrus teetli and uai'wlial horns to exchange for provisions. As the spring advances and the ice clears out, the E-kiiuo are (;bliged to move north to follow the seal and walrus and to obtain birds and eggs on the breeding grounds about Cape Oldsen and Littleton Island. Tiiis appears to be the northern limit of the migrations of the natives. Mere they take the birds in great numbers, and tliese, witli seal and walrus meat, constitute tlieir winder fare. Undoubtedly these peo- ple had been about Littleton Island for months, and the Etah Eskimo had been there during tlie wliole of the past winter. An open season in the Arctic, though coveted by the ex- plorer, is always dreaded by the Eskimo. It incrca-ies the difficnlty of capturing seals and walru'^, and often ol)Hge8 them to go to great distances to ])r{)cure tlie meat and oil needed for their long winters. Cold weatlier and expoir^nre seem to liave no terrors for th.em, but when the temperature rises above the freezing point they suffer with lieat. Leaving Littleton Isinnd,tlie T/ietis and Bear sieamed to the entrance of Foulke Fiord, which was frozen solid. Here they remained until driven soutlnvard by the oe floes mov- ing down Smith Soimd from Kane Sea. 'i1ie Bm7' was directed in case of separation to rendezvous at Upernivik. On the way to Northumberland Island the same enormous icebergs, in groat numbers, M'ere found as on the way up, mile upon mile of them lying closely together. The ehne pack was mot agai!» lato in Iho evening, and towards r>)id- night the 'Jlictis anchored to a doo near llakhiyt Ibluiid. »fi.. 'H (Jape Scibine to Disko. 243 each them and well ilrus teeth . As the ire (;bH<^ed 1 to obtain .pe O hi sen ! northern !j take the nd walrus these peo- id the Etah ast winter, by the ex- qrca-^cs the en (»l)lii];o9 at and oil 1 exposure inperatiiro It. ftieanied to lid. Hero (Iocs niov- Bca7' was j)ernivilc. enormous e way np, The cUxe vards nnd« iivt Island. The Bear was caught in the pack in mid-ehannel, and after drifting with it for a time, at half-past two in the morning she worked in and made fast by the Thetis. Early on the 25th the ice opened in small leads and tlie ships worked around to the southwest side of Ilakhiyt Island. After another delay they succeeded during the afternoon in ramming their way past Northumberland Island. No leads could be found to the soutlnvard across Whfde Sound, i.nd the ships were moored to the best place they could find on the edge of the Hoe, although the position might have been unsafe if the ice had set in towards the shore. In the even- ing the ice was h)osened by a turn of the tide, and after close and anxious wntching, o])en water was discovered six miles away towards Cape Parry. No time was to be lost, and by dint of heavy raimning the barrier was crossed, and the ships arrived at Cape Parry soon after ten o'clock. Lieu- tenatit Lemly visited the cairn made on the passage up, and left a new record for Commander CotRn, bringing oif the old re(rords. As soon as Lomly returned the expedition started again on its way south, and steamed through leads and loose ice toAvarils Wolstenhohne Island, ^oon after midnight, on the morning of the 2(lth, five steamers were sighted ahead. Tiio relief ships came up with them at three o'clock, and found that they were all whalers, of which three, the JVannha/^ CornwaUifi, and Nova Zrmhia, wore among those left behind at the Duck Islands, while the two others, the Fs^jnimaux and Jan JUaen, had joined the belated fli^et in Miilville i'ay- 'riio point where they now wore, 100 milos distant from (^ape Sabinc", was the most northerly that they had attained, and thev liad .eached it six davs after the ! «l n I,! '.( > 'I I 'I 244 The liescue of Greely. !;> li' '\ I I Thetis. The Esquimaux^ which had left ITpernivIk on tlie 11 til, thirteen days after tlie relief ships, brought letters from Ensign Chambers on board tiie Loch Garry. At the date of writing lie was still waitin.^ for tlie Ale)i. The relief ships received letters from tlie whalers, to be mailed on ar- rival at St. John's. The news of the rescue was given to the whalers, so that they should not be tempted farther north, and the officers of the relief !?hips bade them a fuial good-bye. The Dnndee sailors were parted from with regret. They had shown a cordial and friendly spirit in their rivalry on the common errand, and they had generouslj^ given such aid as they could to the relief expedition on the way up. Had an accid'^Mit be- fallen the expedition some of them would doubtless have made their way to Capo Sabine, although too late to liave rescued all of those who still survived on the Sunday when the Thetis and the Bear crossed over to the ( 'jipe. On the forenoon of June Sfith, both ships were anchored to a sheet of ice near Sauiuh"*-! rsland. The Triune and Polynia., the last vfthe Dn;! *•"; fleet, were sighted near the Islaiul. The relief ships remained here all day, as the wind blew strong from the north, and the l)arom(!tor had fal' jn to 29. 1(). Nothing was now to be gained by hurrying, and it was the best plan to keep a secure position as long as the indications of bad weather lasted. As the whalers had been at SaundiTs Island they had doubtless supplied the natives with everything that the latter needed, so that only a few came off with their sleds to tho jhips on the second visit. One of the dog tiMims con- tained several lire animals wliich the ollicors wanted, and trading was actively begun, various tniall articles being used ■■^ifX: Ik on tlie ter8 from the data 'he reliei ed on ar- s, so that le officers e Dnndee shown a ! common hev could cid'Mit be- tloss have te to liave day when ichored to ^une and near the the wind till'' J n to nu;, and it inji,' as the I hey had thiit tiio ■ir sleds to >utris eon- tuted, and Cape Saline to Uisho. 24i; *1 for barter. Among the objects prized by tlie Eskimo were needles, food, buttons, M'hich are used y»rincii)ally as ornaments by the women, and clothing, which has a peculiar value in that region. Ensign Harlow was successful in mak- ing a trade and secured a fine-looking, handsomely marked animal, which had, however, an unusnally surly difposition. He refused to associate with the other dogs, or to ])artake of the same food. While all the others were skylarking about the decks or on the ice, the new dog was content to mope about the rigging near the mainmast, where he would snarl at every kindly interference. He seemed to be afraid to eat, and he never dared to bite. An Eskimo dog with no ap- petite and no bite in him was so much of a curiosity in those regions, where everything is hungry and where everything will bite, that all understanding of his nature was baffled. Harlow strove hard to make him take to the other dogs, but in vain. Only upon one occasion did he come out of his tor- por, and that was fatal to iiim. He attempted to walk on the main rail aniidshi[)S, but fell overboard and was drowned. Notwithstanding the barometer, the weather continued finf?, and in the evening an advance was made towards Conical Rock. The ice was loose but heiivy^ and towards midnight a shift of wind to the southwest ])acked it tightly, and both ships were anchored to icebergs. While tlie Thetin was being secured in a strong tideway, she came into colli- sion with a berg, carrying away her Ik ;ul-booms. Two or three hours later the oerg to which she was moored pivoted arouiul, exposing the ship to the heavy Hoes that were driven by the wind a!ul tide up lower Smith Sound. As the Bear'n anclionigo appeared steadier, the Thetis steamed over awd sent her a lino to hold ou by ; but the fres. euing wind soon I' I :i ■ It ! I) (A ;n 'i i ^h-' ■l ^1 ■ 1 1 I I 246 The Rescue of Greely. slipped the Bear's ice ancliors, and the fthips tlien steamed into the soft floe ice, where thej remained during the rest of the night. . On the morning of the 27th a lead opened towards Conical Hock. While the ships were steaming through it, Ilann, the Eskimo dog-driver of the Bear^ jumped over the rail, and starting at a run over the ice floea, made for the shore two miles^i away at the Petowik Glacier. It M'as after- wards found that his mind was disordered. The ship fol- lowed -in among the leads to head him off, and at a favor- able momeno