Show bv BY a TE LE p la ita ila A P TW exi exl H e AMERICAN 19 secretary aiex ales belknap has returned secretary robeson Bo beson in sending to the president his report of the investigation ti of the polaris matter says that the statements of all the rescued persons who wilo could speak or understand english except the w re of han s C christian h rist an were talt tall taken e n and are now being printed together with the diaries kept by some of the ice party A diary of the cruise of tile Polaris was kept by herman aarons one of the seamen remaining on board and picked up on tile the ice after th the separation from the ship the secie tary says it must be clearly understood that in permitting this thib publication the department part ment neither make nor declare any judgment against buddington who has no opportunity for defence or explanation the facts show that thou though lie he was perhaps wanting in ent enthusiasm for the grandest object of the expedition and at times grossly lax ill in discipline and thou though ai lie he differed in judgment as to the possibility safety and propriety of taking the ship further north yet lie he isan is ean ran experienced aad a d careful navigator and anti a man not addicted to liquor of which none remained on board at the time of the separation the secretary then gives the details already made erblic public of the measure taken by him im to send the steamers juniata and tigress to the relief if possible of the doaris and the remainder 7 of her crew the tigress he proposes hoset hosel to purchase and strengthen tor lor the service required in the arctic regions capt tyson esqui maux joe and all tile the rescued seamen will accompany the expedition being anxious to rescue their comrades and bring out their old ship the tile following is the result of the Invest investigation investigate igat on and examination of capt tyson frederick meyer meser Esqui maux joe and others of the rescued crew at midnight on the third of september 1871 capt hall landed with a boat on the east shore of polaris bay and in the name of god and tho the president of the united states raised the american flag on the land he be had discovered on one occasion the polaris seemed to be in such danger of being crushed that provisions provision hs were placed on the ice and measures taken to be in redi redl ness for leaving her but she happily escaped without injury immediately after securing the ship in winter au quarters arters capt hall made preparations for the sledge j journey bourney north war wai waid wald d and other work was commenced by landing and setting getting up an ail observatory getting the scientific observations under way surveying the harbor clearing up the ship and making snug for the tile winter on the loth capt hall left the polaris accompanied by mr preston first mate Esqui maux joe and hans with two sleds and fourteen dogs setting out on this expedition the first step taken by capt hall he fell upon land more mote northern than white mans foot ever before touched in the progress of this thi journey j bourney unhappily the last list that captain hall was to make mako towards the pole he discovered as appears by his dispatch a river a lake and a large inlet the latter in latitude 81 deg 57 seconds north he named this newman bay day calling its northern point cape brevoort and the southern one sui su m mer amer headland at cape brevoort in latitude 82 degrees 2 seconds west he rested making there his sixth snow encampment camp ment on the he wrote his last dispatch to tile the secretary of the kavy navy the original draft of which was found in his own hand writing on his own desk it was delivered to the secretary of the navy by Esqui maux joe who had bad kept the desk desks in his custody from the time it was picked up on the ice after the separation of the rescued party from tile the ship A copy of this dispatch so singularly preserved accompanies this report captain hall it appears had hoped when ho he left the polaris on this journey to advance northward at least one hundred miles but after having leaving gone about fifty he was compelled by the tiie condition of the shore and ice and by the state of the climate to return and await awalt the approach of spring for another attempt he reached the ship on the of october in rn apparently his usual fino fine health but was attacked tile the same evening with sickness at the sao stomach mach maeh and vomiting and was taken to his bed he was found to be 30 seriously ill his bis most marked symptoms seem from the evidence t to be such as indicated congestion of the brain accompanied by delirium and partial paralysis on one side the witnesses all state that his hia attack was called apoplexy and some of them speak of their theli own knowledge of his paralysis and delirium he recovered covered ie however some days after sufficiently to leave his bed to move about the cabin and to attempt to attend to business but lie he soon had a relapse became again delirious and died on the ath of november 1871 three th ree days after lie he was buried on the shore from personal examination of all the witnesses and from their testimony as given we reach unanimously the opinion that the death cleath of captain hall resulted naturally from disease and without fault on the part