THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 3123, 26 September 1884, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

The value of this service to New Zealand has (says a recent Homo paper) for a long time been considerably impaired by the slow speed of the steamers by which the mails from Great Britain were carried to New York. It not infrequently happened that the San Francisco mail boats could not leavo on tho contract day owing to the non-arrival of tho English mails, and consequently tha punctuality of the service and its reputation for regularity were injured. Latterly, the time of transit between New York and San Francisco has been reduced tofivedays, which will materially diminish theriskofdelay, but the New Zealand Government have urgently impressed upon the Imperial Post Office authorities the necessity of insuring faßter transit across the Atlantic also. This, it Beems, is about to be done, for on Sept. Ist, new arrangements for tho mail service to New York will come into force. The existing mail contracts will then havo expired, and m future the Imperial Post Office will take up, month by month, tho fastest and most efficient vessels for tho conveyance of the mails across the Atlantic. The New Zealand Government ware anxious thatQueenstown should be abandoned as a port of call, but this will not bo done, as every vessel carrying mails to New York will have to call at that port on the way. The Colonial Governments interested m the San Francisco service have long been trying to obtain a contribution towards its maintenance from the United States Government. One-third of the total subsidy contributed by the colonies would have satisfied them. Their cage has been represented to the United States Government by Mr R. J. Creighton, and with such success that there is little doubt that an American contribution has been secured, notwithstanding the national suspicion which is always aroused whenever a subsidy iB mentioned. Tho Shipping jbSill, which lias been before both Houses of tho Legislature this session, promises that the State shall pay for tho conveyance hy ocean routes of tho United States mails, and this will, of courso, enable the Pacific lino to participate. Tho subsidy must not exceed 0110 dollar per mile on each trip, and the annual appropriation will probably amount to about 1,500,000 dols, or £300,000. Tha Australian, Brazilian and China lines will participate. It was proposod to grant no compensation for mails oarried m return trips, but this amendment was negatived. MrCreighton regarded it as absolutely certain that tho Bill would recoivo tho sanction of Congress and become operative shortly. Sinco the above was writton it has transpired that tho tenders received for tho convoynnce of mails from this country to New York via Queonstown are not sufficient to ensure a regular service by first-class ships under the contemplated systom of taking up steamers month by month. Looking to tbe importance of obtaining for this service a sufficient number of the best steamors, Her Majesty's Government will not insist upon tho system of monthly tondors, and have consequently decided to invite all tho groat Transatlantic Steamship Companies to nend m proposals for a service under oontraofc or agroement of not loss than twelve months duration, terminable, if need bo, by a notice of six months. Each company is invited to tender, either alono, or m conjunction with some other company or companies for a service from Liverpool via Queenstown to Now York, throa times a week — namely, leaving Liverpool on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Such of tho mails as are ready m the time would bo put on board at Liverpool, and tho romainder would ha embarked at Quoenstown tho following day as soon as possible after tho arrival of tho mail train. Tenders to be sont In by AugUßt 13th.

