The source of each quotation in this book is indicated below. The citation provides the first words of the quotation and its document source. The sources are listed in the bibliography.
The following abbreviations are used:
Ambler (Gatewood: The Private Journal of James Markham Ambler, M.D.)
Court (Proceedings of a Court of Inquiry …)
Lena (Melville: In the Lena Delta)
Lost (Newcomb: Our Lost Explorers)
NYH (New York Herald)
Voyage (De Long: The Voyage of the Jeannette, Volumes 1 and 2)
Wife (E. De Long: Explorer’s Wife)
“Should success crown …”: New York Commercial Advertiser, July 9, 1879, Guttridge, p. 3.
“Awful Calamity …” and “Not one word …”: NYH, November 9, 1874.
“the heroism of …”: Wife, p. 88.
“tossed and tumbled”: Voyage 1, p. 21.
“When the gale …”: Ibid., p. 36.
“I felt pretty well …”: Ibid., p. 32.
“was by far …”: Wife, pp. 87–88.
“great seclusion” and “shield him …”: Voyage 1, pp. 1, 2.
“the incessant risks …”: Ibid., p. 3.
“almost uncontrollable …”: Ibid., p. 4.
“To me this …” through “Well, Midshipman …”: Wife, pp. 9–10.
“dashing” and “adventurous spirit”: Ibid., p. 3.
“I feel as though …”: Ibid., p. 26.
“I had as strong …”: Ibid., p. 3.
“My childhood …”: Ibid., p. 13.
“armchair rover”: Guttridge, p. 39.
“The central area …”: Ibid., p. 40.
“worth his weight …”: Hoehling, p. 16.
“the happiest period …”: Wife, p. 119.
“Requirements for …”: Voyage 1, p. 68.
“Our outfit is …”: Ibid., p. 61.
“I have been …” and “I shan’t be …”: Wife, pp. 159, 160.
“Good-by”: Ibid., p. 163.
“as if I had …”: Ibid., p 173.
“Pull away, men.”: Ibid., p. 163.
“The docks were …” and “Telegraph Hill …”: Ibid., pp. 164, 165.
“he might have …”: Ibid., p. 150.
“He is not only …”: Voyage 1, August 12, 1879, p. 91.
“I have been …”: Wife, p. 172.
“as lovesick …”: Ibid., p. 177.
“I could see …”: Ibid., p. 173.
“If by any mischance …”: Ibid., p. 177.
“Reached this place …”: Ibid., p. 178.
“For the last two …”: Ibid., p. 179.
“he vanished into …”: Ibid., p. 189.
“We observe a …”: Voyage 1, September 4, 1879.
“A clear and pleasant …”: Ibid., September 5, 1879.
“While working along …”: Court, p. 22.
“As far as the …” and “This is a glorious …”: Voyage 1, September 6, 1879.
“The whole pack …”: Ibid., September 10, 1879.
“It is unpleasant …”: Ibid., September 12, 1879.
“It was thought …”: Lena, p. 8.
“no driftwood …”: Voyage 1, September 14, 1879.
“Herald Island will …”: Ibid.
“floe rats”: Danenhower, p. 16.
“is very distant.”: Voyage 1, September 19, 1879.
“We are securely …”: Ibid., September 20, 1879.
“Our position was …”: Danenhower, pp. 6–7.
“At three P. M….”: Voyage 1, October 3, 1879.
“At ten A. M….”: Ibid., October 5, 1879.
“We have now …”: Ibid., October 17, 1879.
“[Alexey] and myself …”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“Visions of pie …”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“a ten-cent plate …”: Lena, p. 41.
“superior to any …”: Voyage 1, November 6, 1879.
“beginning at a …”: Ibid., March 16, 1880.
“As coal is …”: Ibid., September 21, 1879.
“Melville has made …”: Ibid., December 9, 1879.
“scooped up two …”: Ibid., March 26, 1880.
“There can be …”: Ibid., June 21, 1880.
“Here, Ninky …”: Wife, p. 175.
“very buoyant …”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“These were the …”: Ibid.
“Natural History is …”: Voyage 1, May 17, 1880.
“Remove those birds.”: De Long, quoted in Hoehling, p. 53.
Jeannette’s Winter Schedule: Ibid., p. 50.
“Ice is in motion …”:NYH, May 7, 1882.
“Were it not for …”: Voyage 1, December 4, 1879.
“The necessary …”: Ibid., December 9, 1879.
“Christmas Day!”: Ibid., December 25, 1879.
“and Alexey gave …” and “the crew seemed …”: Voyage 1, December 25, 1879.
