The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1872-05-02
Cruise Of the Polaris,

United States Arctic expedition under
Capt Hall. When the Meerbek left Disco,
Greenland Oh Friday. March the PoIaris
had been two days at Disco, undergoing
repairs and procuring fresh supply of
provisions. On the afternoon of February
8, the Polaris encountered extremely
heavy weather, and while lying to, ran
among what Capt. Hall termed :" icy
snags,' which could only be accounted
for by the extreme shallowness of the
water, or high icebergs EMBEDDED in sand
or mud. By repeated collisions with
these breakers of ice, the Polaris sprung
aleak, on the morning succeeding the gale.
Capt. Hall gave orders to bear up for
Disco, where he always had intended to
make his place of shelter, in case OF anv
accident that would leave him time to
reach it. During the return to Disco, the
men, and even the officers and protes-
sional attaches of the expedition, sustain
CD al uTrefnitting working Of the pumps
until the harbor was reached, and then
the hold was so water-ogged and the men
50 exhausted that Capt. Hall announced
that another day at sea would have seen
them abandon the Polaris. 1t was neees-
sary TO throw overheard large quantity
OF provisions. and an equally great amount
was so damaged by bilgewater as to be
unfit for use, except in time of extreme
emergency.
The log of the Polaris contained many
strange discoveries, which led to the con-
viction that to the extreme and undis-
covered North there is, at times. a genial
atmosphere and open seas. Plants were
! detected in the ice which are indigenous
| to southern climates, and the examination
OF a floating stick Of wood, found on Satur-
/ day. January 13, proved it to be limb
Of somr huge birch. On the night of Sun
day, February a. Capt. Hall sat on the
deck all night, r-adi, g, writing and
making lunar and astral observations
/ Throughout the whole month of January,
very little ice wa seen. and, each night.
! the sky on all sides gittered with meteors
of the most gorgeous description, which
! fl .>hed SO brightly and wildly across
the armament ~ +. he'lizZrn the srtng-
Est evcSight On The first pt February the
Pola'is encountered Il field OF ice, which
ub>tructtd her headwar for several hours
and Capt. Hall proposed to run back into
clear water until the middle ot February
when he expected breaking up and
drifting OF the fields of ice and icebergs
which infested the quarter he had ahan-
doned. 10 this determination Capt. Hall
now owes the safety OF his ships com
/ ptnv, for, had he not put back over 1000
miles the Poaris 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.
t Christmas Day was a gala day on board
OF the Polaris. The good ship was hem
med in by heavy field ice, but the weather
was as pleasant as an Italian spring dav.
! The E>quimauX and the dogs which c .pt
/ Hall procured at St Johns were broug ght
into r+qnisition. and Il seal was pro-
! posed rs the ohj ct of the day. The dogs
We're lowered TO the ice in boat from
/ the dtvits. and were tackled to low
Sledgrs by the E>qulmanx. C,pt. Hal
SANS that the stgacity and tractablenes> ~
/ these animals was remarkable. After
half an hours stretch gallpp over the
heavy lee the painting dogs suddenly
drew up and yelled and paved the sur
/ face. One OF the E-qui iaux-the Oldest
of the lot-at once interpreted the warn
ing Of the dogs, and quick as lightning he
! bounded from his seat and turned the
| dogs heads toward the ship In half the
| time it took to reach the distance they had
travelled from the Polaris, the eager dogs
| pulled up beside the hull. Around the
1 horizon then there were murky clouds as
/ sembling, and the atmosphere felt misty
and bleak. Within an hour after the
warning of the sagacious animals, the ice
/ had been broken up and The Polars was
| separated from it by IA stormy channel
! nearly half u mile in width Had the
| sehl-hunting party fulfilled their inten-
/ ton of urging on the dogs and keeping
up the sport until moonlight few ot them
| would have survived the excursion UpLn
| another occasion these valuable dogs act
! ed as settlers in scenting out large mum
| Der of seal which would probably have
passed the notice of Indians themselves
On that day they shot over forty seals and
brought back to the ship the clippers" or
paws of several old harps which We're
| given to the cooks charge, and proved to
be q rare and palatable relish.
The most important clue to the exist
ence of a Polar passage is the fact of the
crew Of the Polaris having seen, followed
and killed a whale, having in one of its
| fins harpoon similar to those used in The
South Pacific and this happened in q re
| gion where, as Capt. Hall says, 'the sail
of an American or European vessel had
never been given to the wind before.' In
May, Capt. Hall hopes to make clear
passage to the undiscovered pole, and
7 learn all necessary information concerning
that region, about which so much has been
coniectured, and for which so many noble
lives have been sacrificed. He also as
surea the Captain of the Meerbe that it
the role OF the expedition, then conceived
by him and strongly believed to be easily
practicable, would not be interrupted by
unforeseen accidents, the Polaris would be
at home in next September, after having
achieved the renowned object of her ad
veLturous voyage. Apart from the leak
occasioned by sharp berg of ice beneath
the surface of the water, the Polaris look
ed trim and sound. Since her departure
| from New Y.,rk she has not lost a rope, a
spar nor an inch of canvass. The health
of ali on board has been considerable i'm
proved by the trip, and those who were
of meayre build have grown as shaptll
as they desire. Capt. Hall asserts that if
there be any hahirable land in the vicinity
OF The Moth Pole it will be the ne plus
ultra of Salubl ious climates, and his uuiy
tear is tha: he and his m m may have To
encounter before landing II new and for
mi'lable race OF human beings.
| Capt. Hall and party were Hospitality
entertained byJ. W. Smith who is the rep
resentative in Greenland o. the Danish
Government. The Captain did not evince
any desire that the authorities of the Unit
ed States or any other outside of Green
| land should learn of his return to that
country and the accidents that befel the
Poaris, for when Mr.. Van Anderson,
Captain of the Meerbek, offered to take
cop, Of the notes of the expedition, let
ters from himself, or a statement concern
ing his voyage generally, and the cause
Of his delay at Disco, Capt. Hall prompt
ly declined, upon grounds which he did
not feel disposed to explain. 1t is Capt.
Van Arderson's opinion that a publication
Of the log Of the Polar,s up to that d tte
would stimulate international competition
which might make piecemeal OF the merit
ed ltnrels of America in this cause. After
the Poars had been thoroughly caulk-d
and prepared for sea (Which Capt. Hall
thought would be about Wednesday, the
9Th Of March last ) she was TO start upon
the original course, and the captain pro-
| 4 .>f