Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-05-23

sailing master if the vessel was making
any more water than usual. He reported
that she was not. then went TO the
pumps and ascertained that she was not
making any more water than she was
doing In the summer. / went on the ice
again, and shortly after II began to crack,
and in 4 afew mifiutes afterward broke in
many pieces. The vessel broke from her
fastenings, and was soon lost to sight in
the darkness and storm, On the broken
ice were most ofour provisions 10 sustain
the party through the winter, and, seeing
nothing of the vessel, we attempted to
reach the shore in hopes of finding natives
to assist us in living through the winter.
Getting about halfway to shore with our
heavily-laden boats, our progress became
hard by the drifting ice, and was com.
PEELED to haul on the ice again. AT this
time | succeeded in saving fourteen cans
of pemmican, eleven and half bags of
bread, ten dozen one and two-pound cans
of meat and soap, fourteen hams, one
small bag of choo> lite weighing twenty
pounds, some musk-ox skins, few blan-
kets a number of rifles, and abundant
ammunition. In the morning. knowing
that had not provisions enough, and other
articles of food, clothing compasses, etc,
on an abatement of the gale tried TO shoot
as many seals as possible, both for food,
light and fuel, but could only get three,
owing to the bad weather having set in.
/ supposed the wind to be about south
west, On It's clearing up found myself
within about eight miles of what | sup
posed to be the east coast, and about thirty
or forty miles below the ship The ice
1xats. l. a.
boat and provisions to land until it grew
stronger While here discov-
cred my other boat, bread, etc, and
saved all. The ice grew firm, and | made
another attempt to reach the shore, carry
ing everything in boats, and dragging
them on their keels. The ice being ex-
ceedingly rough, we stove both boats.
We succeeded on the 1st of November in
getting about halfway to the shore.
Night came on us and very stormy wealth
or. In the morning the ice was broken,
and we were drifting southwark very fast.
We saw no more land for many days, the
bad weather continuing all through the
month of November. We built a snow
house and made ourselves as comfortable
as we could. We were ten white men,
two Esquimaux, two women, and five
children in all. We succeeded in killing
a few seals, which furnished us with light
and fuel with which to warm our scany
allowance of food through the darkness
of the Arctic winter. In.the latter part
of February we lived principally upon
birds, and in March commenced to catch
seals. Through that month we supported
ourselves on bears and seals flesh, vast
ing neither skin nor entrais. We col
lected enough food in this way TO last un-
mil Of ha1
driven to sea by a strong. westerly gale in
the latter part of March, our fioe-piece
being then reduced from five miles in cir
cumterence to about twenty yards in di-
ameter.
1--WE left the place on the 1st of April
and abandoned nearly all our meat, a large
amount of ammunition, clothing, skins
and other articles, taking portion of meat
in boat, which we were obliged to throw
overheard on account of the boat being so
deeply laden. regained the outer edge
of the pack of ice on the 3d of April, and
succeeded in getting a little further
in on the pack. On the 4th a
heavy northeast gale set in, heavy
sea running under the ice, which broke it
in small pieces, so that we had to live on
a small scale, as we could not put our boat
out; neither could we find seals for food,
and we were reduced almost to starvation.
On the 21st of April we sighted a polar
bear. Every person was ordered 10 lie
down and initiate the seal, while two Es-
quimauX, secreting themselves behind
piece Of ice, enticed the bear near enough
to us to kill him. a few days after this
we got our boat in the water and worked
our way west and southwest, and continued
to work every opportunity to the westward,
in the hope of reaching the Labrador
coast and getting temporary relief. We
were picked up by the steamer Tigress,
Captain Bartlett, on the Both of April, in
latitude 53 degrees 3j minutes north, long
itudc 80 degrees west, or near Wolf Island,
and about forty miles from land" So
In reference to the way in which the
Polaris got away from the party which
was rescued from off the ice, Captain Ty-
son states that he felt little anxiety at first,
thinking she would soon come TO their re-
lief
II set my colors," he said, "as she steam
ed down along the shore, but the vessel
was soon lost to sight in a bend of the
land, and behind what | took to be Nor
thumberland Island The piece of ice |
was on commenced drifting southwark As
the wind hauled to the northeast, opening
little bay to the northeast of Northum-
berland Island, | saw a vessel in the har-
Dor there. Her sails were furled. No
smoke was issuing from her smokestack
that | could see. / then attempted to
bring my boats across the foe in an east
erly direction, hoping to find water and
reach the shore. | succeeded in dragging
one boat across, and took TO the water and
attempted to reach the shore some distance
below the vessel. We were then drifting
faat Il. A.,
with great violence, from the northwest,
and showing very fast and drifting | was
driven back in the ice again and com
PEELED to haul my boat out. Night closed
on me and carried us to the southwest. In
the morning we were about thirty miles
southwest of where the ship went into
harbOr. A heavy sea was running, which
broke up my tioe-piece, separating us
from six bags of bread and one boat.
| saw a vessel under steam and canvass
rounding the point to the northwest.
Thinking she would come to our lelief
gave myself no extra anxiety, but soon we
were doomed to disappointment, and from
that time until the Tigress rescued us we
have never got glimpse of the Polaris." !"
The Tigress felt in with Che party in a
dense fog, and, providentially, struck the
very foe on which they were; otherwise
they must have persisted. ..+
| They all seemed tolerably well. Cap
tain Tyson complained of swelled legs
and feet, but nothing serious is the matter
| with him. When they left the Polaris all
on board were in good health.
OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE PoLARIs.
The following is correct list of the
officers and crew of the ill-fated Polaris
Q. f. Hall, Captain, Cincinnati; Hubbard