In the Lena Delta; A Narrative of the Search for Lieut. Commander DeLong and His Companions Followed by an Account of the Greely Relief Expedition and a Proposed Method of Reaching the North Pole
Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1885. Very Good Plus. First Edition, 3rd Printing. SIGNED and INSCRIBED by author, [9x6.25in]; xii [2], 497 pp., [8] advertisements, frontispiece of Melville and 15 plates of black and white illustrations, 4 maps, appendices and index; Brown cloth cover with black ink lettering and illustration on front and gilt lettering on spine, coated gray end papers, all edges trimmed; Minimal shelf wear to covers, edges and corners, some small spots on front cover, repair to front hinge, uniform age-toning to text and edges, top edge darken. [Arctic Biblio 11239, Tourville 3075]. Item #14348
George Melville (1841-1912) was a Rear Admiral in the Navy, Naval Engineer and Arctic Explorer. He was on three epic expeditions and this book recounts two of these adventures. In the first 414 pages, Melville relates his experiences in the Jeannette expedition and survival. The last part relates to the Schley 1884 relief expedition of the overdue Adolphus Greeley Lady Franklin Bay expedition. In 1873, Melville gained Arctic experience when he volunteered for duty as chief engineer of USS Tigress for the rescue of 19 survivors on an ice-flow from the Polaris expedition to the North Pole (1871-1873, Charles Francis Hall).
In 1879, he was the chief engineer of the Jeannette expedition through the Bearing Sea (George W. De Long). The 1879-1882 expedition was an attempt to discover the current theory of a warm current of open water to the North Pole and a possible northern continent or large island. The ship was caught in the polar ice pack and drifted nearly two years before it was crushed. De Long and the crew abandoned her, dragging three lifeboats with provisions until they found open water. Intending to reach Siberia, the boats were separated. Melville, in command of one boat, managed to reach the delta of the Lena River and was rescued. De Long's boat also reached the delta 100 km to the west. The remaining boat was lost at sea. Meville was able to find help in native and Russian settlements to supply his men and help search for De Long. De Long's camp was found with no survivors. Melville then led a party to recover records of the Jeannette expedition as well as the remains of De Long and his companions. (inpart from a National Geographic article).
Melville then, in 1884 after recovering from the Jeannette experiences, volunteered to accompany Winfield Scott Schley on the Bear sailing bark to the Arctic of a four ship relief expedition to find and rescue the Aldolphus Greeley Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881-1884 to establish a meteorological observation station on Ellesmere Island. The ice conditions in Baffin Bay had prevented earlier supply and relief ships to reach Ft. Conger after three years. The Schely relief expedition found Greely and six other survivors camped at Cape Sabine from the original 25 men. Melville remained in the U. S. Navy and rose to a Rear Admiral that worked to change the Navy to a steam propulsion until retirement in 1903. In treirement, he continued to advise on propulsion systems.
The inscription reads "To my Good Friend, Mr... S...E....with compliments of the Author, Geo Melville, Rear Admiral USN Retired, Philadelphia Oct 14, 09, "Put not your trust in Primus" "or the sons of men." If you would retain this book do not lend it. G.W.M."
Price: $600.00