Henry G, Bryant, 
25 
his own party during the winter of 1893-94 and the reasons for 
his want of success, I have not deemed it necessary to enter into 
these questions in this report. 
The best wishes of all who are interested in Arctic achieve- 
ment will attend the expedition which is soon to start for 
North Greenland to effect the return of the explorer and his com- 
panions. We trust it will prosperously accomplish its mission 
and bring back Lieutenant Peary crowned with the success 
which his devoted courage and sacrifice have so fully merited. 
In conclusion it only remains for me to allude to one other sub- 
ject: I refer to the sad fate which befell the “Falcon.” The 
past season was one of exceptional severity in the north and the 
members of the Auxiliary Expedition look back on their experi- 
ence as an almost constant battle with ice and storm. But 
through all these trials the “Falcon” came uninjured. After her 
arrival in Philadelphia the vessel was the object of some rather 
severe criticism, as a rough, untidy craft unfit for decent people 
to live on. Far different from this she appeared to the members 
of our party, as oftentimes, returning from some excursion we 
recognized her familiar outlines amid the ice floes. Needless 
to say, this feeling of affection accompanied her when she sailed 
from Philadelphia for St. Johns on the 3d of October, 1894. 
Since then nothing has been heard of her, and it is surmised that 
she encountered the hurricane which prevailed off the southern 
coast of Newfoundland between the 9th and iith of October, 
and went down with all on board. On her return voyage she was 
heavily loaded with a cargo of coal, but should have made the 
run to St. Johns in eight days. When days, weeks and months 
passed without any intelligence being received, we were ultimately 
compelled to abandon all hopes of the safety of the ship and her 
crew. This sad disaster came home to all of us with unaffected 
grief when we considered that we had so recently parted from 
those gallant sailors with hopes of long life and happiness be- 
fore them. Captain Bartlett was far above the average New- 
foundland “Skipper” in intelligence and education, and his death 