two of the seamen went after him. After an exciting chase of half an hour he was caj)tured and brought back to the ship. During the chase one of the men fell thrciigh the ice, and got a ducking, but his companion managed to haul him out. Sliortlv after this adventure., the ships reached Conical Rock, where they were secured to grounded icebergs, and a record w«>s left for Commander Cothn in the cairn built on the way north. After a two hours' delay, they were again mider way, forcing a passage by ramming through heavy bars, and in and out of tortuous loads, until they were nearly abreast of Cape York, when a dense fog set in, witli enow. Tiie ice-pack off Cape York compelled a detour to the vestward of eigliteeu miles, after which the ships slowiy and widi difticulty worked their way back into ojx'u water near the l-Juslman Islands, east of Cape York. It was next to iniposbiijie to disthiguish leads in the fog and driving snow, aixi at one time the Tlieth came up against the land ice in a b'l^djt, and butting it at full speed ran up half a liMJgth on tne ice. It became a{)parent that nothing was to bo gained by Lurrying under such circumstances, and the '€ ■- I'i 1 steamed he rest of [ towards 1 rough it, I over the e for the was aftcr- 3 ship fol- t a favor- After ail d brought men fell ompanion d Conical rgs, and a 1 built on ere again ^h heavy ley were t in, with detour to he ships into open It was id driving the land 11 1» half a 111:; was to , aud thu 't-i llllii.lr.' I 'Mm \\'"' " '''''^'i'Hi;iii:ir"ii l{ !i{ iiN WW' 1. 1 m^' m I] I !ii|:i:i'''BiJ|jll!i 1!JI;' 'i!jl lil'l!i|i|!i!!!|l! IP!:I!!! "liiiii !niiii::!l::.ai:;.:;:i:illfljii|!. V^hlil.lllili ^■4 if ii • Cape Sabine to Disko. 247 fillips were tliereforo ancliored to the land ice, to wait for clcjirinc: vvoathor. Diiriiiij: the niii;lit of June 27th, the wind thom?]) very lio-lit haided to the eastward, and by tlie morning of the 28th it liad cU-ared snfficiently to show open water near tiie grounded McCIintoek icebergs, thirty miles to the southeast of (.\ipe York. For four hours, the sliips were able to make good progress in this direction, but at one o'clock in the afternoon, a bar of ice made it necessary to secure them to the edge of the pack and wait. Here they remained at anchor between two large bergs. On this day, the condition of Sergeant Elison began to give great anxiety. IIc^ was delirious most of the time, and he seemed to be threatened with congestion of the brain. Tho two surgeons were in frequent consultation, but liis syraj)- toms grew steadily worse during the next week. The others were all on the mend. Even Lieutenant Greely and Connell,thougl» still very weak, and with a mor- bid appetite, had begun to sleep naturally; their musclea were filling out, their voices were stronger, and their dis- turbed nerves had become more tranquil. On the 28th Greely was dressed for the first time and sat up for two hours. On the morning of the 29th the ice bar which had de- layed the ships began to loosen, and they got under way and passed through it. They were now driven eastward under full speed in order to gain every inch, for by this time it was evident that without a vigorous effort, they might bo del aye 1 here as long 0!i the return as on the way up. '\\\q advancing season liel})ed somewhat, but tho lUy was still blocked with ice, contrary to tho usual conditions at this time ii '■ \ 1 I ■ ..i III \ 'm :ll li i 1 1 C' t! 248 The Rescue of Greely. of the year, and bade fair to remain so for some time. During a part of the afternoon the ships had a clear open lead, and went along smoothly ; but at other times it was necessary to ram continually under a full head of steam through the broad sheets in order to pass along the land ice frorr' one water space to another. The success of thus vigorously at- tacking the pack justified the effort, for before midnight, the expedition had gained sixty miles to the eastward. A linal attempt at ramming brought the Thetis solidly up against the pack as if she had butted a wall, knocking down everybody on deck, and nearly throwing the Captain out of the crow's-nest. The ship rebounded twenty feet from the shock. After this, the effort was abandoned for the night, and the ships were moored to the land ice in a narrow ice dock or canal of open water left between the closing floes, with the coast in plain sight around the curve of the Bay. Early on the morning of the next day, the 30th, the wind hauling to the eastward, the ships were again under way and steamed through an open lead for five or six miles, passing many large icebergs. Again they met heavy ice, from three to five feet thick, and they continued ramming their way from lead to lead, through the waste of floes and broken bergs, until ten o'clock in the forenoon. At this point the Thetis was beset. While trying to free herselt by going astern to gain room to charge the large floes ahead, she backed into a smaller floe and twisted oflf her rudder head. It was the second injury to the rudder, but it was temporarily repaired by Lieutenant Sebree, and the ships continued on their way. The Devil's Thumb and Sugar Loaf Mountain were now in sight, ]>rominent points on the Greenland coast to the north of the Duck Islands, and the work of crossing Melville Bay was nearly over. Cajpe Sabine to Disko. 249 sad, and ssai-y to iigh the •oir; one usly at- idniglit, ard. A [idly up :ig down n out of from tlie e night, rrow ice ng floes, 3 Bay. he wind der wav ix miles, savy ice, animing loes and At this herselt ge floes off lier der, but and the mb and t points Islands, fvcr. At four o'clock on the afternoon of the 30th, the Alert and Loch Garry wqvq discovered beset in the ice-pack. The Thetis and Bear immediately broke their way through and released them. The last mail from home was brouj^ht bv^ the Alert. The two ships had left Uperiiivik on the 19th of June, and with much difficulty in passing through heavy ice, succeeded in making the Berry Islands, where all the leads closed. Here thoy were anchored to the ice to await an opening. On the 24tli a gale sprang up which made it necessary to cut an ice dock for the Loch Carry. This was done in the way suggested by Commander Markham. The ice was four feet thick, and two hours finished the work and tiie docking of the ships. Next day the gale ceased, and the ships worked to the northward, following the inshore leads past Cape Shackleton and the Duck Islands, where they were again stopped by solid ice. Owing to the smaller engine power (;f the Alert, she was obliged to keep out of the ice when in danger of being beset, or resort to docks to avoid nips, or to torpedoes to force a lead, — difliculties which the Thetis and Bear, with their greater power, usually over- came by ramming. Moreover, the Loch Garry, being nearly helpless in the ice, was a constant source of difficulty and delay. Frequently the Alert, after getting successful!}'' through a lead, was corapelKd to return and extricate the collier, as the latter was cauglit l>y the swiftly closing floo.s. During the 20th and 27th, the Alert worked continuously, day and night, to gain only eight miles. "When found, she was off the Devil's Thumb, in latitude Y4:° 30' K, and witliin the dangerous nivigation of Melville Bay. The four vessels now started on their way southward, but the leads closing under the influence of a flood tide and a ^, ^ .