The Great White North / The story of polar exploration from the earliest times to the discovery of the pole

by Helen S. Wright

Captain G. S. Nares, F. R. S.

By permission of The Illustrated London News.

CAPTAIN GEORGE S. NARES, F. R. S.

The British north polar expedition of 1875 comprised the Alert, a seventeen-gun sloop, and the Discovery, originally a Dundee whaler. Under the supervision of the Admiral Superintendent of the Dockyard at Portsmouth (Sir Leopold M’Clintock) these ships were completely overhauled, reënforced, and admirably outfitted for the service expected of them. Each vessel was supplied with nine boats of various sizes, especially constructed for service in Arctic waters. Great care was exercised in selection of officers and men; and their social, moral, and physical qualifications were strictly inquired into. To Captain George S. Nares, F. R. S., was intrusted the command of the expedition, and Commander Albert H. Markham was placed second in command.

Commander A. H. Markham

By permission of The Illustrated London News.

On the afternoon of May 29, 1875, the vessels steamed out of Portsmouth harbour. At Spithead the squadron was joined by the Valorous, which accompanied the ships as far as Disco. After a stormy but uneventful voyage the expedition stood off some distance from Cape Farewell June 25. On the 27th, a falling temperature and a peculiar light blink along the horizon gave due notice of the immediate proximity of the ice.

The weather being thick and foggy, extra precautions were taken to avoid collision with any icebergs. The following morning, the high, bold, snow-capped hills near Cape Desolation were sighted. Seals were now seen basking lazily on the ice, and birds common to these regions hovered round the ships, awakening the echoes with their gladsome cries. On July 1, the little Danish settlement of Fiskernaes was passed, and later that of Godthaab. On July 4, the Arctic circle was crossed, and two days afterwards the expedition was safely landed in the bay of Lievely, off Godhaven; the Inspector and inhabitants giving a warm and hearty welcome. Stores were now taken aboard from the Valorous, and every preparation made to plunge into the frozen north, and meet the experiences of a long period of enforced isolation.

A dense fog soon necessitated making the ships fast to icebergs to await a more favourable opportunity of advancing.