Name/Title
Greeley expedition of 1884 souvenir, 1916Entry/Object ID
2011.009Description
Diorama of Greely camp
Written on the side : "Souvenirs from Artic region / read the other side of the box framed October 25, 1916 by / James H. Dow."
Written along the back: "Souvenirs of the Greely relief expedition to the Artic Region / in search of and the rescue of the survivors at Greely party / The United States Government selected vessels, three on [?] river, / the Thetis, Bear and Alert. The Bear, being the first to equip left / New York on April 24, 1884 at 330 p.m. / on June 22 at 3 oclk p.m. / the survivors seven in number, namely, Leuit. Greely, and sergeants / Brainard, Frederick[e], Long, Hospital Steward Bierderbick, and / Surgeon Ellison, with Private Connell were found sheltered in a / tent, which was secured in place by heavy stones. They had dried / seal skin, their only sunsistence [sic], and the supply was nearly / exhausted. These enclosed souvenirs were given me on the return / of the fleet to Portsmouth by Carpenter Joseph Fletcher of the Bear. / The stones are fragments, broken from larger ones that held the tent / in place, and the piece of seal skin was cut from the scant supply that / remains. The Relief vessels, with the Artic Survivors arrived at / Portsmouth, Lower Harbor, at an early hour in forenoon of Friday / August 1st 1884 - but it was 2 oclk PM when they [?] to anchorage / view Clarks island. Having seen the fleet at the harbor, from / belfry of the North Church, I sent word to sail maker James Wingate / and at 1230 we rode down to the fleet in my boat Monitor - off Fort Constitution we waited the incoming vessels - and just as the Bear dropped anchor Wingate and myself climbed aboard. / The officer of the deck politely informed us / that no visitors could / be allowed on the fleet, and we retired at once, but we were the first / persons to board any of the fleet on its arrival. - James H. Dow"Acquisition
Accession
2011.009Source or Donor
Mrs. James DowAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Gift of Mrs. James Dow