The New York Herald Newspaper, May 21, 1873, Page 5

rx Map Showin the Earth’s Surface at - "THE POLARIS,| “History of the Expedition in the | Polar Sea---Why It Failed, —_——s "The Mystery of the Death of Captain Hall. WAS HE POISONED? Significant Statements by the Esqui- maux---Quarrels on Board. THE STORY OF THE DRIFT. Graphie Recital of the Six Months ; on an Ice-Floe. ABANDONED BY ALL SAVE GOD. The Resene by the Tigress—Reception in :St. ' Johns—Scientifie: Results. Sr. Jouns, N. F., May 14, 1873, The departure ef the Polaris expedition, un-*, fier the command of Captain Ball, in the year | 1871, 18 & fact well known, as also her visit te this * port in July of that year and her departure hence tn the same month for Greenland, Prepdratery to her final departure for the Arctic regions. After ; taking additional supplics from the Unitea States “steamship Congress, at Disco, she satied to Uper- Bavik, Ig Avgust Cantain Hall gent hig adieu to sak civilization from Tussisack, and from ‘that time the Polaris was not heard from until now—May, 1873, THE LONG SUSPENSE. Notwithstanding that almost innumerable ru- mors had become disseminated, through the me- dium of Scotch and Danish vessels, as to the fate and fortane of the Polaris, it is now an unde- Diable fact that from her departure in 1971, ‘ap to May, 1873—a period of neuitly two yeardno authentic report of her ¢dndition or — prog- ress had reached ‘the civilized world. That information 1s now anfounced from the Istand of Newfoundiand: for, on the 30th day of April, A. D.'1873, the steamship Tigtess, Owned by Messrs. Harvey & Co. of this port, while en. gaged in the prosecution of the Newfourdiand seal fishery in the latitude’ 53 1 north providen- tially steamed if a dense fog upon a foe’ of ice, which proved to be the some time habitation (actually) of ‘nineteen living human ‘creatures of the Arctic steamship Polaris, who had arrived thus far south by the agency, though at ‘the bitter mercy of the winds, waves, storms and frozen con- vulsiotis of the Northern Atlantic Ocean, They had drifted on @ scanty surface of ice and beyond the sight of land 1,600.'miles during the Winter months, without food or clothing tobe tolerated by ordinary mortals, But a farther description of these ravages of dire necessity anon. The famously rugged and inhospitable rocky coasts of Newfound. Jand proved a safe and acceptable asylum to these unrivalled denizens of Polarity. TRUTH STRANGER THAN PICTION. ‘That nineteen souls, several of them children, and one only born into this world but a few few days before, should exist on drifting ice for six months, resting upen an oceanof proverbial uncer- tainty, now placidly reposing in perfect calm, ow lashed into more than demoniacal fury by the maddening drafts and currents of Polar regiotis, -and constantly situated in opposition with inev- fkable- destruction from bergs and wildly careoring Menntains and felds. impetied by varidus © in- Auemees. js almost incredible enough to be re. garded as beyond the scope of purely human ex- periment. Certainly we must recognize in this miraculous | surviving net only the favorable coincidence of circumstances, but, beyond that, the. mercifal and restraining hand of @ watchful and beneficent Providence, Captain Hall died on the 9th day of November, A. D., 1871, or the first Winter affer his arrival North. From this point the expedition’ loses al- most all interest, regarded from a scientific point of view er in respect of its legitimate and only Object. Its subsequent history consists of a col- lection of facts and experiences, forming a narra tive almost impossible to believe, No discriminating man would wonder that if any two persons (both, perhaps, reliable in point of Veracity) should relate their éxpertences of fact in @ widely diferent manner, some discrepancies capable of being substantially reconciled should be found. It would be much less a matter of aston- ishment that their statements, when involving an effort of judgment rather than memory, should so widely diverge as t0 be inconsistent and untrost- worthy. But wiien such a period as six months is the subject of comment and recapitulation, with nineteen individuals of different capabilities and dispositions and habits of reflection, what wonder if much that one relates is omitted by another, or that widely different inferetices should be deduced from identical facts, ana’ espectaily when there may possibly exist an undiscovered variety of In- terests ? 1@js probable, thérefore, tiiat some strik- mg inconsistencies may be’ discdvered in this account. THE EXPEDITION STARTS. The first petiod in this expedition, and that of Prithe importance to those interested in ite his- tory, is that frem its entrance into the Danish waters to Captain Hall's decease, in November, 1871. The main facts of that périod may be thus condensed, inasmuch as, so far ‘nd they go, no Gimference of opinion ts apparent, rs Aftey ‘Teaving St. Joha’s, Newfoosifiand, the Por- aria visited the Danish setiiemente on thé cast eoast of Greenland—Disco, Fiskernaes, Holstein- burg, Apernavick and Proven. She called at Fisk- ernaes on or about July 30, 1871, to take on board Hans Christian (Esquimaux), wife and family, but found on arrival that they were not thefe. At Holstetnburg they purchased Exquimaux dogs for sledge expeditions, ajao various skins, ec. On arriving at! Apernavick @ boat was sent to Proven, about twenty-five miles to the south, and brought back Hans Christian and family. They then procéeded north. On the 2th Of August ship left Tessiisack and went threugh Smith's Sound, Smith's Sound ia described as