The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1873-05-29
THE PoLARIs.

1nd and Failure Of the
Great Arctic Expedition-The
Vessel Loses Her Commander
and Half Her Crew-Drifting
Fifteen Hundred Niles-Subsist.
ing on Seal and Bear Flesh.
The country will hear with feelings
Of the most painful interest the melan-
choly tidings Of the misadventure OF
the Polaris, the failure of the last great
Arctic expedition and the loss OF its
heroic commander, Captain G. +.
Hall, along with, probably, . portion
Of his crew. It is almost two years
since the Polaris left the port of New
York on her voyage OF discovery to
the North Pole. and 'never," in the
words Of her commander, was an
Arctic expedition more completely
fitted out" The Polaris was prepared
for her great work with an unparal-
leled degree Of care and foresight. She
wanted for nothing. All that art and
science could provide was furnished,
and she sat sail under greater variety
Of suspicious circumstances than per-
haps ever blessed the start OF any SIM
liar enterprise.
The following statement was fur
nished the Herald correspondent by
Captain Tyson
On the Gath OF August, 1871, we left
Tessinsack and went through Smiths
Sound. We succeeded in getting as
far north as latitude 80 l8, when we
returned and wintered at Polaris Bay,
latitude 81 3S, longitude 81 A. We
were frozen up until the 5th of Sep
tsmber. On the 10th OF October Cap
tain Hall started on sledge journey
north, and returned on the cath, when
he WAS taken sick, and died on the 9Th
of November. He was buried on the
llth. The attack that carried him off
was said to be apoplexy. We passed
the winter at PolarIs Bay. On the sth
Of June, 1872, we attempted to reach
the north with two boats. We hauled
our other boat on shore aud returned
overland on the Sth Of July. We
started for home on the 18th Of August,
and on the 18th were beset with ice in
latitude so OF. We drifted from there
down to latitude II IS, when we en-
countered heavy southwest gale, the
ship being under heavy pressure. On
the night Of the 18th we commenced
landing provisions, &C., on the ice, the
vessel being reported leaking very
badly At times. We continued land
ing provisions for two or three hours,
when the pressure ceased. went on
board the vessel and asked the sailing
| master II 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 than che was
doing oil summer
went on the ice again and shortly
after 1t begau to crack. and in few
minutes afterwards 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, 10 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 pro-
gress became hard by the drifting ice
and was compelled to haul on the
ice again.
At this time succeeded in saving
fourteen cana Of pemmicsn, eleven
and half bags of bread, ten dozen
one and two pound cans Of meat and
soup, fourteen hams, one small bag Of
chocolate, weighing twenty pounds;
some musk OK skins. few blankets,
number of rifles and abundant am.
unition. In the morning, knowing
that 1 had not provisions enough, and
other articles Of food, clothing, COM
passes, &C., on the abatement of the
gale l endeavored to shoot as many
seals as possible, both for food, light
and fuel, but could only get three,
owing to bad weather having set in.
l supposed the wind to be about south
west. On its clearing up found my
self within about miles Of what
supposed to be the east coast, and
about 80 or 40 miles below the ship.
The ice being weak could not trans
port boats and provisions to land until
1t grew stronger While here I dis.
covered my other boat, bread, &C., 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 on the lst
Of November in getting about half
way to shore. Night came on us and
very stormy weather. In the morn.
ing the ice was broken and we were
drifting uthward very fast. We saw
no more land for several days, bad
weather continuing all through the
month Of November. We built snow
houses and made oHrself as conf forta-
BILE as we could. We were ten white
men, two Esquimaux, two women
and five children in all. We succeed
ed in killing five seals, which fur
nished US with lighs and fuel with
which to warm our scanty 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
supported ourselves on bears and
seals flesh, wasting neither skin nor
entrails. We collected enough food
in this way to last us until the middle
OF May, had We not been driven to sea
by strong westerly gale in the latter
part Of March, our floor piece being
then reduced from five miles in cir
cumference to about twenty yards in
diameter. We left the piece on the
lst OF April, and abandoned nearly all
Of our meat, large amount Of amuni-
ton, clothing, skins and other articles.