The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-05-17
The Hall Expedition to the North Pole.

1ne uall 1XpeulLOn 10 tue N0Itn Iolc.
In 1870 Captain Hall returned from two
or three years residence among the Esqui-
maux in the hyperborean regions, and brought
the first really full and reliable details Of the
fate of the famous Franklin Expedition. In
1871, Congress having made an appropriation
of $4,000 to the object, DR.. Hall was fitted
out with new expedition to the North Pole,
its main object being to verify Dr. Kane's
discovery of an open Polar sea. The Hall
expedition was provided with a stout vessel,
the Polaris, crew of some thirty men, and
provisioncd for four or five years, sailing
from New York in May 1871. Since then
very little had been heard of the expedition
until a week ago, when Il despatch from St
Johns, Newfoundland, announced the arrival
there of the Tigress, from the NORTH having on
board 10 survivors of the Hall Arctic EXpe-
dtion, under the leadership of Captain II. G.
Tyson.
The story these survivors tell is about as
follows:
That the Hall expedition, in 1871, after
leaving New York, had sailed northward I'M
til Aug oath, 1871, when they reached and
entered Smiths Sound, getting as far north
as lat. 20 10, when they returned and wintcred
in Polaris Bay, in lat. Sl.3s, long Gl.44,
While thus at rest Capt Hall, on the 10th of
October, started on a sledge journey north,
reaching $685. crossing Kanes Polar Sea,
which was found to be strait about fifteen
miles wide, with an appearance Of open water
to the north. From this expedition Hall re
turned Oct. cath, when he was taken sick and
died on the Sth of November. The attack
which carried him off was supposed to be
apopleXy
The Polaris remained in Polaris Bay frozen
up until the 9Th of the following September,
lQS72) The party attempted in all ways now
to reach home In July the ice flow in which
the vessel was imprisoned commenced drift
ing to the south, reaching lat. 11.35, On the
night of the 18th Of August they commenced
landing provisions on the ice, with view to
attempt to reach land. On the 9TH of Sep.
TENDER the vessel broke from her fastcnings
leaving Capt. Tyson, with his nineteen souls
on the ice, Capt. Buddington, and thirteen OF
the crew, remaining on the Polaris, which
under steam and canvas, was making tol
Northumberland island. Capt. Tyson, with
his party on the ice, had now no recource but
to make the best of it. The first attempt was
to reach shore in hopes of getting assistance
from the natives. In this they were banked
and from Oct 1872 until April 30, 1913, thi:
party, consisting Of IL men, 2 women and
children, lived on such precarious sustenancc
as was afforded on floating cake of ice on
in a polar sea- Their principal subsistence
was seal and bears meat, which plentiful
supply of ammunition enabled them to procure
with tolcrable regularity. Finally, on The
Both Of April, the party were picked up by
the steamship Tigress, in lat. j33j, long
50. The Tigress fell in with the party by TIT
shcerest accident, having providentially
struck the very ice foe on which they were
imprisoned.
The Polaris is doubtless still closely i'm
prisoncd in the ice near Northumberland isl
opI