Doctor Hayes' voyages--Captain Hall's experiences--The _Polaris_
expedition--High latitudes--Illness and death of Captain Hall--The
catastrophe on the ice--Skating on the floe--A perilous journey--Saved--
Fate of the _Polaris_.
We must pass rapidly by Doctor Hayes' voyages undertaken to survey
Greenland. He fully believed in the theory of the "open Polar Sea," and
he had been a member of Kane's party. He left Boston in 1860, and
entered Baffin Bay in August of that year. After much delay from ice,
he started with sleighs across Smith's Sound to Grinnel Land. He
encountered tremendous difficulties--most of his party turned back, but
Hayes, with three men, persevered, and succeeded in reaching Grinnel
Land. He still pushed on, then with only one companion, and reached the
most northerly point attained, whence he could see water covered with
soft ice. This he states is the open Polar Sea in the summer. He saw a
headland farther north--"the most northerly land known." But having no
boat he was obliged to return to his companions, and they reached Boston
in 1861. The American Civil War prevented him from trying again for
some years, but he subsequently explored Greenland, more for pleasure
than in the interests of science, in 1869.
We now come to the voyages of Captain Charles F. Hall, which culminated
in the _Polaris_ expedition. In 1860, however, Captain Hall had made an
attempt to find some traces of the Franklin expedition; but meeting with
an accident, he returned. In 1864 he sailed again, and reached Hecla
Strait. He carried home many Franklin relics, and ascertained that Sir
John had actually discovered the North-West Passage, and established the
melancholy truth that most of Franklin's men died of starvation in King
William's Land, where their bones lay bleaching in the snowy waste.
After five years' residence amongst the Esquimaux he ascertained that
Captain Crozier, of the _Terror_ (and he believed a companion), were
living amongst the Esquimaux in 1864.
In September, 1869, Captain Hall returned to America, having discovered
the site of Frobisher's settlement three hundred years before; but it
was not until 1872 that he was enabled to start in the _Polaris_ to find
the North Pole. On the 29th of June he sailed from New York. Doctor
Bessel accompanied the ship as naturalist, and at least one member of
Kane's expedition also went. Captain Tyson, who figures in the
narrative, joined the _Polaris_ at Godhaven, and Hans, the hunter, at
Upernavik.
On the 21st of August the _Polaris_ continued her voyage, and followed
Kane's route. Captain Hall reached the spot where the _Advance_ had
been quitted, and pushing on steadily, reached the channel which had
been thought was the "open Polar Sea." He proceeded up to latitude 82
degrees 16 minutes North; but here the _Polaris_ was beset in the ice at
last; hitherto all had been plain sailing. They reached winter quarters
in September, and named the place "Thank God" Bay, latitude 81 degrees
38 minutes North, longitude 61 degrees 44 minutes West.
The winter was fatal to Captain Hall. After his return from a few days'
sledging journey, he was suddenly taken ill. In this exploration, which
he undertook with the Esquimaux and his first mate (Mr Chester), he
reached a place he named Newman's Bay, in latitude 82 degrees North.
When the illness first attacked him it was not deemed serious; but he
became partially paralysed, and on the 8th of November he expired,
leaving Captain Buddington in command. Captain Hall was buried on the
morning of the 11th of November, the darkness of the Polar night being
faintly illuminated by ship's lanthorns and the weird boreal gleam of
the stars in the atmosphere.
During the remainder of the winter, surveys were made; but Buddington
did not continue the discipline of Hall. In May, Tyson, Meyers, and the
two Esquimaux started on a sledging expedition, and got some musk oxen.
Through these boat-expeditions, during the summer, discipline was
greatly relaxed, and consequently the original plan of the voyage could
not be carried out. The _Polaris_ on the ice drifted, as other vessels
have drifted, and came down Smith's Sound to Kane's former winter
quarters.
