Godfrey's narrative of the last Grinnell Arctic explorating txpedition [!] in search of Sir John Franklin, 1853-4-5.

Front matter

GODFREY'S NARRATIVE

OF THE

LAST GRINNELL

Preface

It has been a cause of deep regret with the author and publisher of this JN'arrative, that the circumstances referred to in the last chapter of the book, have delayed the publication. As some passages in this volume are very much at variance with the common accounts we have of the temper and character of Dr. Kane, and likewise reflect somewhat on his conduct as a Naval Commander, it would have been more satisfactory if these charges had appeared during the Doctor's lifetime. But the explanations given by Godfrey himself show that the earlier publication of his book was impossible ; however anxiously he might desire to vindicate himself, and to remove the stains affixed to his character by the unfavorable mention made of him in Dr. Kane's book. It may be remarked that, if Dr. Kane were now living, he could not repel Godfrey's charges without a negation of his own statements. He has fully admitted, in his journal, the most material facts connected with that extraordinary affair — the attempt to take Godfrey's life. He has not only related those facts distinctly, and with very little difference from Godfrey's own account ; but he has related them in a manner which seems to call for public approbation. This last-mentioned circumstance 1 * (5)

6 PREFACE.

satisfies us that Dr. Kane thought that he was doing his duty on that occasion. Perhaps very few persons who read his book attentively will come to the same conclusion. The circumstances to be considered in connection with this matter are : 1. That Godfrey had formerly been dismissed by his Commander, with permission to return to the United States. Did this permission release him from his compact to serve for a certain term on board of the Advance f 2. When, under the pressure of starvation, he returned with his companions, to solicit relief from Dr. Kane, did this return renew his original obligations and restore him to his former position on board of the vessel ? 3. Could he reasonably be suspected of an intention to desert in such a country as Northern Greenland and in the midst of an Arctic winter ? If he did desert, in such circumstances, would his example be likely to be followed by others of the brig's company ? 4. Was his return to the vessel with a load of provisions such an act as might be expected from a deserter ? 5. Was the Commander justified in shooting a man for a mere refusal to come on board ? 6. It appears that, according to the contract made with the seamen before their departure from New York, the strict regulations of the Naval service were to be dispensed with on this Expedition ; the discipline of the brig could not, therefore, justify the Commander in resorting to such an extreme measure as shooting a man to enforce an order.

But, as the time has past when Dr. Kane could be held responsible for this act, we are disposed to consider it as an error of the judgment ; and it may be easier to excuse him on that score than to overlook the deliberate wrong which he has done to William C. Godfrey by making vague charges of delinquency against this man, who appears, even

PREFACE. 7

from the Doctor's own statements, to nave oeen the constant friend and benefactor of the whole brig's company.

It is a remarkable fact that Godfrey appears, in the Doctor's narrative, only as a half-pardoned criminal, even when accounts are given of signal services performed by him at the imminent hazard of his own life ! And yet we have found scarcely any specification of a fault of sufficient magnitude to call for a private reprimand ; nevertheless, this unfortunate person has been rebuked by his commanding officer before the whole world, and he may even be handed down to posterity as an object of distrust and abhorrence.

The death of Dr. Kane does not make it less incumbent on our author to clear himself from undeserved censure. If any of the Doctor's fellow-voyagers, who profess so much love and reverence for the Doctor's memory, can show how Godfrey merited the harsh treatment he has received, they can do so as easily as Dr. Kane himself could, if he were now alive.

Although the two parties to this singular controversy occupied very different positions on board of the exploring brig Advance, at the bar of the American public there is no recognizable distinction between Elisha K. Kane and William C. Godfrey. We feel confident that the decision of the public in this case will be in accordance with the dictates of '^even-handed justice."

The merits of this work, as a complete and circumstantial history of the last Arctic Exploring Expedition, will be acknowledged, we think, by every candid and intelligent reader.

Fhiladelphia, May 30, 1857.

