The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-10-22
Captain Hall, and What he Did and Saw
in tho. Arctic Regions.

in the. Arctic Regions.
CAPT. G. F.HALL, the returned Arctic
Explorer, last night at late hour paid a
visit with a friend to the editorial rooms
of the World.
Capt Hall is a good specimen of a man.
ly, hardy, and unpretentieus sailor, who
talks in simple, straightforward manner
about his experience, and makes light of
having spent above five years within the
frozen circle of the Arctic zone He looks
stout and hearty, and apparently none the
worse for his rough experience. 1t may
seem strange, after such long absence,
that he is eager to return to the scene of
his adventures; vet he expresses strong
hopes to start next year on an expedition
in search of the North Pole.
He is accompanied by three Esquimaux,
husband with his wife and adopted child,
who bear the English names of Joe, Han
nah, and Silvia. They understand our
language, having visited this country at
the time Capt. Hall was last here, and are
pleasant and intelligent looking persons.
They are w-browed, small-eyed, thick-set,
with straight hair, and chubby, ungraceful
forms, characteristic of their race, and |
quite different from our idea of beauty. |
They resemble somewhat the lower class |
of German and Irish emigrants, and are |
also little like the Chinese in appearance.
They enjoy civilized life very 'much, and |
are quite pleased to make a second visit to |
the United States. The climate is |
rather unsuited to their constitutions and |
usual mode of life, but they soon get ac-
customed to it.
The Captain gave vivid description of
his experience within the Attic circle, and |
his life among the Esquimaux. The |
largest body of the latter he ever saw col |
lected together was only 1875. This was at
little village near Repulse Bay, and was
rather unusual circumstance. The soli-
tary nature of the life led by the explorers
may therefore be imagined. All alone
in the frozen waste, with hardly a
living thing to be met with; living like
moles, in underground houses, with dogs
and Esquimaux, SO huddled together that
the human could scarcely be distinguished
from the brute; shut out from all inter-
course with the outer world, excepting the
scraps Of news brought at long intervals
by passing whale ships; such an existence
only varied by occasional expeditions into
The interior on sledges drawn by dogs, can
hardly be called endurable, let alone pleas
ant. Yet Capt. Hall did not complain of
the life.
After his arrival there he found, as did
$50 his EsquimauX companions who had
visited this country with him, that it was
rather hard at first to return to their old
habits, but in time he got accustomed to it.
did you eat raw meat, Captain :"
"Oh, yes, most of the time. We some
times had it cooked, but usually liked it
better raw. You've no idea how good it is
that way. In fact, for that country raw
meat is almost indispensable, though, /
don't think it would hardly do in this
climate"
Is it true that the Esquimaux like it
best when it is tainted?"
eyes, and the more so the better. When
meat has just been killed, and is fresh, it
isn't good, but when it has got to smell
quite bad, and especially after it has been
frozen, then it tastes great deal better"
"Are not the Esquimaux a very dirty
peoples"
Well, yes, it must be admitted they |
are-but then their mode of life has much |
to do with this. They have great trouble |
to get water enough to drink except on |
the sea-shore, and the means of preserving |
cleanliness are limited" .,,.
GLOW do you find the change to this
country affects you"
"Ohl very much I'm all upset and |
can't do anything steadily. The food is
so different, and there is so much noise |
everywhere, and l feel the change in the |
air greatly. 1t is very close and hot here |
Why, when l first got on ship-board to |
come home, after being so much in the
open air, could hardly sleep at night,
and find it hard to do so now"
"What do you think caused the loss of |
Sir John Franklin's company?"
0Trpachery sir they Uprp dacprted lyy |
the natives, and left without fresh pro-
visions or means of getting them. But
for this some of them might have been
saved"
"What is the result of your researches
in relation to franklin"
"Briefy this: We have settled beyond
doubt that Franklin actually discovered
the Northwest Passage. On his previous
voyages he had sailed eastward as far as
| Cape Hcrschell, and now we have shown
that he reached the same point going
westward, and thus completed the chain
of communication. To him, therefore,
belongs the honor of having made the dis
covery, though Capt Mcclure has re-
ceived the reward offered by the British
Government to the person who should
succeed in the effort"
"Are you satisfied with this result?"
"Well, yes; considering how much we
did, It is useless to think of how much
more might have been accomplished. If
the EsquimauX who went with me
had not been so timid, or if had had
body of resolute white men to back me, |
think l might have gone on. We were
lucky enough to meet with and capture
herd of seventy nine musk oxen and sew
enteen reindeer, which would have been
sufficient provision for month, and would
have allowed us to explore much further,
but the EsquimauX were afraid of some
hostile tribes of natives in the vicinity,
and absolutely refused to go on"
did you have any great obstacle to
contend with?"
Eyes; during the first three years we
suffered a good deal, but afterward had
not so much trouble"
"Were your compasses at all affected by
your proximity to the North Polcs"
eyes, so much so that for time they
were useless; at one place the variation
was over ninety degrees. zfHfs1
How about the long seasons Of dark
ness ?"
"Those we were fortunate in avoiding,
by wintering within the line where the
suns rays are visible all the time"
"Why cannot steam be used for Arctic
explorations"
SO it can. There are large supplies of
coal on the west coast Of Greenland, and
think that with steam the entire North
west Passage might be made in a single
season."
ado you think leading such solitary
life has any tendency to bring men back
to the savage state ?"
swell, 1 hardly know-though the
thought did strike me once or twice. For
man who is fond of society it is terri
BILE existence, but ignorant men bear it
pretty well"
Naturally, after five years absence,
during which he had been almost entirely
cut off from the world, Capt. Hall was
eager to learn what had transpircd during
the interval The completion Of the Pa
cific railroad, new Atlantic cable and other
events of like importance were utterly
unknown to him, and were listened to
with as greedy ears as Desdemona gave to
Othello's tale. Capt Hall will remain in
the city for few days, and then leave for
his home in Cincinnati.-Neso York World,
Sept 90.
"A gentleman living in this city has a
large pet coon, which is very fond of him.
A few mornings ago, as the gentleman
was walking through his garden quite
elrly, he was met by the coon in narrow