of any adne one all fhe the persons examined testify to the uniform kindness of captain hall and to the good order and efficient condition of the polaris while under his command on the death of captain hall buddington succeeded to the command of the polaris as ha had id been leen provided for in the regulations for tile the voyage is issued by the secretary of the navy the winter passed by as is usual in the arctic region E karls karly arly ariy in june before the polaris was released from the ice capt buddington dispatched mr chester and tyson with boats to endeavor to get as far north as possible with much difficulty and ind delay they got as far north as newman bay they there awalt await edthe possible opening of the ice till the middle of july when written orders from capt buddington dire directed cled them to return while away and some soine time in june the polaris poat ishad had broken out of it its winter swinter quarters and had made several attempts to proceed northward to tick tiek pick up the party with the boats but ut the ice was found to be impassable and capt buddington on receiving the party on board determined ter mined to make the best of his way southward to the United states sta tes as soon as it would permit they started southward in in an august g 1872 and slowly made the their ir way along the western shore until the next day when en the ship having got further in mid channel was wag beset by ice in latitude about 80 degrees and 40 seconds north she was in danger of wrecking for several hours when she was freed again in august the ship was made fast to a large floe of ice in latitude 80 degrees and 30 seconds north and longitude about GS 68 derees grees west while still fast to the floe oe she drifted auth south through smiths sound nearly to northumberland island in pursuance of the usual order under similar circumstances cum stances a quantity of provisions and some fuel were placed on the deck of the steamer in in readiness to be removed to the ice should the safety of the ship become endangered and it was ordered and understood that if a crisis should be imminent not irot only che the sextants sex tants but the clothing papers records instruments guns ammunition etc were also to be put upon the floe in order to preserve the lives of the party and the result of the expedition should it become necessary to abandon the ship and take refuge on the ice A canvas had also been erected on the floe for shelter should the tile ship be lost on the night of the of october in about latitude 53 north during a violent gale gaie of wind and snow need for such preparations became apparent as the ship snip was suddenly beset by a tremendous pressure of ice which was driven against her from the southward and forced under her pressing her ler out of the water and by successive and violent shocks finally over on her beam ends cap directed the provision provisions stores and material in readiness as before described to be thrown over board on the ice and ordered half of the crew upon the ice to carry them upon a thicker part to the hammocks where they would be comparatively safe sare he also sent all the E esqui u maux with their kwaks out of the ships and lowered the two remaining koats boats boats u upon on the floe while surrounded in the ee darkness of an artie artic night amid a fierce galeand gale gaie and driving snow the storm hawsers hawkers of the polaris failed to hold her and she broke adrift i fw nm m the floe and in a few moment vas fas out of sight of the party who W at that moment were busily antwork at work on the ice it ia Is the opinion of the witnesses from the circumstance that the separation of the ship from the men women and children upon the ice fee floe was purely acell aecil accidental after losing sight of the ship lp some of the tho men and women and part of or the provisions were found to be afloat on a separate piece and were rescued by moans of boats which fortunately had been saved on the ice and the party thus collected on the main floe passed the night as well as they could next day they made several attempts to reach the land with the boats but galled failed notwithstanding their most persistent efferts owing to the obstruction st of af the ice and the violence of the wind while thus striving to get on shore but at what particular time of day is not exactly ascertained the polaris came in sight to the northward apparently coming toward the floe under steam and sail an india rubber blanket was hoisted on an oar and displayed from tae te top of a haip hammock mock the colors were set and other signals were made to attract the attention ot of the polaris and as she passed so near them that they plainly saw her down to thera the tho rail rall fl and could distinguish her escape pipe and und she kept on towards them until they supposed her to be not more than four miles oft they feit felt sure she could force her way through I 1 the ice to their position ind and that in a little while they would be again on board hoard in this they were disappointed for the polaris altered her course and disappeared behind the shore some time afterwards as the floe drifted away she was again seen by some men under land with her sails furled and apparently at anchor or made fast to the shore shorb or to the ice it is