PDF Summary:In the Kingdom of Ice, by Hampton Sides

In the late 19th century, reaching the North Pole was an alluring obsession for nations seeking to stake claims in the uncharted Arctic. In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides tracks the ill-fated Jeannette expedition, funded by eccentric newspaper tycoon James Gordon Bennett Jr. to attain the glory of being first to conquer the pole.

The experienced Captain George De Long led his crew through treacherous conditions aboard the Jeannette, hoping to unlock mysteries and prove theories about a warm, navigable ocean at the Arctic's center. But the expedition became a nightmarish tale of survival when the ship was destroyed by ice, leaving De Long and his men stranded hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement with little hope of rescue.

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During the prolonged Arctic winter, the crew of the Jeannette demonstrated remarkable endurance.

The pervasive ennui and gloom that seeped into their daily lives was a challenge for the officers and crew, who discovered that maintaining their usual customs and ceremonies was vital for their survival.

After the ice ensnared their vessel, De Long instituted a regimen of Arctic duties aimed at preserving morale and mental health among the crew members, which encompassed tending to the boilers, documenting meteorological trends and sea depths, pursuing avian and seal prey, conducting scientific inquiries, repairing the often-damaged ship, and partaking in vigorous exercises on the icy surface, including snowshoeing, skating, and football.

The extended periods of ceaseless darkness unveiled the intrinsic characteristics and dispositions of the crew members. Melville, the engineer, showcased his exceptional mechanical skills by inventing solutions to various challenges. Nindemann, having previously faced the trials of the Polaris expedition, proved to be the crew's most adaptable and inventive individual, particularly well-equipped for the cold surroundings. The reporter associated with the Herald, who initially shared a positive relationship with De Long, gradually fell out of favor due to his loquaciousness and penchant for humor, both of which annoyed De Long and his crew.

Captain De Long guided his team through the frozen maritime expanses.

The ship's exploration of previously unknown areas resulted in the discovery of Jeannette and Henrietta Islands, thereby disproving Petermann's hypothesis of a transpolar continent.

The crew, ensnared by the ice, were subject to the capricious currents of the sea, enduring a tortuous and often circuitous route that saw them revisiting the same frozen landmarks, while generally being carried northwestward. In early 1880, De Long embarked with his team on a journey to navigate the previously unexplored regions of the Arctic, pushing beyond the boundaries of earlier expeditions to areas where no human had set foot before.

During their voyage, they encountered two islands that had not been mapped before; De Long named the first one Jeannette Island and the larger one was designated as Henrietta Island. Sides details these discoveries, focusing on the exploration and dangers faced by Melville and his small landing party during their sojourn on Henrietta. As the currents carried them mainly northward past Wrangel Island, De Long greatly expanded our knowledge regarding the geographical features of the Arctic. He effectively proved that the mysterious Wrangel Land was not connected to any larger landmass, thereby refuting Petermann's hypothesis of a continent spanning the polar area. He recognized the need for substantial updates to the regional cartography.

The disintegration of the hypotheses about a navigable Arctic Ocean and the notion of a temperature-based passage.

De Long commenced a reassessment of his intentions and the practicality of his undertaking.

As the Jeannette navigated the frozen seas for more than twelve months without encountering substantial land or navigable channels, De Long's hope of finding a viable route to the pole began to diminish. He came to the understanding that what he had found might be an ocean, but it was certainly not a navigable one. Skepticism was mounting regarding the reliability of the navigational maps and the hypotheses put forward by Petermann and Maury. The expedition's quest to discover the expected warm-water flows referred to as Kuro Siwo was unsuccessful.

As De Long made his way through the icy terrain, he started questioning not only the significance of his ultimate objective but also his own mental soundness and the fundamental motivations for his quest. His spirits sank. His commitment, coupled with his team's perseverance, may have been directed toward a goal that could have been elusive. Sides depicts De Long's growing apprehension as he weighs the allure of navigating unknown regions against the serious risks associated with moving past known boundaries.

The ultimate fate of the Jeannette.

The ship eventually foundered as it could not withstand the relentless force of the unforgiving ice.

The Jeannette, with its reinforced structure, showcased remarkable resilience while enduring the unyielding pressures of Arctic ice for more than two years. The relentless forces had demanded a severe toll. In early June 1881, after a short period of navigating through clear waters, the vessel was again trapped by ice, which exerted significant torsional and compressive stress on its structure. Despite their exhaustive attempts, Melville and Nindemann were unable to repair the ship's damage.

Sides skillfully portrays the last set of challenges encountered by the vessel. The crew watched as their former home, the ship, was swallowed by the sea amidst the icy wilderness. The ship met its end at a point more than seven hundred miles from the furthest northern reach of the Arctic, at coordinates 77°15' N latitude and 155° E longitude. Their hopes and persistent work, fostered across two years, were rendered futile amidst the tumultuous movements of the frozen waters.

The team embarked on a perilous trek across the icy wilderness.

They hauled their vessels, gear, and supplies across the treacherous frozen landscape towards the Siberian coast.

Jeannette left De Long and his crew of thirty-two marooned, facing a daunting journey of over five hundred miles to the nearest settlement on the Siberian coast. De Long inspired his team, living by his deeply held belief: "Never surrender to hopelessness." He led his team across a treacherous landscape, where the shifting ice and immense formations dictated a journey that stretched close to a thousand miles, made even longer by the need to backtrack frequently to move supplies.

