40 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



Unfortunately, however, he fell a victim to dissensions among his own crew, and 

 died under circumstances which gave rise to the rumor that he had been poisoned. 

 After the death of Capt. Hall, and the consequent failure of the Polaris expedi- 

 tion, the American people have taken little interest in Arctic exploration. 



In 1873 the Navy Department, incited by popular inquiry as to the fate of 

 the Polaris, decided to send a vessel to the Greenland coast in search of her, or. 

 if she was lost, to obtain tidings of her survivors. The United States steamer 

 Juniata was selected for the purpose, Commander Braine, U. S. N., was in com- 

 mand, and Lieut. Geo. W. De Long was on board as Lieutenant and navigator. 

 The Juniata sailed from New York in June, 1873, ^^^ proceded as far north as 

 Upernavik, the most northerly settlement of Greenland. Beyond this point, 

 which was reached in August, it was not deemed safe to proceed with the steamer. 

 After a brief consultation it was decided to fit out the steam launch and send 

 her into the recesses of Melville Bay, to discover, if possible, some traces of the 

 missing vessel or her crew. The launch, which, since that voyage, is known as 

 the Little Juniata, was thirty-two feet two inches in length, over all; eight feet 

 four inches beam, and four feet eight inches deep. She was rigged with one 

 mast and a jib and mainsail, and her propeller was so guarde^d by an iron frame- 

 work that little danger was to be feared from contact with floating ice. At his 

 urgent request, Lieut. De Long was placed in command, with the following as a 

 volunteer crew : Lieut. C. W. Chipp, present executive officer of the Jeannette ; 

 Ensign Sidney H. May, H. W. Dodge, ice pilot ; Francis Hamilton, machinist • 

 Wm. King, fireman ; Street and Meagher, seamen, and a New York Herald cor- 

 respondent. To their number was added an Esquimaux pilot. 



The Little Juniata steamed boldly away from the parent ship on the morning 

 of the 31st of August, with coal for fifteen days and provisions for sixty days in 

 case of emergency, but the orders of Commander Braine to Lieut. De Long were 

 not to extend the voyage beyond eight, or at the utmost ten days. After a most 

 dangerous and profitless exploration they returned to the Juniata in safety after an 

 absence of eleven days. Lieut. De Long desired to make another attempt, but 

 Commander Braine did not consider the facilities at hand sufficient to warrant the 

 undertaking, and so decHned to grant his request. 



From their cruise in the Little Juniata, Lieut. De Long may be said to have 

 imbibed his love for Arctic adventure. Soon after his return to New York he 

 was thrown into the society of Mr. James Gordon-Bennett, proprietor of the 

 Herald. Stanley had just succeeded in penetrating the wilds of Africa and meet- 

 ing with Dr. Livingstone, had astonished the world by showing what the enter- 

 prise of a private individual can accomplish when backed by capital and brains. 



De Long felt an ardent longing to distinguish himself by rendering similar 

 services to science, and urged upon Mr. Bennett the undertaking. After repeat- 

 ed consultations, during which the cost of the expedition and its probable results 

 were freely debated, Mr. Bennett finally told Lieut. De Long to go ahead ; pur- 

 chase a vessel, provision her and make an attempt to find the North Pole. 



