The Overland Expedition for the Relief of the Whalers in the Arctic Ocean, from November 27, 1897, to September 13, 1898

Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899, First Edition. Tall 8vo. 23.2 cm. (iv) 144pp., 68 b/w photographs and engraving, large fold-out color map at rear. Publisher’s blue ruled pebbled cloth with gilt title on spine. Scarce. — Arctic Bibliography 18402

“Following the direct intervention of President McKinley, The Bear was equipped, and in November 1897 set out to rescue eight whaling ships which had become trapped in the ice near Point Barrow. Despite the difficulties involved in a winter mission to Arctic waters The Bear and her crew managed to reach Seattle ten months later with four of the whaling crews, with no loss to its own complement of men.”

This book documents the account of the cruise of the “Bear” in 1898 to Cape Vancouver, West Alaska, landing a party under the command of Lt. D. H. Jarvis to go overland to Point Barrow to rescue 4 whaling crews stranded in a sudden early Arctic freeze. The Jarvis party ultimately sledged to Seward Peninsula, purchased several hundred reindeer; then herded the reindeer across Kotzebue Sound, by the Kivalina and Meade Rivers to Point Barrow to feed the whalers — a truly remarkable feat to successfully rescue all whalers. Includes texts of orders and letters, descriptions of traveling conditions and regions traversed, the Eskimos, the purchase, care and dispensing of relief, including the reindeer. This amazing expedition covered over 1500 miles during the Alaskan winter. All whalers were saved in the remarkable achievement. The three-man expedition consisted of Lt. D.H. Jarvis, 2nd Lt. E.P. Bertholf and Surgeon S.J. Call. Lt. Bertholf later went on to become the first commandant of the United States Coast Guard.

$250.00 -