the navy department fitted out
a new relief expedition, consisting of the _Thetis_, the _Bear_, and the
_Alert_, under Commander Winfield S. Schley, who made such a brilliant
record in our late war with Spain.

Commander Schley sailed from Brooklyn in May, and lost not an hour. He
left St. John's on the 12th, meeting a great deal of ice in Baffin Bay
and Smith Sound, but he fought his way through, and sent a strong party
ashore June 22d to hunt for signs of the missing explorers. The steam
launch of the _Bear_ took the party to Brevoort Island, where Lieutenant
Lockwood's letter was found, giving their location and stating that they
were nearly out of provisions. Since the letter was dated eight months
before, the dismayed commander and his officers believed it hardly
possible that any of the men would be found alive.

The _Bear_ was pushed on, and the launch started out again early the
next morning. Before sunset Greely's camp was discovered. Making all
haste forward, the relief party lifted the flap and breathlessly peered
in.

They saw Greely on his knees, muttering the prayers for the dying over
one of his comrades. He looked up, dazed, bewildered, and unable to read
the full meaning of what met his eyes. Around him, in different
postures, were stretched his comrades, some dead and the others close to
death. Those still living were Greely, Brainard, Biederbeck, Fredericks,
Long, Connell, and Ellison. A few days' later arrival on the part of the
_Bear_, and not one would have been breathing. As it was their lives
were still in great danger, and it was necessary to nurse them with the
utmost care. The remains of all who had died, with the exception of the
Eskemo, were brought back to the United States. During the halt in the
harbor of Disco, to leave the body of the Eskemo, Corporal Ellison, who
had been so badly frozen, died. The relief expedition reached St. John's
on July 17th and New York on the 8th of August.

In 1886 the prize of the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain and
the back premium were awarded to Captain Adolphus W. Greely and Sergeant
David L. Brainard, for having attained the greatest results for the year
in adding to geographical knowledge by examinations or explorations. No
one can deny that this recognition and honor were well won.

The Greely expedition possesses so much interest that we have given
considerable space to the narration. Among the many explorations of the
far North, few