Sides documents the extraordinary voyage characterized by intense hardships. They braved the often extreme chill for twelve-hour stretches each day, transporting three small boats, a substantial amount of stove fuel, sledges, shelters, along with the necessary equipment for scientific research, arms, and enough supplies to last them ninety days. De Long aimed to steer his course to the location where the Lena River splits, taking advantage of its current to approach the coast, where they would then abandon their sleds and gear to hasten their trek upstream in pursuit of shelter.

The enduring pursuit to determine what happened to the lost Jeannette expedition and its lasting impacts.

William Herring spearheaded a terrestrial expedition to pinpoint the precise resting place of the ship known as the Vigilant.

The Corwin's expedition was significantly focused on the search for the Jeannette, highlighting the difficulties and unpredictability involved in exploration within the Arctic's remote areas.

In 1881, due to a mix of societal and familial influences, as well as substantial financial support from a benefactor, three US naval ships were dispatched on a rescue and search operation in the Arctic. Captain Calvin Hooper commanded the Thomas Corwin, which was tasked with searching along the coasts of Alaska and Siberia for the Jeannette.

Sides emphasizes the challenges of unraveling mysteries in the Arctic, an area marked by its profound isolation and limited human presence, by detailing one of the initial assignments undertaken by the Corwin. In 1881, with the onset of spring, Lieutenant William Herring, joined by three American sailors and a team of three Inuit dog sled drivers, embarked on a journey under Hooper's orders to investigate the northeastern seaboard of Siberia, motivated by whispers of two separate maritime disasters. The information collected from the native inhabitants was often contradictory and puzzling, with discrepancies arising from the individual narrators and their possible hidden agendas. Herring returned to the Corwin with various items including saws, an ax, medical supplies, spectacles, and a blade inscribed with a 'V', but the location of the Jeannette remained elusive; Hooper surmised that these objects likely came from a U.S. whaling vessel called Vigilant.

Calvin Hooper set sail on the Corwin in pursuit of De Long.

John Muir was involved in the Corwin's attempts to reach Wrangel Land.

Captain Hooper's primary objective was to reach Wrangel Land. Hooper believed that following De Long's navigational path would likely result in the Jeannette being ensnared by the ice. Toward the end of July, Hooper succeeded in steering his ship into proximity with Herald Island, a small, craggy island situated in an area of the Chukchi Sea known to whalers. Hooper led an exploration team that set out on Herald Island, which included the Scottish naturalist John Muir, who climbed to the summit to examine the ice and to search for Wrangel Island.

The idea of journeying into Herald, a region he thought had never been touched by human presence, thrilled Muir. Sides meticulously chronicles the systematic ascents and detailed investigations of the naturalist, capturing his intense response to the challenging yet magnificent landscape. Hooper and Muir, positioned on Herald Island, observed the mysterious stretch of Wrangel Island as it spread out towards the west. The following month, Hooper sent out a new team to meticulously explore Wrangel Island in search of any indications or stone markers that could imply the presence of the Jeannette. In the autumn season, after his unsuccessful expedition, Hooper returned to San Francisco and announced the vanishing of the Jeannette.

Melville faced numerous obstacles as he journeyed across Siberia.

Melville played a crucial role in discovering De Long's final campsite and was pivotal in recovering the Jeannette's documents, while also preserving De Long's legacy.

The Jeannette's chief engineer, George Melville, gained recognition as the expedition's hero. With his exceptional mechanical skills and unwavering stamina, he led his team of ten across the Laptev Sea, ultimately securing their survival by reaching a channel leading to the Lena River's delta. Upon his arrival in Yakutsk and as he proceeded south, the governor-general of the city greeted Melville warmly, providing complete assistance and the essential supplies to help him in the quest to find his lost comrades.

In January 1882, while the remaining survivors headed south towards Irkutsk seeking milder weather conditions, Melville charted a path north in an attempt to locate De Long's camp. Sides narrates Melville's challenging journey into the icy stretches of the Lena delta, where, following Nindemann's maps, he located De Long, Ambler, and Ah Sam on an elevated stretch of riverbank, while the other seven of the group were found nearby, gathered around a fire pit. Melville adeptly employed his woodworking skills to construct a memorial and raise a pyramidal marker over the frosty interment location.

The enduring legacy and cultural impact that stemmed from the voyage of the Jeannette.

The expedition greatly enhanced understanding in the fields of Arctic geography, science, and technology, while its courageous yet doomed mission highlighted the unpredictable and unforgiving nature of the Arctic surroundings.

The expedition aboard the Jeannette, aimed at conquering the North Pole, ended tragically, failing to achieve its primary goal and resulting in many fatalities. The venture was certainly not unsuccessful. The survivors' journey back to the United States contributed significantly to the world's understanding of the Arctic through their scientific discoveries, detailed journals, weather data, and natural history specimens. The expedition aboard the Jeannette almost managed to validate the presence of a vast, unbroken ice layer covering the polar basin through their precise observations. The journey of the Jeannette through the icy western terrain reinforced the belief among whalers that the polar ice was in constant motion. After their voyage, a number of whaling ships, spurred by their newfound understanding, traversed the icy waters again, with some managing to circumvent Wrangel Island and reach the spot where the ship had met its end.

While the expedition failed to confirm a passable maritime route at the North Pole, Sides emphasizes that its discoveries, along with those of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, signaled the dawn of a more systematic approach to polar exploration, moving away from speculation and romantic notions, acknowledging the overwhelming and often insurmountable power of the Arctic ice. The voyage of the Jeannette underscored the significance of strong leadership, inventive approaches, and unwavering dedication to discipline and collective accountability, especially in the face of considerable challenges.