The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-10-24
TEE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
G.:icial Account or the Recent Voyage OF
the United states by DIR. Hayes
EXPLORING > HooNER UNITED ~TA1Es,
HAaioR or HALIFAX. Oct, /, 1851.

EXPLORING > HoONER UNITED STATES
HAasoR or HALIFAX, Oct. i, 1851. ]
have the pleasure 70 send you the following account
or tho u oceedings OF the expedition to the Arctic seas
saer my command, subsequent 10 the 18th OF August
$780, My from Upper Navik to the contributors o.
the expedition bearing the above date, viii have in
SIR cited you Of my movements up TO that time.
W. sailed from Upper NavS tho 10th August, 1860;
but calus detained us way ressuissak, aud
did not rcach tho latter place until the 2lst. Having
there cased the number OF dogs by the addition
Oh the interpreters team making complement OF TWEEN
i've animals and having further Increased my crew by
the addition OF two Danes and Esqumaux hunter we
put 70 again the 22d and stood northward with
fiir wind On tho morning OF tho 23d we entered Mel
vile bay. On tho following day at three O'Clock p NJ.
we passed The Sabine Islands, thence made direct
o)irsc for Cape York, which was ached at 1--WE o'clock
Pm. OF the 25th.
Our passage through Melville bay was remarkable.
No Held ice seen until reach ID within few mics
OF Cape York, when encountered narrow stream,
which under full press of 81, bored without diff
suy. We were Only dftyave hou In enectng the pas
sage OF the bay
S anding close In under Cap, York l kept q careful
watch from alof for squinauy and had the gratif
oton to discover group Of them moving down toward
tho beach. The schooner being hove to I went ashore
AMI was met by Hans, DR.. Kanes runaway boy, and
other natives Hans quickly recognized Mr.. Sonntag and
myself aud having expressed wish TO go with us took
him. together with his wife and child his hunting equip
ment and two Digs, On board AMI again stood noFthward
AT seven o'clock of tho morning Of the Goth were
brought UP by heavy ice pack twenty miles south OF
Ssnh i Strait There being high setting directly
upon the ice and the air being thick with falling snow
We lost no time in ply ing TO wndward, and having
tanned good oins hove to, to await better weather
Tho wind foil to calm the clouds broke during the
nj plt md IN tha ~ tho
co in Shore and under light northeast wind stood on
toward the centre OF the strait Oh entered at min
o'c!ockP ". uere We met heavy pick through which
no actical lead could DO distinguished Our examina.
tol q It's margin, with tho view Of finding opening,
Yves c short by heavy gale which broke sud My upon
Is from the northeast The begs being very thick about
us We could not leave to, and great losing
every EXPOSED sal. The gale lasted, with very little
abatement in its volume, during the 2Sh and 29th On
the morning OF the 3Oth having carried away the fore
saii, we were gai TO reach small cove, twelve miles
south q Cape Alexander and there dropped anchor in
from elevation Of 200 feet The pack appeared to be
nentrabe and very little was to BIO seen along
the west shore determined, however, to attempt the
passage.
had scarcely returned from my journey to the noun.
saln when the galc again set in from the quar-
anu with violence which have scarcely equalsd.
on the morning Of the 3lst driven from our
moorlngs and in the effort to anchors we wero
Wrcod upon a group OF cebergs which had drifted in
with the current and carried away our jibboom Tho
VIVID moderated soon aftcrward and we once more en-
strht; The gaze setting
EAf WAS brokel in wearing, and being obliged to
have to- We we're thd time driven out Of the strait
u saek shelter behind Cape 4~-Aaidor.
Damages having been repaired, we again entered the
stra. on the evening q settsmber l. Discovering
lea through the ice u the westward for Little
ton Island, with the hope of finding near the more
solid Ice higher up the strait practicable Open
Ing The gale sti continuing to blow with great force
All beng undor reduced canvass, we made but little
llttleton Island was reached September O. Being
unable 70 penetrate the ice TO the westward determined
In (trnN Hl tph tho hr..
OF there finding the leo more oen. The undertaking was
necessarily attended with considerable risk the vessel
Oh account OF tbs heavy 6els Of ice lying of Ittleton
Island. The schooner frequently came in collision with
Ice fields from fifteen to twenty feet in thickness The
Tie false stern was carried away Soon nferward we
encountered severe np, and before the rpdier could
be shipped tn two lower pintels broken or
IN T. crippled condition it impossible to make
further adway, and, after extricang ourselves from
.the ice We ran down into Hartsten bay and anchored
Du ing the 3 4th and 9th Of September the wind blew
with Ireat force from the quarter before On
che 4th reached with much difficulty, Littleon slandin
elevation of some four hcndred feet The leo was
very heavy TO the west and southwes,a thick mpene-
was loose, and the prospect If working westward from
Cape Hath ,rton was encouraging.
