New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-12
THE POLARfSe
Further Details.

toVA DCttIhss
ST. JOINS, September 1l.-On the four
Alexander and Port Faux. 1t was now all
daylight. A rock in the vicinity of Cape
Alien was recognized by Captain Tyson as
the same that hid the Polaris from the view
of the party on the ice foe. The vessel Is
here stopped by order of Der commander,
when the sound of human voices was heard
in the distance. A boat was instantly
lowered.
1t was about nine o'clock in the evening,
and amid the greatest excitement Com
mander Greer exclaimed, Il can see their
house; two tents are clearly perceptible,
and moving human figures can be seen on
the main land near Littleton Island" There
was considerable exultatiOn on board at
this announcement. In an hour afterwards
the boat returned from the shore, but only
brought disappointment to the eager crowd
that awaited the intelligence. Captain
Buddington and his party had gone south
in the middle of June last in two boats,
hoping to meet friendly whaling vessel to
carry them to Newfoundland.
The Tgress was again manned, accom-
panied this time by Commander Greer and
Esquimaux Joe as an interpreter. A crowd
of Esquimaux, consisting Of five men, two
women and two children, greeted them on
their arrival on shore, where they found q
house, abandoned, and presenting aoscene
of the widest confusion. Broken nautical
instruments lay on the floor, while the re-
mains OF a log book lay scattered about in
every direction.
The Esquimaus had come 4om Ponds
bay, and had remained 9th the Budding
Con party all winter yhe house contained
a store room, ships galley stove, tables
and chairs taken from the Polaris There
were fourteen hunks ranged along each
side of the chief apartment.
Only half an hour was spent in searching
for records by the commander and his men.
Esquimaux Joe conversed with his kinfolk
present, but the boat was quickly ordered
away.
THIS party from the Tigress picked up
what curiosities they could, and returned
to the ship. The boat was manned tor the
third times and this party picked up some
torn diaries; in reference to the death of
Captain Hall all being destroyed. A torn
memorandum, setting forth the agreement
between Buddington and Chester, to con-
tinue the search for the North pole, was the
only thing OF Importance discovered.
The EsGuimauX pointed out the spot
where the Polaris had sunk, and stated
that Captain Buddington had given them
the ship, but that when the ice broke, in
the middle of July, she tloated into small
cove and went down in nine fathOms of
water. No attempt appears to have been
made to exainine the position of the wreck,
and nothing was ascertained as to how the
winter was passed, the whereabouts OF the
missing men, or how they spent their time
while waiting for the ice to break.
The entire time of the Tigress in the
neighborhood Of LittleuOn island was only
five hours. The Esquimaux were not suffi-
cently interrogated. When first seen from
the deck OF the Tigress these people were
in the uniform of sailors of the United
States navy, but they subsequently changed
their clothes and redonned Esquimaux ap-
parel.
The EsGuimaux, moreover, had but little
provisions, their food being nearly all con-
sumed; neither had they any boats Under
these circumstan 3es, though they asked,
through the medium of Dusky Joe, to be
taken on board the Tigress, Commander
Greer declined to allow them to do So
After the boats had returned to the Tigress
three cheers were given for "homeward.' >
The assistant ice pilot reported an iceberg
fifteen miles off and the vessel was hastily
headed south of it.
In the morning, at about fifteen minutes
past two o'clock, after an imperfect search
and leaving the unfortunate Esquimaux
behind to battle with fate, instead of cross
| ing westward of Cape York and following
the probable track of the BuddingtOn party
[ toward Ponds bay, the Tigress returned tc
Upper Navik on the nineteenth of August
and arrived at Good Haven, Disco, on the
twenty fifth. The Tigress has again gon.
in search of the missing men. The pros
poets Of finding them are discouraglng
however, unless, as it is hoped, they have
been clicked up bY whaling ship.