“Arctic turkey”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“Our men had …” through “When, the performance …”: Voyage 1, January 1, 1880.
“One day soon …”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“This morning …”: Voyage 1, January 5, 1880.
“The carpenters …”: Ibid., January 13, 1880.
De Long’s scissors
“but this horrible …”: Voyage 1, January 15, 1880.
“I know of no …”: Ibid., November 11, 1879.
“The ice was …” and “groaning and grinding”: Ibid., January 19, 1880.
“With light hearts …” and “The temperature …”: Lena, p. 13.
“Time meant …”: Ibid., p. 14.
“As fast as he …”: Voyage 1, January 19, 1880.
“as hard-working …”: Wife, p. 176.
“for men cannot …”: Voyage 1, January 19, 1880.
“We do not gain …”: Ibid., January 20, 1880.
“Pumping by hand …”: Ibid., February 5, 1880.
“the reappearance …”: Ibid., January 26, 1880.
“At last we have …”: Ibid., February 13, 1880.
“Verily, all …”: Ibid., February 15, 1880.
“wretchedly wet …”: Ibid., January 23, 1880.
“All our hoped …”: Ibid., February 19, 1880.
“triumphant news”: NYH, July 31, 1880.
“the silly prophesies” and “perfectly confident …”: Wife, pp. 191–92.
“The Herald’s …”: Ibid., p. 192.
“letters to nowhere”: Ibid., p. 190.
“I am well …”: Ibid., p. 191.
“They did not go …”: Chicago Tribune, February 18, 1880.
“Danenhower had …”: Voyage 1, March 1, 1880.
“Although the sun …”: Ibid., April 6, 1880.
“From aloft the …”: Ibid., April 18, 1880.
“They seem perfectly …”: Voyage 1, June 23, 1880.
“much to the disgust …” and “We skinned him …”: Ibid., October 29, 1879.
“premature demise”: Voyage 2, December 21, 1880, p. 494.
“came up from …” through “Ordinarily they …”: Ibid., March 6, 1881, pp. 523–24, 525.
“Chipp observed …”: Voyage 1, April 30, 1880.
“Each day finds …”: Ibid., May 7, 1880.
“As to there being …”: Ibid., June 3, 1880.
“A day of almost …”: Ibid., July 10, 1880.
“winding and intricate”: Voyage 1, August 22, 1880.
“Is this always …” through “It is hard to …”: Ibid., August 17, 1880.
“which obliged me …” through “Lesson for me …”: Ibid., August 22, 1880.
“Shall we be …” and “In six additional …”: Ibid., August 29, 1880.
“A cheerless and …”: Voyage 2, September 2, 1880, p. 444.
“One year in …”: Ibid., September 5, 1880, p. 445.
“At six A. M….”: Ibid., October 5, 1880, pp. 466–67.
“The snow would …”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“dull and heavy …”: Voyage 2, November 28, 1880, p. 491.
“a general want …”: Ibid., November 3, 1880, p. 482.
“I am very much …”: Ibid., September 19, 1880, pp. 454–55.
“Pemmican, bread …”: Ibid., October 5, 1880, p. 467.
“poetical”: Voyage 1, November 30, 1879.
“Imagine a moon …”: Voyage 2, October 16, 1880, p. 472.
“we may feel …”: Brooks, Scientific Inferences, p. 7.
“The day was made …”: Voyage 2, December 25, 1880, p. 496.
“Melville and Dunbar …”: Ibid., January 1, 1881, pp. 501–2.
“One year ago …”: Ibid., January 19, 1881, p. 505.
“This year we …”: Ibid., February 5, 1881, pp. 514–15.
“Another instance of …”: Ibid., February 24, 1881, p. 521.
“This was our …”: Lena, p. 15.
“The medical examination …”: Voyage 2, March 1, 1881, p. 523.
“LAND! There is …”: Ibid., May 16, 1881, pp. 544–45, 546.
“thrown into chaotic …”: Lost, p. 114.
“there was no …”: and “The thermometers …”: Lena, p. 17.
“It was cruel …” through “and made no …”: Ibid., p. 18.
“The condition of …”: Ibid., p. 17.
“the island at length …” and “great bodies of ice …”: Ibid., p. 19.
“a dash for …”: Ibid., p. 20.
“We waded and …”: Ibid., p. 21.
“What next? The …”: Voyage 2, June 1, 1881, pp. 558–59.
“Our lead invalids …”: Ibid., June 2, 1881, p. 560.
“Nothing yet …”: Ibid., June 3, 1881, p. 561.
“Who shot the …”: Lena, p. 16.
“What use is it …”: Voyage 2, June 1, 1881, p. 560.
