Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-28
THE POLARIS.
Particulars Of the Sickness and
Death Of Captain Hall.
Conflicting Evident In.
subOrdinat1On

sickness OF Captain Hall: 'Captain
Hall had good health up to the time of
returning from his sledge expedition.
He was not sick when he came on
board, but complained soon afterward
and that the heat Of the cabin affected
him. [ asked what he would have
| was anxious to get blm something
nice. He didn't care about anything
but cup Of coffee, and he didn't
drink even that. He was sick fort
night, and talked very little. He was
perfectly deirious during the last few
days. [ think he was paralyzed on
one side. There was nothing sudden
about his death. He was attended by
DR.. Bessels and Mr. Morton, who did
everything in their power to alleviate
his sufferings. His death made US
all feel very sad. "
Captain Tyson, speaking of Captain
Halls death, says: Hall was sick if-
teen days. He was insensible when
he died. He started from the ship on
the sledge expedition northward on the
10th of October. He was absent four
teen days and returned on the 9th of
0 tober to the ship. On the Sth of
of November he died, and was buried
on the Ilth. His grave bore south
southeast, and about 500 PAGES dis
tant from the observatory in Polaris
hay. which was In latitude SO 3S.
longitude 60 AZ, on shore. We
erected board over his grave, with
an inscription giving his name, age
$50 years. the date of his death, and
the commander Of the North Polar
Expedition. All hands except the
cook attended his funeral. It was a
dark, dismal, cold, windy day The
was bowling nournfully, and the hearts
of all were enveloped in the deepest
sadness [ held lantern, and by the
light of it the beautiful service Of the
Episcopal church was read by Mr.
Bryant. Few Of those present at the
burial will forget the deeply affected
scene Old sailors, whose faces had
been bronzed by summer suns aud fro.
zen in Artic seas, wept aloud. Cap
tain Hall was universally beloved, and
his death, at time when his enter
prise promised so hopefully, was felt
by the survivors to be an irretrieva.
Bile loss Those thoughts were upper
most in the minds of all, and when the
funeral party returned to the ship there
was a hushed silence attending the
performance of every duty"
Esquimaux Joe, in his published
statement, speaks in a disappearing
way of Captain Buddington, the sail
ing master of the Polaris, and says
that Captain Hall was poisoned, and
that Captain Hall so expressed himself
to him (Joe) saying there was some
thing bad in his coffee which he dram k
on returning from his sledge expedi-
ton; that it made him sick, and that
he had burning sensation.
Hans Christians statement is to the
same effect. The prevailing impress.
ion among the unfortunate nineteen
who we're left behind was that Bud
| dington had wilfuliy abandoned them
to their fate He had been anticipat-
ing the breaking up of the ice for
some time, and if he had wished to
have Captain Tyson and his compan-
ions on board he could easily have
represented matters to them in such a
light that they would not have ventur-
ed to be absent at so critical a juncture
But no such imitation 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.
Captain Tyson says: "I could have
got aboard the vessel that night and
been there now, but [ would not leave
the women and children. My duty
was on the ice [ thought he would
get back to US the next day, which he
could have done. The break away
was caused by the foe to which the
ship was fastened drifting in between
the land and some ice bergs that were
jamed. The jam broke up the foe,
and the vessel broke away. 1t was 9
or 10 o'clock at night, and the tenn
perature was at about zero. That eve
ming it had been 19 degrees above" :"
Captain Tyson thinks that the ill'feel-
ing and bad design Of Buddington and
and few others who were his accom-
plices has continued from the first Oh
account of Captain Halls detcr'nina-
ton to 60 as far north as possible, and
Budaington's determination, from fear
or whatever cause, that he should not.
After Captain Halls death, most of
the others were in favor OF continuing
and pushing north; and Captain Tyson
says that Buddington several times ez-
pressed his determination to send them
dyson and his party) "on the road to
hell" as soon as an opportunity offered.
He eharacterizes Buddington as q