CAUSE OF THE GREELY DISASTER. The New York correspondent of an Australian contemporary, writing on July 25th, says : — The rescue of the surviving members of the Greely Arctic colony has been the great sensation of the month. There were twenty-five men m this colony, and they all passed safely through the perils of two Arctic winters. Every man would now be m this country safe and m fair health if the chief of the Signal Service Bureau had not blundered. Upon him rests the responsibility for the death of nineteen brave men, eighteen of whom starved to death m a hut on the shore of Smith Sound. It has been my duty to carefully examine the history of this colony, and of the three relief expeditions, only one of which was of any service to the ice-bound observers. Although this history covers a period of three years, its salient points can be noticed iti a brief statement. Of the twelve northern stations selected by the nations represented m Ihe International Polar Congress, that which was chosen by the United States and afterward occupied by Lieutenant Greely was nearest, to tho Polo. Nearly all of the others were within a short distance of the parallel of 70deg north latitude, but Fort Conger, Greely's station, was near the parallel of 82deg, or within 500 miles of the Pole itself. One other station, that of the Swedish Government at Spitzbergen, was almost as far north, but, unlike Greely's, it was accessible. Greely and his companions began their long watch m their portable house on the north shore of Lady Franklin Bay m August, 1881. A glance at the map will show that they were m a very dangerous position. They wero at the northern end of the long and narrow passago that connects the Polar Ocean with Baffin's Bay. At the head of Baffin's Bay there is a narrow strait called Smith Sound. On one side of this strait, which 13 almost continually choked with ice, is Cape Sabine, and on the other side is Littleton Island. The channel, which begins m this strait, becomes wider above it m Kane Basin, and contracts again at Cape Fra3or. From that point northward the passage is known as Kennedy Channel. This diilicult passage has been traversed by the greatest explorers, and it is marked by graves and wrecks. The colonists began their work m August, 1881. The Government had promised to relieve them, or at least to send a party to the station m 1882. It was understood that if the expedition of 1882 should fail to reach them, another attempt would be made m 1883, and that if the expedition of 1883 should not be able to get through the ice, the men engaged m that expedition would establish another colony at Littleton Island, and at that point await the arrival of Greoly on his way southward, for Greely had been instructed to abandon his station and move southward not later than September lat, 1883. Before he began his work Greoly sent to General Hazen, Chief Signal Officer, instructions for the guidance of the relief parties, and Hazen promised that these instructions should be faithfully followed. Foreseeing that both relief parties might fail to reach him, Greely directed that each one of them Bkould deposit large supplies of provisions near Cape Sabine, on the west side of the channel, and at other points on the same side if possible. He intended during his stay m the North to niako several deposits on the line of retreat, to be used m 1883 if they should be needed, and he relied upon the relief parties to make other deposits on tho southern half of that line, so that there should be at least ten depots of supplies on that line, which is about 240 miles long. Looking forward to 1883, ho saw his party retreating safely down the wast side of the channol, supported by these provisions. The other colony, located near Littleton Island on the othor sido, would welcome him upon his arrival at Cape Sabine, only twentysix miles distant, and then all would journey homeward. The first reliof party m tho Neptune, commanded by Beobe, who afterwards committed suicide, entered Smith Sound, proceeded northward a few miles, and was then forced to return. The vessel could not get through the ice. While tho Neptune was locked m tho ice of Kana Basin, Kennedy Channel, to tho northward, was clear, and it is now known that Greely came down m a boat to a point about 100 miles north of tho vessel and swept the horizon with a powerful glass, hoping to sco the expected relief ship. Obeying Hazen's instructions, Beebo deposited only 250 rations on tho shore of Smith Sound, and brought back to this country tuousands of pounds of food. Ono year later Garlington wont northwards m the Proteus, accompanied by Commander Wildes m the Yantic. Hazen instructed Garlington to " push tho rossel through to Lady Franklin Bay." He was not to land any provisions on the way northward. Knowing that Greely had at tho station only provisions enough to supply tho colony for a year, Haze a told Gatlington that tho colonists would be m danger of starvation if ho should not reach thum at onco. Garlington tried to push his way through, and lost hia veaael. The Proteus was crushed very near tho spot where Groely was afterwards found. Having failed to deposit provisions Garlington had boon of no service to tho colony. Two expeditions had carried 10,000 rations to Smith Sound, and had left thoro only 600 of these. All of theso rations could easily havo been deposited on the spot where seventeen of Greely's men starved to death, and a great part of them would have been deposited if Groely's own instructions had been followed. WIIOII Greely nnd his twenty-four associates, nil m good health, duparted from their station on August 9th, 1883, m obodienco to Hnzon's instructions, they left provisions sufficient for oight months m their cabin. They relied upon tho doposits they had made on tho northern half of tho lino of retreat, and thon upon tho doposits which the relief expeditions had, as they supposed, mado on tho wost sido of Smith Sound. Thoy also belioved that other colonists wero waiting for them on tho east side of Smith Sound. Whim at last they reached a point on tho wost sido of Smith Sound they discovered that only 200 rations had been left for them, that no colony had boon established, and that no provision had been made for their safety. A torriblii winter was upon thorn. One by 0110 they starved to death, and Commander Schley arrived just m timo to savo the lives of six, who would havo died m forty-eight hours if help had not reached them. 1 havo written at length about this matter, because the facts show how tho livos of nineteen men — eighteen starved to doath and one was drownod — who had passed two yoarß within 500 miles of tho Polo, had traced tho northorn coastlines of Greonland and Grant Land, hod placud tho American flag at tho highest point ovor reached by explorers, and wero bringing back tho record of two years' meteorological observations, wero sacrificed by the bluudors of nn officer ' notoriously incompotent, who retains his position only by sooial influenoo. Ho was not allowed to havo anything to do with tho last expedition. A Court of Enquiry found that he was responsible for tho failuro of GarHngton'a expedition, and now it is plain that ho causod eightoon of Greoly's oompanions to dio horrible and lingering deaths, but ho is atill at tho head of tho Signal Service Bureau of the army. Tho

United Statea now have no representatives m the ice of the polar region, and it is safe to say that if further explorations shall be made m the next five years by Americans they will not.be made at the expense and by the direction o£ the Government.