Polaris expedition
Polaris, from a wood engraving published in Harper's Weekly, 1873
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| Date | June 1871 July 1873 |
|---|---|
| Location | Greenland Arctic Ocean |
| Participants |
Americans Germans Inuit Greenlandic |
| Outcome | Record 82°29'N latitude by ship |
| Deaths | Capt. Charles Francis Hall |
The Polaris expedition (1871) was led by the American Charles Francis Hall, who intended it to be the first expedition to reach the North Pole. Sponsored by the United States government, it was one of the first serious attempts at the Pole, after that of British naval officer William Edward Parry, who in 1827 reached latitude 82°45′ North. The expedition failed at its main objective being hampered by insubordination, incompetence, and poor leadership.
Under Hall's command, the Polaris departed from New York City in June 1871. By October, the men were wintering on the shore of northern Greenland, making preparations for the trip to the Pole. Hall returned to the ship from an exploratory sledging journey, and promptly fell ill. Before he died, he accused members of the crew of poisoning him. An exhumation of his body in 1968 revealed that he had ingested a large quantity of arsenic in the last two weeks of his life.
The expedition's notable achievement was reaching 82°29'N latitude by ship, a record at the time. On the way southward, nineteen members of the expedition became separated from the ship and drifted on an ice floe for six months and 1,800 miles (2,900 km) before being rescued. The damaged Polaris was run aground and wrecked near Etah, Greenland, in October 1872. The remaining men were able to survive the winter, and were rescued the following summer. A naval board of inquiry investigated Hall's death, but no charges were ever laid.
In 1827, William Edward Parry led a British Royal Navy expedition with the aim to be the first men to reach the North Pole. In the 50 years following Parry's attempt, the Americans would mount three such expeditions: Elisha Kent Kane in 1853–55,Isaac Israel Hayes in 1860–61, and Charles Francis Hall with the Polaris in 1871–73.
Hall had no special academic background or sailing experience (he was a blacksmith, engraver, then owner of a Cincinnati newspaper), but he was a voracious reader with an obsession for the Arctic. After John Franklin's 1845 expedition was lost, Hall's focus was directed toward the Arctic. He was able to launch two expeditions in search of Franklin and his crew; one in 1860–63, and a second in 1864–69. These experiences established him as a seasoned Arctic explorer, and gave him valuable contacts among the Inuit people. The renown he gained eventually allowed him to convince the United States government to fund his third expedition, an attempt on the North Pole.
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