There has been speculation as to why Budington and the men aboard "Polaris" did not attempt a rescue of those stranded on the ice floe. Tyson was perplexed as to why the ship could not see them distant, a group of men and supplies waving a dark-colored flag in a sea of white. The day after the storm was clear and calm and the men on the floe could see the ship was under both steam and sail. Aboard the ship, first mate Chester reported that he could see "provisions and stores" on a distant floe, however there were never any orders to retrieve the stores or search for the castaways.