RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



LIEUT. A. W. GREELEY. 



What the present circumstances of this 

 investigator of Arctic phenomena and his 

 associates may be, is probably a matter of I 

 as much general interest, throughout all 

 civilized countries, as any one subject that 

 could be mentioned. 



A. W. Greeley was born in Newburyport, 

 Mass., March 27, 1844. The writer remem- 

 bers him as a member of a higher class at | 

 the Brown High School in Newburyport, a ' 

 fellow quiet and studious, familiarly known 

 as " Dolph'," and with no lack of energy at 

 games. His stamina and nerve were exhib- 

 ited one spring day, when, in tumbling 

 over a fence, he broke his arm. Making no I 

 complaint, he sat quiet and very pale, until 

 some method was devised for taking him 

 home. After graduating from the above i 

 school at the age of seventeen, he joined the 

 1 9th Massachusetts regiment of volunteers, 

 and remained in the service to the end of 

 the war. He attained in the volunteer ser- 

 vice the rank of captain and brevet major. 

 He made one of the forlorn hope at the 

 storming of Fredericksburg, in December, 

 1862, was in twenty engagements and four- 

 teen pitched-battles, and was three times 

 wounded ; after the riot of July, 1866, he- 

 played an important part in New Orleans, 

 and was appointed lieutenant in the Regu- 

 lar Army, in March, 1867. 



For thirteen years he has been on duty as 

 an officer of the Signal Corps, part of his 

 duties being the construction, superintend- 

 ence and inspection of telegraph lines. In 

 this capacity, he built at one time an ex- 

 treme length, coming inside in its comple- 

 tion, of the estimates, both as to time and 

 expense, this having been previously de- 

 clared an impossibility. At another time 

 he visited the signal station on Mt. Wash- 

 ington, in the winter, and making the des- 

 cent alone, was overtaken by a storm and 

 lost his way. Wandering about, benumbed 

 and bewildered, he finally came to shelter, 

 but none too soon. As the result of his ex- 

 posure and suffering he was laid up for 

 some weeks. As Assistant Chief Signal 

 Officer, he became known to the Country 

 as "Old Probabilities," grinding out the 

 weather, as he said. He paid close attention 

 to international meteorology, and was 

 called upon to give advice before the Jean- 



nette Search Board, relative to winds and 

 weather in the Arctic. As official predicting 

 officer, he successfully indicated four days 

 in advance the weather for presidential 

 election day. He was finally appointed to 

 take comniand of the Lady Franklin Bay 

 Expedition, and sailed away from St. Johns, 

 July 7, 1881. His diary-letter, sent back 

 by the "Proteus" to his relatives, says : "We 

 start with the bluest of skies and the fairest 

 of weather. 



July 12. We now have continuous day- 

 light ; large print can be read on deck at 

 midnight. The temperature is 34 to 44 de- 

 grees and very comfortable. I enclose a 

 specimen of the Arctic poppy. 



Aug. 1. Lieutenant Lock wood killed a 

 walrus as large as an elephant. It came at 

 the boat in a great rage, and is said to have 

 been terrible in aspect. 



Aug. 3, 4.10 P.M. The sea is smooth 

 as a mill pond, with here and there a 

 ihin film of last night's ice. Temperature 

 ;J7^ degrees, and the entire absence of wind 

 makes it seem like a May morning in New 

 England. 



Aug. 4. We are delayed b}' ice for the 

 first time, only eight miles from our destin- 

 ation, and here white whales, a sword-fish^ 

 and a norwhal are reported. 



Aug. 11. Arriving at the situation for 

 a permanent camp, a herd of eleven musk- 

 oxen was discovered ; the men following the 

 herd killed them all. I gathered enough 

 sorrel for a nice salad. Lieutenant Lock- 

 wood reports near at hand coal of nice: 

 quality and easily accessible. 



Aug. 17. One of the party caught aui 

 i liumble-bee." 



! Selections have been made here and there 

 1 from the diary, which gave also a more full 

 ! account of the manner of landing, the put- 

 1 ting up of their house, and the unfortunate 

 1 death of some of their dogs, mentioning 

 ! also Lieutenant Kislingburg, and Dr. Parry 

 i who had already made valuable collections of 

 specimens in many departments. 



The unfortunate result of the 1883 expe- 

 dition for their relief is well known. Im- 

 mediately on the opening of navigation, the 

 ' government will dispatch a thoroughly 

 1 equipped relief party. Three vessels have 

 ; been secured. Several of our best naval 

 1 officers have volunteered for the service, and 

 I also a number of seamen of Arctic expe- 

 I rience. 