On the 9th the wind fell 70 calm. The boats were got
out aud We pulled to Lttiet1n Island but two DAYS
had completely changed the position Of the Between
Li'tcon Island and Cape Hatheron there was no open
water thcl any visible from the top that
isand to the northwest west or southwest Unable to
advance, and fearful of being frozen in again extr
Gated the vessel from the leo and back into Hasten
bay.
Everything about now began to wear wntry as
pect. The temperature had fallen to eighteen degrees
below freezing Thick snow had been falling Intervals
sncc August 25 Our decks covered with ice, the
sails and risg ng stiff with it that they could
barely lie worked. the scbooners sides lined with
tn ok crust and large Of leo had accumulated on
the cutwater and forward rigging The navigabe
was ceary drawing to a close.
Northeast gales detained during the eth and Sth and
tho tempe atlre ptinuing to fall deemed it mprudent
again to enter tbs ice ana accordingly we went into win
SDt In Mt a1ocUa
Bay The schooners were moored by four hawses forty
yards from shore, in seven iahoms water. The sails
were nben and tho topmasts housed and after giving
the crew holiday our winter preparations were com.
NJ ncet The stores epasited in house built for
the purpose on Shore The hold converted into
table room FOR the men, and the upper deck
h,sed over with boards. Owing to bad weather three
We elapsed before these arrangements We're completed
honor Of william Parked Foulke, Esq of IN ilsdcphia
was well sheltered tscent 10 the southwest obsorva.
lions made by Nj Scnnag, ~ the observatory erected
On h9r sho vessel gave its position latitude rs II
a M ongi.uJe z 50 81 Wtwenty miles further South
thah 'r @ines WINTER quarters, and distant from it by
Ineed hardly say tfat deeply regre. that we could
no attain higher latitude wh the vessel; particularly
DO lifere that We could not c1ch the west coast That
coast was Wholly unapproaelnhle viii. a sailing vessel!
he weather 9ontinied bose.ous Throughout tho an
tunir an indeed during Che greater part Of tn. winter
IN consequence Of The repeated gales the water Off the
hafher Wa net frozen ovet ntii March 30 that seigo
travelling 70 the ncfthward impraccable daring the
muati OF October at which time had expected to carry
snt oy Q pots for use in the spring Mr. sonnag
lh1te 10 reatn EenSScIaer harb0r IN NoVen-
b., and though tho darkness tho winter had then set
in, 10 was ba1ed by the o. n waters.
Mhsa ms tay 5ht La 20 We probably employed
survey Of the baTbpr and adjacent was ma, by
thu oint !abors OF Messrs. Sonntag Mccormick Dodge
and Rylcif In September Mr.. Sonntag put up in the
Observatory the fine pendulum apparatus, constructed
expressly fer the expedition by the esrs Bond ucs
ton and fun set Of satisfactory experiments OBJ
ta.nod The magnetic Instruments Subsequently
placed in the same building, aud observations there
made from TINS to time a me eorolJgic observatory
was erected on shore, and ohservatiors there
corded three tines daily with sovura instruments. A
bihpuriy record Kept the vessel, with single
nstt m mt. may ntion that ali Of The instruments
have bs.n well cSnpared survey If Johns glacier
WIS mace ~ Mr.. Sonntas aud myself in October. Ills
g,hcef which wns discovered and named by Or. Zane
app oa hes III through deep alley, snd its face Is
two mics from the The angles, Net relucel
ooaicd ~ oetlbtr. were repeated by M self last June
aud " show considerable ,f tn paci. r.
Th ey of thS glacier was turtle cont, ued hy ms
iste III oei0e with party Of GN9 persons. asocicd
the mr. 3e 2lpce and travelled eastward fifty miles.
Oar greatest eiel eon 800 feet, emporature at
which elevation was l5 deg lower than at the level Of
the
The wintcr passed ii health and comfort We
Fortunate in capturing upward II 200 reindeer
Will Kept both on setvcs and the dogs constantly sup
pi'd with fresh food.
Tho wi ,tcr brough however, some serious iaisfo--
tunes. disease which had been prevailing IN North