The Open Polar Sea / A narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States"

Plan of the Expedition.—First Announcement.—Appeal to Scientific Societies.—Aid solicited.—Public Lectures.—Liberality of various Societies and Individuals.—Vessel purchased in Boston.—Interest manifested in that City.—Difficulty in obtaining a proper Crew.—Organization of the Party.—Scientific Outfit.—Abundant Supplies

Leaving Boston.—At Anchor in Nantasket Roads.—At Sea

Passage to the Greenland Coast.—Discipline.—The Decks at Sea.—Our Quarters.—The First Iceberg.—Crossing the Arctic Circle.—The Midnight Sun.—The Endless Day.—Making the Land.—A Remarkable Scene among the Bergs.—At Anchor in Pröven Harbor

The Colony of Pröven.—The Kayak of the Greenlander.—Scarcity of Dogs.—Liberality of the Chief Trader.—Arctic Flora

Upernavik.—Hospitality of the Inhabitants.—Death and Burial of Gibson Caruthers.—A Lunch on Board.—Adieu

Among the Icebergs.—Dangers of Arctic Navigation.—A Narrow Escape from a Crumbling Berg.—Measurement of an Iceberg

Entering Melville Bay.—The Middle Ice.—The Great Polar Current.—A Snow-Storm.—Encounter with an Iceberg.—Making Cape York.—Rescue of Hans

Hans and his Family.—Petowak Glacier.—A Snow-Storm.—The Ice-Pack.—Entering Smith Sound.—A Severe Gale.—Collision with Icebergs.—Encounter with the Ice-Fields.—Retreat from the Pack.—At Anchor in Hartstene Bay.—Entering Winter Quarters

Our Winter Harbor.—Preparing for Winter.—Organization of Duties.—Scientific Work.—The Observatory.—Schooner Driven Ashore.—The Hunters.—Sawing a Dock.—Frozen up.—Sunset

Sunset.—Winter Work.—My Dog-Teams.—"My Brother John's Glacier."—Hunting.—Peat Beds.—Esquimau Graves.—Putrefaction at Low Temperatures.—Sonntag climbs the Glacier.—Hans and Peter.—My Esquimau People.—The Esquimau Dog.—Surveying the Glacier.—The Sailing-Master.—His Birthday Dinner

Journey on the Glacier.—The First Camp.—Scaling the Glacier.—Character of its Surface.—The Ascent.—Driven back by a Gale.—Low Temperature.—Dangerous Situation of the Party.—A Moonlight Scene

Important Results of the recent Journey.—The Glacier System of Greenland.—General Discussion of the Subject.—Illustrations drawn from the Alpine Glaciers.—Glacier Movement.—Outline of the Greenland Mer de Glace

My Cabin.—Surveying.—Castor and Pollux.—Concerning Scurvy.—Dangers of eating Cold Snow.—Knorr and Starr.—Frost-Bites.—Hans, Peter, and Jacob again.—Coal Account.—The Fires.—Comfort of our Quarters.—The House on Deck.—Mild Weather.—Jensen.—Mrs. Hans.—John Williams, the Cook.—A Cheerful Evening

Increasing Darkness.—Daily Routine.—The Journal.—Our Home.—Sunday.—Return of Sonntag.—A Bear-Hunt.—The Open Water.—Accident to Mr. Knorr.—A Thaw.—"The Port Foulke Weekly News."—The Tide-Register.—The Fire-Hole.—Hunting Foxes.—Peter

Midwinter.—The Night of Months.—Brilliancy of the Moonlight.—Mild Temperatures.—Remarkable Weather.—A Shower.—Depth of Snow.—Snow Crystals.—An Epidemic among the Dogs.—Symptoms of the Disorder.—Great Mortality.—Only one Team left.—New Plans.—Schemes for reaching the Esquimaux in Whale Sound

The Arctic Midnight.—Sonntag starts for Whale Sound.—Effects of Darkness on the Spirits.—Routine of Duties.—Christmas Eve.—Christmas Day.—The Christmas Dinner

The New Year.—Looking for Sonntag.—The Aurora Borealis.—A Remarkable Display.—Depth of Snow.—Strange Mildness of the Weather.—The Open Sea.—Evaporation at Low Temperatures.—Looking for the Twilight.—My Pet Fox

The Arctic Night.

Prolonged Absence of Mr. Sonntag.—Preparing to look for him.—Arrival of Esquimaux.—They report Sonntag dead.—Arrival of Hans.—Condition of the Dogs.—Hans's Story of the Journey

Sonntag.—Twilight increasing.—A Deer-Hunt.—The Arctic Foxes.—The Polar Bear.—Adventures with Bears.—Our New Esquimaux.—Esquimau Dress.—A Snow House.—Esquimau Implements.—A Walrus Hunt

Looking for the Sun.—The Open Sea.—Birds

Sunrise.

Spring Twilight.—Arrival of Esquimaux.—Obtaining Dogs.—Kalutunah, Tattarat, Myouk, Amalatok and his Son.—An Arctic Hospital.—Esquimau Gratitude

Kalutunah returns.—An Esquimau Family.—The Family Property.—The Family Wardrobe.—Myouk and his Wife.—Peter's Dead Body found.—My New Teams.—The Situation.—Hunting.—Subsistence of Arctic Animals.—Pursuit of Science under Difficulties.—Kalutunah at Home.—An Esquimau Feast.—Kalutunah in Service.—Recovering the Body of Mr. Sonntag.—The Funeral.—The Tomb