^^v >, o/->.ii^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■:£ 12.0 lU Hiotographic Sciences Corpordtion 33 WIST MAIN tTHIT WItSTIt.N.Y. MStO (7I«) •/3-4S03 4 260 The Jiescue of Gredy. Bontherly wind, and a dense fog setting in, they were anchored for the night to the floes. Next day, July Ist, tlio wind was still from the south, and the ships got under way, the Thetis leading, followed by the Bear^ Alerts and Looh Garry in line astern, to take an inshore lead, which appeared to extend to the Duck Islands. Nutnbei*s of icebergs were lying in their way, and the passage through the ivje was diffi- cult and dangerous. At eight o'clock the Loch Garry stuck fast in a floe, and the Bear went to her assistance and got her out, after which the collier took the second place in the line. The fog now settling again, speed was reduced to two knots an hour, and fog signals were sounded frequently to indicate position. The ships felt their way alowly and cau- tiously up to the floe-edge and anchored. In the afternoon the fog lifted and the fleet was again underway, the Thetis and Bear breaking leads for the other ships. As they approached the Duck Islands, the Alert vvan caught by the floes, which had closed up after the passage ot the advance ships, and the latter were obliged to return and release her. Moving on from the Duck Islands, which had been the scene of the long detention o\ the Thetis and Bear on the way up, the fleet passed Cape Shackleton, Horse Head, and Tassuisak. There was plenty of floe ice, but its character had completely changed in the past four weeks; the floe pieces were smaller and less compact, and the ice showed none of its former hardness, yielding readily to nmiming. It was on the morning of this day that Lieutenant Greely, to the delight of every one on board, tirst made his appear- ance on the deck of the Thetis. Tieforo the fog had set in, the day was clear uud bright, the sky blue, and the sua Cape Saline to Dlsko. 251 Bhiniii<];. Greely had waked up in tlio morning after a refre8hin^ sleep, feeling better than at any time since the rescue. He enjoyed his breakfast of oatmeal and broiled beefsteak, and seemed to have lost his perpetual craving for more. After breakfast he was helped up on deck, and sat in the air, well bundled up, for an hour. From this time on, with the exce|)tion of one or two little set-backs, he was steadily gaining. He began to walk a little without assist- ance, and was encouraged to take such exercise in the open air as he could on board the ship. By this time, as most of the survivors had recovered their strength, the officers of the relief ships had learned the won- derful story «>f the expedition. The history of the station at Fort Conger had been bri«*ily stated in the record left on Brevoort Island, — the two yoara ])assed at Discovery Har- bor, and the successful work of exploration, which had resulted in the completion of an accurate map of the whole interior of (Irinnel! Land, and of a loi g stretch of the north Greenland shore. The reconl stopped with the arrival of the expedition at Cape Sabine, and the tragic story of the winter's sufferings at Camp Clay could only be learned by the ret'ltal of the survivors during the passage across the Bay. The brief outline of it may be given here, as the re- lief oflicors heard it from the actors themselves. M \ Soon after the landing of the party from the ice floe \\i Baird Inlet, Lieutenant Groely sent Sergeant Ilico and Jens, one of his Ei-kimo, to Capo Sabine, to find out wliat stores had been placed there. Rico accomplished the journey with difficulty, although the distance was not great, perhaps iif- toen miles in u Btraight line ; but it was found that Capu I .1: . I * II I 1 I. \ 252 T7i£ Rescue of Greely. Sabine waa on an island, and that a strait — now called Eice's Strait from its discoverer — extended from the head of Eosse Bay to Buchanan Sound. This strait was not yet frozen over, and cut Eice off from the Cape, compelling a long detour to the westward. He returned on the 0th of October, and reported to Lieutenant Greely the news of the wreck of the Proteus, and the state of the three supply depots as far as he could ascertain it. Eoughly speaking, there were in the three caches 1,000 rations, or forty days' full supply for the party. Greely did not allow himself to be discouraged at the prospect, but determined to move his command m the neighborhood of the depots, and the 2l8t of October found him established at Camp Clay. The hut, which has been already described, was built on low ground not far from the ice-foot, at a point sheltered by the ridges froiTi the northerly and southerly gales. On the ground were spread clothing, buffalo coats, and sleeping- bags. The hut was barely large enough for the whole party to squeeze into it, when lying at full length, and the air- space gave an allowance of only seventy cubic feet to each man. In this they passed the winter. On the Ist of November, L'.eutenant Greely took an ac- count of his stock of provisions, and it was determined to divide them so that they would last until March Ist, putting a little aside from time to time, so that at the end they would still have ten days' supplies left with which to start on the proposed journey to Littleton Island. It was in- tended to make this journey whenever the intervening strait was frozen over. Smith Sound, however, remained open, in part at lea^t, during the whole winter, and nauo of the party ever crossed. The whale-boat loft by Beebe at \ Cape Sab^itie to Disho. 253 )iiin^ the Cape was used as the ridge-pole of tlie winter hut, and another whale-boat, whicli had been abandoned on the way down, and which had drifted ashore from Kane Sea, was consumed for fuel. The provisions found at the Cape were mostly in good condition, except those in the Nares cache, which Lieuten- ant Greely stated as having in great part deteriorated. The daily aUowance established early in November, by which forty days' rations were to be made to last four months, was made up as follows : — 4^ ounces of meat and blubber, 6^- ounces of bread and dog biscuit, 1| ounces of canned vege- tables and rice, f of an ounce of butter and lard, -^^ of an out)co of soup and beef-extract, and 1 ounce of berries, pickles, raisins, and milk, making altogether 14.88 ounces of food a day for each man. The food was only warmed, as there was not fuel enough to cook it. The idea upon which the party based their mode of life was to approach as nearly as possible to a condition of hibernating, and only the cooks and hunters made much exertion. These received a double ration. The others generally remained in their sleeping- bags, and slept sixteen or eighteen hours out of the twenty- four. Early in November, a party, composed of Sergeant Rice, Elisof), Linn, and Fredericks, was sent to Cape Isabella to obtain the 150 pounds of meat left there by Nares. Tho temperature was now thirty degrees below zero, and tho party was without shelter. Their suiferings from the cold and exposure were such that the only wonder is that any of them returned alive. Struggling on M'ith a courage and perseverance that were nothing less than heroic, they reached tho Capo and secured tho meat ; but ou tho return thoy wore iA ; 1 \\ t )\ If n f^ •' M 254 t I The JRescue of Greely. \ =!! ti i i ' II i I >tll coiiipelle(i to abandon it at Baird Inlet. At Rossc Bay, ElisoM became heli>lesa, bis bands and feet being frozen. Rice tben set out alone to the camp to get assistance, the others remaininj; with Elison in bis sleeping-bag, and so keeping bini alive. Relief parties were at once sent out, and the sufferers were brought back to the hut,, but Elison lost his feet and a part of his hands. In this condition he remained during the winter and spring, cared for by his comjmnions, and thus he was found when the party was rescued. A little while before this. Long, who was the best shot of the party, had been sent with the two Eskimo to a point a little to the westward of the camp, near Rice's Strait, to look out for game. They took a tent with them, and remained for several days, but tliey only succeeded in catching two seaU. During the rest of the winter, hunting was impossible on account of the cold ar.d the darkness. A few foxes were killed near the camp, and in the spring a bear was shot which yielded perhaps three hundred pounds of meat. These with two or three score of dovekies, — a bird weighing about a pound, — were all the supplies of game which c!>uld be secured at Ca])e Sabine. During the winter every one did his best to keep up the spirits of the party. There was not fuel enough to make any artificial heat in the hut, and the temperature was gen- erally from five to ten degrees above zero. In March the whole detachment came very nour dying from asphyxia. Some one had lighted the alcohol stove to cook a meal, but had forgotten to remove the cU)th that covered the smoke- holo in the loof. The oxygen of the air in the hut was quickly exhausted, and before anything could be done all Cape Sabine to Disko. 