Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-15
FAILURE of the Arctic Expedition.

TYSON.
The New York Herald, Saturday
morning. published a full report of the
failure of the last Arctic expedition,
from their special correspondent at Bay
Roberts. Newfoundland. We extract
therefrom the following interesting and
graphic description of the failure of the
expedition, the death of Captain Hall,
and the probable loss of the Polaris.
The statement is given by Captain H.
| G.. Tyson. assistant navigator OF the 20
laris 90. ,..
Tessinsack and went through Smiths
sound. We succeeded in getting as far
north as latitude 80 16, when we re-
turned and wintered in Polaris Bay,
/ latitude 81 SO, longitude 81 A. We
were frozen up until the 9Th of Septem-
her. On the 18th of October Captain
Hall started on a sledge journey north,
and returned on the oath, when he was
taken sick and died on the 8th OF No
vember. and was buried on the 18th.
The attack that carried him off was said
to be apoplexy. We passed the winter
at Polaris Bay. On the 8th OF June,
1872, we attempted to reach the north
with two boats. We hauled our other
boat on shore and returned overland on
the 9Th of July. We started for home
on the 18th of August, and on the 10Th
were beset with ice in latitude 30 W.
We drifted from there down to latitude
| II 35. when we encountered a heavy
southwest gale, the ship being under
heavy pressure. On the night of the
o,,oaI 1onHipr 1nrOvicipuc
etc. on the ice, the vessel being reported
leaking very badly at times. We con-
| tinued landing provisions for two or
three hours, when the pressure ceased.
I went on board the vessel and asked the
sailing master if the vessel was making
any more water, than usual. He re-
ported that she was not. | then went
/ to the pumps and ascertained that she
was not making any more than she was
! doing all summer.
| went on the ice again, and shortly
after it began to crack, and in few
/ minutes afterwards broke in many
/ pieces. The vessel broke from her fas-
/ Jennings, and was soon lost to sight in the
/ darkness and storm.
/ On the broken ice were most of our
/ provisions to sustain the party through
| the wintsr, and seeing nothing of the
/ vessel, we attempted to reach the shore,
! in hopes of finding natives to assist Us
| in living through the winter. Getting
/ about half way to the shore with our
| heavily laden boats, our progress became
hard by the drifting ice, and | was COM
| PEELED to haul on the ice again.
At this time | succeeded in saving
fourteen cans Of pemmican, eleven and
a half bays of bread, ten dozen one and
two-pound cans Of meat and soup, four
teen hams, one small bag of chocolate
(weighing twenty pounds, some musk
OK skins, a few blankets, a number of
rifles and abundant ammunition. In the
morning, knowing that l had not pro-
visions enough and other articles, such
as clothing, eompasses, etc, on
the abatement of the gale | endeav-
ored to shoot as many seals as pos
sible, both for food, light and fuel. but
could only get three, owing to bad wea-
Their having set in. | supposed the wind
to be about southwest On its clearing
up | found myself within about eight
miles of what | supposed TO be the east
coast, and about thirty or forty miles
below the ship. The ice being weak |
could not transport boats and provisions
to land until it grew stronger While
here | discovered my other boat, bread,
etc, and saved all. The ice grew firm.
| made another attempt to reach the
shore, carrying everything in the boats
and dragging them on their keel. The
ice being exceedingly rough we stove
both boats. We succeeded or the 1st Of
November in getting about half way to
shore. Night came on us and very
stormy weather. In the morning the
ice was broken and we were drifting
sonthward very fast. We saw no more
land for many days, bad weather con-
tinuing all through the month of No
vember. We built snow houses and
made ourselves as comfortable as we
could. We were ten white men, two
EsquimauX, two women and five chill |
dren in all. We succeeded in killing a
few seals, which furnished us with LIGHT
and fuel with which to warm our scantv
allowance of food through the darkness /
of the Arctic winter In the latter part
of February we lived principally upon /
birds, and in March commenced TO catch /
seals. Through that month we support |
ed ourselves on bears and seals fish. |
wasting neither skin nor entrails. We /
collected enough food in this way TO last /
us until about the middle of Nav. had |
we not been driven to sea by strong /
westerly gale in the latter part of March, I
our hoe piece being then reduced from /
nYe miles in circumference to about
twenty yards in diameter. We left the +
piece on the first of April, and abandon /
ed nearly all of our meat, a large amount
of ammunition, clothing, skins and other
articles, taking portion of the meat in
the boat, which we were Obliged to
throw overheard on account of the boats
being SO deeply laden. ] regained the
outer edge of the pack of ice on the Sd
OF April, and succeeded in getting a lit
tie farther in on the pack, On the 4th
heavy northeast gale set ia, heavy sea
running under the ice, which broke il in
small pieces, so that we had to live on
small pans, as we could not put the boat
out, neither could we find seals for food.
and we were reduced almost To starya-
ton,
On the 21st of April we sighted a
polar bear. Every person was ordered
10 lie down and initiate the seal, while
the TWO Esqulmax secreted themselves
oehind a piece of ice, enticing the bear
near enough TO us to kill him. a few
days after this we got our boat in tbe
water and worked our way west aud
southwest, and continued to work every
opportunity to the westward. in homes |
u reaching the Labrador coast and 6et-
ing temporary relief. We were picked
1p by the steamship Tigress, Captain
6artiett' on the 30th of April, in lati-
,ude % 80 north, longitude as west. or
near Won Island, and about forty miles
rom land. The Polaris. is now without
'oats, having lost two In trying TO pei
lorth In the spring of 1872. !
The I1gress fell in with the party In n |
tense log and proyidentially struck the
cry hoe on which they were, otherwise
olerably well, - 'ee'i 1
Captain Tyson complained of swelled 5
q legs and feet, but nothing serious Il {
ne matter with him. When they left t
ealth, t