Chapter I

A common sailor's motives for going on a Polar Expedition — The Author^s particular inducement — No hope of glory or pecuniary profit — His anticipations of perils and sufferings — His reliance on his physical energies — The fate of the Arctic voyagers — Dr. Kane^s unhappy destiny — His funeral honors — Reports concerning them — The Author's vindication — His reasons for writing a book, 17

Chapter II

Object of the Expedition — Where the exploration was to be carried on — Greenland — A frightful country — Land traveling in the Polar regions — Dog sledges — Navigation of the icy seas — Dangerous sailing — The Author's views respecting the fate of Sir John Franklin and his party — Tribute to Lady Franklin — The absurdities of Arctic explorations — Queer fancy of a great explorer — The Author's plebeian notions, 23

CHAPTER IIL

The voyage begun — Public demonstrations — The Author's emotions — He alludes to an affair of the heart — Catalogue of the ofl&cers and crew — The exploring brig, Advance^ proceeds to St. John's, Newfoundland — The officers and orew lionized — The voyage continued — Arrival at Fiskernaes — Hospitable reception — The Esquimaux — Their comical appearance — Their peculiarities of character — Hans Christian, the commander's pet, 31

CHAPTER lY.

Fiskernaes — The Author's hard service— Visit to a Moravian mission hous*^ — Two queer old missionaries — Sucertoppen — Its magnificent peaks — Arrival at Proven — Grand fancy ball — The American sailors dance for the honor of their country — The Author invited to open a dancing school — His qualificatioiiS — We proceed to Upernavick — The town and its inhabitants — Mr. Petersen, 41

CHAPTER V.

We leave Upernavick and bid adieu to the habitable world — The DeviPs Nip — Icebergs — Their magnificence and sublimity — Rocks imbedded in their sides — This phenomenon accounted for — The Author's moonlight musings — A strange fancy — Our brig in danger — Miraculous escape — Towed by an iceberg — Arrival at Hakluyt Island — Dr. Kane and the Author catch a cold duck, 48

CHAPTER YI.

Mr. William Morton's famous discovery — The Author's misgivings on the subject — Yisionary mistakes and hallucinations of Arctic travelers — Blood-stained snow — No accounting for the phenomenon — We enter Smith's Sound and meet with great obstacles — The Author's peculiar hardships — His unpopularity among the officers — Hints for American seamen, 58

CHAPTER YII.

We visit a desolate island- — Melancholy signs of former inhabitants — We are frozen up — Extricate ourselves by hard labor — Anchor under God-send ledge — Terrific storm — Desperate situation of the Advance — A bold expedient — We are again towed by an iceberg — Our miraculous deliverance — Probable fate of Sir John Franklin, 64

CHAPTER YIII.

Abatement of the storm — Repairing damages — Dr. Kane and

several other persons get adrift — The Author goes to their

assistance — A golden opportunity lost — The commander's

projects — A consultation of the whole brig's company —

The Author makes a speech which astonishes and displeases the officers — He is suspected of a mutinous disposition, 72

CHAPTER IX.

The Advance proceeds further northward — Hard work for the sailors — The Author and several others of the crew start on a sledge journey — They break through the ice — Severe sufferings — Hydropathy — Sleeping in ice— Troublesome cooking — Ascent of an iceberg — A singular fox-hunt — A prize secured — Great rejoicings — Account of the blue fox — Its valuable fur, etc., 81

CHAPTER X.

What our sledge party discovered — No open Polar sea — Alarming condition of the travelers — An audacious fox — The Author's power of endurance — Several of his companions in despair — They are in danger of freezing to death — Their inclination to go to sleep — Suffering makes them insane — Provisions exhausted — Miraculous preservation, 92

CHAPTER XI.

Our sledge party return to the brig — We find the Advance in her winter harbor — Preparations for the dark season — Strange fancy of the dogs — Their troublesome behavior — Why they like human society — The Author's objections to dogs as draught animals — Another sledge journey — Horrors of the Arctic winter — Dr. Kane's warlike demonstration against the rats, 101

CHAPTER XII.

Termination of the dark season — Grand jubilee — An exploring party — Inauspicious beginning of the journey — Our traveling costume — Gloomy anticipations of the travelers — The Author's pet fox — His great achievements among the rats — -A suggestion for sporting gentlemen — Singular rat trap — Sad intelligence from the exploring party, 112

CHAPTER XIII.