“which nestled …”: Lena, p. 22.
“and dragged the …” and “From this time on …”: Ibid., p. 23.
“Poor Nindemann …” through “Nindemann laughed …”: Ibid., p. 24.
“crash! …” and “Stunned and …”: Voyage 2, June 5, 1881.
“Well done …”: Lena, p. 25.
“Thank God, we …”: Voyage 2, June 5, 1881, p. 566.
“We were all …”: Lena, p. 27.
“Lanes and openings …”: Voyage 2, June 6, 1881, p. 567.
“We are leaving …”: Ibid., June 8, 1881, p. 569.
“At four P. M….”: Ibid., June 11, 1881, p. 573.
“jumped from …”: Lost, p. 306.
“Well, what do …” and “She will either …”: Lena, p. 28.
“Preparations had …”: Ibid., p. 29.
“In fact …”: Court, p. 92.
“Good by …”: Lena, p. 30.
“beside the contents …”: Voyage 2, June 12, 1881, p. 578.
“There she goes …”: Court, p. 93.
“everybody seems …”: Voyage 2, June 12, 1881, p. 578.
“tend to their …”: Ibid., June 13, 1881, p. 579.
“honest Jacks”: Lena, p. 31.
“And here we …” and “And thankful …”: Ibid., pp. 30–31.
“The clouds lifted …”: Muir, p. 77.
“Of course …”: Ibid., p. 33.
“may get somewhere”: Voyage 2, June 17, 1881, p. 590.
“The clothing …”: Ibid., June 15, 1881, p. 584.
“Breakfast …”: Ibid., June 16, 1881, p. 587.
“Call all hands …”: Ibid., p. 586.
“superhuman exertions”: Ibid., June 17, 1881, p. 591.
“Twenty-eight men …”: Ibid., June 18, 1881, p. 594.
“Aided by these …”: Lena, p. 34.
“all hands were …” through “To make one …”: Ibid., pp. 35–36.
“At no time …”: Voyage 2, June 20, 1881, p. 597.
“I hardly had gone …”: Ibid., June 22, 1881, p. 599.
“There is no work …”: Ibid., June 24, 1881, p. 604.
“If we go on …”: De Long, quoted in Guttridge, p. 190.
“out of which …”: Lena, pp. 38, 39.
“I generally get …”: Ambler, July 14, 1881.
“The land stood …”: Lena, p. 42.
“Look!”: Voyage 2, July 28, 1881, p. 675.
“It infused new …”: Lena, p. 43.
“were sweeping past …” through “waded, or jumped …”: Voyage 2, July 28, 1881, pp. 675, 676, 679.
“sunburned, lean …”: Hoehling, p. 98.
“And never were …”: Voyage 2, July 28, 1881, p. 679.
“This is a magnificent …”: Lost, p. 310.
“I notice the …”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“The amount of …”: Voyage 2, August 5, 1881, p. 691.
“the rarest of …”: Ibid., August 6, 1881, p. 693.
“to their utmost …”: Ibid., August 7, 1881, p. 694.
“an excellent sea boat” and “a very bad …”: Danenhower, pp. 59–60.
“From his very …”: Ambler, August 14, 1881.
“Order to Melville….”: Voyage 2, August 7, 1881, pp. 696–97.
“First Cutter. Second …”: Ibid., p. 694.
“the hardest morning’s …”: Ibid., September 4, 1881, p. 732.
“Dimly through …”: Ibid., September 4, 1881, p. 735.
“The night was …”: Lost, p. 318.
“This gave us a …”: Voyage 2, September 10, 1881, p. 746.
“Captain …”: Melville, quoted in Guttridge, p. 213.
“it was the last …”: Lena, p. 61.
“How can we …” through “Take charge!”: attributed to Danenhower, p. 65.
“for dear life”: Leach, quoted in Lost, p. 139.
“It seemed …”: Lena, pp. 63, 64.
“a monstrous …” through “some message …”: Ibid., p. 64.
“saw her far off …” through “I could discern …”: Ibid., p. 65.
“What now?” and “Steer with the …”: attributed to Danenhower, p. 66.
“ran in threes …” and “Lower away!” and “The boat came …”: Ibid., p. 67.
“Everybody did his …”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“I sat at …”: Leach, quoted in Lost, p. 139.
“which induced …”: Lena, p. 72.
“sodden and spongy”: Lena, p. 83.
“We were wet …”: NYH, May 7, 1882.
“we speculated …”: Lena, p. 78.
“probably in a …”: Danenhower, p. 71.
“roamed all over …”: Lena, p. 75.
“as if millions …”: Danenhower, p. 72.