255 the inmates were attacked with faint ness and dizziness, and it was only with great difficulty that they stumbled out into the open air, many of them falling unconscious to the ground as soon as tiiey got out, although the temperature was 40° below zero. The after-effects of this accident were feU for a long time. During March another hunting expedition was undertaken by Long and his Eskimo, but without success. Up to this time, wonderfully enough, considering the circumstances, only one death liad occurred, that of Sergeant Cross, who died of scurvy on Jan. 18th. In April, the effects of the winter's privations began to tell fatally, and six of the party died during the month. Of these, Lieutenant Lockwood, Ser- geants Linn and Jewell, and the Eskimo Christiansen died at the camp. Sergeant Rice perislied in an attempt to ob- tain the English meat which had been left at Jiaird Inlet in the preceding November. Fredericks, who accompanied him on the journey, returned alone, after burying his coni- rado in the ice. The meat could not be found. The last death during the month was that of Jens Edward, tlio second Eskimo, who was drowned while hunting for seals in Lis kayak. By May the last vestige of the regular rations was ex- hausted, and the survivors of tlie party kept themselves alive fur a time on sand-shrimps and moss. The shrimp is a minute shell-tish, a quarter of an inch long, about four- liftha of its substance being shell, and one-tifth meat. The allowance of shrimps was from one to three ounces a day, according to the catch. A little sustenance was got out ot boiled reindeer moss, and as a last resort, the sealskin linings of the sleeping-bags were cut into strips and boiled, making a kind of jelly. >.i •I ,i I ': H 256 The HesGiie of Oreely, Early in May, the water invaded the hut, making it unin- habitable. The tent was then pitched on an elevation, and the exhausted party removed to it. During May and June eleven deaths occuired, the last on the 18th, four days be- fore the relief 8hi])3 arrived ; and had these been delayed but a few hours, the death-roll would have had other names. Of tlie suffering and horror of those last three weeks, it is needless here to speak ; and the story, if it is told at all, must be told by the survivors themselves. It was only gradually, and with frequent interruptions, during the passage from Littleton Island to Upernivik, that the experience of tlie explorers at Cape Sabine was learned by the officers of the relief ships. At lii*st, they were not encouraged to talk, but as they gained strength from day to day, the rominiscences of tliose whose health was best, shaped themselves into a connected narrative, until by the time that the Alert was met, every one had become familiar with the events of that terrible winter. i; >! :i; I I • Early on the morning of July 2d, the fleet reached the neighborhood of the Berry Islands, and tlie dangerous waters in which tb.c Thetis and £ear had already had a disagreeable experience. Tlie ice, jammed in against the land, left only a narrow lane off the islands tilled with sunken rocks, none of whivjh are marked on the small-scale charts of the Greenland coast. An occasional bump under such circumstances was to bo expected. At three o'clock in the morning, the Thetis was leading, and the othera keeping in her wake, the speed of the ships having been reduced to two knots. Although the Bear was following the Thetu 1^1 Cape Sahiiie to Disho. 257 closely, the tide set lier in a little, and she had the misfor- tune to run upon a rock, which tlie Thetis by fijood hick must have barely grazed. After hanging for two hours, the Bear was pulled off by her consorts without any injury. Half an hour later, upon reacliing the Brown Islands, 18 miles north of Upernivik, signal was made to the Alert o proceed to Disko with the Loch Garry under convoy, and to await there the arrival of the Thetis and the Bear. The latter ])ut in at Upernivik, arriving at 11 a.m., July 2d, and anchored in the outer harbor, after a passage of less than five days from Cape York. The approach of the squadron had been seen in the early morning from Upernivik, and the village was alive with ex- citement. It was conjectured that its early i-eturn had a decisive meaning. Governor Elborg was too restless to wait for the arrival of the ships in port after he bad seen them heading in, and pulled off three miles in his boat to meet them and learn the news. Reacliing the deck, he rushed up to the commander, exclaiming, "Mein Gott, Captain, what news have you brought? " The story of the expedition and the rescue aroused the good fellow's warmest sympathy. He wanted to see Lieutenant Greely, and was oager to do what he could for him. After a brief interview, he returned on deck, and told the story tohis Eskimo bcp.tmen. As the ships camo up the harbor, all the inhabitants of the settlement. — there were less than two hundred of them, — coujd be seen standing on the hills and about the beach, their dark forms plainly outlined above the rocks. As soon as the vessels were secured, the Goveinor went ashore, and the na- tives gathered eagerly about him to learn the news. Groat was *heir consternation when they learned that their coun- 17 I': ■M I f I ! I I 1 ; 258 The Tiescite of Gredy. trjmen, Jens and Christiansen, the two Eskimo from Proven, were among tlie lost. The two men had been among tho foremost of the native population which centered at Uperni- vik ; and at no place was the disaster felt more keenly than at tlie little Greenland village, whose people were the first to receive the news that was later to shock the civilized world. The ships remained for two days at Upernivik. The Gov- ernor was unceasing in his kindness. The Danish colors of the settlement were kept at half-mast as long as the ships were there. At Elborg's suggestion the body of Christian- sen was retained on board, to be carried to Godiiavn for burial. The two Eskimo dog-drivers, Hans and Nicolai, were discharged, and the dogs from the Thetis were landed, seven of them as a present to the Governor. As the Bear was most in need of coal, the sixtv tons landed by the Loch Garry were taken on board in a lighter, which came near swamping during the operation. Elborg had been promoted to be Governor of Christianshaab, one of the more southerly settlements, and at his request, the whale- boat which Colwell had given him the year before, was taken down to Disko by tho Bear^ to be forwarded to its destination. During their stay, the relief ships had a little experience of the ditHculties of lying in Upernivik harbor. A little before noon, on the day that they arrived, the wi»id blew up fresh from tlje southwest, with stiff squalls, driving both ships from their moorings, and great difficulty w-is found in securing them in the deep water and bad anchorage of the open roadstead, where the holding ground was mostly smooth rock. Danish Harbor was inaccessible, being filled with icebergs. During the gale the Thetia was secured to a I' », M Cwpe Sahine to Disko, 259 giouiided berg, which later in the day capsized. The Bear WH8 driven from her moorings and exposed to imminent danger, from which she was only extricated by good judg- ment and seamanship. In the outer harbor of the port there is a ridge with nine or ten fathoms of water upon it, shelving both ways into very deej) water. As the wind was from the southwest, Emory intended to anchor on its western side, so that if his ship should drag it would be up hill. During a violent Bquall about noon, the Bear' 8 anchor started and soon passed over this ridge into deep water, with sixty fathoms of chain up and down. The ship drove rapidly towards the rocky cliffs to leeward, ...nd the promptest action was requii-ed. The danger was imminent, but at the proper moment the Bear's engine was backed and the ship's stern turned to windward and away from tho cliff. The manoeuvre was most admirable and seamanl ce, for as the ship's head fell off to leeward she just cleare< rocks upon which a few moments before she had been ar 'ig. The Bear then got her anchor and steered for a small island on the south side of the port, where she lay in security. Later in the day the Thetis was driven from her anchorage, and was forced to seek shelter under the same island on the Beais port bow. Dragging here, she fouled the Bear's chain, and for a mo- ment it pjcmed that both ships must be driven together. The Bear veered chain while the Thetis was started ahead at full steam, with a starboard helm, clearing the Bear'^s head-booms by a yard or two. This manoeuvre cost the Thetis an anchor, but it prevented a smash-up. On the atltei'noon of July 3d, after bidding the excellent Governor a last good-bye, tho Thetis and the Bear got under \A !