Dr. Kane and several men go to the relief of the persons supposed to be dying — Slow and troublesome traveling — Ohlsen's noble conduct — He walks twenty miles without any toes — Dr. Kane's sufferings — His life in danger — We reach the tent where our sick companions are lying — Their miraculous preservation from death — Dr. Kane's prayer,.. 120

CHAPTER XIV.

A terrible journey over the ice — Suicidal drowsiness of our people — They become desperately somnolent — Dr. Kane and the Author travel by themselves — The Doctor's vision of a bear — The Author's troublesome duties — He carries the doctor on his shoulder — The Doctor mistakes him for a bear — The Author shaves the Doctor with a jack-knive — Strange fact respecting spirituous liquors, 129

CHAPTER XV.

Return of the rescue party — Our great danger and providential deliverance — The whole company become delirious — Strange phases of insanity — The Author's feelings of desperation — Terrible sufferings of his half-frozen companions — Arrival at the brig — Death and burial of Schubert and Baker — We are visited by savage Esquimaux — Hans Christian's romantic love affair, 139

CHAPTER XVI.

Dr. Hayes and the Author cross Smith's Sound — Troubles and disasters — Successful explorations — Horrors of starvation — The Author's boots and breeches used for feeding dogs — Hard fare — The grand excursion of the season — Sickness prevails — Dangerous illness of Dr. Kane — Bears steal our provisions — Our desperate condition — We are obliged to turn back — Various afflictions, 147

CHAPTER XVII.

Several traveling parties sent out — Their ill success — Morton and Hans Christian travel northward — Their famous discoveries — A separation of our company — The Author, with seven companions, permitted to leave the brig — They travel southward — Are overtaken by the winter — Their unparalleled sufferings from cold and famine — The Author visits an Esquimaux settlement — The generosity and benevolence of these " barbarians^' — Their houses, modes of living, etc., 155

CHAPTER XVIII.

The Author and his party endure all the horrors of famine — They resolve to return to the brig — The Author^s reluctance to go back — He complies with the wishes of the majority: — Another troublesome journey — The Esquimaux try to out-yankee the Yankees — They miss their figure — Virtues of " Godfrey's Cordial'' — The Author's successful stratagem, 166

CHAPTER XIX.

The wanderers return to the brig — Some of them are taken sick — Dr. Hayes has his toes cut off — Starvation on shipboard — Prevalence of the scurvy — The men dying for want of fresh provisions — Several parties sent out to procure food — The cold drives them back — The Author's solitary journey of ninety -five miles — His daring enterprise succeeds — He obtains a supply of fresh meat — More of Hans Christian's love affair, 177

CHAPTER XX.

The Author returns to the brig with a load of fresh meat — His warm reception — He becomes a target for pistol and rifle practice — Refuses to come on board — Dr. Kane and Bonsall try to compel him — He treats the doctor disrespectfully and retires under a galling fire — His desperate journey back to Etah — He is overpowered by the cold, and sinks down in a snow-drift — His providential escape, 185

CHAPTER XXI.

Hans Christian proves that fear can make a man sick as well as love — Godfrey continues to supply the brig's company with provisions — Dr. Kane sends another order for him to come on board — He disobeys — The Doctor comes after him— An exciting dialogue between Kane and Godfrey — 2

When threats fail, Godfrey yields to persuasion — He returns to the brig, and meets with a cordial reception from his comrades, 192

CHAPTER XXII.

Dr. Kane's unfavorable notice of Godfrey — Charge of desertion and mutiny — Godfrey's defense — Comments of the North British Review — That periodical condemns Dr. Kane and exculpates Godfrey — Godfrey submits his case to the arbitration of public opinion — A warning to oppressors,. . 202

CHAPTER XXIII.

The Author goes on another provision-hunting expedition — He chases a bear — Mutiny among his dogs — He shoots a seal and satisfies the demands of the canine mutineers — Scarcity of provisions at Etah — The Author extends his journey to another settlement — Meets with the men who took " Godfrey's Cordial^' — Their appreciation of the joke — A bear fight — Various adventures — Godfrey returns 4o he brig with a load of fresh meat, 209

CHAPTER XXIV.

