422 



GREELY RELIEF EXPEDITION, THE. 



proceeded to Upernavik and sent a whale-boat 

 to Cape Shackleton. August 22d she reached 

 Godhaven, where Lieut. Col well arrived on the 

 31st, having been thirty -nine days in an open 

 boat. Reaching Upernavik, the Yantic found 

 the whole party, and on the 2d of September 

 set sail for St. John's. 



The failure of the expedition was the cause 

 of wide-spread regret, and much criticism was 

 passed upon its conduct. No authentic infor- 

 mation had been obtained of the Greely party. 

 An Esquimau story had been picked up by 

 the Yantic at Danish harbor, to the effect that 

 Dr. Pavy had died, but that the rest of the 

 party were well. Another Esquimau report 

 was, that the officers had been murdered by 

 their men, but no credence was given to these 

 stories. The worst aspect of the case was, that 

 no substantial relief had in two years been af- 

 forded to Lieut. Greely, and there were grave 

 doubts as to whether he could survive another 

 winter at Lady Franklin bay, or succeed in 

 reaching succor if he left there in pursuance of 

 his instructions, without finding the expected 

 supplies on his way. 



Lieut. Garlington was severely criticised for 

 not leaving his stores at Littleton island on his 

 way northward, and Gen. Hazen, chief officer 

 of the Signal- Service Bureau, declared that 

 Garlington had received supplemental orders, 

 just before sailing, to the following effect : 



The naval tender is to join the Proteus at St. John's, 

 Newfoundland, and to proceed with her to the neigh- 

 borhood of Littleton island. The Proteus is to land 

 her stores, except supplies for more northerly stations, 

 at Littleton island on her way north. If she succeeds 

 in reaching Lady Franklin bay she is to pick up the 

 stores, excepting the house and depots, if possible, on 

 her return. The naval tender will await the return 

 of the Proteus at the neighborhood of Littleton island, 

 and on her return steam to the south in her company 

 until she reaches the southern limits of the ice-pack, 

 when the vessels may separate. Should the Proteus 

 be crushed in the ice, her crew will retire on Littleton 

 island, and the tender will bring to St. John's, New- 

 foundland, the officers and crew 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 expedition- 

 ary force succeed in reaching there, the tender may 



liars at Littleton 

 and guns should 



.... . , n 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 the progress of 

 the Proteus. It is of the utmost importance that she 

 take advantage of every lead to get up to Lady Frank- 

 lin bay. 



Lieut. Garlington, in his own report to the 

 Signal-Service Office, reflected severely upon 

 Capt. Pike and his crew. He said that the 

 Proteus had run past the harbor of Godhaven 

 in consequence of that officer's ignorance of 

 its proximity ; that the grounding of the vessel 

 at Disco Fiord was owing to his negligence in 

 not taking soundings; and that when the ves- 

 sel was " nipped " in the ice above Cape Sabine 

 his crew was unmanageable and stole supplies 



belonging to his (Garlington' s) party. " Force 

 would have been needed," he said, " to com- 

 pel the observance of the disciplinary regula- 

 tions necessary to a successful retreat from our 

 perilous position, and more force than I had 

 at my command. I determined, therefore, to 

 keep my men and stores separate and distinct, 

 avoiding, if possible, any unnecessary collision." 

 With regard to the alleged supplemental orders, 

 and the criticism upon his course, Lieut. Gar- 

 lington said : 



I desire to call your attention to the manifest in- 

 jury done me in the publication of certain statements 

 immediately after the news of the disaster reached 

 here. These statements, purporting to have been 

 authorized from the Signal-Office, were to the effect 

 that I had been furnished with " supplementary in- 

 structions " prior to my departure from the United 

 States, which instructions I had positively disobeyed. 

 The only instructions I ever received are the original 

 instructions published at the time. An unsigned 

 written paper was inclosed in the envelope with my 

 instructions. This paper is simply an unauthcnticated 

 copy of a memorandum prepared by an officer in your 

 office. I was informed that this memorandum was to 

 have been furnished the Secretary of the Navy, to ' 

 form the basis of instructions to be given the com- 

 mander of the vessel ordered to accompany the Pro- 

 teus. The paper was not addressed or signed. In- 

 deed, it bore no official marks whatever. I have never 

 at any time regarded it as an order, and I was sur- 

 prised to find the statement published that this paper 

 was the supplementary instructions. When I found 

 it among the papers furnished me, I at once carried it 

 to you and called your attention specially to that clause 

 relating to landing supplies on Littleton island. You 

 said, in substance, you did not know how that had 

 gotten in there, and impressed upon me the necessity 

 of carrying out as far as possible the instructions I had 

 received. These instructions were based upon the let- 

 ter of Lieut. Greely, and you called my attention to 

 the fact that Lieut. Greely strongly urged that the 

 officer commanding the relief party should have " no 

 latitude of action." The paper was not addressed nor 

 signed ; indeed, bore no official marks whatever. I 

 did not then, nor have I at any time since, regarded 

 it as an order, and I was surprised to find the state- 

 ment published that this paper was the " supplement- 

 ary instructions." 



On the 10th of October the Secretary of 

 the Navy addressed to Commander "Wildes, of 

 the Yantic, some inquiries as to his failure to 

 co-operate more efficiently with the Proteus. 

 He said : 



Your instructions, under the date of June 9th, were 

 to " proceed to the northward, through Davis straits, 

 in company with the steamer Proteus, if practicable," 

 but not to go beyond Littleton island. It appears that 

 the Yantic and Proteus were together at Disco island 

 on July 15th, when the Proteus sailed northward ; but 

 that the Yantic did not finally leave that island until 

 July 20th; the Proteus reached Carey island July 

 26th ; the Yantic not until August 2d ; the Proteus 

 passed Littleton island July 22d. and was crushed in 

 the ice July 23d ; the Yantic did not reach Littleton 

 island until August 3d. Between July 23d and Au- 

 gust 3d, namely, on July 26th and 28th, Lieut. Gar- 

 lington and the whole party of the Proteus had come 

 to Littleton island and Pandora harbor, and not find- 

 ing the Yantic, had continued to the south in open 

 boats in search of her, notwithstanding the orders of 

 the War Department, given for such a contingency, to 

 land with their stores at or near Life-boat Cove, in 

 Littleton island, and to prepare for remaining until 

 next year. Had the Yantic, however, been at Little- 

 ton island July 28th, instead of being twelve days be- 