| ^ r: 260 Tlie Rescue of Greely. I \ii '• m waj for Disko. As tliey stood out of the harbor, Elborg fired a salute of six guns from the liitle fortification at tlie settlement. As there were no guns on board the ships, tlie salute was returned by dipping flags and sounding the steam ■whistles. Soon after clearing the harbor, the Thetis struck a rock, but moved over it without injury. The ships had now passed from the region of dangerous ice. On the way south they met occasional floes, and passed numbers of imbedded icebergs, but these were of slight im- portance after all that had been gone through in Melville Bay, and they were avoided in the clear weather with little difficulty. After crossing the mouth of the Waigat, the wind, which had been norfherly, shifted to the southwest. The pack-ice was finally left behind, and the ships found themselves in a moderate sea. During the 4th of July the Thetis and Bear continued on their way southward without interruption. At noon the ships were dressed with flags in honor of the day. The en- sign was hoisted at the peak aiid the fore royal mastliead, the pennant at the main, the flag of the American Yacht Club at the mizzen, and the Jack forward. At half-past three on the morning of the 5th, the ships arrived at Disko, where they found the Alert and Loch Garry awaiting them. As the other ships had reached Disko two days before, the result of the expedition had been made known, but a keen desire was aroused to hear from the Thetis and the Bear the actual circumstances of the rescue, and to see the survivors of the expedition. As soon, therefore, as the relief ships had anchored in the slioaler water of the inner harbor, from which the ice had now entirely passed away, the in- spector and the governor came on board to welcome them 11 I !! St \ < •J lb h, •J X 111 tt) u Z o z. 1 'f Cape Sabine to Bisko, 261 and to offer tlieir s^ ipathy to Greelj and his companions. After the inspector's visit, the natives came ofl[* to the two fillips to hear the story from the Eskimo interpreter. A great change had taken place about Godhavn during the absence of the expedition. The ice and snow had dis- appeared ; grass covered the soil between the rocks, and M'ild flowers were opening hero and there under the genial influence of the summer sunshine. The ofticers occupied their spare time in fishing, and large numbers of rock cod were caught, a fish similar to that found about the rocky shores of Cape Ann, in Massachusetts. The fish gave an additional variety to the somewhat monotonous bill of faro of the invalids. Most of tlie members of the party were now so much im- proved in health that they were able to move about the ehip, and do very much what they liked. Elison's condition, however, had grown steadily worse from day to day, and it was now most critical. A consultation was held by the surgeons of the three ships, and it was determined to ampu- tate his feet as the only chance of life left to the sufferer. The operation was performed on tho 5ih, immediately after the arrival of the Bear at Disko. Ilis system, however, had become so depleted by exposure and want of food dur- ing tho eight months, since his journey to Cape Isabella, that ho had no strength left to fall back upon. In spite of the skill of the surgeons, he grew rapidly worse, and on the third day after tho amputation, at ;}.3i) a.m., July 8th, he passed away quietly and without apparent sutfiTing. In accordance witii the wish of tlio Inspector of North Greenland, it AVas decided that the body of Christiansen fihould be buried at Disko. Prcpaiations were accordingly ■r- I it 262 Th^ Rescue of Greely. made, and on the afternoon of July 7tli, the body was landed from the Bear. There were two boats from the Bear,, one from tlie Thetis^ and one from the Alert. Tlicy set out from the Bear in line aliead, with their fla"^ at lialf-mast ; tl:e first boat carrying^ the body, which had been placsd in a coffin covered with dark blue cloth, and draped witli the red, white, and blue of the national flag. As the boats left the Bear, the colors were half-masted on all the ships, and immediately after, those on the flagstaff of the settle- ment, while minute-guns were fired from the little battery. The boats were met at the landing by the Inspector and the Governor, and the body was taken npon the shoulders of six seamen, and followed by the Greenland official'^ and by twenty-five officers and men from the squadron. The min- ute-guns continued firing as the funeral procession wound its way up the hill to the little chapel of Disko. At the door of the chapel the Inspector received the body, and ad- dressed it with a few words of singular simplicity and pathos. Turning to tlie dead man, he said in English: " As head of the Danish Oovcrnment in North Greenland, I have re- ceived your body, and in the name of all the Danish and Greenland peo- ple I will say you farewell I Your last master, Lie\itenant Greely, has said you were a good and a brave man ; ho has promised me to send for your tomb a monument as a sign for your countrymen that he will never forget your service nor will ho ever forget the poor Eskimo from Uperni- vik, who has lived and suJTorcd as a comrade with the United States friends. We will all follow you lo yoiu' last resting-place, and beg God to save your soul and give consolation to your poor family." By this time the chapel was filled with men, women, and children, all of whom, notwithstanding their stolid Enkinio temperamont, socmod to bo ovoi'como with grief, which was all the more singtdar as Christianben was not a Disko man, 1 Cape Sabine to Dish). 263 landed ar, one set out f-mast ; !3d in a itii the e boats e ships, 3 settle- battery, and the PS of six and by he min- i wound At the and ad- y and have re- liiid peo- rocly, has send for will never Ti Upcrnl- c(l Stilted beg Ood len, and KHkinio lich was ko n)aii, and none of the people about Godhavn had ever seen him. The services began with a hymn, which was sung by Madame Thygnssen, the native wife of a deceased Danish official, after which the minister, also an Eskimo, delivered a funeral address in the native language. The quaintness and simple beauty of this funeral discourse make it well worthy of reproduc'.ion here.* The pastor said : "What man is he that liveth and shall not see death ? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave ? "Thus questioned David as he prayed to the Lord his Creator and Benefactor for help, and we also who this day behold death puss near us must question in like manner ; for no man will escai^c from the hand of death, and numberless are they who each day, over the whole world, lose their dear ones and mourn their loss ; and thus it Avill continue lo the end of the world. So it is for Danes, Americans, and Qrecnlandors ; all shall see death, and all will mfuirn for the dear ones who are taken from us to be laid in the ground. Sorrow has taken up her abode hero, and there are many who mourn. As of old in Egypt, there is no house which has not been visited by the angel of death, and overwhelmed with sorrow ; no heart but has seen the visit and felt the horror of di'alh. When wc therefore to-day carry to his last resting place, this our brother, who was a stranger, and whose face we did not know, Ave shall Ihink of the friends he leaves behind, who mourn his loss and who would wish to be with us at the grave to greet their beloved one for the last time. " No man knows the thought of God concerning us. lie whose soid- less body wc to-day are to bnry, and the other, his companion, who per- ished in a kayak in the northern regions, did not think their days were nuinlKjred when they took leave of the wives they loved and of the chil- dren who were to be their supjiort in their old age. They thought they would be better able to supi)ort their familicfi