Final abandonment of the brig Advance — Her probable fate — Commencement of a sledge and boat journey — Herculean labors and slow progress — Elopement of Hans Christian — Fatal accident — Death and burial of Mr. Ohlsen, the carpenter — Scarcity of provisions — Robbery of duck nests — Slaughter of sea-fowl — "We meet a Danish boat — Arrival at Upernavick — Our reception — Embarkation for the United States— Arrival at New York, 219

CHAPTER XXV.

Concluding observations — The Author's unfortunate position — Results of the Grinnell expedition — What was discovered — Explorations of the coast — Important additions to geographical science — Meteorological observations- — The open Polar sea — Suggestions by the Author — He expresses his willingness to join another expedition, 227

Biographical Sketch of Dr. Elisha K. Kane, 235

WM. C. GOI>rilEY.

GODFREY'S NARRATIVE

OF THE

GEINNELL EXPLORING EXPEDITION,

CHAPTER I.

A COMMON sailor's MOTIVES FOR GOING ON A POLAR EXPEDITION — THE AUTHOR'S PARTICULAR INDUCE- MENT — NO HOPE OF GLORY OR PECUNIARY PROFIT — HIS ANTICIPATIONS OF PERILS AND SUFFERINGS — HIS RELIANCE ON HIS PHYSICAL ENERGIES — THE FATE OF THE ARCTIC VOYAGERS — DR. KANE'S UNHAPPY DES- TINY — HIS FUNERAL HONORS — REPORTS CONCERNING THEM — THE AUTHOR'S VINDICATION — HIS REASONS FOR WRITING A BOOK.

It is not very easy for people in general to understand the motives which impel some men to undertake toilsome and dangerous enterprises, without much reasonable expectation of fame or profit. In exploring expeditions, as well as in warfare, the commander and his principal officers obtain nearly all the credit ; and, if there are any emoluments or spoils, they commonly have the ^'lion's share" of these also. I have nothing to say against the propriety and justice of this arrangement ; but while the honors and rewards due to great undertakings are distributed in the manner just specified, it may be difficult for some people to conceive why any man should consent to play a subordinate part in those undertakings — assuming a full share of the dangers and inconveniences thereof — without any prospect of celebrity or pecuniary recompense.

In the last arctic voyage of Dr. E. K. Kane and his company, I served on board of the exploring brig, "Advance^'' in the humble situation of a sailor '^before the mast." Or, to speak more correctly, I shipped with the understanding that I should be required to perform the duties which properly belong to that obscure station. Thus far the agreement was punctually fulfilled by the contracting parties on both sides ; for I received the regular wages of a man before the mast, and nothing more ; and I executed all the tasks which a seaman in my situation could be expected to perform, to say nothing of many other tasks and services which were purely gratuitous on my part.

In order to become an arctic sailor, with the pay of eighteen dollars per month, I quitted a far more agreeable employment, which aiforded me more than three times the amount of compensation just mentioned. This, of course, will be considered as a fair example of that worldly wisdom for which sailors are not remarkable; but it would be doing some injustice to Jack's general reputation to make my individual imprudence a mere illustration of a professional trait, seeing that I was not a regularly trained seaman, but adopted the mariner's vocation only as the means of gratifying my unconquerable love of adventure. When I determined on making a voyage to the polar regions, I had no thought of acquiring glory ^ no notion of writing a book of travels after my return, no expectation of seeing my name in print ; and could I have entertained such fancies, they would not have been a sufficient inducement for me to submit to all the risks and sacrifices which this voyage would require. To come to the point at once, I was led, by a romantic taste for whatever is strange and marvelous, to visit a region which seemed to be enshrouded in mystery, and which was supposed to contain many scenes and objects that have no counterparts in any other quarter of the world. In addition to this motive, a feeling of national pride and patriotic enthusiasm prompted me to assist in an enterprise which, as I believed, would add new lustre to the glory of my country.

I expected to meet with many dangers and hardships in my arctic travels, but these anticipations gave me little uneasiness ; for I placed much reliance on my personal strength and prowess, and on my powers of endurance. Nature had given me a tall and muscular frame, and habit had inured me to the extremes of heat and cold. I felt an assurance, therefore, that I should be able to perform all the labors, and to endure all the hardships, which my duty as an arctic sailor woiild impose on me.

