Crew Jeannette Expedition

george melville, jeannette s engineer

in selecting crew, de long s priority men arctic experience. second-in-command chose lieutenant charles chipp, had served him on little juniata adventure. veteran of polaris rescue mission, george melville, appointed ship s engineer. other experienced arctic hands william nindemann, polaris survivor, , ice pilot william dunbar, had many years experience in whalers. appointment of expedition s navigating officer problematic; john wilson danenhower, young naval officer well-connected washington family, recommended bennett former president ulysses s. grant. such sponsorship won danenhower place, despite history of depression had seen him briefly incarcerated @ government hospital insane. on bennett s request, danenhower accompanied de long on voyage le havre san francisco, during confided details of medical history. navigator s competent performance persuaded de long such troubles in past.

the ship s surgeon, james ambler, assigned expedition navy s bureau of medicine , surgery, because next on list of medical officers available sea duty. ambler deduced danenhower s medical records probable cause of navigator s medical lapses syphilis, danenhower s influential connections ensured kept place on expedition.

two others jeannette s voyage le havre, carpenter albert sweetman , boatswain john cole, enlisted, herald s meteorologist, jerome collins. dubbed chief scientist , in charge of edison apparatus , of rudimentary telephone system de long hoped utilize. remaining places filled long list of applicants; cook , steward recruited danenhower san francisco s chinatown.