when they returned, and they begged them to pray for a hi)i)py meeting. But they wore never to be made happy by seeing each other's faces. " The dear ones whom they left behind hoped for everything good when the ship returned, and were happy ; but when she lay at anchor the hope of their lives was extinguished as they heard that those for whom they had so long and so sincerely been longing had perished. We *Th(iKuglish translation is made from a Danish vensioix written by Madame Thygttsson from tho orijjiual lutikimo. i\ I, ^^ 1 m '\ I 264 The Rescue of Greely. will hope that they who have become so wretched may draw a Christian's consolation from above, and find that Jesus can soothe their sorrowful hearts and heal their wounds. Now, dear friends, when death breaks asunder the tie between husband and wife, and between parents and chil- dren, we are grieved, but we as Christians have consolation in the hope that those who are separated by death will meet again in the heaven of the believers. " God has also brought help In this world for the dear ones these men have left behind, as those who were with them on the voyage will be a support to their families. " Again, we pray to God that He will assist these strangers in the far country to whom the angel of death has also come. " Peace be with their dust. " In the name of Jesus, Amen." When the sermon was ended, the procession again took up its line of march, followed by the natives, to the little graveyard half a mile away across the ravines and gullies of the island. The people closed around the grave, and after a last prayer had been offered by the minister, the body was laid away in its final resting-place. The day after the funeral of Christiansen, July 9th, was fixed for the departure of the squadron. Diiring the four days spent in port, preparations had been made for the voy- age to St. John's. The engine of the Alert required repair, and the rudder of the Thetis had been so badly damaged in the ice that it was unsafe to go to sea with it. It was therefore un?hipped, and the spare rudder which had been brought from New York was put in its place. The house car- ried by the Alert was transferred to the Looh Garry^ and the Thetis t3ok on board ninety tons of coal from the col- lier. All the dogs were sent ashore, four of them being ^ivon as a present to the Eskimo David, who was dis- charged at this time. Godhavn, like the other leading settlements on the on the 1 Cwpe Sahme to Disko. 265 Christian's sorrowful ith breaks 3 and chil- li the hope I heaven of these men ;e will be a 3 in the far ;ain took the little gullies of and after body was 9th, was the four the voy- ed repair, damaged It was had been louse car- arnj^ and I the col- sin being was dia- Greenland coast, is visited during the summer by a brig sent out from Copenhagen by the Danish Government with a mail and supplies. There are three of these brigs which make summer trips to different points. Another visits Greenland in the spring, arriving about April, but it goes only to Hol- steinborg, where it finds the single mail which has been col- lected in the early spring from more northerly points. While the relief expedition was waiting at Godhavn to sail for St. John's, it was learned that the supply vessel had been detained beyond her usual time of arrival, and the food sup- ply was so reduced that the Inspector was afraid that the settlement would be in want before her arrival. In view of the uniform kindness of the Greenland officials, and of the substantial assistance which they had given to the ships, it was with no small satisfaction that the commander of the re- lief squadron, upon learning the state of affairs, directed the landing of 200 rations of bread, meat, and soups, and was thus enabled in a small degree to return the obligations un- der which the kindly Greenlanders had placed all our ex- peditions. J I ! ' ;tl H( CHAPTER XIV. THE EETUEN HOME. The fleet left Godhavn at 6.30 a.m. on July 9th, for St. John's, the Alert, whose engines were still partly disabled, being in tow of the Loch Garry. The day of sailing was beautiful and bright, with a fresh northeasterlj'^ breeze, which carried the ships along at a speed of eight knots an hour. After clearing the harbor a signal was made directing the ships to take position on the quarters of the Thetis, and a rendezvous was designated tweAty-five miled northeast of Cape Spear, where the ships were to wait before going into St. John's, if separated by gales or fogs on the passage down. During the first few days the weather was fair, and Greely and the others were on deck at intervals during each day. When there was a heavy sea, some of them were sea- sick, but Greely, who had suffered from sea-sickness on his trip north in the Proteus, escaped entirely on the journey home. On the second day out the snow-covered mountains of Greenland were lost sight of, the last of them that was seen being the Sukkertoppen, near Holsteinborg. As the ships made over towards the west side of Davis Strait, they fell in with large icebergs, but these were looked upon with none of the concern and anxiety which they had excited on the way up. The hundreds which had been met and often used for shelter in Melville Bay and Smith Sound had made them (266) The Return Home. 267 for St. Lisabled, iing waa e, which m hour, ting the !s, and a ;hea8t of >ing into passage fair, and •ing each ivere sea- 5S on his jouruey n tains of was seen the ships they fell vith none d on the iften used lade them every-day objects, and close contact had robbed them of all their terrors. They were the last remnants of Arctic ice seen by the expedition. On the i5th of July, when near the Funk Islands, off the coast of Labrador, a fresh southeast gale sprang up, which lasted through the night, with thick fog and heavy sei. The Loch Garry labored so much in the sea that she cast off the Alert^ which she had been towing all the way from Disko, and took a position six cables' length astern of the Thetis, the other ships being at three cables' distance on the starboard and port quarters. As the wind and sea in- creased, the course was changed off shore, and the speed reduced to two knots, to enable the Alert to keep up. She gradually fell astern, however, and at 2.30 on the morning of the 16th, her lights were lost sight of in the thick fog. When daylight broke nothing was to be seen of her. The other vessels stood on under low speed for the appointed rendezvous, but as the thick weather continued, it seemed to be useless to delay longer there, and the course was shaped for St. John's. The fog continued to envelop the ships as they advanced, shutting out the land from view. Positions could only be determined by dead reckoning, — a very unsatisfactory method in this region of uncertain currents and outlying dangers. As the squadron a})proached the mouth of St. John's harbor, the fog-trumpet at Cape Spear was heard, and the ships were kept off the land to the westward ; but their position was too uncertain to justify an attempt to enter the harbor. Fortunately, on the morning of the 17th, when the squadron was just abreast of the entrance, which, although only half a mile distant, was still invisible, the 1 ■ \ . :* r ( / 268 The Rescue of Gredy. town-clock in St. John's was heard to strike eight, and the exact posilion of the harbor was discovered. The ships were headed to the west, and an hour later they had entered the port. The dense fog outside tho headlands hid the vessels from view until they were actually inside and about to anchor. As soon as the relief ships were recognized from the shore the excitement v/as intense , the city was all agog, and the v.harves were instantly crowded with wondering people. The early return of the expedition was interpreted to mean that some result had been accomplished, but what the result was could not be conjectured ; and before many moments had passed, boats in great numbers put off to learn the news. It was only after a despatch had been r^ iit home that this curiosity could be fully gratified. T'he first news of the result of the expedition belonged to the lifavy Depart- ment, and arrangements had been made before going up to hold the cable for the official message. An officer was sent on shor'> at