RESCUE OF THE GREELV EXPEDITION. 167 



from Fort Conger that was cached at Prayer Harbor and Cape Isabella by Sir 

 George Nares in 1875, ^'^^ ^^s found much damaged by the lapse of time; also 

 on that cached by Beebe at Cape Sabine in 1882, a small amount saved from the 

 wreck of the Proteus in 1883 and landed by Lieuts. Garlington and Colwell on 

 the beach near where Greely's party was found. When these provisions were 

 consumed the party was forced to live on boiled sealskin stripped from their seal- 

 skin clothing and lichens and shrimps caught in good weather when they were 

 strong enough to make the exertion. As it took 1,300 shrimps to fill a gallon 

 measure the labor was too exhausting to depend upon them to sustain life entirely. 

 The channel between Cape Sabine and Littleton Island did not close, on ac- 

 count of violent gales, all winter, so that 240 rations at that point could not be 

 reached. 



All of Greely's records and all of the instruments brought by him from Fort 

 Conger were recovered and are on board. From Hare Island to Smith's Sound 

 I had a constant and furious struggle with the ice in impassable places. The 

 solid barriers were overcome by watchfulness and patience. No oportunity to 

 advance a mile escaped me, and for several hundred miles the ships were forced 

 to run their way from lead to lead through ice varying in thickness from three to 

 six feet, and when rafted much greater. The Thetis and Bear reached Cape 

 York June 18, after a passage of twenty-one days in Melville Bay, with two ad- 

 vance ships of the Dundee whaling fleet, and continued to Cape Sabine, return- 

 ing seven days later. We fell in with seven others of this fleet off Wostenholme 

 Island and announced Greely's rescue to them, that they might not be delayed 

 from their fishing grounds nor be tempted into the dangers of Smith's Sound in 

 view of the reward of $25,000 offered by Congress. Returning across Melville 

 Bay we fell in with the Alert and Lock Garry off Devil's Thumb struggling 

 through heavy ice. Commander Coffin did admirably to get along so far with 

 the transport so early in the season before the opening had occurred. 



Lieutenant Emery with the Bear has supported me throughout with great 

 skillfulness and unflinching readiness in accomplishing the great duty of relieving 

 Greely. The Greely party are very much improved since their rescue, but were 

 critical in the extreme when found aiid for several days after. Forty-eight hours 

 delay in reaching them would have been fatal to all now living. The season in 

 the north is late and the coldest for years. Smith's Sound was not open when I 

 left Cape Sabine. The winter about Melville Bay was the most severe for twenty 

 years. This great result is entirely due to the unwearied energy of yourself and 

 the Secretary of war in fitting out this expedition for the work it has had the 

 honor to accomplish. 



, [Signed] W. S. Schley, Commander. 



General Hazen, Chief Signal Officer, received the following telegram : 



St. Johns, N. F., July 17th. — For the first time in three centuries England 

 yields the honor of penetrating farthest north. Lieutenant Lockwood and 

 Sergeant Brainard, May 13, reached Lockwood Island, latitude 83° 24", longi- 



