Year: 1873

The expedition Of Capt. Hall. which


has so signally failed by the loss Of thu


Polaris, was fitted out ut great expense
and under the personal supervision o


the naval officials at the Washington


Navy Yard. At the time of the depar


ture Of the Polaris her fate was predictet


by experienced naval seamen who have
carefully studied the charts, and pro
nouneed the passage undertaken by
Captain Hall rs only waste of money


Captain Hall was an old Arctic ex


plorer, but owed his distinction chief,


TO his search for the remains Of the Sil
John Franklin expedition. The absorb


ing theory of his life was the existenc,
of an open Polar sea. which he felt il
was perfectly possible TO reach by cross
ing its ice'bonpd margin on sledges.
Captain Hall wrote aid lectured good
deal on the subject of the North Pole,
and. like all men imbued with single
ness Of purpose, he made his way in the
long run to the attention of the public.
Finally Congress voted nh appropriation
of $50, 900 to fit out an expedition for
the object Of giving n practical test to
the theory Of Hall and aiding the pro-
gress of science and civilization. There
was a great deal of interest felt through
on the country in the enterprise, and
this became more evident when Con.
gress, which Just then happened to be
in parsimonious mood, appropriated
liberal means for its equipment. A
government vessel was set apart to be
fitted up specially with view to Arctic
navigation. This was the Porlaris, for
merly the Periwinkle. She was ex-
ceedingly staunch and well fitted, and
Captain Hall gave his days and nights
to experimenting her equipment.


The lost Polaris was about 400 tons
measurement, larger than the Advance,
in which DR.. Kane Undertook his former
voyage, and was belived to be ~ strong
ly and as thoroughly built as wood md
iron could make her.


Captain Hall was about five feet eight
inches in height, with compact, firmly
knit frame, indicative of great vigor
and strength, and weighed probably
about one hundred and ninety pounds.
He had large head, with profusion
of thick, brown hair and heavy brown
beard inclining to curl. His forehead
was broad and massive, with a full de-
velopment of the temporal and coronal
regions I is eyes were blue and the
whole expression of the countenance
firm, but very agreeable, kind and
pleasant. Captain Hall hailed from
Cincinnati, where he was once engaged
in the newspaper business, publishing
the Occasional and afterwards the Daily
Penny Press. In his earlier years he
was blacksmith, working at the forge,
and his robust development, beyond
question, was in some measure attribu-
table to the exercise of that ardent oc-
cupation. He was in no wise scientific
or highly educated man, but had a re-
markably practical mind, with great
deal of force of character. He had
never studied the science of navigation
even, though he was, through expert
ence and aptitude, as competent to navi-
gate ship or conduct an overland ex-
ploring expedition as any of the daring
band of discoverers that had endeavored
to solve the great Arctic problem. He
sailed northward in 1860 in search of
Sir John Franklin, since which time his
name and fame have been the common
of the world