GUEELY RELIEF EXPEDITION. - 69 



importance. Her construction makes repair of injuries to hull very 

 difficult. 



In view of the disaster to the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition at 

 Cape Sabine and the conclusion of the Department last year that it 

 was impracticable to send another vessel north after the Yantic's re- 

 turn to St. John's, September 13, 1883, with report of the loss of the 

 Proteus, I would state that the past winter in Melville Bay was re- 

 ported to be the most severe experienced for thirty years. 



The winter began earlier than usual and continued with great se- 

 verity later into the spring of 1884. Alaout the equinox (September 

 21) cold weather began to set in and the temperature steadily fell at 

 Disco, Upernavik, and Tassuisak. Sixty degrees below zero (Fah.) 

 was reached later in the winter, when it was said to have continued 

 for a period of sixty consecutive days. Melville Bay was frozen over 

 as far as could be seen from these three points in the latter part of 

 October. As the season of continual darkness had come on by October 

 the navigation of this region would have been well nigh impossible, 

 unless the bay had been entirely open. Under the circumstances, 

 any vessel attempting this navigation would ' have come to grief, if 

 she had not been totally lost. 



It can be seen in view of this information that the action of last 

 year was wise. 



The total expense of fitting out the expedition will aggregate about 

 $750,000. A considerable portion of this sum was for the purchase 

 of the ships, which are returned in good condition. Their value, 

 together with that of the returned stores and outfits in all depart- 

 ments, when disposed of either by sale or transfer to the general 

 service, will greatly reduce this amount. 



HTDROGRAPHIC INFORMATION. 



During the cruise of the ships on the coast of Greenland, Lieuten- 

 ants Sebree, Crosby, and Badger, who were the executive officers of 

 the three ships, doing duty as navigating officers in addition thereto, 

 ascertained that the English Admiralty charts of that coast were 

 defective in a number of particulars. 



Whenever opportunity offered advantage was taken by these zeal- 

 ous and untiring officers to increase the accuracy of navigating this 

 region. In almost every instance their observations were similar, 

 and their results agreed ; for example The Knight Islands, off Hol- 

 steinbofg, are represented as extending out to longitude 54° 30' W. 

 in latitude 67° N. (chart 335, Arctic Sea, Davis Straits, and Baffin 

 Bay). Our course on the way north ran over the . outer islands. 

 These islands do not extend off land over 7 miles, instead of 15 miles 

 as by chart. 



