The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-10-16
The Hl-Fated POIaris.
The Story of Capt. Buddington-. His
Troubles with Capt. Hall.

uile ulue Une IOlar1S lett IeSSu1Sak. in
August, 1871, and gives brief account
of Halls death:
On the Oath Capt. Hall returned, hay
ing reached bay which he named
Newman's Bay. Not long after his re-
turn Capt. Hall was taken seriously i'll.
and DIR. Bessel said his disease was
apoplexy. For two weeks he continued
in bad health, but now and again he
would rally and appear well, and then
relapse suddenly. On the morning of
the Sth he died, and on the 10th we
buried him half milo to the south of
the Observatory. We were now in
peculiarly embarrassing condition, but
L considered it still our duty to press to-
ward the North Pole. In consequences
of some little differences which had oc-
CURED before Capt. Halls death. ms
well as from the novel position in which
we now found ourselves, the harlr ony
which had previously prevailed was
now more than once seriously broken,
On the 18th November, Dr. Bessel drew
up a paper, and he asked me to sign it,
which L did. 1t was a repetition of the
instructions given by theNaval Depart
ment to Capt Hall, providing that [
should continue as the sailing and ice
master, and control and direct the move
ments OF the vessel, DIR. Bessel to con-
tlnue chief of the scientific department.
This paper concluded as follows "It is
our honest intention to honor our flag,
and to hoist it upon the most northern
point of the earth" ,-. .......
After describing the separation from
tTyson's party, he continues:
We were now in a critical condition,
without boats, anchors, or hawsers, but
there was no time for reflection, as the
water was gaining fast, and would soon
reach the furnace fires, in spite of the
bilge-pump, which was all this time at
work, assisted by the alley-way pump;
and if we could not start the deck pumps
| it was evident that the vessel would 90
down. The ice around us was fine
broken slush, which would not bear the
weight of man. BY this time the wa
ter in the boiler was hot, and by pour
ing several bucketfuls down the pumps
we thawed them sufficiently so as to en-
able us to keep the water from gaining,
and never did men use their strength
with more energy than we did on that
occasion. 1t was evident we could not
| last long at the work, but fortunately
just then the engineers reported steam
up, by which additional aid we were en-
abled to keep her afoat. On the morn
| ing of the 18th we found our position a
few miles north of Littleton Island, in
Smiths Straits. We had drifted abreast
OF Sunderland Island, at the end of Baf-
fins Bay, during the night. The gale
had then subsided, and it was shortly
afterwards quite calm. We looked from
the masthead of our vessel for our
companions on the foe, but could not
see anything of them whatever. The
current must have taken them in a diff
ferent direction from the course the
wind took us. About noon o breeze
sprung up from the north, and opening
a lead in-shore to the east, the vessel at
this time began drifting out of the
straits again. By the aid of steam and
sail took advantage of the lead when
opened wide enough to admit me, and
ran the vessel as near shore as the ice
would admit, and made fast with lines
to heavy grounded hummocks. Here
we were aground at low water, there
being nine feet rise of tide at this place,
which happened to be Kane's Lifeboat
Cove, lat. 7S deg. %! N, long. 70 deg.
2l w. We kept an anxious lookout all
the time from the masthead of our ves-
sci for signs of the party, but the sharp
est eyes on shipboard failed to see
aught of them. AS, however, they had
the boats, even to the little scow, we
were in hopes they would possibly be
able yet to make for us. On the 18th, L
surveyed the ship, and found the stem
entirely broken off below the six-foot
mark called the officers attention to
it, who only wondered she had kept
afoat so long. l therefore considered
the Polaris lost vessel, and immedi-
ately made preparations for leaving her
and living on shore during the winter,
| getting our spare sails, Goals, and pro-
visions on shore. We were assisted in
this by the Etah Esquimaux, who came
to us the day after we got ashore.
When these Esquimaux hove in sight,
gesticulating and hallooing with great
apparent glee, we took them to be our
castaways, and Immediately cheered
most heartily in return.
We put up house on shore, which
was superintended by Mr.. Chester /;
those not engaged in building it being
occupied getting provisions and fuel,
which they did with great deal of diff
ficulty, as they had to leap from one
detached piece of ice to another all the
way to the shore. Often some of the
party would tumble through assures
and get wet, which was a great incon-
venience, considering the insufficient
supply our wardrobe furnished for
change. On the morning of the Dist
we had number of Esquimauxvisitors
They came IN five sledges, and kindly
went to work to assist us, proving Of
excellent service. In short time we
had all the portable articles from the
shipon shore. Imade them such presents
as our scanty stock would permit, main
ly needles (harpoons)-with whicn they
expressed themselves we'll pleased. 1t
was fortunate that among other articles
put on the foe were number of those
Indispensable articles to an esquimaux
"a quantity of knives. On the Oath
they left us for Etah, we having COM
pleted our work for abandoning the YES
sci. At 6 Pm. we stopped the steam
pump to let her fill, and bid farewell to
the little Polaris, which had penetrated
through dangers and hard knocks to a
high latitude, but which was destined
not to return with the honors she had
gained. During the remainder of the
month we were visited by natives
men, women, and children. / sent a
party to McGarry's Island in search OF
H., III l.,,4