National Republican (Washington City

THE WRECK OF THE PROTEUS.

Lieut. Garlington Describes the Sinking of the Ship and the Escape of the Party.

He Also Says the Conduct of the Crew Is Deserving of Censure, But Declines to Go Into Particulars Until He Has Made His Report to the Secretary of War.

How the Party Look After Their Summer in the Realms of Eternal Ice.

Lieut. E. A. Garlington, commander of the late Greely relief party on the steamer Proteus, and party, arrived in this city yesterday morning at 6 o'clock from New York. The party consisted of Lieut. Garlington, Lieut. J. C. Colwell, U. S. N.; Dr. J. S. Harrison, acting assistant surgeon of the army; Sergt. Kenny, 7th cavalry; Corporal Elwell, 3d infantry; Artificer Moritz, 17th infantry; Private Rogge, 3d infantry; Private Murphy, 11th infantry; Privates Lamar and Ellis, of the signal corps, and Lieut. Garlington's pet Newfoundland dog, which accompanied the expedition. A reporter of THE REPUBLICAN met Lieut. Garlington in the lobby of the Riggs house last night. He looks browned and hardy after his Arctic experience. He did not desire to say anything that would be included in his report to Secretary Lincoln. In referring to the wreck of the Proteus he said that about nine o'clock on the morning of July 22, the vessel passed Lyttleton island, making for Cape Prescott. The water was perfectly clear then and numerous observations from the crow's nest failed to discover any ice ahead. An hour or so later the watch above sung out "ice ahead," and it could be seen stretching from shore to shore. It was not long after this that the ship was brought to alongside of the field. At 1 o'clock, an hour later, the Proteus was turned toward Payer harbor, and at 3:30 the privates of the signal corps were put ashore with their magnetic and meteorological instruments and a yawl boat, started to look for the cache of the Neptune. It was found in fair condition, although the tarpaulin and whale boat had been torn by bears, who had used their sharp claws with good effect. The flagstaff had also been knocked down by those animals. The staff was reset, and the party re-embarked on the Proteus, but it was 8 o'clock that evening before they got out of Payer harbor. "The mast-head-watch reported open water ahead," said Lieut. Garlington, "but as it was separated from the vessel by about 300 yards of ice we were still in a predicament. The experiment of butting at full speed was tried and fair headway was made for a time until the ice closed in and the ship received a "short nip." We got through that squeeze, and a short while later the ice closed in again and the nipping began. At 4:30 o'clock-an hour and a half later—the entire starboard rail was crushed in and the planking of the deck began to open. The small boats were at once lowered, and the crew began to save what they could. At 7 o'clock the break-up began and the Proteus began to settle slowly, sinking quietly beneath the ice-crested sea. Nearly all of the dogs were lost by jumping overboard, but we managed to save two teams. The settling of the ship caused the ice floes to separate, and many of our stores were thus carried away. After much difficulty in preventing the party from being separated by the drifting floes, we succeeded in landing. The floe on which we had piled our stores then began to drift away, when Sergt. Kenny and a volunteer crew took a boat and saved a load of the most valuable articles. Private Moritz also brought a load, including my Newfoundland dog. After reaching the cape the party separated into boat crews, the provisions being equally distributed. The boats then started for Cape York, where they arrived in safety and remained until Aug. 16, when they started for Upernavik, reaching that point on Aug. 22, and embarking on the Yantic for home. The reporter then asked Lieut. Garlington about the rumored misconduct of the crew, and he answered that their conduct was certainly deserving of censure. Being interrogated as to Lieut. Greely's probable position now, he said that is a hard question. However, if Greely has followed his own programme, and is fully satisfied that no vessel can reach him, he has doubtless made the best of his way southward. But as sledging is a serious and difficult matter in the Arctics at this time of the year, he may realize the impossibility of his trip and go back to Discovery harbor.