Polaris expedition

From TinWiki.org

The Polaris Expedition was an American attempt to reach the North Pole, undertaken in 1870. The expedition met with disaster. The crew divided into two factions, one supporting Captain Hall, the dissenters supporting a man named Budington.

After a sledding expedition, Captain Hall fell gravely ill and accused several crew members, including a German scientist named Dr. Bessels, of poisoning him. The Captain's condition improved, then he fell ill again and died. Biographies of Hall by Chauncey Loomis and Richard Parry revealed that Captain Hall was poisoned with Arsenic, probably by Bessels [1].

After Hall's death, the ship, having a hull design not suited to arctic conditions, became trapped in the ice and damaged to the point that the ship was ordered to be abandoned. During the abandonment, the ships moorings "broke", conveniently leaving Hall's supporters marooned on an ice floe while Budington, Bessels, and company put to sea on the damaged vessel.

The ship took on more water than the pumps could handle and returned, but instead of grounding itself again with the rest of the crew, it passed them by and was grounded elsewhere.

Budington's faction put to sea in the ship's boats to seek rescue, and soon after Budington also became violently ill, but recovered. Parry suggests this may have been Bessels attempting to tie up the loose ends with more poison. Both factions were eventually rescued, having failed in their expedition.

Richard Parry suggests that the German government may have been behind the actions of several German crew members in the mutiny and poisoning. Parry believed Germany may have done this for political reasons, however others believe it may have something to do with keeping America from discovering an entry into the Hollow Earth.

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