Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-05-16


and saved all. The ice grew firm
and l made another attempt to
reach the shore, carrying everything
in boats, and dragging them on
their keels. The ice being exceed
lngly rough, we stove in both boats.
We succeeded on the first of No
vember in getting about halt way
to shore. Night came on us and
very stormy weather. In the morn
ing 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 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 few seals, which fur
nished us light and fuel with which
to warm our scanty allowance OF
food through the darkness of an
arctic winter. In the latter part of
February we lived principally upon
birds and in March commenced to
catch seal. Through that month
we supported ourselves on bears
and seals flesh, wasting neither
skin nor entrails. We collected
enough food in this way to last un.
til the middle of May, had we not
been driven to sea by a strong wes-
terly gale in the latter part of March
our tloe-piece being then reduced
from five miles i'm circumference to
about twenty yards in diameter.
awe left the place on the LIST of
April and abandoned nearly all our
meat, large amount of ammunition,
clothing, skins and other articles,
taking portion of meat in boat,
which we were obliged to throw
overheard OH account of the boat
being so deeply laden. | regained
the outer edge of the pack ice on
the Sd Of April, and succeeded in
getting little further in on the
pack. On the 4th heavy northeast
gale set IN, heavy sea running I'M
der 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 al
most to starvation. On the 2lst of
April we sighted polar bear. Ev-
cry person was ordered to lie down
and initiate the seal, while two Es-
qulmauX secreted themselves behind
piece of ice, enticing 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 west
ward, in the hope of reaching the
Labrador coast and getting tempo
rary relief. We were picked up by
the steamship Tigress, Capt. Part
less, on the 3oth Of April, in latitude
SO deg. 35 min. north, longitude SIS
deg. west, or near Wolf Island, and
about forty miles from land"
In reference to the way in which
the Polaris got away from the party
which was rescued from off the ice,
Capt. Tyson states that he felt little
anxiety at first, thinking she would
soon come to their relief.
81 set my colors,' he said, Gas
she steamed down along the shore,
but the vessel was soon lost to sight
in bend of the land. and behind
what l took to be Northumberland
Island. The piece of ice l was on
commenced drifting southwark. AS
the wind hauled to the northeast,
opening a little bay 10 the northeast
Of Northumberland Island, 1 saw a
vessel in the harbor there. Her sails
were turled. No smoke was issuing
from her smoke-stack that l could
see. then attempted to bring my
boats across the foe in an easterly
direction, hoping to find water and
reach the shore. l 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 very
fast, and the gale was blowing fresh,
with great violence from the north
west, and showing very fast and
drifting. l was driven back in the
ice again and compelled 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 run
ming which broke up my floe-piece,
separating us from six bags Of bread
and one boat. Raw vessel under
steam and canvass rounding the
point to the northwest. Thinking
she would come to our relief / gave
myself no extra anxiety, but soon
we were doomed to disappointment,
and from that time until the Tigress
rescued us we never got glimpse
Of the Polaris."
The Tigress fell in with the party
in dense fog, and providentially
struck the very foe on which they
were; otherwise they must have
persisted.
AN INTERVIEW WITH DIR. HAYS.
New YokK, March IL.
DR.. l. l. Hays, the arctic explorer,
in an interview relative to the Hall
expedition, expressed the opinion
that the Polaris was unfit for the
service, and that the injury to the
vessel was caused by defects in her
build. Captain Hail." said the
Doctor, twas AGA miles from the
North Pole. He QIalD has proven
what have predicted long ago,
that Smiths Sound was navigable,
and was tie true passage into the
Polar Sea, which he seems to have
reached. Why he was driven back
l cannot tell-probably by drifting
ice fields or gales Of wind, but l
have no doubt that he had reached
the Polar Sea. There is one re-
markable fact about his explorations.
He had constant sunshine all the
TINA and tho survivors who wnro