The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-05-22
Captain Halls Arctic Expedition.

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. NEW Yekx, MaYe.
a dispatch from St. JphnssN FL of
Ny Q, says: 1.-THE steamer Walrus ar
riYed from the seal fishery at the port of
Johns this morning, bringing the news
Shae-the steamer TigTess had come Into
having on board nineteen survivors of
Halls Arctic expedition
The following are the names of the res
cued: H. c: Tyson, assistant navigator;
Frederick Myer, meteorological; John
Heron, steward; w. C. Kruger, sea-
Imam; Frederick JaMka, seaman; William
Nindeman, seaman; Frederick Anting,
seaman; Gustavus F. Singuist, seaman;
Peter johnson, seaman; William Jack.
son, cook; Esquimaux Joe, interpreter,
with Hannah and child, Esquimaux; Hans
Christian, of Kane's expedition, and Hans
Christians wife and four children, the
youngest only eight months old.
CAPTAIN TYsON's NARRATIVE.
The following statement is furnished by
Captain Tyson:
"On the oath of August, 1871, we left
Tessinask and went through Smiths
Sound. We succeeded in getting as far
north as latitude 81 degrees 16 minutes,
Bay, latitude 81 degrees 80 minutes, longi-
tude 81 degrees A minutes. We were
frozen up until the 9TH of September. On
the 10th of October Captain Hall started
on sledge journey north, and returned
on the oath, when he was taken sick and
died on the 9Th of November He was
buried on the nth. The attack that car
ried him off was said to be apOplexy. We
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 the 9Th of July. We started for home.
on the 18th of August, and on the 18th
were beset with ice in latitude 80 degrees
minutes. We drifted from there down to
latitude n 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 be-
ing reported as leaking very badly at
times. We continued landing provisions
for two or three hours, when the pressure
ceased. I 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
|
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 I succeeded in saving fourteen
cans of pemmican, eleven and a half bags
of bread, ten d ven one and twO-pOund
cans of meat and soap, fourteen hams, one
small bag of chocolate weighing twenty
pounds, some musk-ox SIX ms, few blan'
kets, number of rifles, and abundant
ammunition. In the morning, knowing
that l 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. I supposed the wind to be
about southwest. On its clearing W
l found myself within about eight mile:
of what supposed to be the east coast
and about thirty or forty miles below thu
ship. The ice being weak, l could no
transport the boat and provisions to lanf
until it grew stronger. While here dis
covered my other boat, bread, ETC., and
saved all. The ice grew firm, and made
another attempt to reach the shore, carry
| Srrp Il, in, Ir0r ipn
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 cur 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 thu
middle of May, had we not been driven tc
sea by strong westerly gale in the latter
part Of March, our floe-piece being thel
reduced from five miles in circumference
to about twenty yards in diameter.
1--WE left the place on the LIST of Apri
and abandoned nearly all our meat, a large
amount of ammunition, clothing, skins ant
other articles, taking portion of meat ir
a boat, which we were obliged to throw
overheard on account of the boat being SC
deeply laden. I regained the outer edgt
of the pack of ice on the Sd of April, and
succeeded in getting little further in Oh
the pack. On the 4th heavy northeas
gale set in, a heavy sea running under thu
ice, which broke it in small pieces, SO tha
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 we're reduc
ed almost to starvation. On the 21st o.
April we sighted polar bear. Every per
son was ordered to lie down and initiate
the seal, while two Esquimaux, secretinl
themselves behind piece of ice, enticet