Because I work in a used bookstore I recently discovered the fascinating story of the USS Jeannette, a ship that was privately owned but commissioned by the U.S. in 1879 for an expedition to the North Pole. Its captain, Lt. George W. DeLong maintained a detailed journal of the voyage, and based on this journal, the ship’s log and personal letters, DeLong’s wife published posthumously the captivating story of this expedition: “The Voyage of the Jeannette.”
According to Wikipedia, the Jeannette began its existence as the HMS Pandora, a gunboat in the Royal Navy. James Gordon Bennett, Jr. owner of the New York Herald purchased her in 1878. An Arctic enthusiast, he obtained the cooperation of the U.S. government in fitting out the ship for an expedition to the North Pole including new boilers and a massive reinforcement to her hull. Renamed the Jeanette, she contained the latest in scientific equipment. Her crew consisted of 30 officers and men, including the captain Lt. George W. DeLong, a veteran Arctic explorer, and 3 civilians.
On July 8, 1879, the USS Jeannette sailed out of San Francisco and headed northward to Alaska’s Norton Sound crossed the Chukchi Sea and sighted Herald Island on September 4. Soon afterward the ship was caught in the ice pack near Wrangel Island and for twenty-one months she drifted to the northwest towards the North Pole. DeLong’s journal details the daily weather, drift, land sightings, and so much more. Even while drifting, in May 1881 two islands were discovered and named Jeannette and Henrietta. In June, Bennett Island was discovered and claimed for the U.S.
On June 12, 1881, the USS Jeannette was crushed by the ice pack and quickly sank. The men on board split into three groups and began an arduous journey towards land. One boat capsized and sank. The other two boats made land but in different locations and then faced a long overland trek. The Jeannette’s captain, Lt. DeLong, and all but two men in his group perished; the third group eventually reached safety. The expedition that began in San Francisco on July 8, 1879, and the search and rescue following the loss of the Jeannette was scrupulously set out in two large volumes published in 1883, that include drawings, charts and maps (fold-out). A first edition published in leather in 1883 was followed by the 1884 hardcover illustrated edition shown in the photo.
I wonder about books so old that no one alive remembers the men or the expedition. Reading the book is like being transported to the cramped wood ship, stuck in the ice and not knowing where I am or if we will be rescued. For almost two years. This seems incredible now with our satellites and cell phones. But it’s all there in over 900 pages of fascinating detail.
According to Wikipedia, the Jeannette began its existence as the HMS Pandora, a gunboat in the Royal Navy. James Gordon Bennett, Jr. owner of the New York Herald purchased her in 1878. An Arctic enthusiast, he obtained the cooperation of the U.S. government in fitting out the ship for an expedition to the North Pole including new boilers and a massive reinforcement to her hull. Renamed the Jeanette, she contained the latest in scientific equipment. Her crew consisted of 30 officers and men, including the captain Lt. George W. DeLong, a veteran Arctic explorer, and 3 civilians.
On July 8, 1879, the USS Jeannette sailed out of San Francisco and headed northward to Alaska’s Norton Sound crossed the Chukchi Sea and sighted Herald Island on September 4. Soon afterward the ship was caught in the ice pack near Wrangel Island and for twenty-one months she drifted to the northwest towards the North Pole. DeLong’s journal details the daily weather, drift, land sightings, and so much more. Even while drifting, in May 1881 two islands were discovered and named Jeannette and Henrietta. In June, Bennett Island was discovered and claimed for the U.S.
On June 12, 1881, the USS Jeannette was crushed by the ice pack and quickly sank. The men on board split into three groups and began an arduous journey towards land. One boat capsized and sank. The other two boats made land but in different locations and then faced a long overland trek. The Jeannette’s captain, Lt. DeLong, and all but two men in his group perished; the third group eventually reached safety. The expedition that began in San Francisco on July 8, 1879, and the search and rescue following the loss of the Jeannette was scrupulously set out in two large volumes published in 1883, that include drawings, charts and maps (fold-out). A first edition published in leather in 1883 was followed by the 1884 hardcover illustrated edition shown in the photo.
I wonder about books so old that no one alive remembers the men or the expedition. Reading the book is like being transported to the cramped wood ship, stuck in the ice and not knowing where I am or if we will be rescued. For almost two years. This seems incredible now with our satellites and cell phones. But it’s all there in over 900 pages of fascinating detail.
Jo,
ReplyDeleteI like your blog. Nice layout and very informative. Go girl. Susannah