George De Long Jeannette Expedition

george washington de long usn

in july 1873 u.s. navy dispatched uss juniata greenland, search survivors polaris expedition had disintegrated after death of leader, charles francis hall. juniata s second-in-command george de long, 28-year-old graduate of united states naval academy, making first visit arctic. ice conditions prevented juniata advancing beyond upernavik; de long volunteered take ship s tender, small steamer named little juniata, in hope of finding survivors @ cape york, further 400 nautical miles (740 km) north.

the attempt failed; little juniata faced extreme weather conditions, , forced retreat few miles cape york. de long returned juniata in mid-august, having found no trace of polaris crew (who had meanwhile been rescued scottish whaler ravenscraig), experience had profoundly affected outlook. having earlier described greenland coast in letter wife emma dreary land of desolation ... hope may never find myself cast away in such god-forsaken place , returned home captivated arctic. emma later wrote: polar virus in blood , not let him rest .

the abortive little juniata mission brought de long public notice, , saw himself possible leader of next u.s. arctic expedition. approached henry grinnell, philanthropic shipping magnate had funded several previous expeditions. grinnell not prepared offer financial support, instead advising de long approach james gordon bennett jr., owner , publisher of new york herald , known sponsor of bold schemes. de long met bennett in new york in 1874; newspaperman impressed de long, , assured him arctic ambitions have enthusiastic support of herald. in meantime de long had applied navy department arctic command, request informed receive due attention .