A Diary and Journal from the Second Grinnell Expedition

Rensselaer Harbour June 8th

Sunday June 4

Brig Advance now frozen in quarters Rensselaer Harbour June 8th

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of my little family are seated in a kind and even lovable manner around our fire.

Just as we were sitting down to our usual Sunday's Chapter in the Bible McGeary and Morton returned pretty well worn out by a journey of at least 70 miles. They brought with them a flipper of walrus weighing in beef, bone, and blubber about 40 lbs, and we soon gave them a welcome over a cheering supper.

We had hardly taken our seats before the deck watch announced Ohlsen and Hans, our former which I had [illegible] hunting party [illegible] returning after five nights on the snow. Save Goodfellow every one of our little party was again aboard. Prayers were read our seal oil lamp of [posterity?] substituted for the smoking [slush?], a half wine glass of gin served out, Extra walrus steaks put upon the gridiron and we all sat down a trusting little party to eat and be filled.

The table talk, brought with sharp clearness before me the wild life we lead. Here had one party made seventy four miles by dogs in two days and another one hundred and sixty on foot in five days. The therm throughout measuring below zero and neither Company having any other night shelter than the Buffalo Bag. I brought [?] of the reward of all this toil Three Rabbits, two Ptarmagan & 40 [lbs] of walrus beef and composed mentally our condition with that of the dear people at home.

So Wed am I [?] hard bivouacks and long marched that it seems a mere walk to make my 60 miles in the snow. The country, if thus the wild range of ice

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that the snow wont lay and it piles up over the land ice like haystacks. I pity them that's out on the floe. He thought poor fellow of the companions whose selfish fears had made them abandon their trust, and in whose ranks he came so near being. I was thinking of Goodfellow our one child never able to take care of himself and now perhaps a second time adrift among the hills.

So they eat on telling their stories and I listening and questioning — for we have no formal reports now — and from McGeary I gathered this.

He and Morton had sledged along the ice food completely around "the reach" and made "the Huts" by ten o'clo that night. The natives were three in number, Otuniah & [his son] the elfish Myosu, the third unknown a stranger. Myosu who had been a prisoner for stealing and at this moment was an escaped hostages, held in pawn for a certain amount of walrus beef by way of indemnity for the destroyed boat, feared greatly lest they had come after him. When however he found by McGearys expressive pantomime that he was a simple visitor, and as such a claimant for the same hospitali=ty which we had so often extended to them the entire character of the savage seemed to undergo a change he appeared in a new aspect, a different & hardly recognizable phase of the same brutal thief Myosu.

Morton and McGeary, although

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Monday Oct 16

To day the after shoring commenced, a score was cut into the sheathing on either quarter and strong wooded cleets bolted transversely above it to receive the head of the shores. McGeary had to forge these bolts out of the iron framing girders of the galley House. Cold work at -20°.

At these temperatures we have to drive the bolts while hot as the cold would [?wise] splinter them like glass. I have now in my possession a well wrought bolt head, 3/4 in in diam and which had stood the heavy wrenching of Aug 1853. ~ proving its freedom from flaw - Clearly splintered off by the heel of a boot. The temperature being at the time 56 below zero. Even with our present temperatures the carpenter has suffered greatly with his chisels and other tools.

Morton is still out.

Tuesday Oct 17.

Last night Mr. Willon and our sight seer Thomas Hickey reported a wolf at the meat house. I went out the therm at -24°. Mittenless and with a single cartridge in the Marston rifle. After a vain search my hands burning from contact with the metal, I saw a black animal runing from me at long shot. By a rare good fortune my ball fired in the darkness gave but a slight flesh wound for the poor thing turned out to be one of our best dogs, escaped from Mortons team.

The work of lifting the stern continued. One part of the chain sling was passed amidships, and the brig released from the ice by the axe & saw. Cold work! Mr. Wilson no better.

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decking and bulwarks - and the dark night is just commencing. I've burnt all your light fancy work shelves and lockers and bulkheads- and we are only at -40°. Sixty is ahead of us. We only freeze mercury now. We have yet to freeze chloroform.

As I went on churning my brains I rudely coagulated that which may come to butter. It is nothing but some milk now. I 'am going to attempt a set of [convoluted] smoke tubes of tin which are to open horizontally, Franklin Peale fashion into the Old Stove pipe. Here I collect and retain our heat and after tormenting it into a state of coolness part company with it by a scape valve (over) through the (Booby)Hatch (main Hatch). This great work will require all the tin pans coffee pots and iron hoops, all the skill, labour, copper nails, and confidence which remain by the Brig Advance. We start tomorrow.

Examined and rebuilt traps no Success. The [Forces?] are very scarce.

My people are getting nervous and depressed, poor James McGearyMcGeary in a Sunday fit of home sickness walked the deck all day without supper or dinner. I do my best to cheer them, but it is a hard case to have to hide ones own - perhaps greater - trials by way of giving comfort to those who can neither understand nor appreciate it. I am by association, intercourse, and position utterly cut off from fellowship with my [fellows] comrades, yet going through all the externals of congeniality.