The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-21
The Polaris Iavestigstten-The Mystery
or tho Death OF Captain Hall.

The Polaris Iavcstigataen-The Mystery
OF tho Death OF Captain Hall.
To satisfy our readers on the subject, as far
as possible, we publish this morning in full
the testimony of Captain Tyson, Mr.. Meyer,
and one of the Esquimau witnesses from the
Polaris, as taken before Secretary Robson
and published by the government, in refer
ence to the mysterious death Of Captain Hail.
In his letter to the President communicating
his official report Mr.. Robson says:-'In
some Of the testimony as given will be found
some statements of facts and several strong
expressions of feeling against the officer re-
naming in command of tho ship Budding
tony after the death Of Captain Hall. These
feel great reluctance to publish while the per-
dangerous and responsible duty; but I am
constrained to believe it is better for him, and
will be more satisfactory to his friends, as well
as to the friends of those still on board the
Polaris, that they (the aforesaid facts and ex-
pressions) should be published as they were
given, rather than that their suppression
should be made the foundation of sensational
and alarming reports in no degree justified by
the real facts
These views of the Secretary of the Navy
indicate the just and generous man. But,
when it is considered that he shares in the
fortunes Of the Polaris expedition, he becomes
directly interested in agood report for Captain
Buddington. The testimony in question es-
tablishes the fact that this officer was not
proper person to be appointed as sailing
master on this perilous enterprise, and that in
selecting him Mr.. Robson placed more
serious obstruction in the way of Captain Hall
than icepacks, icebergs, opposing currents or
the darkness, cold or any Of the horrors of an
Arctic Winter. And what are the accepted
facts regarding the death of Captain Hall?
lie returned Oath October, 1917 from that
famous sledge expedition northward "appar-
emily in his usual fine health, but was at
tackled the same evening with sickness of the
stomach and vomiting" Some days after
however, he recovered sufficiently to move
about the cabin and to attempt to attend to
business; but then relapse followed and he
November. So the investigating board are
unanimous in the opinion that 1.-THE death of
Captain Hall resulted naturally from disease"
We pronounce no judgment upon this ques-
ton. We only bold that upon the facts and
the testimony submitted this verdict of Mr..
Robson and his colleagues from their official
inquisition does not clear up the mystery. If
we had before us the testimony still held in
reserve of some of the witnesses examined we
might, perhaps, be more embarrassed than
ever in forming an opinion as to the specific
causes of the death Of Captain Hall. Without
injustice to any absent party, however,
assuming that his death was from natural
causes, we must assume that the climate of
those Arctic regions produces very extraordi-
nary form of apoplexy. And why not, it may
be asked, when under the baleful influences
Of those long, cold and dismal Winter nights
beyond the Arctic Circle, even the Esquimaux
dogs became insane? But still upon this
theory of the climate we have two-edged
sword cutting right and left, and so we can
have no satisfactory solution of this strange
and sad event short of the evidence required
from the missing ship. We only hold that
Mr. Robeson's report has not solved the
mystery Of the death of Captain Hall.
The official inquisition certainly establishes
the correctness in every essential point of the
original report Of the evidence taken from
Captain Tyson and his party by our careful
correspondent at st. Johns, both in regard to
the strange and untimely death of Captain
Hall and to the separation Of the Polaris from
Captain Tyson and his companions on their
providential ice foe. We hope now that the
missing ship will be found, and that thereby
all the exciting doubts and apprehensions ex-
listing will be satisfactorily accounted for.
But if the ship is lost with all on board?
Then these mysterious events Of the unfortu-
nate Polaris expedition will probably continue
o subject of doubt and debate till, in the lapse
of centuries, utterly forgotten.