Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-01-30


The death Of Captain George E. Ty-
son, at Washington, d. c., recalls what
was perhaps the most remarkable
ocean voyage on the raft that no man
made" The voyage covered 1000 miles,
occupied 1876 days. the involuntary pas
sengers being nineteen in number. An
invisible hand was at the rudder;
power of superhuman might moved the
strange craft In its straight course
through countless perils from the re
gions of haIf-year night to safety.
Capt Tyson was in command of the
raft that God made" as he described
1t, and the story of that wonderful
voyage must remain unequalled in sea
adventures.
Capt Tyson had been an Arctic
whaler and explorer for twenty-three
years when he went as assistant navi-
gator and master Of sledges on the i'll
fated Hall Polar expedition that was
fitted out by the United States govern
ment at the Brooklyn navy yard in
June. 1871. Capt. Hall died on the
voyage into the frozen seas; the crew
was rebelliOus and things went badly
on the ship Polaris. In October 1t was
anchored to an ice foe near the north
ern shore of Greenland, 500 miles from
the North Pole.
Capt. Tyson and eighteen members
of the crew had gone to 4 distant part
OF the ice foe that surrounded the ship
when on the 10Th the foe began to
break apart. A high wind arose and
Capt. Tyson and his party We're car
rled away from the ship.
Lost in the Arctic Night.
In the tenposuous days Of the early
darkness they could do nothing, and
when exhausted with his labors Capt
Tyson slept soundIy on the ice. He was
suddenly awakened By hearing a long
cry from the natives
1t had showed during the night, but
that was nothing. The ice had broken.
They were left on a very small piece,
perhaps 80 yards across each way.
They had now begun their voyage on
tie raft that no man made. For days
there was a heavy sea running; piece
after piece was broken from the foe.
on Oct. %, Capt. Tyson wrote: The
weather has come on very bad, but for
tunateIy We have got our snow houses
built we have quite an encampment
one hut. or rather a sort Of half hut,
for Mr.. Meyers and myself; Joe's nut
for himself. Hannah and their adopted
daughter. Puney; a hut for Hans and
his wife and children: q hut for the
mon. a store hut for our provisions and
q cook house, all united by arch alley
WAYS built of snow one main entrance
and smaller ones branching off to the
several apartments or huts. There IS
hardly room to turn around in these
huts"
The sailors proved very refractory,
stealing the provisions, and, finally, not
making a success of burning blubber,
broke one Of the two boats for fuel
The daily allowance for the party was
eleven ounces for each adult and half
rations for the children.
Oct. 26.-"We lost sight Of the SUMS
disk three days ago. We are all very
weak from having to live on such small
allowances, and the entire loss Of the
sun makes us all more or less despond-
ent."
on Jan. lis, there was great rejoicing
on the ice foe, the Esquimaux shot a
seal.
II ordered that seal to be taken into
Joe's hut" wrote Capt Tyson. "As he
ala most toward getting food thought
+bis was right One of the men, how
ever. took upon himself to take it into
+befr hut and divide it to suit them
selves What with the evil counsel of
This man and three or four others, 1
sometimes fear it viii be impossible to
save this party Of disobedient and law
less men.
The luck Of the one captured seal,
on which the sailors gOrged themselves,
was not repeated. Famine settled down
again heavily upon the group of the
good and the bad on the raft that God
made" The weather drove them often
I'm doors. Feb. /. Capt. Tyson wrote:
ION going into Hams hut to see the
sick boy the miserable group Of chill
dren made me sad at heart. The moth
er was trying to pick a few scraps Of
.tried-out blubber out Of their lamp
to give to the crying children"
on March IL, Capt. Tyson wrote:
"a night of great anxiety. About
D m. the ice began a great uproar. Ou
heavy foe commenced working, crack
Ing with a constant succession of dis
NAL noises. mingled with sharp report:
and resounding conclusions, and these
noises seemed to have their center i'm
mediately under our huts.
"This continued throughout the mex
day, but the foe held together. Their
there was a brief period of quiet, anC
MS if In compensation for this time o.
terror several seals came up on tn,
island through the holes cleft in tn,