once with the despatch, and fifteen minutes after the vessels had dropped anchor, the report was on its way. The officer by whom it was sent carried lIso the first message fram Greely to his wife. The telegram to "Washington was as follows : St. John's, N. F., July 17, 1884. Hon. W. E. CnANDLER, Secretary of Naioy, Washington, D. 0. : Thetis, Bear, and Loch Oarry arrived here to-day from West Green- land, all well, separated in gale from Alert yesterday 150 miles north. At 9 P.M., June 23d, five miles west of Cape Sabine in Smith Sound, Thetis and Drar rescued alive Lieutenant A. W. Greely, Sergeant Brain- ard, Sergeanv Fredericks, Sergeant Long, Hospital Steward Bierderbick, Sergeant Eliion, and Private Connell, the only survivors of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. I n The Retuiii Home. 269 and tho ips were jred the ) vessels ibout to he shore and the people. mean e result iiomentB am the it home rst news Depart- g up to vas sent tes after its way. message 7, 1884. ist Green- les north, th Sound, ant Brain- erderbick, the Lady Sergeant Eiison had lost both hands and feet by frost-bite, and died at Godhavn July 8th, three days after amputation, which had become im- perative. Seventeen of the twenty-five persons composing the expedi- tion perished by starvation at the point wliere found ; one was drowned while sealing to procure food ; twelve bodies of the dead were recovered and are now on board Thetis and Bear. One Eslclrao, Frederick, was buried at Disko in accordance with the desire of the Inspector of North Greenland. Five bodies buried in ice-foot near the camp were swept away to sea by winds and currents before my arrival and could not be recovered. N' nes of dead recovered with date of death as follows: Sergeant Cross, January 18, 1884 ; Frederick, Eskimo, April 5th ; Ser- geant Linn, April 6th ; Lieutenant Lockwood, April 9th ; Sergeant Jew- ell, April 12th ; Private Ellis, May 19th ; Sergeant Ralston, May 28d ; Private Whisler, May 24th ; Sergeant Israel, May 27th ; Lieutenant Kis- lingbury, June 1st ; Private llenry, June 6th ; Private Schneider, June 18th. Names of dead buried in the ice-foot with date of death whose bodies were not recovered as follows : Sergeant Rice, April 9, 1884 ; Cor- poral Salor, June 3d ; Private Bender, June 6th ; A. A. Surgeon Pavy, June 6th ; Sergeant Gardiner, June 12th. Drowned by breaking through newly-formed ice while scaling, Jens Edwards, Eskimo, April 24th. I would urgently suggest that bodies now on board bo placed in metallic cases here for safer and better transportation in a sea-way ; this appears to me imperative. Greely abandoned Fort Conger August 9, 1883, reached Baird Inlet September 29th following, with party all well. Abandoned all his boats and was adrift for thirty days on ice floe in Smith Sound. His perma- nent camp was established October 21, 1883, at point where he was found. During nine months this party had to live upon a scant allow- ance of food brought from Fort Conger, that cached at Payer Harbor and Cape Isabella by Sir George Nares in 1875, but found much dam- aged by lapse of time, that cached by Beebe at Cape Sabine in 1882, and the small amount saved from the wreck of Proteus in 1883 and landed by Lieutenants Garlington and Colwell on beach where Grecly's party was found camped. When these provisions were consumed party was forced to live upon boiled sealskin strips from their sealskin clothing, lichens, and shrimps procured in good weather when they were strong enough to make oxertion. As 1,{jOO shrimps were required to fill a gill meaimre, the labor was too exhausting to depend upon them to sustain life entirely. Channel between Cape Sabine and Littleton Island did not close on account of violent gales all winter, so that 240 rations at latter point i i Il » ill 270 The BesGue of Gredy. could not be reached. All Greely's records and all instruments brought by him from Fort Conger are recovered and on board. From Hare Island to Smit? I had a constant and furious strug- gle with ice. Impassable fiwco aad solid barriers were overcom'^ by Avatchfulness and patience ; no opportunity to advance a mile escaped .me, and for several hundred miles ships were forced to ram their way from lead to lead through ice ranging in thickness from three to seven feet, and where rafted much greater. Thetis and Bear reached Cape York June 18th, after passage of twenty days in Melville Bay, with two advance ships of the Dundee whaling fleet, and continued to Cape Sabine. Returning seven days later fell in with seven others of the fleet off Wolstenholme Island, and announced Greely's rescue to them, that they might not be delayed from their fish- ing grounds, nor be tempted into the dangers of Smith Sound in view of the reward of $25,000 offered by Congress. Returning across Melville Bay fell in with Alert and Loch Garry off Devil's Thumb struggling through heavy ice. Commander Coflin did admirably to get along so far with transport so early in the season before an opening had occurred. Lieutenant Emory with the Bear has sup- ported me throughout with great skillfulness and imflinching readiness in accomplishing the great duty of relieving Greely. I would ask in- structions about Loch Garry, as the charter party held by her master differs in several important particulars from mine. Greely party are much improved in health since rescue, but condition was critical in extreme when found and for some days after. Forty- eight hours' delay in reaching them would have been fatal to all now living. Season north is late and closest for years ; Kane Sea was not open when I left Cape Sabine. Winter about Melville Bay most severe for thirty years. < This great result is entirely due to the prompt action and unwearied energy of yourself and Secretary of War in fitting this expedition for the work it has had the honor to accomplish. W. S. Schley, Commander. The Secretary of the Navy was at this time at West Point, f roiD which place lie telegraphed on the same day the follow- ing answer : Commander W. S. Schley : Receive my congratulations and thanks for yourself and your whole command for your prudence, perseverance, and courage in reaching July 17, 1884. The Return Hwtne. 271 our dead and dying countrymen. The hearts of the Amencan people go out with great affection to Lieutenant Greely and the few survivors of his deadly peril. Care for them unremittingly, and bid them be cheerful and hopeful on account of what life yet has in store for them. Preserve tenderly the remains of the heroic dead ; prepare them accord- ing to your judgment, and bring them home. William E. Chandler, Secretary of the Navy. All through the morning and afternoon of the day on which the ships arrived, thej were visited by throngs of people anxious to hear the story of the rescue as told by those who had participated in it. Persevering but well- meant efforts were made to obtain interviews with the sur- vivors of the expedition, but the mere excitement of arrival was enough, without the trying ordeal of answering ques- tions, and sympathetic curiosity was obliged to content it- self with a sight of the rescued explorers. During the after- noon Lieutenant Greely went on shore to try his muscles after their long disuse, but his halting gait and weary look after a walk of a block or two made it clear that his strength had not yet come back. Of course he was a marked man in the streets of St. John's, and he was soon obliged to re- treat to the ship to escape the too expressive sympathy of the kind Newfoundlanders. The Alert came in on the evening of the 18th, having de- layed her arrival by standing off and on in the vicinity of the appointed rendezvous, near Cape Spear, in obedience to orders, hoping to meel, the other ships when the weather cleared. After waiting a day, the fog lifted, and as nothing could be seen of the other ships, Commander Coffin bore up for St. John's, feeling sure that they had already arrived. The squadron was detained for a week at St. John's, and -^1 1 ■ \ 272 The Beacyue of Cheeky. i .i V- this little period' of relaxation was thoroughly enjoyed by the officers and men of the expedition after the hard work and anxiety of the voyage. Sir John Glover, the Governor of Newfoundland, and Lady Glover