The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-10-09
NUMBER ii.
The Polaris Expedition.

H' t'tplc ucS)iltHeS III rcltllbn 10 the
Iolaris expedition are supplemented by
the mails, which bring copious details of
the sutferings endured by the gallant crew
after the abandonment of the Polaris. The
| survivors who arrived at Dundee were
Capt. ). 0. Buddington, sailing and ice
master: Dr. Emil Bessels; Ii c. Chester.
first mate William Martin, second mate
Emil Schumann chief engineer; A. Odell.
second engineer; W. T. Campbell fireman
n. j. Coffin, carpenter; H. Lemmens sea-
Hayes, seaman. All the men were found
to be we'll, and none of them exhibited
features of emaciation or decrepitude. 1t
appears from statements furnished by
several Of the crew that prior to the mid
die OF October last the ship had been leak
ing badly, and that it was then deemed
advisable to consider her abandonment
With this view a number of men proceed
ed to the ice while the others remained on
board, the object being to take everything
ashore which would be in any way useful in
view of Il long soiourn in the Polar region.
Buddington, Schumann and others tell ene
story of Capt. Halls death without VARYING
essentially from accounts already pub
lished. Schumann SAYS that after the re-
'ui II ilpil th' Ai'l tHtli IL SIcttSc journey, On
entering the cabin the Captain turned
sick and after lying down vomited great
deal. He would moi tnste ANYTHING at
first, but afterwards asked for Il cup of tea.
He got the tea, but he had no sooner par
taken of it than the vomiting returned
more violently than before. About six
hours aiterWard he took delirium, and con-
tinucd in this condition for three DAYS.
{ NJ bi- L.,
grew better, got up. and wrote up His
Journal He also attended to his other
duties as if he had been in his usual health,
but he never went out. IN about ten
days afterwards he was again seized and
got worse and worse until the night of
the 1th when he became calm Seeing
Dir. BessclS near, he called to him and
said: Il am very much obliged to YOU
Doctor" After uttering these words he
relapsed, and in the morning he was dead |
Capt. Bud,linotom, the sailing master and
second in commln,., then took charge of
the vessel, and DR.. BesseS headed the
scientific and exploring party, Capt Bud
dington makes Il long statement covering
the whole of the voyage from the time the
Polaris left Tcssns SAX, in August. 1871 |
t''iilli it'l lii''St tllC
that have already been chroniced The
following is
CAPT III nplN';roN's STATEMENT
The polaris started southwark in August
1s72, Capt. Buddington having detcrmin-
ed to make the best Of his way to the |
United States rs soon rs the ice would |
permit The ship went slowly along the |
l, h,,,
further into midchannel, was firmly besct |
by the ice In latitude about 50 deg 40
sec north, fears were entertained that she |
would become Il wreck but fortunately |
she was freed again On the 10th of August
the ship was made fast with heavy haw-
Sers to Il large ice Hoe, in latitute SO deg
, min north and here She remained beset
till the 10Th of October when the exploring
party became broken up into two com
panics. one company OF nineteen persons,
consisting of ten men, two E,quimauN |
with their wives and five children taking |
to the ice foe, and the other company |
fourteen in number, remaining ON board |
the rularis, under command of Capt Bud |
dngton. ON the night OF the 10Th Of Octo- |
Der, 1872, Il storm sprung up, Il heavy |
gale blowing from the south and accom-
JIiltb w IL NtlN iltslN v NIioN 1 Ilt IL
suit was that the ship, which was then in
latitude IS dec. - min. north, or about
two miles north of Littlcton Island, called
by DR. Kane the Point of litcboat Cove, !
broke ;,Iritt from the party on the ice 1t
was then found necessary owing to the
leakv condition of the vessel, TO start the
pumps, and Keep The water from getting
into the fires For this purpose all hands
tion OF the two iircmen, who kept burn
inc seal blubber and pine wood to get the
steam up Il, soon as possible. .Aiter steam
had been cot up the ship was kept in the
position She occupied till daylight appear
ed. Meanwhile Capt. Buddingrou and all
ON board We're deeply anxious about the
party on the ice tloe, and it was his first
work, Is soon As day light had sufficiently
daWned, to appoint the best ''look-out' he
could find ON board, with the view, if pos
:blr, Of discovering those who had been
left to their fate on the ice tlor. Not
trace, however, Of the missing party could
be seen, who doubtless must also have
kept Il very anxious lookout for the vessel
Meanwhile the state of the vessel created
alarm, owing to the water rising within
her very fast II was deemed advisable by
all on board that the only safety they now
had WAS to endeavor to run her ashore
The pumps became perfectly inadequate
to keep down the water and keep the YES
sci atloat. and by this time also little steam
could be cot up, because of the fuel having
been almost entirely consumed. 1t is,
however, the opinion of Capt. RlIddin9ton
that he might have succeeded in keeping
the vessel ahoat till he had reached the
+,1 Il Il
and clear leads been obtained from the
ice. After midnight on the 18th of octo-
Der the wind died away, and the ship was
kept atloat BY the hand and steam pumps
When the morning came the wind shifted
TO the northeast and then the vessel was
found to be about three miles from the
land. Having found favorable opening
in the ice, with good change in the wind
the PolariS, steamed with a small boiler
under all sail for the land \ quarter of
Il mile from the shore the vessel was
brought up against a foe, and she took
tie ground at low water. All on board
| then set energetically to work. diScharging
everything out of the ship that could be
Of any possible use, such as stores, etc,
! but unfortunately there was little or no
clothing left rs nearly all of it had been
GlNtH ~ NV Iui " w Hc, ~ ittt tlN tHoNt pil
board the Poloris knew, We're lost The
hulkheads, sails, spars, etc. were then re-
moved from the vessel, with the view of
erecting a hut on the shore to shelter the
party during the winter. At the SPOT
where the explorers landed there was Il
settlement consisting of six EsquimauX
families, and these showed the ship
wrecked the very greatest Kindness and
attention. Capt. Buddington is well ac
quaintcd with the language Of the Esqui
maux, and in these people the castaway
explorers soon found themselves among
very good friends When the vessel was
abandoned, Capt. Buddngton examined
her, and found that her whole stem was
out from the six teet mark down as far as
he could see. The work of building the
hut, which was twenty-five feet bv four
teen, occupied couple OF days, the ma
terials used being chiefly spars and the
bulkheads of the state-rooms of the vessel
The roof was covered with sails and was
nrin nptl W -ltn t..rl,t