A Diary and Journal from the Second Grinnell Expedition

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Pages That Mention Amos Bonsall

Elisha Kent Kane Diary

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Rensselaer Harbour June 8th

Sunday June 4

Brig Advance now frozen in quarters Rensselaer Harbour June 8th

Officers
E. K. Kane. Convalescent from Scurvy & Fever.
James McGeary Well
Henry Brooks Amputated toe - Scurvy
Christian Ohlsen Well
Amos Bonsall Well Scurvy in knee.
I. I. Hayes M.D. Well Opthalmia
J. W. Wilson Amputated toe - Scurvy
Henry Goodfellow On sick list
Crew
George Riley Well
George Stephenson Scurvy & Inf. of Heart
Thomas Hickey Scurvy & Anemia
William Godfrey On sick list
John Blake On sick list
George Whipple Well Anemic
William Morton Well Anemic
Hans Hendrick Well
E. K. Kane.
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overflowing with satisfied caress and affection — They went off straightaway and robbed the boat.

I fear for my Life Boats.

It pains me to have to recond the fact of the absent or withdrawing party having - contrary to my uniformly enjoined caution and in this case urgent request, robbed the hut of Esquimaux [?], of all its meat and blubber. Mr. Bonsall and Stephensen took it by order I believe of Petersen. (See Riley's Report) May it not be that the Esquimaux who left us, reaching [their?] hut cold and hungry and finding neither materials for food or fire, retaliated upon our boat?

Completed Buffalo Skin Bag, made up for Reindeer hunting of the [tallow?] fragments of the stolen skin, recently recovered. Our bulk head aft gets on well.

Tuesday Sept. 19

Scurvy increasing! Fitted out a small hunting kit for Hans & Ohlsen. They leave early tomorrow morning — All hands hauling moss. The new allowance improves [Henry Brooks|Mr. Brooks.

Wednes, Sept. 20

The natives act up to their recent contract of friendship. I started with our inland hunting party this morning There are signs of a gale outside — Mean temperature of day —.02 Below Zero for the entire 24 hours!! This is September with a vengeance.

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were undecided as to their course, one tired man left them he is now my third officer [*+ Riley*] but the rest either urged on by the sanguine conviction of the others or by a false shame pushed on. They found the water free between [Hackluyt?] and our own Capes, and after entering the same ice which baffled my own attempt a month earlier, urged their way until return was impossible by the 21st of Sept only twenty five days after their withdrawal from the Expedition they were arrested by the ice.

The horrors of the coming winter then stared them in the face. They could not now retrace their steps and all attempts at a land journey to our brig were fruitless. Godfrey and John, my two desperados broke out into absolute defiance of restraint eating and acting as they pleased. They could not even allowance the provisions, and starvation was before them. Under these circumstances this wretched little party formed two divisions or messes, the good and the bad or rather the better and the worse. A hut was built and one of the boats burnt for fuel. They were nearly two hundred miles to the South of our own position and had of course a longer sun and milder weather. Here they lived, living from hand to mouth, and waiting for the iron [winter?] to bridge their return to the commander they had abandoned.

Several efforts were made but want of unity among themselves and trouble in dealing with the natives brought failure and it was not until Dec. 1 that Mr. Petersen & Bonsall effected

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These men can never be my associates again. Hayes has more stuff in him he is in love too, with me a vast extenuator of every abomination. Petersen is a double faced mischief maker, able to walk 250 miles over an arctic waste but unable to travel 50 during two years of service. He was paid in full when he left the brig.

All my attention and time taken in organizing the second mess. John & Godfrey being outlawed by their late associates have to each by themselves, but all shall be made equally comfortable. The party generally are full of thanks.

Received a letter from Messrs Hayes Bonsall and Sonntag expressive of their confidence in my direction their trust in me & my generosity for final escape from the trials which surround us and desiring to be received under my command.

De facto as inmates of my ship they were such already, but deeming it essential that a decided subordination should exist, I granted their request, but with the understanding that it in no wise implied a renewal of their old employments and occupations. This reply was given orally but entered in the log of this date.

They shall be employed upon no duties connected with the Expedition, but contribute to their daily routine of mess so as not to tax my own people. In fact such is the feeling of these latter [?] that I am

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our mattresses or bedding. The approaching cold will remedy this. Our floor is damp from the conducted warmth of the sea water below melting its ice, it will [re]freeze back into dryness.

Among my plans of improvement, which [if Mr. Bonsall and myself holding] working in health [I hope] I only want one man beside myself in working health to complete before the close of another week are - 1. The introduction of window sash and glass over the roof and southern side of our galley house 2. The manufacture of large specula of Daguerreotype plates tacked togeher over a wooden screen by which we can convey the the rays of the low sun to our cliff shaded brig and thence down into the cabin. 3. Beside [The introduction] of a mass of sunshine into our present den of misery. The complete recleansing and chlorination (Labrague's Cl- of Sodium) of our bunks lookout and stow holes. 4. The adaptation of a full draught pipe to our "smokey stove. 5. The thorough airing of our beds. — [will I firmly believe, aided by Quinine, Iron, and Providence make a rally.]

I don't speak here slightingly of Providence. Call it by what name you please we are all, [I-, am] sensible of a care which comes in at moments of crisis to show that we are watched I'll never sneer again at the idea of a supervision - . Whatever be the agency - I feel its existence with gratitude and trust. Be it a natural law, the waking of an organic system of probabilities, or a great superintending supremacy, it is nothing to me. The superstition of acknowledging such a an intervention will not

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