A panic occurred in October, which nearly proved fatal to some of the
members of the expedition. The ice "nipped" the _Polaris_, and it
appears, from all accounts, that the ice-master who commanded
(Buddington) completely lost his presence of mind, and commanded a
general heaving overboard of stores and everything on deck. The order
was obeyed, with results as might have been anticipated. The ice was
broken up by the lifting and settling of the ship. The stores were
scattered broadcast on the floe, and Captain Tyson, with a few of the
most sensible men, left the vessel to arrange the stores, with the
Esquimaux and their wives and children as assistants in the work.
They were all very busy sorting the supplies when a terrible rending and
cracking was heard. Explosion succeeded explosion--the ice opened in
many places--the _Polaris_ was freed; and in a few moments, before the
people on the ice could return, or indeed realise the situation, she had
plunged into the darkness and disappeared!
This was a terrible catastrophe. There were nineteen men, women, and
children actually adrift upon a mass of ice, with a very limited supply
of provisions; and the only means of gaining _terra firma_ two small
boats. These were got ready, but the loose ice rendered their use
impossible. The _Polaris_ came in sight, but paid no attention to
signals. So the voyagers remained drifting on the ice-floe, about four
miles in circumference, but by no means assured from disruption, which
might occur at any moment.
The ice continued to drift, and now and then pieces broke off. On the
16th the dreaded event occurred--the floe parted--the castaway party on
one side, and the house, etcetera, on the other. But by means of the
boats the stores were recovered, and then a fresh floe was occupied,
whereon snow-huts were erected, Esquimaux fashion.
Time passed. October went and November came; food was scarce, and the
exploring party were "allowanced." But two seals, less cautious than
their companions, were at length captured--nearly all the dogs had
already been eaten, and fresh food was absolutely necessary. The seals
caught were scientifically killed, the blood was drunk, and "the eyes,"
says Captain Tyson, "given to the youngest child." (The animal, being
cut up, is divided into portions which are distributed by lot to the
various candidates for the delicate morsels, of which the brain is
considered the daintiest.)
We need scarcely detail the daily round and common tasks of the drifting
party on the ice. In January Davis Strait was reached, and a ray of
sunlight cheered them on the 19th, so the progress southward had been
considerable. The German seamen did not behave well and caused
considerable anxiety, but there was no long disturbance.
At the beginning of the month of March the ice reached Cumberland Gulf,
and on the 11th of that month it broke up with direful noises, leaving
the whole party on a small piece, which being fortunately very thick
continued its journey southward very gently. Seals were now captured in
abundance. One of the Esquimaux also shot a bear. Then the floe was
quitted, and the pack ice reached. After that things became worse. A
gale arose and blew away their tent and bedding, and unless they had all
clung to the boat it would have been lost also. They saved it, but
remained without shelter, half-frozen and in danger of starvation. At
the end of April three steamers successively appeared, but although the
castaways did all they could to attract attention they were not
perceived until on the 30th another "steam sealer," the _Tigress_, of
Newfoundland, appeared and rescued them from their perilous position.
They were all landed at Saint John's on the 12th of May.
Meanwhile, as the _Polaris_ had not appeared, the _Tigress_ was
commissioned by Captain Green, U.S.N., to seek her. She steamed up to
Littleton Island, where an encampment of Esquimaux was discovered. The
men were wearing clothing obtained from the _Polaris_, but after search
and inquiry no after trace of the crew could be obtained, so Captain
Green returned to Saint John's. They reached New York afterwards, and
heard that Buddington and his crew had been picked up by a whaler some
months before.
The ill-fated _Polaris_ had been abandoned in latitude 78 degrees 23
minutes North, and 73 degrees 21 minutes West. She had been rendered
almost useless by the ice, and the Esquimaux were presented with the
hull; but she foundered. The crew encamped during the winter, and in
the summer they sailed down to Cape York, where they met the ice. But
in Melville Bay a steamer was seen embedded in the ice. This vessel was
the _Ravenscraig_, of Dundee, whose Captain, Allen, received them very
kindly. He subsequently put some of them on a vessel bound for Dundee,
whither they then proceeded, and came home from Liverpool to New York;
the others came back a few weeks later. Thus ended the unfortunate
_Polaris_ expedition, which, but for the untimely death of Captain F.
Hall, might have accomplished its object--the discovery of the North
Pole.