“Bitterly we …”: Melville, quoted in Guttridge, p. 235.
“to meet the …” and “to open up …”: Lena, p. 88.
“In stature they …”: Lost, p. 323.
“Cushat, cushat” through “pomree”: Lena, pp. 89, 91.
“could barely …”: Ibid., p. 97.
“the dirty, crumpled …” and “Arctic steamer …”: Ibid., p. 144.
“a nervous …”: Ambler, September 18, 1881.
“The following named …”: Voyage 2, September 19, 1881, p. 756.
“hobbled along …” and “Every one of us …”: Ibid., September 20, 1881, p. 757.
“look very bad …”: Ambler, September 27, 1881.
“I cannot go …”: attributed to Nindemann, Court, p. 180.
“no man will be …”: Ambler, September 28, 1881.
“concluded that …” through “The darkest …”: Voyage 2, September 21, 1881, pp. 763, 764, 765.
“Meat free from …”: Ibid., September 23, 1881, p. 767.
“as a surprise …”: Ibid., September 24, 1881.
“and the dog”: Ibid., September 26, 1881, p. 770.
“Saved again!”: Ibid., September 27, 1881, p. 771.
“I had nothing …” and “I saw some toes …”: Court, p. 188.
“departed this life …”: Voyage 2, October 6, 1881, p. 790.
“The seaman’s grave …”: attributed to Nindemann, Court, p. 191.
“In Memory”: Voyage 2, October 6, 1881, p. 791.
“Peace to his soul.”: Ambler, October 6, 1881.
“Nindemann, do you …” and “He told me…”: attributed to Nindemann, Court, p. 191.
“get over ground …”: Hoehling, p. 129.
“If you find …”: attributed to Nindemann, Court, p. 194.
“a high, conical …”: Lost, p. 137.
“Eat deerskin …”: Voyage 2, October 10, 1881, pp. 795, 796.
“S. W. gale …”: Ibid., October 11, 1881, p. 796.
“For dinner …”: Ibid., October 12, 1881.
“We are in the …”: Ibid., October 13, 1881.
“Exhaustion from …”: Ambler, October 18, 1881.
“prayers for …”: Voyage 2, October 21, 1881, p. 797.
“Suffering in …”: Ibid., October 23, 1881, p. 800.
“A hard night”: Ibid., October 24, 1881.
“Noros now and …”: Court, p. 198.
“that we were …”: Noros, quoted in Lost, p. 135.
“This was always …”: Court, p. 201.
“a lot of huts …” and “commandant”: Court, p. 208.
“At Bulun we …”: Noros, quoted in Lost, p. 135.
“dirty and miserable” and “On the evening of …”: Court, p. 210.
“Hello, Noros …”: Ibid., p. 211.
“Both were so …”: Lena, p. 165.
“vigorous and constant …”: Melville, quoted in Guttridge, p. 261.
“Soak, soak” through “Cushat soak”: Lena, pp. 184, 185.
“They explained …”: Melville, quoted in Hoehling, p. 141.
“And after they …”: Ibid., p. 139.
“I was now so …”: Lena, p. 188.
“deer bones with …”: Ibid., p. 187.
“until I found …”: Melville, quoted in Guttridge, p. 264.
“The natives were …”: Lena, p. 221.
“Omit no …”: Ibid., p. 276.
“off the record”: Guttridge, p. 273.
“Commander De Long …”: Ibid., p. 274.
“If George was …”: Wife, p. 205.
“It seems so …”: Ibid., p. 276.
De Long’s whistle was useful for getting the crew’s attention.
“entirely misled me”: Ibid., p. 206.
“raised false hopes”: Bennett, quoted in Guttridge, p. 275.
“After cleaving her …”: Hoehling, p. 147.
“All this forms …”: Wife, p. 206.
“To the southward …”: Lena, p. 284.
“I caught sight …” and “He lay on …”: Ibid., p. 331.
“Mr. Collins dying”: Voyage 2, October 30, 1881, p. 800.
“There he kept …”: Lena, p. 335.
“I write these lines …”: Ambler, pp. 58–59.
“he firmly believed …” and “No doubt the …”: Wife, p. 219.
“I have found …”: Hoehling, p. 167.
“We want Melville!”: New York Times, September 14, 1882.
“It was as if …”: Wife, p. 220.
“I will stand …”: Melville, quoted in Ibid., p. 225.
“I feel that …”: Melville, quoted in Lost, p. 476.
“On the day …” through “Finally, arriving …”: Lena, pp. 393, 394, 395, 396.
“seems to have been …”: Court, p. 266.
“If men must …”: Melville, quoted in Guttridge, p. 328.