identical with the Polar Sea of Kane, discovered in the expedition 0f1953-4-6, ‘North of ‘tits is what is Row called Robéson’s Channel, in which was at- tained the greatest norttieri Jatitade rea¢hed— ate ROBESON'S CHANNEL extends north f#om 81 44 to 82 20(or 25). a distance of nearly, forty-five, miles. Beyond this Robeson’s Channel was aiead of water north, beyond which again was another ocean or bay, having on its western side land stretching as far as the eye could reach @nd.on. the. east some land, but indis- tinctly delineated. This bay or ocean was WITHOUT ICE, and, it is conjectured, that this cleat expanse of Sea i elther the North Polar Ocean or @ sound or strait leading to it, From the general evidence given upon this point, it would appear that no, se- rious diMculty prevented the Polaris from advane- ing into thig sea, After reaching this latitude (82 16) the ship returned to winter at Polaris Bay—so called by Captain Hali~in latitude 81 98, longitude 61 4, where THE SHIP WAS FROZEN UP. On the 10th of October Captain Hall started on» sledge expedition north to renew his vigorows e+ forts in the direction of the Polar Sea, Theso sieds (two in number on this oveasion) were drawn by Bsquimanx dogs, purchased at Holsteinburg. Mr, HERALD, WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 1873—QUADRUPLE SHEET. THE NORTH POLAR REGION. the Arctic Circle with Former Explorations, the Track of the Hall Expedition and the Drift of 'Tyson’s Party on the Ice. Procured'of the events that transpired on the two weeks’ trip, but it appears that after his return to the ship Captain Hall was almost immediately taken sick. CAPTAIN HALL’S ILLNESS AND DEATH. John Heron, the steward, makes the following statement:—Captain Hall had good health up to the time of returning from the sledge expedition. THE FUNERAL. All hands, except the cook, attended his fanetay, It was a dark, dismal, cold, windy and disagreeable day. The wind was mournfully howling, and the hearts of all were enveloped in déepest sadut Theld a lantern, and’by the tight of ft thé beattitan Service of the Episcdpal Chureli was réad’ by Mr, Bryant. As the soothing words, “Iam the restr- He was not sick when he came on board, but com- { rection and the life, saith ‘the Lord,”fell upon plained soon afterwards and’said that the heat of | the ears of the auditors there were few dry eyes, the cabin affected him. He got water to wash and | and there, amia put.on clean underctothing. I asked what he would have—was anxious to get him something nice. He didu’t care about anything but a cup of coffee and didn’t drink even that. I had no conversation with Captain Hall when he was sick, except to ask int if he was better occasionally or how he was, and such like. He was sick s fortnight and talked very fittle, He was perfectly delirious for the last few days. I'think he was paralyzed on one side. Heard no one say so'‘(1). It was my own opinion. There was fothing sudden about “his death. He was attended by Dr. Bessells and Mr. Morton, who did everything in their power to alleviate tis sufferings, but without effect. His lllness cast a gloom over the entire “company, and was the first discouraging ctrcum- stance Which had occurred in Connection with the expedition. His death made us all feel very sad, ‘WHAT CAPTAIN TYSON SAYS. Captain Tyson, speaking of Captain Hall’s death, | gaye:—Hall was sick fifteen days, At tne first he was paralyzed, and then delirious. He was in. ‘sensible when he died, He started from the ship on & sled expedition northwards on the 10th of uc tober. He was absent fourteen days, and re. turned on the 2th of October to the ship. On the ‘8th of November he dted, and @ras buried on the ith, His grave bore soutn-southeast, and about five hundred paces distant from the observatory in Polaris Bay, which was'n tatitude 61 83, longitude 1 44, On the shore, We'erected s beard over his Hall was aovompanied ‘by Joe, Hans Christian and Chester, ‘the ‘mate, Thé party was absent two grave, with ai inscription cut giving his name, age Weeks, and returued’te Polaris Bay on the 24th of |"(tifty'yebt#),"aate of death atid commana of North October, 1871. No apthentic. information can be } Polar expedition, Ne tS THE SAVAGE DESOLATION OF NATURE Most rugged, the power of Christianity made iteet? felt by those who had never before acknowledgea its influence, and when the closing words of the service were spoken “in sure and certain hope ef the resurrection to eternal life’ the mariners on the ice thanked God that amia au the privations with which they were threatenea, there still remained the blessed hope of an immor= tality, where the “weary should be at test." Few of those whé were present at the burial will forget the deeply affecting scene, Od sailors, whose faces had been bronged by Summer suns and frozen in Arctic seas, wept aloud. “Captain Hall was unt- versally beloved, and bis death’ at a time when the enterprise promised 80 hopefully was felt by his Survivors to be an‘ irretrievable loss. Those thoughts were uppermost in the minds of all, ana when the funeral party retarned to the ship there Was a hushed silence attending the performance of every duty, Captain Tyson thinks that the death of Hall re. Sulted from apoplexy, but it is A STRANGE AND ALMOST UNPRECEDENTED cIRCUM. STANCE that a disease which {8 generally so sudden in its workings should require two weeks to snatch away ite victim, Captain Tyson did not speak fully as to the death of Captain Hall. He appeared to be deeply grievea and RETICENT UPON SUBJBOTS connected with his adventures that ‘espectiny touched his feelipag—even his own suderings, Jog