Year: 1871

TIE NORTH POLE.


CAPTAIN HALL EXPLAINS THE Mysteries


or THE ARCTIC soNB.


Captain G. F. Hall, the Arctic explorer,
lectured last evening at Packer Institute,
Brooklyn, before the Long Island Histori-
cal Society. The object Of the lecture was
to explain the route which Captain Hall
proposes to pursue on his third voyage TO
the Arctic regious, and the object he pro-
poses to attain, namely, to reach the North
Pole. The first part Of his address was
devoted to a recapitulation Of hi previous
voyages, illuatratiug as he proceeded by
large map Of the Arctic regions, which was
suspended at the rear Of the platform.
This part of the lecture he has often given
before in previous lectures. He believes
his previous five years. experience Of liv-
ing in the frozen regions peculiarly quail
fed him to attain the object Of the present
voyage. He has stood in the spot where
rest the remains Of the last of Sir John
Frankln's party, and as he stood there he
has asked himself the question why he
should have been so healthy, while all
those who had gone before him had perish.
cd of scurvy, and the answer came quickly,
because he was an eater of raw meat. God
designated that the natives of those coun.
tries should eat Of the provisions of the
country. There were whales, seals, and
walrusscs, in great abundance, aud fish
can be drawn from tho water by the ton
las good goldfish as can be found any,
where There was no fear, therefore, Of
any scarcity Of provisions during the sledge
journey that he proposed to make.


THE PROPOSED TRIP.


In the early part of 1871, or about May,
he will leave again, and will never cease
his labors until he has put his foot upon
the ninetieth parallel Of north latitude.
He will go frst to Newfoundland, and
stay for about week to obtain some scalsrs
to make up his party; from thence he
will proceed to the western coast of Green
land, to procure some skins and supply
Of stock.fsh; but he will not, as he did
last time, make the mistake Of getting his
dogs there. There is too much Of civilized
blood in the dogs Of this region, and they
cannot stand the hardships that the dogs
born and reared farther west can. OF all
the dogs Of the Arctic country, there arc
none equal to the dogs Of King Williams
Island. They can stand the deprivation
of food better than any other breed. They
are bred to it. While puppies they are
kept almost in starving state, aud only
fed when they attain their full growth. In
consequence Of this apprenticeship to star-
vation, they can at pinch go without
food two weeks. He will proceed, from
Greenland across Davis Straits to the ma.
tive place of the Esquimaux, and will therc
obtain some few dogs, about fifty in all.
From thence he will pursue the route of
the Eog!ish whalers, crossing Bafin's Bay
he will go to Smiths Island and from
thence westward through Jones Sound,
following that for about two hundred miles,
then after getting that distance from what
he knows Of the trend land, he will turn
to the north and 60 as far as practicable
before Winter sets in. 1t may be that he
will not get higher than the parallel Of t8
degrees of that he does not care, but lie
hopes to get as far as 80 degrees. There
he will Winter, and in the Spring of 1872
with all his preparations complete he will
start on grand sledge journey to the
pole. He believes that in sledge travelling
he is an adept. The natives are very ex.
pert in those matters; but he thinks he
has improved somewhat on them. He has
gone through full course in the Arctic
college, aud thinks he has little to learn in
the matter Of sledgc travelling. This
journey, he expects, will occupy from
ninety to one hundred days, relying entire.
ly for support on the provisions obtained
on the way. He will take with him on his
journey about half Of his party, leaving
the rest to subsist on whales, seals, and
walrusses, or anything else they can OBJ.
tain. Every man in bis party will be .
picked man. He has many applications
each day for permission to accompany him,
but be is forced to refuse the greater mum.
Der but he thinks that this 10 an evidence
Of the right spirit Of adventure that Is 10
the country. There is no doubt but that
he could man 1000 vessels if it were re.
quired.


HIS OFkICEHS.


His sailing master has had thirty years
experience Of the sea, and twenty Of them
has been passed in Arctic regions. That
man has full faith in him and the enterprise,
and American navigators generally believe
that he will succeed. His first and second
officers have each had ten years' Arctic
experience.


He will have = steamer brig.rigged,
which he selected at Washington after
looking At = great many vessels; but it
may be after all that he will not take this
vessel. for the reason that he can got at q
much lower figure . Greenland sealer.
They have for many years been building
their vessels with especial reference to
Arctic necessitiss, and it may be that sueh
. vessel will better serve his purpose. A
vessel for the Arctic must be . peculiar
IL = 4