The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-05-24

Correspondence otthe New York POST
ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland, May IA, 1873.
The great event here is the arrival Of q
part ofIhe crew Of the Polaris, who were
taken eft the ice on the Labrador coast by
the Tigrcss, one OF our scaling steamers
and brought first into Bay Roberts, and
on Monday evening, the 18th inst, into
st. Johns. After listening to narrative
from the lips Of one oil the party, OF the
adventures, suiferings and perils Of this
band Of men, women and children amid
the ice.felds, during voyage on an ice
raft six months and eleven days, feel
bound to declare that anything so mar.
VelOus and thrilling ! have never met
with In all the tales oftravel by land and
sea which have perused. Had we not
the most conclusive evidence, 1t would be
difficult 10 believe that party consisting
Vi eleven men, two women and five child
ren-thc youngest now but eight months
0ld-were borne awaySIrOm their vessel
On an ice foe in latitude II deg. IS min,
on the 18th Of October, 1872, and were
picked up by steamer OF Grady Hair
bor, on the coast Of Labrador, on the 10th
Of April, 1873, in latitude 90 deg, having
lrilted on the ice, without making
any allowance for the windings OF
their track, 1,440 miles And yet
this is the simple truth; and 1t Is also true
that when taken Off the ice all were in
good health, the baby included, aud in
iarr condition. This wonderful ice.Voyage
leaves all others OF the kind entirely In the
shade. KlnC's escape from the Advance,
over the ice, in Smiths Sound, sinks in
comparison with this 10 the dimensions Of
\ mere boating excursion Even B4rCnts
Wondrons boat voyage from Nova Zgmbia
palcs before il. The escape OF the crew
If the Hama, OF the German North Polar
Expedition, on tho ice, was not attended
by Il tenth part OF the pGrils and priVatiOns
nfthese lonely voyagers. The Hansa was
crushed in the ice on the east coast OF
Greenland, on the 22d Of October, 1869,
in latitude 20, 10, longitude 10, 81. The
crew, fourteen In number, all men, took
TO the ice; but they had ample stores, and
built snug house on the ice with patent
fuel. They were tolerably comfortable,
aud only on one occasion, when the foe
broke up, were they in serious peril. AL
lowing for the winding Of their course
they drifted eleven hundred miles, and on
June IA, 1870, arrived at Frederiksthal, on
the other side Of Cape Farewell. They
were longer on that voyage than those OF
the P0laris, but they only driltGd from
20, to G0,-ten degrees; the POlaris party
sailed on the ice.faft over 81, IS, Of lsti-
tude; and allowing for the windings Of
their track, probably driited more that
two thousand miles In all. They had only
snow huts 10 shelter them, aud q very
slender stock ofprOvisions at starting, MOI
more than enough to sustain the party fol
q singleI month, il duly led. We must con
. clude, then, that this wonderful voyage is
without parallel.
VOYAGE OF THE POLARIs.
propose, first Of all, to furnish your
readers with slight sketch OF the POlariE
until the time when those OF her crew
now in St. Johns, drilted of on the ice
Hoe. Alter leaving Disco she had very
favorable time, and found the season uu-
usually open and the weather fine. The
PolAris put into Upper Navick, where she
remained ono day, and then steamed
north into Melville Bay, where she frs
encountered Ice, and had some difficulty
in working her way through. After
wards she met open water, unGnoumberet
with Ice; but at Cape Wolstonholme she
again encountered ice. Having 60
through the pack and reached latitude
70 deg, she found open water as for rs thu
eye could reach. Then entering Smith
Sound she had still open water, meeting
occasionally with ice.fiel1s, till Kennedy
Channel was reached, where logs wer'
met with. In 81 deg. IS min. Sounding
we're taken with line OF two hundred
lathomS without touching the bottom
The weather having cleared up, tn
Polaris steamed away north. Land wa
seen here whore former expeditions re-
ported water. The Polaris passed through
ansrrow strait which Captain Hall nance
Robson Channel, after the Secretary O
the Navy. Having reached latitude 81
deg. 10 min, the land on the Greenland sid
was seen trending eastward; on the Amer
lean eide Grinnell Land could be seen q
Tar as latitude SO deg. Heavy ice now ar
rested the progress Of tho ship, and be
ing made fast 10 the foe she driitcd soutI
Tor several successive days. During tn
last week Of August the pressure OF tn
heavy ice became so alarming that It wa
deemed prudent 10 remove portion {
the stores from tho ship to the ice. d
September 4lh the ice slaCkened, an
the ship driited farther south till she Wa
off the southern point OF Robeso
Channel, which Captain Hall name
Cape Loptun. Stores were now take
into the ship, and the water being opeE
steam was got up. Steering easIwar
she entered bay which Captain Ha
named POlaris Bay, and selected as b
winter quarters. Hero he anchored In
small harbor which he named "Thauk
tod Hsrhor,' close TO q protecting ice
berg, which was aground, and called b
him providence Iceberg" Half III
stores were now landed; the wooden OF
servatorY which ives on board was cree
ted ashore. On the 18th OF September,
party went out hunting and shot q mus
OK, OF which several more were subsC
guently shot. Captain Hall, having oil
served broad valley at some distanC
from the coast, which was rugged nm
mountainous, stretching away northwart
decided on a sledging expedition, so as
explore these valleys aud prepare the WI
lor next springs operations along Il
Greenland coast. lie aud Mr.. Cheste
chiei mate, with two Esquimaux, starte
on sledge drawn by dogs They we
absent fortnight, and in returning di
coverCdIa bay twenty miles north OF Il
winter quarters, which they named New
mans Bay, after the Rev. DR.. Newma
who was on board the Congress, on hi
visit 10 Disco with stores for the POLAR
The northern point Of this bay CAPITA
Hall named Cape Reward. On hiSr
Captain Hall fell sick, and alter an illhe
Of fourteen days, died on November 81
He was buried on the shore adjacent