458 



The National Geographic Magazine 



appoint a representative on the expedi- 

 tion to take charge of the scientific work. 

 Major Henry E. Hersey, of the Rough 

 Riders and the U. S. Weather Bureau, 

 was so delegated by the Society and has 

 gone north again in this capacity. Major 



Hersey, on his return from Spitzbergen 

 in the fall of 1906, sailed with Lieutenant 

 Lahm in the International balloon race 

 from Paris, and it was his knowledge of 

 meteorology that won the race for the 

 Americans. 



ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS COMMANDED BY 

 AMERICANS* 



EXPEDITIONS for Arctic ex- 

 ploration by Americans cover 

 only about half a century, dur- 

 ing which period they have both illus- 

 trated the resourceful courage of Ameri- 

 cans and produced results comparable 

 with those of European voyagers. 



The following list of American expedi- 

 tions is presented as of interest to our 

 readers, and with the hope that its omis- 

 sions and imperfections may be supple- 

 mented, so that the National Geo- 

 graphic Magazine may ultimately pre- 

 sent a complete list of American voyages 

 for Arctic exploration. The arrangement 

 is generally, though not strictly, chrono- 

 logical rather than topical, although 

 American effort has been especially active 

 in the waterways to the west of Green- 

 land. 



The earliest expedition, extending aid 

 in the search for Captain John Franklin, 

 in 1851-1852, was the squadron com- 

 manded by Lieut. E. J. De Haven, U. S. 

 Navy, its most northern work being in 

 Wellington Channel, about 78° N. 



Then followed the expedition of Elisha 

 Kent Kane, nominally in search of Frank- 

 lin, in 1853-1855, via Smith Sound, 

 where, in 1854, Cape Constitution, in 

 latitude 80° 35' N., was attained. 



Commodore John Rodgers, U. S. 

 Navy, commanded the first American ex- 

 pedition to pass Bering Strait, reaching, 

 in 1855, Herald Island, 71° 18' N., 175° 

 W. 



In 1860-1861 Isaac L. Hayes reached, 



* The data for this article are very largely 

 drawn from the exhaustive Handbook of Polar 

 Discoveries, by General A. W. Greely. 



on the east coast of Grinnell Land, an in- 

 determinate point, which has been placed 

 as Cape Joseph Goode, in 80° 11' N. 

 Hayes and W. Bradford, in a summer 

 voyage in 1869, reached with the Panther 

 the vicinity of Cape York, Greenland. 



From i860 to 1862 and 1864 to 1869- 

 Charles F. Hall explored the countries 

 northwest of Cumberland Gulf. He 

 reached, in 1861, Frobisher Bay; 1865, 

 Boothia, in 68° N., 89° W.: 1867, 

 Igloolik, Hecla Strait, 69° 22' N.; in 



1868, Furv Strait, about 70° N., and in 



1869, Tod Island, off King William 

 Land. In the Arctic Expedition of 

 1870-72, Hall reached, in the Polar Sea 

 northwest of Greenland, 82° 11' N., in 



1870, and 82° 09' N. on land in 1871. 

 To effect the relief of Hall's Expedition, 

 the Tigress, 1873, under Commander, af- 

 terwards Admiral, Braine, U. S. Navy, 

 reached Littleton Islands, in 78° N. 



The Franklin Search Expedition of 

 Lieut. F. Schwatka, U. S. Army, and 

 William H. Gilder, 1877-1879, thor- 

 oughly explored King William Land, 

 reaching about 69° N. 



The International Polar Expedition,, 

 under Lieutenant, now General, P. H. 

 Ray, U. S. Army, took station, in 1881- 

 1883, at Point Barrow, Alaska, in 71° 24'' 

 N., 156° W. 



Of the two Howgate expeditions, one, 

 in the Florence, under Mr Sherman, a 

 meteorologist, visited Cumberland Gulf 

 in 1877, while the other, in the Gulnare, 

 commanded by Lieut. G. A. Doane, 

 U. S. Army, reached Disco, Greenland, 

 in 1880. 



Commander George W. De Long, U. 



