Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 6, 1875, Volume I
No. 281.
Mr. Fish
to Sir Edward Thornton.
Washington, January 23, 1875.
Sir: I had the honor to inform you, in my note of the 29th ultimo, that I had referred to the Secretary of the Navy a copy of your note of the 26th ultimo, in which, under instructions from the Earl of Derby, you made inquiries concerning the condition and location of stores or provisions sent to Greenland by this Government for the relief of the Polaris expedition, and whether the polar expedition to be dispatched by Her Majesty’s government in 1875 may consider them available for use, and requesting in that event to be furnished with a list of all such stores and provisions.
I have now the honor to inclose, in reply to your inquiries and in compliance with your request, a copy of a letter of the 19th instant, and of its accompaniments, from the Secretary of the Navy on the subject.
Accept, &c.,
Mr. Robeson to Mr. Fish.
Washington, 19th January, 1875.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 29th of December last, and the copy of the note of the 26th of December from the British minister, making certain inquiries concerning the stores or provisions which were sent out by the United States Government for the relief of the Polaris expedition.
I beg leave to state that it is not practicable to furnish an exact inventory of stores, &c., left by the Polaris expedition on the west coast of Greenland, but I inclose such information as is in the possession of this Department, with an approximate list of articles cached or otherwise secured or deposited, and a description of the localities in which they were left.
All or any of these stores are at the service of the polar expedition to be dispatched in 1875 by Her Majesty’s government; and in the event of their use, the Department will accept such inventory and appraisement as may be made by the order of the commander of the expedition. If the pendulum should be recovered at Life-Boat Cove, the Department hopes that it may be practicable to use it in connection with such observations as may be made by the British expedition with its own instrument. On the return of the expedition the Department will be gratified to receive the pendulum, and also any other instruments, and such arms, implements, and books as may have been recovered.
The Department takes this occasion to express its most cordial wishes for the success of the British expedition of 1875 towards the North Pole by way of Smith’s Sound.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
Secretary of the Nary.
The Honorable Hamilton Fish,
Secretary of State.
Dr. Bessels to Admiral Reynolds.
Washington, D. C., January 13, 1875.
Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith a report, in accordance with instructions received, upon the stores deposited near Smith’s Sound during the late United States North Polar expedition.
I understand that the Department is in possession of an invoice enumerating these stores, and therefore I beg leave merely to offer a few remarks with regard thereto.
The depot left on the south shore of Newman’s Bay cannot be relied upon, as it only consists of a very limited number of cans containing preserved meat, some hard bread, &c., &c., stowed in a whale-boat. The latter might be found useful in case of emergency, though her bows are stove in, but as there are a package of tacks and some sheet-lead contained in her lockers, the damage can easily be repaired.
As far as I can remember the following instruments are contained in the boat: 1 spirit boat-compass, 1 patent log, 1 box-chronometer, (Negus,) and 2 Gambey sextants.
Near the whale-boat our canvas boat will be found under a pile of stones, but most likely it will not be of any value, as it was already useless some three years ago. A small sledge leaning against the stone pile can be used to mount the whale-boat.
Most likely the stores left at Thank-God Harbor will be found in good condition, as it is not probable that they have been disturbed by bears, for we never saw any of these animals in the immediate vicinity of our first winter-quarters.
Some of the stores could not be cachéd properly, as the beach consists of shingle only, which could not be penetrated to a greater depth than about two feet, owing to the frozen condition of the subsoil. The observatory, however, contains such stores as would have been injured by exposure to atmospheric influence. These will probably be found serviceable, as this building was carefully closed and fastened to the soil by means of the diverging arms of the transit-stand, whereby the danger of its being blown over would be, to a great extent, obviated.
[Page 652]No provisions were left at Life-Boat Cove, but a caché will be found at that locality (highest point of Littletown Island north 343° east, and north 120° 5′ east, tangent to Cape Naryaling) containing several boxes of books and instruments, among the latter a pendulum which served to make our determinations of force of gravity.
I would respectfully suggest that, in case the English expedition should land at Life-Boat Cove, they take with them, if possible, this pendulum, for the following reasons:
- 1.
- A simultaneous comparison of this instrument with that which will be employed by them would greatly enhance the value of their own as well as of our observations.
