Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-28

passed the winter at POlaris Bay. On the
9th OF June, 1872 we attempted to go
north with two boats We hauled our
| other BOAT on shore and returned overland
on tne 9th OF July. We started for home
on the 18th Of August, and on the 18th
were beset with ice in latitude sc degrees
minutes. We drifted from there down to
latitude II degrees IS minutes, when we
| encountered heavy southwest Gale the
ship being under heavy pressure. On the
night OF the 10th we commenced landing
provisions, ETC., on the ice, the vessel he.
| ing reported as leaking very badly at
times. We continued landing provisions
for two or three hours when the pressure
ceased. [ went on board and asked the
sailing master if the vessel was making
any more water than usual. He reported
that she was not. [ then went to the
pumps and ascertained that she was not
making any more water than she was
doing in the summer. [ went on the ice
again, and shortly after it began to crack,
and in few minutes afterWard broke in
many pieces The vessel broke from her
fastenings, 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 winter, and, seeing
nothing of the vessel, we attempted to-
reach the shore in hopes of finding ma
tives to assist us in living through the
winter. Getting about halfway to shore
with our heavily-laden boats, our progress
became hard by the drifting ice, and | was
compelled to haul on the ice again At
this time | succeeded in saving fourteen
cans OF pemmican eleven and half bags
OF bread, ten q OZen one and tWo-pound
cans Of meat and soap, fourteen hams, one
small bag Of chocolate weighing twenty
pounds, some musk-ox SIX rs, few blan-
kets, number of rifles, and abundant
ammunition. In the morning, knowing
that | had not provisions enough, and
other articles of food, clothing, com
passes, etc. on an abatement of the gale
tried to shoot as many seals as possible,
both for food, light and fuel, but could only
get three, owing to the bad weather hav-
ing set in. [ supposed the wind to be
about southwest. On it's clearing up
[ found myself within about eight miles
of what I supposed to be the east coast,
and about thirty Or forty miles below the
transport the boat and provisions to land
covered my other boat bread, etc., and
saved all. The ice grew firm, and made
another attempt to reach the shore, carry
ing everything in boats, and dragging
them on their keels The ice being ex-
ceedingly rough, we stove both boats We
| succeeded on the LIST of November in get
| ting about half way to the shore Night
came on us and very stormy weather. In
the morning the ice was broken, and we
were drifting southwark very fast We
saw no more land for many days, the bad
weather continuing all through the month
of November. We built snow house and
made ourselves as comfortable as we
could. We were ten white men, two Es-
quimaux, two women, and five children
in ALL We succeeded in killing few
seals, which furnished us with light and
fuel with which to warm our scanty al
lowance 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 supported our
selves on bears and seals flesh, wasting
neither skin nor entrails. We collected
enough food in this way to last until the
middle of May, had we not been driven to-
sea by a strong westerly gale in the latter
part of March, our f1oe-piece being then
reduced from five miles in circumference
to about twenty yards in diameter.
owe left the place on the LIST of April
and abandoned nearly all our meat, large
amount ofammunition, clothing, skins and
other articles, taking a portion of meat in
boat, which we were obliged to throw
overheard on account of the boat being so
deeply laden. [ regained the outer edge
of the pack of ice ON the Sd Of April, and
succeeded in getting little further in on
the pack. On the 4th a heavy northeast
gale setin, heavy sea running under the
Ice, which broke it in small pieces, so that
we had to live on a small scale, as we
could not put our boat out; neither could
we find seals for food, and we were reduc-
ed almost to starvation. On the 21st of
April we sighted polar bear. Every per-
son was ordered to lie down and initiate
the seal, while two Esquimaux, secreting
themselves behind piece of ice, enticed
the bear near enough to us to kill him. A
few days after this we got our boat in the
water and worked our way west and south
west and continued to work every oppor-
tunity to the westward in the hope Of
reaching the Labrador coast and getting
temporary relief We were picked up by
the steamer Tigress, Captain Bartlett, on
the Seth of April, in latitude So degrees 30
minutes north, longitude SO degrees west,
or near Wolf Island, and about forty
miles from land"
In reference to the way in which the
L
was rescued from off the ice, Captain Ty-
son states that he felt little anxiety at first,
thinking she would soon come to their re-
lief
II set my colors,' he said, "as she steam
ed down along the shore, but the vessel
was soon lost to sight in a bend of the
land, and behind what [ took to be Nor
cumberland Island. The piece of ice
was on commenced drifting southwark.
AS the wind hauled to the northeast, open
ing little bay to the northeast of Nor
cumberland Island, [ saw vessel in the
harbor there Her sails were furled. No.
smoke was issuing from her smoke-stack
that could see. [ then attempted to
bring my boats across the foe in an east
erly direction, hoping to find water and
reach the shore. [ succeeded in dragging
one boat across, and took to the water and
attempted to reach the shore some distance
below the vessel. We were then drifting
very fast, and the gale was blowing fresh,
with great violence, from the northwest,
and showing very fast and drifting. [ was
driven back in the ice again and COMPEL
ed to haul my boat out. Night closed on