Year: 1873

passabie and Capt Buddington. on RECEIVING INC P,'
on board determined TO make the best OF ms why o"


ward to the United states as soon az the ce "ou P
nit They started southwark in August lS'A anu sio"S
made their way along the western shofe ut 'no cA'
whom the shin having got further in mid channel was
badlv besot by the ice In latitude ABOUT w ~
18Th sho was in danger of wreck for some
hours when she freed again. On the 10th OF August
,h shin was made fast TO large hoe OF ice In the at
tnte of 500 q north, and longitude about
600 west and while stil fast to this foe drifed
south through Smiths Sound nearly to Northumberland
Jsand In pursuance of the usual orders under similar
circumstances, quantity Of provisions and
some fuel had been placed on the
deck of the steamer in readiness TO
be removed TO the fee should the safety OF the ship be
come endangered and 1t ordered and under
stood that crisis should be imminent not only these
stores but clothing papers, records, instruments, guns
ammunition, &C.. also to DO put upon the foe, In
order to preserve the lives of the party and the result
of the expedition should It become necessary to aban-
don the shin and take refuge on the ice canvas had
also been erected upon the foe for shelter, should the
ship be lost On the night Of the 18th october lSI2 III
latitude 79o SO north during violent gale Of wind
and snow, tho need FOR such preparation be
camo apparent, as tho ship was suddenly
beset hY tremendous pressure Of the ice, which vas
driven against her from the southwark aud forced under
her. pressing her out of the water and by successive
and violent shocks finally throwing her over on her
beam ends Capt BuddingtOn directed the provisions,
stores and material 10 readiness as before described 10
be thrown overheard the ice ana ordered half tho
crew upon the TO carry them upon thicker part 10
the hammocks where they would bo comparatively
safe He also all the Esqumaux with their kyaehs
out OF the ship aud lowered the two remaining Doas
upon the foe.


SEPARATION OF THE CREW.


While so engaged in the darkness Of an Arctic night
in the midst of "a fierce gale and driving snOWslOfm'


FfoN g,1 al lar 1nIg D. a.
broke adrif from the foe and in few minutes was out
Of sight of tle party who at that moment busly
at work in the ice Il is the uniform opinion OF the wit
nesses and unanimous conclusion from their tesl-
mopy ana from the circumstances detailed that TINS
separation of the ship from the men, women, ana
children upon the ice foe was purely accidental.
After losing sight of the ship, some Of
the men and large part of the provisions
were found TO be aOat separate piece OF ice Inc
men rescued by means OF the boats when fortu-
nately had been saved on the ice, ana the parry tuS
collected on the foe passed the night as well as
they could. The next day uey made several attempts
10 reach the land with the boats but failed notwith-
standing their most persistent efforts. OWING 10 the OO
sructon Of the ice and the violence of the wind While
thus striving to get on Shore but at what particular
time OF the day is not exactly asceraiDed, the Pohs
came in sight to the northward, apparently coming
toward the foe under steam and sail An india rubber
blanket hosted an oar, and the top
hammock Inc COOIS were set, ana OtIloT HlbHdls
were made 10 attract the attention OF the POllrs and
as she approached them that they plainly saw
her down to her rail- and could distinguish her escape
pipe and kept toward them until they supposed her
to be not more than four miles of, they felt sure she
could force her way through the ice to their position,
and that in a little while they would be again on board
In this they were disappointed. The Polalis
altered her course and disappeared behind
the shore. Some time afterward, as the


foe drfted away she was again by Of the men
under the land with her sails fured and apparently a
anchor or made fast shore the ice 1t is most
likely that the party on the ice was seen from the
Poaris The hut erected the foe, the ships boats


the coors the elevated signal blanket and the group Of
10 persons, standing in relief against white back
ground could scarcely have renamed unnOtced. 1t
natural that under these circumstances the party the
ice should have felt deeply disappointed at the failure
of the ship to come to their relief, and should
at the time have ascribed II to over-cau-
ton, If not indifference, rather than inability
on the part of her responsible commander.
Neither is 1t unnatural that this feeling fostered during
the dreary watches of their long Winter upon the ice
should still TO affect in greater or less degree


their present Judgment the subject but 1t must not
be forgotten that they like ourselves were and are with
out full information Of the actual condition of the Po-
lar at the time spoken Of and cannot know how far the
real dangers of their position were understood and
appreciated by those board OF her. Such infor-
nation and knowledge absolutely necessary to a
correct Judgment, and must not be assumed as the
foundation Of against persons acting under cir
cum.ances trying and uncertain, who By reason OF
their enforced absence have no opportunity for eX-
panatOn Considering the subject dispassOnately and
remembering that the POlarls had been so roughly
handled by the ice the night before that both captain
and crew thought she would be lost, and attempted
the removal of her provisions and materials
to the noe that when she broke adrif and swept
of by the gale her steamppe6 valves. and connections
were found sOhd, and that she was for hours without
steam, uDmanageable amid the floating ice; that she
was st leaking from her broken stern, and had proOa
bly, received other injury after she went adrt and that
she was left without a single boat Of any kind it
most likely that her actual condition was such as to
impose upon her commander the duty Of getting her,
with the lives and property which remained under
his charge, at once into a position Of lsafcty
under the shelter Of Northumberland Island where he
was last by the party the foe. II such the
state OF the case the first duty Of Capt BuddngtOn un
der such circumstances look to his vessel part
culary he probably believed that the party the ice
could by the aid Of the two boats the Kyacs and the
scow in their possession find their back tho Po
lars quite easily he could force his TO them
But whatever may have been his opinion on this the
elements quickly determined the question. Shortly
after the Poars had been sighted for the second time,
violent gale from the northeast sprung up, the
weather became thick and the ship and the land were
lost sight Of and the ice foe drfJed away TO the south
ward with these ~ persons still upon It, In view OF the
circumstances detailed it is, therefore, unanimous
Judgment that this final separation from the ship
also accidental.


A WINTER UPON THE ICE


From Oct TO- 1872 until April l. 1873 when they were
picked up in latitude about 59o NORTH these 10 men,
women and children remained through the whole Of the
dark aud dreary Winter upon the ice In their first en-
deavors reach the land they occupied for time diff
ferent pieces Of floating ice But forced finally to
abandon all hope in that direction, they rested at last
upon the foe upon which the Poarls had made fast
Aug l5 1872 in latitude 800 and from which she broke
adrift on the night Of Oct 10 following. The original