most likely that the party on the ice was seen from the plaris the Lute rrex on the floe the ships boats the colors the elevated signal blankets and the group of nineteen persons standing in relief against the white background could scarce searce scarcely lv have remained unnoticed notie ed it was was natural under these circumstances that the party on the ice should have felt deeply disappointed at the failure of the ship to come to their relief and should at the time have ascribed it to if not indifference rather than inability on the part of her i responsible commander neither is it lyrl illi natural unnatural that this luring during tiie the weary watches of their long winter upon the lee jee should remain to affect in jil a greater or less degree their present judgment on the subject but it must not be forgotten that they like ourselves were and will remain without full information of the actual condition of the polaris at the time spoken of and cannot know how far their position was understood and appreciated by those on board such information and knowledge are absolutely necessary to correct the judgment and must not be assumed as a found foundation atlon for censure against persons persona acting under circumstances so trying and uncertain who by reason of their enforced absence have no i opportunity for explaining it seems see M s most likely that the actual condition of the polaris was such as to impose on her commander the duty of moving her with the lives abild alid property which remained under his charge at once into a position of batet gaiety under the shelter 0 f northumberland ber island where she was last seen by the party of the floe if such auch were the state of the ase case the first duty of captain buddington under such circumstances was to I 1 look ook to his vessel particularly as he probably believed that the party on the ice by the aid of the two boats the knacks and scow in their possession would find their way back to the polaris as early as he could force his way to them but whatever may have been his opinion on this the elements quickly determined his action for shortly after j the polaris had been sighted 11 for a second timea violent g gale gaie 10 from the northeast sprang up the weather became thick and the ship and land were lost sight of and the ice floe drifted away southward with the nineteen persons still upon it in vie view w of the circumstances detailed it is therefore our unanimous judgment that this final separation from the ship was also accidental the report next details the adventures of the party on the floe until rescued by the tigress on the day of april at the time of their separation from i tile the polaris every wery one belonging g to the expedition vas was in goo good health the pod pol aris had plenty of provisions but not much coal probably enough enol 9 h to last through tile the winter sho she was mst hist seen apparently at anchor under northumberland island where it Is most likely she remained for winter mr hayes found esqui maux residing on the island and Esqui maux settled at nacola close by communication with these people could bo easily opened and maintained and no apprehension for the polaris and in tile the absence of accident and sickness for those on board is entertained by any of the rescued persons persona As to the question whether the ship can make her way to the danish settlement at upper or disco without steam steam if she gets free from the ice this seabon supposing her to be in as good condition as when the rescued party was last on board the witnesses differ in their judgment but a safer if not better opinion is that she will need assistance to bring her completely and safely safe y out on board the polaris are specimens of drift wood picked on or near the shoals of newmans bay eay ba I 1 and polaris bay a among mong which whiz c myers thought he recognized distinctly ly the walnut ash and pine among the numerous facts that appear to be shown by the testimony elicited on examination we may mention as one of great interest that the dip of the needle needie amounted to 44 41 degrees and its deviation to 9 93 degrees being less than at port faulke and Penns laer harbor as given by dr kane and dr hayes the rise and fall of the tide was carefully observed the average being about five and one half feet rhe the greatest depth of water noted was about fathoms the existence of a constant current southward was noticed by the elpe rapidity rapid varying with the seasons and locality the winter temperature was found to be much more mild than was expected the minimum being 58 degrees below zero in january though march proved to be the coldest month mouth on account of prevailing winds from the northeast although there was occasionally tempests from the southwest south west high winds were noticed however from all points of the compass rain bain was occasionally observed only on land the precipitation presenting itself over the ice ill in the form of snow during tile the summer a great extent of both low land and elevations were bare of snow and ice excepting patches here and there in the shade of the rocks the soil during this period was covered more or less densely with moss with which several areti plants were interspersed some of them of considerable beauty but on |