Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-06-20
The Statements OF Captain Tyson,
EsquimauZ Joe, and Others,
Thoroughly Sifted.
Captain Halls WOrk-His Last
Effort, Sickness and Death
BucSingtOn's Prepara-
ti6ns to Return.
How the Tyson Party were Cast
Away OF the Ice-BHdding-
ton ExOnerated from
All Blame.

" AsHINGVON, June 19.-Secretary
Robson has sent to the President his re-
port in full of the investigation of the
Polaris matter, in which he says thai the
statements Of all the persons rescued
who could speak or understand English,
except that of the wife of Hans Chris
tian, were taken down, and are now, to-
gether with the diary kept by some Of
the party en- the ice, and a diary Of the
cruise Of the Polaris (the latter kept in
German, by Hermann Zerons, one oi
the seamen remaining on board and
picked up on the ice after the separation
from the ship, being rapidly print
ed-the bulk Of them being already in
type. Secretary Robson says ii
must be clearly understood that
permitting this publication the depart
ment neither make nor declare any
Judgment against Buddington, who has
no opportunity for an explanation OF
facts, which show that, though be was
perhaps wanting in enthusiasm for the
grand objects of the expedition, and at
times grossly lax in discipline-and
though he differed in judgment as to the
possibility, safety and propriety Of taking
the ship further north-yet he is an ex-
perienced and careful navigator, and a
man not addicted to liquor, Of which
none remained on board at the time OF
separation; and a safe and competent
commander. The secretary of the
navy then gives details, already made
public, of measures taken by him to
send the steamers Juniata and Tigress
to the relief, if possible, of the Polaris
and the remainder of her crew. The Ii
gress he proposed to purchase and
strengthen for the service required in
the search in the Arctic regions. Cap
tain Tyson, Esouimaux Joe and aIl the
rescued seanen viii accompany the ex-
peditiOn, being anxious to rescue their
comrades and bring out their old ship.
The following is the result of the inves-
tigation and examination of Captain
Tyson, Frederick Meyer, Esquimaux
Joe and others Of the rescued crew:
THE sTOKY OF raE POLARIs.
At midnight on the third of Septem-
Der, 1871, Captain Hall landed with a
boat on the east shore Of Polaris bay,
and in the name of God and the Presi-
- ft,a TTnffal
American flag on the land he had dis
covered. On one occasion, while beset
in Robson straits, the POlaris seemed
to be in such danger, being crushed, that
the provisions were placed on the ice,
and measures taken to be in readiness
for leaving her. She happily escaped
without injury. Immediately after
securing his ship in winter quar-
ters, Captain Hall made preparations
for 8 sledge Journey nOrthWard, and the
other work was commenced landing and
setting up an observatory, getting scien-
tific observations under way, surveying
the harbor, cleaning up the ship and
makiRg all snug for the winter. On the
tenth Of October Captain Hall left the
Polaris, accompanied by Mr.. Chester,
first mate, and EsQuimaux Joe and
Hans, with sledges and fourteen dogs.
Setting out on this expedition, the first
step taken by Captain Hall fell upon
land more northern than a white mans
foot ever before touched. In the
PROGREss or THE JOURNEY,
unhsppily the last that Captain Hall
was TO make toward the pole, be dis
covered, as appears by his dispatch, q
river, lake and 8 large inlet, the latter
in latitude So 81" north. He named
this Newman's bay, calling its northern
point Cape BrevoOrt, and the southern
one Sumner headland. At Cape Bre-
wort, in latitude $50 2" north, longi-
tude 6l' 2O/ west, he rested, making
there his sixth snow encampment. On
the twentieth of October he wrote his
last dispatch to the secretsry of the navy,
the original draft Of which was found in
bis own handwriting and in his desk,
on its examination in Washington after
Il was delivered TO the secretary of the
navy by Esouimsux Joe, who had kept
the desk in his custody from the time it
was picked up on the ice, after the sep
aratiOn Of the rescued party from the
ship.
A COPY OF THIS DISPATCH,
30 singularly preserved, accompanies
this report. Captain Hall himself de-
scribed a transcript of it in a cairn on
the side of a mountain at Cape BrevoOFt.
Captain Hall, it appears, had hoped,
when he left the Polaris on this journey,
to advance noTthward at least one hun
dred miles, but after having gone about
fifty he was compelled, by the condition
Of the shore and of the ice, and by the
state Of the climate, to return and await
the approach of spring for another at
tempt. He reached the ship on the
twenty-fourth Of October, apparently in
his usual fine health, but was attacked
that evening with sickness of stomach,
and vomiting, and taking to his bed,
was found next day to be seriously i'll.
his most marked symptoms seem from
the evidence TO have been such as indi-
Gated congestion Of the brain accompa-
MED by delirium, and partial paralysis
of one side. The witnesses all state that
his attack was called apOplexy, and
some of them speak of their own knoWl-
edge Of his paralysis and delirium. He
some days after sufficiently to
leave his bed and to move about in the
cabin q little, and to attend to business.
but soon relapsed and became again
deliriOus, and
Did NOVEMBER s, 1871.
Three days after he was buried on
shore. From a personal examination of
all the witnesses, and from their testi-
aony as given, we reach the unani-
NOUS opinion that the death of Captain
Hall resulted naturally, from disease,
without faults on the part of any one.
All the persons examined testify to the
uniform kindness and care Of Captain
Hall, and to the good order and efficient
condition of the Polaris, while under
his command. On the death of Captain
Hall, BuddiDgtCn, as had been provided
for in the Instructions for the voyage, is
sued by the secretary Of the navy, sue
ceeded to tie command of the Po-
laris. The winter was passed as
usual, in the Arctic region. Early
in June, before the POlaris was re-
leased from the ice, Captain Buddington
Mr.. Chester aud Captain Ty-
son with boats, 10 endeavor to get as far
north as practicable. With much diff
Guilty and delay they got as far north as
Newman's bay. They here awaited a
possible opening in the ice until the
middle Of July, when written orders
rom Captain BuddingtOn directed their
return 10 the ship. While they were
away, and some time in June, the Po-
sris had broken out of her winter quar-
.ers, aud bad made several attempts
10 proceed nOgthWa-d 70 pick up the