596 NAVAL COURT OF INQUIRY. 



agitated, and in an almost equal degree to the memory of 

 the brave man who had fallen. 



The news of Captain Hall's death had been brought by 

 Captain Tyson and his men, who had just been provi- 

 dentially 'rescued from unparalleled sufferings and perils 

 by the American steamer Tigress (of which we give a 

 complete and graphic history in the following chapter). 

 The Tigress had carried the rescued explorers to St. 

 John's, Newfoundland. Robeson, unwilling to suffer the 

 investigation to be delayed, at once sent the United States 

 steamer Frolic to bring Captain Tyson and his party as 

 speedily as possible to Washington. So resolved was the 

 secretary to have the investigation searching and thorough 

 that he determined to act as chairman of the court of in- 

 quiry. He appointed as his associates in the court Com- 

 modore W. Reynolds, U. S. IS"., Prof. Spencer F. Baird, 

 o,f the Smithsonian Institute, and Captain H. A. How- 

 gate, of the United States Signal Service. This court also 

 took cognizance of the alleged desertion of Captain Tyson 

 and his men on the ice-floe by Captain Buddiugton, but of 

 this we shall speak in its proper place in the ensuing chap- 

 ter. Immediately on the arrival of the Frolic the court 

 proceeded with the investigation, which lasted six days, 

 and was most searching and exhaustive. We quote from 

 the secretary's report : 



"In the course of the examination, which lasted six 

 days, we have taken, separately and fully, upon all the 

 points involved upon which they had or professed to have 

 knowledge, the statement and examination of each adult 

 individual of the party who could understand or speak 

 any English, including all of the persons rescued, except- 

 ing the wife of Hans Christian and the children. These 

 statements and examinations were carefully taken down in 

 short-hand at the time." The report concludes : " From 

 personal examination of all the witnesses, and from their 

 testimony as given, we reach the unanimous opinion that 



