Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-05-05
The Northwest Passage-CaptaIn Halls

Polar Expedition. -
The circumstances of the overhauling,
fitting out, and launching of the steamer
Polaris, late the Per'winkle, have already
been recorded in the Patriot. Captain
Hall, it is understood. will sail from this
city on or about the 25th Of May. The
exploring panty, reaching Cape Resolution
by the middle of June, will enter Hudson
Straits, aud, steaming slowly up the broad
channel, will occupy the time until the
pack-ice opens Ia July iii trading with the
Esqimaux at Upper and Lower Savage
and Southampton Islands, the former sit
uated in the Straits, and the latter ut the
head of Hudson Bay. They will there pro
cure furs, skins, &C., for clothing, and will
provide themselves with several packs OF
the Indispensable EsquiDaQx dog. with
which to hunt and drag their heavy eleds.
As soon as the Straits are clear Of Ice the
steamer proceeds to Repulse Bay, Captain
Halls old rendezvous, and, if il is practi-
cable, will then make all effort 0 force
their way through the pdck-ice into Fox's
Channel, and up through King William S
Land, to about so degrees north. Here
hey are expected to speAd their first VIM
ter
Early in the spring of 1872, after having
passed the winter IN training tue 3g5, S
tablishiug caches. and making other i'm
pDflhut t1CD%IdIiOAEiI tFtc party Will lSdf6
the vessel aud start, with their boats Sc
cured to til sieds, ard amply provisioned
for six months. On their journey over The
ice TO Bsffn's Bay, Smiths Sound, and.
it is hoped, the open Polar sea
The Polaris is to be we'll manned with
experienced officers and s9amen. Captain
s. O. Bnddingt0n, au cid and experienced
whaling master from the village of GrOton,
opposite New London, Conn, Is 10 be the
sailing master, aud will carry with lin, as
assistants, officers who have for years buf-
feted toe storms OF the long Arctic winter
The crew is to consist Of twelve seameo,
besides two cooks and the same humber Of
stewards, and four fremen. All the sea-
men are picked, intelligent men, ana it Is
said that there is not one OF them that is
not capable of navig ating the ship himself.
A corps of scientific gentlemen also accom-
panies the expedition, consisting Of al as
tronomer, q geographer, and g ueteorolo-
gist It is also said that d.. Herman Bis
sell, an eminent German naturalist and
chemist, a graduate Of Heidelbarg, and
who was member OF the PrQssian expedi-
ton to the Nortl Pole, accom- panies Capt.
Halls EXPEDITION III the tame capacity
There are to be two engiueors, Mr.. Emil
Schuman and John Wilsor. the former
chief, and Wilson the assistant.
Two Esquimaux, joe and his "cOOney,"
or vile, HaunRh, Who have been with
Captain Hall a number Of years, and VIII
have become partially civilized ana speak
the English language intelligibiy, also so
with the expedition, the former as the il
terpreter and the lat or il tile capacity OF
q tailorcs4. Il has been long ago demon
strated that the UOOlien rlO hing Of the
white man il 4D soluteIy worthless to pro
tect the Arctic traveller sryul he cold
piercing bass 10 which he is exposed,
and the costu ne IF the Iuiuit OF EsGui-
max, consisting # the deerskiE kooly-
bang sack Jumper, with far hood-the
duck stockings, one over the other, ana
covered with stout moccasins of seal6kiu,
with high leegIns. have been adopted as
the only articles OF apparel that are i'm
pervious to tbs inclemoncies Of the fearful
climate. The esqnip1aux tailoress is,
therefore, an important and really inGis-
pensable parsonage aboard the Polari..
Captain Halt surmise, that he viii he
absent about two years and half, and
hopes to return to the United States by
October, 1878. He is very sanguine oil
success, and asserts that the arctic ex-I
oerience he has already gained, and the
adaptation of his system to the habits Of
he Esquimaux, by long residence among
hem, assure him of his ability to accom-
plish much toward forcing the leg barrier
10 the loDg-sought object of discovery,
which could not possibly otherwise be
lchieved.-Washingt on Patriot.