Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-05-24

1 AiheAAS cOAth W al " fCA idots w Z Sd
no more land for many days. Ba'
weather continuing all through tn
month of November, we built a sno,
house and made ourselves as comfort
! able as we could. We were ten whit
men, two esquimaux, two women an,
| five children in all. We succeeded il
killing few seals, which furnished u
with light and fuel, with which t.
warm our scanty allowance offood. Ii
the larger part of February we livet
principally upon birds, and in Marcel
commenced to catch seals; through
that month we supported ourselves OF
bears and seals, wasting neither skir
or entrals. We collected enough food
in this way to last us until the middle
of May. On the first of April we
ABANDONED ALL OUR MEAT,
a large amount of ammunition. cloth.
ing, skins and other articles, taking a
portion of meat in the boat, which we
were obliged to throw overheard, on
account of the boats being so deeply
laden. lremained on the outer edge
of the ice; on the third of April, we
succeeded in getting little farther in.
On the 4th heavy northeast gale set
In heavy sea running under the ice,
which broke it in small pieces; we
could find no seals for food, and were
reduced
ALMOST TO STARVATION.
On the 21st of April we sighted a
Polar bear. Every person was order
ed to lie down and initiate the seal.
while two Esquimaux secreted them
selves behind i piece of ice, enticing
the bear near enough to us. to kill him.
A few days afsr this we got our boat
in water-and worked our way west and
southwest, ant. continued to work at
every opportunity to westward in hope
of reaching the Labrador coast and
getting temporary releaf We were
picked up by the steamship Tigress,
Capt. Bartlett, on the Both of April,
in latitude 53 degrees and 80 minutes
north, longitude 80 degrees west, or
near Wolf Island, and about 40 miles
from land. The Polaris is now with
out boats, having lost two in trying to
get north in the spring of 1872. The
Tigress fell in with our party in dense
fog and proyidentially struck in the
very foe on which they were, other
wise they must. have perished. They
all seem tolerably well. Capt. Tyson
complained of swelled legs and feet,
but nothing serious is the matter with
him. When they left the Polaris all
on board were in good health.
Ia reference to the way in which the
Polaris got away from the party which
was rescued from the ice, Capt. Tyson
states that he felt little anxiety at first,
thinking she would soon come to their
relief | set my colors, he said as
she steamed down along shore, but the
vessel was soon lost to sight in a bend
of land, and what / took to be North
cumberland Island. / then attempted
to bring my boats across in an easterly
direction, hoping to find water and
reach shore. | succeeded in dragging
one boat across. took the water and
attempted to reach shore some distance
below the vessel. We were then drift
ting very fast and the gale was blowing
IeSn Win great Nloiduce Iroln tue
northeast, and showing very fast and
drifting. | was driven back on the
ice again. Night closed Oh me and
carried US to the southwest. In the
morning we were about thirty miles
southwest of where the ship went into
harbor. As heavy sea was running
which broke up my foe pieces, separa-
ting US from six bags of bread and one
boat. saw vessel under steam and
canvas rounding point to the north
west. Thinking she would come to
our relief, | gave myself no extra anx-
iety. but soon we were
DOOMED TO DISAPPOINTMENT
and from that time until the Tigress
rescued US wei never got glimpse of the
Polaris.
A dispatch form Washington says
news of the disaster to the Polaris af-
fected the President deeply, as he had
hoped the enterprise of the government
In this. direction would rebound to ma
tional honor.