Year: 1873

The Great Arctic Drama-How Will 1t
Ends


We publish to-day an interesting interview
with Dr.. Hayes on the subject of the loss of
the Polaris and the probable fate of the Bud
dington party. The opinions of this expert
enced Arctic explorer are of peculiar interest at
time when all the world is eager to learn the
fate of the remainder of the crew of the un-
fortunate vessel, not alone from the dictates
of humanity, but because the mystery that
encircles the disastrous expedition can never
be fully cleared up until their story shall have
been told II will be seen that Dr. Hayes has
great confidence in the safety and the eventual
return Of the fourteen souls who were left on
the Polaris when Captain Tyson and his as
sociates were separated from the vessel The
grounds for this hope appear not only plausible,
but substantial. The spot where the Polaris
was lost and where Buddington and his party
wintered is six miles from the winter quarters
occupied by DR.. Kane, DR.. Hayes and their
companions previous to the abandonment
of the Advance, in May, 1855, and whence
the Kane party started in boats on their
voyage along the Greenland coast to Uper-
navik. In this expedition, which occupied
eighty days, no serious difficulties were
encountered, and the personal experience of
DR.. Hayes convinces him that the Buddington
party will take the same course, and that
great hope may be entertained of their
safety even if they should not be
heard from this winter. Food is abundant
hskI kho ~, t1o Gov hot
memorable eighty days boating along the
coast Dr. Hayes obtained no less than two hun
dred and fifty reindeer. When Captain Greer
left on his search DR.. Hayes told him where,
in his opinion the Polaris would be found;
and the event has justified the prediction The
same practical knowledge which enabled DR..
Hayes to form this correct judgment dictates
to him that it is an error to search for the
missing men along the Labrador coast, since
they would not be likely to abandon the
Greenland coast for route that
would give them three hundred miles
further travel and compel them to cross a
stormy sea. It has-been thought that if Bud
dington had taken the Greenland coast for
Upernavik, as DR.. Kane and DR.. Hayes did in
1855, he would have been met by the Tgress,
which followed the same course, or would
have already been heard from. But, as to
time, if he left his winter quarters in the
middle of June, as our ST. Johns despatch
published to-day intimates, and consumed
no greater number of days in the journey than
did DR.. Kane and DR.. Hayes, he would only
now be due at Upernavik AS to the
failure of the Tigress to fall in with
the party, it is a singular and striking
coincidence that Lieutenant Hartstene, who
was sent to the rescue of Kane and took the
same route, passed and repassed the party in
their boats, both going up and returning, and
was once within o few miles of them without
either being aware Of the vicinity of the other.
Hartstene returned from his search unsuc-
oessful, as the Tigress has returned, and the
Kane and Hayes party saved themselves, as it
is to be hoped will be the case with Budding
ton and his companions. The fogs on the
coast are, indeed, sometimes so heavy that the
boats might pass unseen and unseeing within
a few hundred yards Of the ship


The HERALD's special despatch from st.





tanned of the safety of the castaways, and it is
regarded as exceedingly singular that they
should have left no record Of their movements
or plans behind them. A paper was, how
ever, found containing o memorandum that
Chester, the mate, had made good oars out of
the bulwarks of the Polaris. This seems to
confirm the report that they had departed
in boats. Our special despatch further
informs us that the Tigress has been
ordered to prosecute the search for the
men to the westward and northward,
and that the Juniata had also been
ordered to join in the effort to discover the
missing crew. DR.. Hayes regards these efforts
as useless at this season Of the year. If the
Buddington party are already at Upernavik
they will find passage on some Danish vessel,
and we shall first hear of them by way of Den
mark. If they have not reached Upernavik
before the dark season commences they can
winter with safety at almost any spot along the
two hundred and fifty miles Of coast. There
the vessels could not discover them until next
summer, for they could not get beyond
Upernavik after the darkness Of winter has
closed over the Arctic region.


The brightness Of hope which shines from
this view of the singular history certainly
comes from genuine source The explorer
who has gone through the very trials to
which the Polaris crew are now subjected is
entitled to be regarded as an authority as to
what plans they would be most likely to
adopt and as to the probabilities of their
safe return. Yet it may be that the very ex-
perience which gives knowledge may also
impart over-confdence and make light of
threatening dangers. It seems impossible
that the lives of men who entrust themselves
to the safe keeping of frail boats in an Arctic
sea, in season when the monster icebergs
are in motion ready to crush large strong