The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-23
The POlaris Wanderers interviewed.
Believed they were Abandoned


cd. They lived principally upon seals, oc-
casionally indulgiug in roasted dog. They
attributed their wonderful preservation to
the sagacity and perseverance of Capt Ty-
son, while the latter says that the scientific
results amount tonothing. The expedition
demonstrated that it Is possible to penetrate
Farther into the mysterious region
OF sea and ice than Franklin. Hayes
or any other explorer proceeded, and fur
nlshed evidence of the probable existence
a Polar sea.
John Heron, the steward, makes the fol-
lowing statement Capt Hall had good
health up to the time of returning from the
siedge expedition He was not sick when
he came on board, but complained soon
afterwards and said that the heat of
the cabin affected him. He got
water to wash and put on clean under
clothing. | asked what he would have !;
was anxious to get him something nice. He
didn't care about anything but a cup of cof-
fee, and didn't drink even that. had no
conversation with Capt Hall when he was
sick, except to ask him if he was
better occasionally or how he was, and such
like He was sick fortnight and talked
very little. He was perfectly delerious for
the last few days. | think that he was par
ralyzed upon one side IIearcd no one say
50. 1t was my own opinion There was
nothing certain about his death. He was
attended by DR.. Bcssells and Mr. Morton,
who did everything in their power to ale
yiate his suifcrings, but without effect His
illness cast gloom over the entire compa-
ny, and was the first discouraging circum-
stance which had occurred in connection
with the expedition. His death made us
all feel very bad.
Capt. Tyson, speaking of Captain Halls
death. says: Hall was sick fifteen days.
At the first he was paralyzed and then de-
lirious He was inscnsiblc when he died.
He started from the ship on a sled eXpedi-
ton Northward on the 10th of October.
He was absent fourteen days, and returned
on the 9th of October to the ship. On
the Sth of November he died and was bur
led on the 18th. His grave bore South,
Southeast, and about five hundred PAGES
distant from the observatory in Polaris
Bay, which was in latitude ST. 80, longitude
la, on the shore. We erected board
over his grave. with an inscription cut Civ
ing his name, age (lifty years. date of
death, and command of the North Polar
expedition All hands except the cook at
tended his funeral 1t was II dark. dismal.
cold windy and disagrecable day. The
wind was mournfully bowling and the
hearts of all were cnvelOped iii deepest
sadness. l held-a lantern, and by it the
beautiful service of the Episcopal Church
was read by Mr.. Bryant. Old sailors
whose faces had been bronzed by Summer
suns and frozen in Arctic seas, wept aloud.
Capt Hall was universally beloved and his
death at a time when the enterprise prom
ised so hopefully, was felt by his survivors
to be an inevitable loss.
Those thoughts were uppermost in the
minds of all, and when the funeral party
returned to the ship there was n hushed ST
lence attending the performance of every
duty. The prevailing impression among
the unfortunate nineteen who were left be-
hind was that Buddington had willfully
abandoned them to their fate. We had
been anticipating the breaking UP of the
ice for some time, and if he had wished to
have Tyson and his companions on board
he could easily have represented matters to
them in such a light that they would not
have venturcd to be absent at so critical a
juncture But no such intimation was
given to the men on the ice, The vessel
did not drift away so suddenly that the
men could not have been rescued from
their perilous position.
Heron says: Il made rush for the
vessel and sung out for line, but they
would not give me one. Chester and Bud
dngton were standing on the gangway, and
could have thrown me one. was, with
four others, on the piece of ice that had
provisions on it, 1t cracked off and went
adrift We got back to the main foe in a
scow or boat which sunk under one of the
men, but we all got safely back"
Tyson saws IL could have got aboard
the vessel that night and been there now,
but would not leave the women and chill
dren. My duty was ON the ice thought
he would get back to us next day, which
he could have done. The breaking away
was caused by the foe to which the shiT
was fastened, drifting in between the lant
and some icebergs that were jammed The
jam broke up the foe and the vessel broke
away. 1t was about 0 or 10 o'clock in the
night. Temperature about zero. Tha
evening it had been nineteen degrees above
We did not save more than one-tenth Of
the provisions that were ON the ice"
Capt Tyson thinks the ill-feeling ant
bad designs of Buddington and few other
who were his accomplices, had continued
from the first, on account of Halls deter
mination to go as far north as possible, ant
Buddingtons determination, from fear o.
whatever cause, that he should not. Afte
Halls death most of the others were il
favor of continuing and pushing north
and Tyson says that Buddington seyera
times expressed his determination to sent
them dyson and his party ION the roa'
to hell as soon as an opportunity wa
offered" lie characterizes Buddington
great scoundrel, and declares that he pur
posely abandoned them to destruction. IL
gives Myers the character of being ener
getic and qualified in his department, bu
thinks he was not sufficiently aware
the condition of affairs at the time of tn
separation and the possibility of gettn
rescued then to be able to give any opinio
upon IT, The Germans, according to III
account, ruled the ship after Halls dealt