were unremitting in their courtesies, and their hospitality, as wall as that of the officials and of the principal residents of St. John's, seemed to know no limit. Indeed it was impossible during the week to find time to accept all the attentions that were lavished upon the officers. The Consul, Mr. Molloy, whose services had been in frequent demand for three years on ac- count of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, gave the sur- vivors a warm welcome, and took Greely under his hospit- able roof. The crews of the three vessels were given plenty of opportunities for a run ashore, and contrary to the usual habit of blue-jackets, they did not abuse the privilege, while th?;y car^e in for a large share of the colonial hospitalities. As the Thetis and the Bear could not be used for a pleasure-party, however informal, it was decided, by way of returning the kindness and cordiality of the people of St. John's, to receive them quietly on board the Alert^ on the 24th. The guests came off in the morning, and were wel- comed on board by all the officers of the squadron who could be spared from their work. Two or three hours were passed quietly and pleasantly in looking over the ship, in talking, and at lunch in the ward-room. There was no cere- mony, and there was a genuine pleasure in playing the host after all that had been done for the officer on shore. On the 25th a despatch was received from the Secretary of the Navy, then at Portsmouth, N. H., asking on what morning the ships might be expected to enter Portsmouth Harbor. As the metallic cases which had been ordered for T}i£ Return Home. 273 the bodies were completed on this day, everything was in readiness for departure, and a reply was sent designatiiig the 2d of August as the probable date. At ten A.M. on the 26th the squadron left St. John's for Portsmouth. It was escorted out of the harbor by a fleet of tug-boats and launches, crowded with people, who had come off to have a last look at the ships. When they had got well out to Cape Spear, the steamboats passed around the ships in succession, saluting with their whistles, and the people on board giving a farewell cheer. Leaving their escort behind, the relief ships continued on their course, rounding Cape Race in a fresh sou'westerly breeze and a chopping sea, and headed for Portsmouth. The passage down was uneventful. The weather was fine in spite of occasional fogs, but the invalids suffered some- what from the dampness and the summer heat, which pro- duced a temporary prostration. Except for this, and for their aching joints and muscles, they were all fairly conva- lescent. By the end of the voyage Greely had recovered his normal weight — at least his weight when he left Fort Con- ger — ^liaving gained fifty pounds in six weeks. It was intended to reach Portsmouth on the 2d of Au- gust, but the winds which are commonly at that season from the westward changed to the east, and the ships were carried along under sail almost without help from the engines. Tins gained them a day, and brought them in before the date that had been assigned. As they neared the coast, on the 31st of July, a dense fog settled down, and speed was somewhat re- duced in consequence, although the soundings gave a sure indication of correct position. At daylight on August Ist the fog lifted and the lighthouse on the Isle of Shoals was 18 ?| I. 274 Tlie Rescue of Oreely. sighted about ten miles off. Standing on towards Portsmouth as the day advanced the squadron discovered several ships of war in the lower harbor, and presently the Alliance came out {0 meet it and delivered orders from Acting Rear-Admiral Luce, the Commander-in-chief of the !North Atlantic Squad- ron, to delay arrival until August 2d, which had been fixed as the day on which the expedition was to be formally re- ceived. The relief ships accordingly steamed to the north- ward and anchored near Boon Island Light. Considering, however, that the friends of all on board the vessels, including the rescued party, were waiting on shore to greet them, it would have been little less than cruel to have kept the squadron out any longer. Tiie programme was therefore sacrificed ; the order to delay entering was revoked, and the Thetis, Bear, and Alert once more got under way and headed for the harbor. The receplirescnt the Secretary of War, General Sheridan, General Hancock, General Ilazen, Com- modore Fillebrown, and other officers of high rank. The bodies were transferred soon after arrival to the steiim tug Catalpa^ belonging to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and a little before one o'clock the Catalpa steamed up to the dock, while minute-guns were fired from tiie shore. The com- mander of the expcditio!! went on shore, and formally do- The Return Home. 277 ard. It np Clay been a ;he pro- id blue- is of the beyond Fork on le body inded in )dy was st above tary, the gathered •pen air. 3am tug, w York, •ning of oni Fort Vrtillerv ) receive of War, n, Com- ic. The lO stoiini J, and a le doclc, 'ho coin- iiallv de- livered the bodies to General Hancock, representing the War Department. They were placed on artillery caissons, and taken to the chapel, the long line of troops drawn up along the wharf presenting arms to each body as it passed. At the chapel, all but two were delivered to the friends of the deceased. These two — those of Privates Henry and Schneider — were taken to the Cypress Hills National Ceme- tery, where the former was buried. The body of Schneider was afterwards placed on board the steamer Ems^ for trans- portation to his friends in Germany. Immediately after the ceremony, the instruments, relics, and all other property found at Camp Clay and in the cache on Stalknecht Island were delivered to the Post Quartermaster. The relief squadron had now performed its last duty to the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, and its work was finished. The ships proceeded directly to the Navy Yard at Brooklyn, where they were shortly after laid up. The oflScers were detached, and the greater part of the crews were discharged. The work done by the Relief Expedition of 1884, whether little or much, may be judged by the light of the record. But no account of it in which the Commander of the Expe- dition has a hand would be complete without a statement on his part of the gallant and efficient service done by the offi- cers and men of the three relief ships who served under his command, not only in their untiring and unhesitating zeal in meeting the ordinary calls of duty, but in their hearty co- operation at all times with the efforts of their commander, and in their loyalty and devotion to the purposee which the expedition had in view. THE END. \ ?? f^ 1 t : I a,-'** kTii; "7i I ItS i IK 1 . Tyw Isl.i.mil , ,. HAY fj3 60"^ /tr," CLACLR r-T - mjifmi . . . mmmm - - r-77ywnw;^-wpw w--r:7;m -^f . TRACK CHART OF GREELY RELIEF EXPEDITION under the rommantl of COMMANDER W^. S. SCHLEY U.SN. EXPLANATION OF TIIACKS. THKTIS UK An _. ALERT . MOfTI th WHY- ~ -f / ITotnfuntff to }\>rfsinrm1h frxjtn \i'ifro.» Head 1l r^^*" >it' -t.VJ''''' ■ ■r^* A*'" "J LC SliacUc'toti Horsciwfc \ •pVSSlTjS.MC iJPEHJir 7!r 78° 77° 76° 74." 73" ] ; !; m i ' ■*!'■' i ih 1^ rfj I 'k /^ •y, ■•>• >\ luliytioti I "(/ •>.i:.t Jiiuili'i^li 1 72 I i:)" ; vo- ice' 00' 07" OG' 05" 04' Ki3 (-.2' 61' ■^ I 60' I bfflownl C O CKIirKN I f^ LAT^D ./ \ \ \ '^-.. 5 POX I.AKD X n. CAaair iSroyi 1/^ f? Ktiliritni Ttivef n.yi}f ^v '■"■■..^•C.Hnprr >VOMF. BAY -_^:. \ ^>«>C •'i 'f %^€»frrff D A Y ^6 Kx<-tfr 1 ■^ '^t u^,S, ^2 K. \ i'^^K y^, %^' 4- •'>> ■J... TRACK CHART. PL. 11. i \'^ 59° 58° 57° 56° 54° 53° 52° or SOP, 49° 48° 47° 4f.° 45° 44" 43° C A JNT UNITED .S NEW-YORK v^r-:S«V'W^ ■■■ '■WAiJub "" " ' ■ lALUdii':- ' ':.'; TRACK CHART. PL. III. V 1 iVLF OF h^ j^'^liv / -^. %f-:> NEAVF £^. OUNDl.ANl) ^^-af^ \ / 1 ,SV.7.4TW?^.Tr^' t.^__^,^ "Ion I ' ,#;.^^ny<; -""'x* 1 > I i.* ^(1 yl 1 ! TRACK CriART. ^^,j..;:iirit::iiiiiift[itiii;iiia:iij^ l_^c i«7>-i - ^ ■'W\«li'W f TVV n..V.i ,, T 'Wi 4- / /A/ V.vV 'I 'J! I :/ J;: Vv ^■^s \\ o K ■' / )fg^ uV' C5 ;!' i^z33^,?ca;3;;aaffrrT3y: a:: rraa;^;; U- {;^ y,/ ni ;; , i ^ I;c;;.;y^^^^;;; auu:r • .^J^l.^^ -^ggj^ ^ . rI r n/, ^rT:^^ l^ t I L 1 1 I I ) a a£MdMii:lI:±i±'':}:M MihUoiH/ ' ( I '^y\