Starting on my First Journey.—Object of the Journey.—A Mishap.—A Fresh Start.—The First Camp.—Hartstene's Cairn.—Exploring a Track.—A New Style of Snow-Hut.—An Uncomfortable Night.—Low Temperature.—Effect of Temperature on the Snow.—Among the Hummocks.—Sighting Humboldt Glacier.—The Track impracticable to the Main Party.—Van Rensselaer Harbor.—Fate of the Advance.—A Drive in a Gale

Sending forward Supplies.—Kalutunah as a Driver.—Kalutunah civilized.—Mr. Knorr.—Plan of my Proposed Journey.—Preparing to set out.—Industrious Esquimau Women.—Death and Burial of Kablunet.—The Start

The First Day's Journey.—A Fall of Temperature.—Its Effect upon the Men.—Camped in a Snow-Hut.—The Second Day's Journey.—At Cairn Point.—Character of the Ice.—The Prospect.—Storm-stayed.—The Cooks in Difficulty.—Snow-Drift.—Violence of the Gale.—Our Snow-Hut

The Storm continues.—At Work.—Among the Hummocks.—Difficulties of the Track.—The Snow-Drifts.—Slow Progress.—The Smith Sound Ice.—Formation of the Hummocks.—The Old Ice-Fields.—Growth of Ice-Fields.—Thickness of Ice.—The Prospect

The Difficulties multiplying.—Sledge broken.—Reflections on the Prospect.—The Men breaking down.—Worse and Worse.—The Situation.—Defeat of Main Party.—Resolve to send the Party back and continue the Journey with Dogs

The Main Party sent back.—Plunging into the Hummocks again.—Advantages of Dogs.—Camp in an Ice-Cave.—Nursing the Dogs.—Snow-Blindness.—A Chapter of Accidents.—Cape Hawks.—Cape Napoleon.—Storm-stayed.—Grinnell Land looming up.—Discovering a Sound.—Ravenous Disposition of Dogs.—A Cheerless Supper.—Camping in the Open Air.—Prostration of Men and Dogs.—Making the Land at last

The Prospect Ahead.—To Cape Napoleon.—To Cape Frazer.—Traces of Esquimaux.—Rotten Ice.—Kennedy Channel.—Mildness of Temperature.—Appearance of Birds.—Geological Features of Coast.—Vegetation.—Accident to Jensen

A New Start.—Speculations.—In a Fog.—Polar Scenery.—Stopped by Rotten Ice.—Looking Ahead.—Conclusions.—The Open Sea.—Climax of the Journey.—Returning South

The Open Polar Sea.—Width of the Polar Basin.—Boundaries of the Polar Basin.—Polar Currents.—Polar Ice.—The Ice-Belt.—Arctic Navigation and Discovery.—The Russian Sledge Explorations.—Wrangel's Open Sea.—Parry's Boat Expedition.—Dr. Kane's Discoveries.—Expansion of Smith Sound.—General Conclusions drawn from my own Discoveries and those of my Predecessors

On Board the Schooner.—Review of the Journey.—The Return down Kennedy Channel.—A Severe March in a Snow-Storm.—Rotten Ice.—Effects of a Gale.—Returning through the Hummocks.—The Dogs breaking down.—Adrift on a Floe at Cairn Point.—The Open Water compels us to take to the Land.—Reaching the Schooner.—Projecting a Chart.—The New Sound.—My Northern Discoveries

Inspection of the Schooner.—Method of Repairing.—The Serious Nature of the Injury.—The Schooner unfit for any further Ice-Encounters.—Examination of my Resources.—Plans for the Future

The Arctic Spring.—Snow disappearing.—Plants show Signs of Life.—Return of the Birds.—Change in the Sea.—Refitting the Schooner.—The Esquimaux.—Visit to Kalutunah.—Kalutunah's Account of the Esquimau Traditions.—Hunting-Grounds contracted by the Accumulation of Ice.—Hardships of their Life.—Their Subsistence.—The Race dwindling away.—Visit to the Glacier.—Re-survey of the Glacier.—Kalutunah catching Birds.—A Snow-Storm and a Gale.—The Mid-day of the Arctic Summer

The Arctic Summer.—The Flora.—The Ice dissolving.— A Summer Storm of Rain, Hail, and Snow.—The Terraces.—Ice Action.—Upheaval of the Coast.—Geological Interest of Icebergs and the Land-Ice.—A Walrus Hunt.—The "Fourth."—Visit to Littleton Island.—Great Numbers of Eider-Ducks and Gulls.—The Ice breaking up.—Critical Situation of the Schooner.—Taking Leave of the Esquimaux.—Adieu to Port Foulke

Leaving Port Foulke.—Effort to reach Cape Isabella.—Meet the Pack and take Shelter at Littleton Island.—Hunting.—Abundance of Birds and Walrus.—Visit to Cairn Point.—Reaching the West Coast.—View from Cape Isabella.—Plans for the Future.—Our Results.—Chances of reaching the Polar Sea discussed.—The Glaciers of Ellesmere Land

Leaving Smith Sound.—Crossing the North Water.—Meeting the Pack.—The Sea and Air teeming with Life.—Remarkable Refraction.—Reaching Whale Sound.—Surveying in a Boat.—The Sound traced to its Termination.—Meeting Esquimaux at Iteplik.—Habits of the Esquimaux.—Marriage Ceremony.—The Decay of the Tribe.—View of Barden Bay.—Tyndall Glacier

Homeward Bound.—Entering Melville Bay.—Encounter with a Bear.—Meeting the Pack.—Making the "South Water."—Reaching Upernavik.—The News.—To Goodhaven.—Liberality of the Danish Government and the Greenland Officials.—Driven out of Baffin Bay by a Gale.—Crippled by the Storm and forced to take Shelter in Halifax.—Hospitable Reception.—Arrival in Boston.—Realize the State of the Country.—The Determination.—Conclusion