6REELY RELIEF EXPEDITION. 55 



This steamer will have on board an officer and two seamen of the Navy, and when 

 ever in your judgment it shall be safest to do so, you will order her return to St. 

 John's, Newfoundland, with dispatch, giving written instr actions to the naval offi- 

 cer on board to report his arrival at that port to the Secretary of the Navy. 



During your stay at Foulke Fiord, which should continue until about September 

 10, you will keep a vigilant lookout to the northward for signals from the advance 

 ships ; should nothing be observed of them from Littleton Island by the date indi- 

 cated, you will proceed with your ship to Cape Sabine to make further observations 

 for signals, thence south to Upernavik or Disco, stopping at Cape Alexander, Cape 

 Parry, and Conical Island to leave record of your movements. 



At Upernavik or Disco, as may be most favorable, you will remain until about 

 September 35 for possible news from the advance ships; thence you wiU proceed to 

 St. John's, Newfoundland, reporting your arrival to the Secretary of the Navy, and 

 making a detailed report of all that concerns your doings and those of the advance 

 ships, so far as they may be known to you. 



The region over which you are to pass after leaving the latitude of Cape Farewell 

 is not accurately sui-veyed, so that its safe navigation wUl depend much upon your 

 judgment and vigilance ; should your cruise, therefore, enable you to add to the 

 accuracy of the charts, or to increase our information as to its hydrography, it is 

 desired that you will avail yourself of all opportunity for doing so. 



From the outset of your cruise you will maintain the strictest vigilance over the 

 navigation of your ship, and you will prescribe such inspections of her, day and 

 night, as will guard against casualty from fire. When the region of ice shall have 

 been reached, you wUl keep at least sixty days' rations where they can be most 

 easily reached in the event of a nip or the abandonment of the ship. 



"Fire quarters" and " abandoning ship " will be your only exercises, and they 

 will be frequently practiced ; the rubber knapsaxjk provided must be kept packed 

 with a complete shift of clothes and kept hanging in the quarters of officers and 

 men, so as to be easily reached in case of emergency. 



It is hoped that your departure from New York will not be luter than May 10, in 

 order that you may reach Littleton Island not later than June 25, to carry out the 

 instructions directed at that point and at Foulke Fiord. 



Should you leave the party at the depot to be established at the latter place, you 

 will direct them to set up the instruments sent you by the Chief Signal Officer of 

 the Army and to make the observations requested by him, to be recorded on the 

 forms transmitted with the instruments. 



The signals from the advance ships will be by heliographic instruments, and ttie 

 code used in the Army known as " Meyer's system" will be followed. 



Direct the surgeon of your vess»l to take charge of the expenditure and account 

 of all provisions and clothing in accordance with established forms, and direct him 

 to make out a daily bill of fare for officers and men. 



Use the strictest economy in the expenditure -of coal and direct your chief en- 

 gineer to weigh accurately, each day, the amount used by the engine and by the 

 stoves. 



Money will be furnished you before leaving New York to defray necessary ex- 

 penses after sailing ; in all expenditures of it you will execute triplicate vouchers, 

 forwarding originals and duplicates from St. John's to the paymaster of the Co\ rydo 

 at New York, and retain the triplicates on board. The commercial code of signals 

 wUl be used, instead of the Navy code, in all flag signals between the ships; for dis- 

 tant signahng the heliographic signals will be used. 



Before leaving New York and St. John's you will institute a strict medical ex- 

 amination of your crew, and any men found disqualified will be returned to the 

 receiving ship Co', rndo. 

 Transmit a complete muster-roll of your crew, before saihng, to the Bureau of 