- 2.
- They would then be able to compare, probably at one point, two pendulums that have both been used extensively in different latitudes.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
- EMIL BESSELS,
Chief of the Scientific Department of the late Arctic Expedition. - Admiral William Reynolds.
Memorandum showing at what localities articles were deposited by the Polaris expedition.
At Cape Sumner.—At the southern entrance of Newman’s Bay, in latitude 81° 51′ N. One whale-boat 24 feet long; one “Heggleman” canvas-boat; some stores, arms, ammunition, instruments, and implements were left in the boats, as the men could not carry much weight in returning to the ship, but an exact list of these articles cannot be furnished.
In Thank-God Harbor.—Latitude 81° 37′ N., longitude 61° 37′ W.: The observatory was left standing, covered with a sail. In it was deposited those articles on the following list which would be affected by the weather, and the remainder were deposited in a pile on the ground about one hundred feet to the northward:
3 barrels clear pork; 25 barrels Graham bread; 1 barrel molasses; 1 barrel vinegar; barrel brown sugar; 1 barrel lime-juice; 1 barrel pea-beans; 1 barrel southern wheat; 1 barrel rice; 2 tierces hams; 4 or 5 cases pemmican, (1,500 lbs.;) 12 cases preserved meats; 1 chest black tea; 1 bag coffee, (100 lbs.;) 2 cases wheaten grits; 1 case alcohol, (10 galls,;) 1 case brandy, (1 doz.;) 4 cases whisky; 2 cases oil clothing; 1 case men’s stoga boots; ½ case men’s kip shoes; ½ case leather gaiters; 1 case pea-coats; 2 dozen blue flannel overshirts; 2 dozen drawers; 1 dozen gray, heavy, undershirts; 1 dozen drawers; 2 dozen black silk handkerchiefs; 1 dozen blue Navy trow-sers; 2 dozen long woolen stockings; 2 dozen short socks; 2 dozen blue flannel undershirts; 2 dozen woolen mittens; 1 dozen woolen comforters; 1 dozen Russian caps; ½ dozen tarpaulin hats; 2 dozen white-linen frocks; 3 half-boxes Navy chewing tobacco; 1 box Danish tobacco; 2 boxes salt-water soap; ½ box Navy shaving-soap; 3 pounds black linen thread; 3 pounds white linen thread; 1½ pound black sewing-silk; — papers needles; 5 pounds woolen yarn; 1 case clay pipes; 3dozen brier pipes; 3 dozen assorted knives; 1 dozen tin pots; 1 dozen assorted tin pans; 2 bolts No. 1 cotton canvas; 1 bolt Raven’s duck; 1 section main-deck awning; 4 sewing and roping palms; 3 pounds flax sewing-twine: 3 pounds cotton; 2 pounds bees-wax; 50 assorted sail-needles.
Ordnance stores
4 shot-guns, with appurtenances complete; 4 Sharp’s rifles; 4 Remington rifles; 6 Navy pistols; 1 dozen leather belts; ½ dozen frogs; ½ dozen cartridge-boxes; ½ dozen caps; 10 bags shot, (250 lbs.;) 20 pounds musket-powder; 50 pounds bar-lead; ½ dozen powder-flasks; ½ dozen shot-belts; 10,000 gun-caps; 10,000 cartridges, (Sharp’s rifle;) 1,000 cartridges, (Remington rifle;) 1,000 cartridges, (ball and buck-shot;) 100 cartridges, (Navy pistols.)
Six shovels; 2 pick-axes and hoe combined; 1 dozen assorted files; 3 claw-hammers; 1 broad-ax; 2 wood-axes; — feet lumber; 1 barrel tar; ¼ gross assorted fishing-hooks; 6 cod-lines, (60 fathoms each;) 3 coils halibut lines.
Near Life-Boat Cove.—No provisions were left at Life-Boat Cove, but in a caché about ¼ mile east-southeast from the house, in latitude 78° 23′ 30″ N., longitude 73° 21′ W., were placed the pendulum, the transit instrument, (without its glasses,) 3 box-chronometers, two or three trunks containing the Arctic library of the late Captain C. F. Hall.
The Esquimaux at Life-Boat Cove were aware of this deposit and its locality.