It is needless to deny that there was somewhat of youthful audacity, somewhat of a restless craving after novelty and change, mingled with the better impulses which engaged me in this enterprise, the results of which have been calamitous to some of my fellow-adventurers, and particularly so to our commander himself. Possibly some of us may have been made wiser and better men by the lessons of adversity which we received during our wanderings in the realms of perpetual ice ; but (moral and mental improvement out of the question) I do not know that any of us received much individual benefit from the voyage. Several of my comrades lost their lives, in consequence of their unparalleled sufferings in the polar climes. Dr. Hayes lost his toes, which were frozen and afterward amputated; and two or three others of our company met with similar misfortunes. But my loss appears to be the most afflictive of all ; for I find, with equal sorrow and surprise, that I have lost some reputation by my connection with this enterprise. On this painful topic, I shall have more to say hereafter.

Dr. Kane himself was singularly unfortunate; although, in some respects, he appeared to be most highly favored. It is stated that some booksellers have reaped immense profits from the sale of his narrative ; and they are probably the only persons to whom this arctic voyage has been profitable, so far as money matters are concerned. Dr. Kane, as I understand, was but indifferently remunerated, in any way, (excepting the complimentary notices of the newspaper press), for the eminent services he undoubtedly rendered to the public. His untimely death gave his countrymen an opportunity to express their gratitude by funereal demonstrations ; and I should speak of his obsequies with unalloyed gratification, were it not commonly reported and believed that even these " empty honors to the dead," were contrived by speculating ingenuity to answer the purpose of an advertisement, and to promote the sale of a book !

I have hinted, somewhere above, that when I commenced my voyage to the frozen ocean, I had no intention of embarking afterward on the still more cheerless sea of authorship. Such a project as writing a book never presented itself to my mind until I discovered that my conduct as a seaman, and my moral character itself, had been, in some measure, assailed by publications already made. I hope that the public is disposed to believe that the reputation of a " common sailor" may be of some value — to himself, at least — ^especially if it is his sole inheritance and the sum total of his earthly possessions. I complain not of the negative injustice which may have been done me by withholding the credit to which I consider my services fairly entitled, but I consider myself bound to repel any statements which may be construed as aflfecting my character as a man and a seaman.

Nevertheless, I do not flatter myself that the vindication of an obscure individual like myself would obtain the ear of the public, if unaccompanied by matters of greater importance and more general interest. I have, therefore, prepared a narrative of the events of the Grinnell Exploring Expedition, which I can conscientiously recommend to the public as a faithful and true account of that enterprise ; and, in some respects, the most complete account that has ever been published. No one can deny that the several narrativCvS of this expedition which have already appeared, are somewhat contradictory and irreconcilable. I have no doubt, or I wish to believe, that the authors of these various narratives intended to relate facts as they occured ; but, in spme instances, their memories appear to have failed them, or they were not correctly in* formed in relation to matters w^hich did not come under their own personal observation. During the whole pro* cess of exploration by Dr. Kane's party, I was engaged, without intermission, in the most active duties. I was, therefore, an eye-witness of almost every important event connected with these explorations. I have no motive for misrepresentation ; and I believe that my memory is suflSciently retentive to enable me to relate every notable adventure of our party precisely as it took place. At all events, I shall be careful to do no injustice to any man, living or dead, in the course of my recital.

CHAPTER II. -

OBJECT OF THE EXPEDITION WHERE THE EXPLORATION

WAS TO BE CARRIED ON — GREENLAND A FRIGHTFUL

COUNTRY — LAND TRAVELING IN THE POLAR REGIONS — DOG SLEDGES — NAVIGATION OF THE ICY SEAS — DAN- GEROUS SAILING — THE AUTHOR'S VIEWS RESPECTING THE FATE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN AND HIS PARTY^ — TRIBUTE TO LADY FRANKLIN — THE, ABSURDITIES OF ARCTIC EXPLORATION — QUEER FANCY OF A GREAT EX- PLORER — THE author's PLEBEIAN NOTIONS.

