Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-05-10
Capt. Halls Expedition.

THE return of the Polaris to Greenland,
in partially disabled condition caused
by encountering an iceberg, as briefly an
nounced by telegraph some days ago,
would at first seem to be ominous of fail
ure. A Newfoundland correspondent of
the New York Times, however, detailing
information on the subject, brought by
the Danish brig, Meerbek, to that port,
puts different face on the matter The
Arctic voyage is to be shortly resumed,
and Captain Hall appears no less sanguine
than before.
On the afternoon of February 8 the
Polaris encountered extremely heavy
weather. and while lying-to, ran among
what Captain Hall termed ''icy snags,"
which could only be accounted for by the
extreme shallowness of the water, or high
icebergs imbedded in sand or mud. By
repeated collisions with these breakers of
ice, the Polaris sprang aleak, and on the
morning succeeding the gale Captain
Hall gave orders to bear up for Disco,
where he always had intended to make
his place of shelter, in case of any acci-
dents that would leave him time to reach
il. He arrived there on the 9th of Feb
ruary, and repairs were Immediately be-
gun.
Throughout the whole month of Janu-
ary very little ice was seen, and each
night the sky on all sides glittered with
meteors of the most gorgeous description,
which flashed SO brightly and wildly
across the armament as to bedizzen the
strongest eyesight. On the 1st of Febru-
ary the Polaris encountered field Of ice
which obstructed her headway for several
hours, and Captain Hall proposed to run
back into clear water until the middle of
February, when he expected breaking
up and drifting of the fields of ice and
icebergs which infested the quarter he
had abandoned. To this determination
Captain Hall now owes the safety of his
ships company. Had he not put back over
| 1000 miles, the Polaris would have been
too far from Greenland to reach it before
the water had gained too rapid headway
| through the leak made by the ice.
The most important clue to the exist
ence of Polar passage is the fact of the
crew of the Polaris having seen, followed,
and killed whale having in one of its
| fins a harpoon similar to those used in
| the South Pacific, and this happened in a
region where, as Captain Hall says, " the
sail of an American or European vessel
had never been given to the wind be-
fore" In May Captain Hall hopes to
make clear passage to the undiscovered
| pole, and learn all necessary information
concerning that region about which so
much has been conjectured, aud for
which SO many noble lives have been
sacrificed. He also assured the Captain of
the Meerbek that if the future role of the
expedition, then conceived by him, and
strongly believed to be easily practicable,
would not be uninterrupted by unforeseen
accidents, the Polaris would be at home
in next September, after having achieved
the renowned object of her adventurous
voyage. Apart from the leak occasioned
by sharp berg of ice beneath the sur
face of the water, the Polaris looked trim
and sound. Since her departure from
New York she has not lost rope, a spar,
nor an inch of canvas. The health of all
on board has been considerably improved
by the trip, and those who were of meagre
build have grown as shapely as they de-
sire. Captain Hall asserts that if there
be any habitable land in the vicinity OF
the North Pole it will be the ne pI'ts ultra
of salubrious climates, and his only feal
is that he and his men may have to en-
counter before landing new and for
midable race Of human beings. .-CtTlct'l
natl Times.