Before I begin my narrative of the Grinnell Exploring Expedition, I wish to give the reader a clear understanding of its objects. Ostensibly, the principal design was to search after the missing navigator, Sir John Franklin, concerning whose '' mysterious fate" so much has been said and written, and in whose behalf an abundance of public sympathy and many thousands of dollars have been expended to little or no purpose. It was conjectured that Franklin and his companions, or their mortal remains, might be found in some part of Greenland, or in the adjacent seas: and accordingly those localities were to be the scenes of our exploring operations. Greenland is an extensive region, which, for the most part, is a mass of rocks, interspersed with glaciers or rivers of ice, which have a slow progressive motion toward the sea. The most southern point of Greenland is Cape Farewell, in lat. 59° 49', Ion. 43° 54^ Concerning the northern and eastern coasts, very little is known. Greenland was formerly supposed to be a peninsula attached to an arctic continent ; but recent discoveries make it appear that this region is a group of two or three large islands^ surrounded by several smaller ones. The neighboring seas, bays, and sounds are, at all seasons, more or less encumbered with ice 5 and, at some particular times in the year, are totally unnavigable. The climate of Greenland is intensely cold, especially in the more northern latitudes, and during the arctic night, which lasts for several months. Greenland belongs to the Danish government, which has several trading stations on different parts of the coast. There are many Exquimaux settlements scattered over the country. Some of the Esquimaux are partly civilized, having become so by constant intercourse with the Danish settlers, who supply them with European commodities in exchange for skins, blubber, &c.

The northern parts of Greenland are not inhabitable even by the Esquimaux them-selves, who are fitted by nature and habit to endure more cold than any other human beings on the face of the earth. The surface of the country is too rough to afford any facilities for traveling; and the neighboring waters when frozen over, as they generally are, present similar obstacles, as the ice is full of boulders, hummocks, bergs, and other obstructions. The usual mode of traveling on land and on the ice is in sledges drawn by dogs. No other vehicle and no other draught animals could be used, probably, in these localities ; and the dog-sledge conveyance itself is liable to many inconveniences. The Esquimaux dog, used for this purpose, is neither large nor powerful. A team of six or eight dogs can transport a moderate load over the snow or ice, at the rate of from fifty to sixty miles per day, provided the route is favorable ; but when the track is very rough, as it often is, the strength of the dogs is wholly unequal to the task of drawing the .sledge. In these circumstances, the driver must dismount and assist his team by pushing behind and lifting the sledge over the inequalities of the road.

The navigation of the polar seas and sounds is at tended by still greater difficulties, and is never free from danger. When there is a track open for the passage of the ship, it is generally a sort of canal (technically called a ^Mead'') with an icy embankment on each side. One of these embankments, called the ''land ice,'* is usually stationary, being part of a large mass of ice many miles in extent, and connected with the shore. The other side of the canal, or "lead,*' is generally a movable body of ice, called a ''floe," which is often driven by the wind or tide with tremendous force against the land-ice, closing up the canal or lane of open water, and sometimes crushing an unfortunate ship which may happen to be sailing therein. The ice

on both sides of the canal, or "lead,'' is often twenty 5 or thirty feet in height, above the level of the water ; and the "floe," or movable body of ice, is commonly of immense magnitude, so that its momentum, when it is set in motion by the tide or wind, is irresistible. The stoutest ship must inevitably be crushed, if caught between the icy masses. Ships intended for arctic navigation are built in a particular style, the hull being wedge-shaped, so that when pressed on each side by approaching masses of ice, the vessel is forced upward, and thrown on her beam ends on one of the icy platforms. This is the only contrivance which could save a vessel from being broken to pieces, in such circumstances.

I need not remind my readers that the navigation of a sea which is agitated by powerful winds, is always dangerous ; but sailing on an ice-encumbered sea, such as I have described, is perilous in the highest degree. In this case, you are surrounded by breakers of the most formidable character — breakers of ice which are more to be dreaded than the " insidious rock,'' because the latter lies still, and may be avoided by the skillful management of the vessel; but the uncertain motions of the masses of ice in the polar seas, often make a collision with them unavoidable. Very often, the arctic navigator is menaced with destruction on all sides ; the multiplicity of dangers distracts his attention, and makes him powerless and inactive at the very moment when all his energies should be aroused.