THE BEAR EXPEDITION — ARCTIC RELIEF

Gage, Lyman J. (compiler)

Report of the Cruise of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Bear and the Overland Expedition for the Relief of the Whalers in the Arctic Ocean, from November 27, 1897, to September 13, 1898

Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899. First Edition, Thus.
ARCTIC RESCUE — THE CRUISE OF THE U.S. REVENUE CUTTER BEAR
A LANDMARK ARCTIC RELIEF EXPEDITION.
The 1897–1898 voyage of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Bear stands among the most significant Arctic rescue missions of the late nineteenth century. Sent north to locate and relieve whaling crews trapped in the Arctic ice, the expedition combined naval seamanship, overland travel, and polar endurance in one of the most challenging environments on earth.

THE BEAR AND THE WHALERS OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN.
Under the command of Captain Francis Tuttle and with the overland expedition led by First Lieutenant David H. Jarvis, the Bear traveled into the Arctic during the winter months to provide assistance to whalers isolated beyond Point Barrow. The expedition documented the conditions of Arctic communities, whaling stations, vessels, and the difficult logistics required to carry supplies across hundreds of miles of frozen terrain.

DOCUMENTING A CHANGING POLAR WORLD.
This official report provides a detailed account of the cruise, the overland journey, and the relief operations, supported by numerous illustrations and photographic plates. Images record the Revenue Cutter Bear, officers of the expedition, Arctic landscapes, Native Alaskan communities, whaling stations, sled teams, and the environment encountered during the mission.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Illustrated throughout with numerous photographic plates and in-text photographs printed on glossy stock, and complete with the large 25 × 30-inch full-color folding map mounted before the rear endpapers depicting the expedition's route and operational area.. Bound in the publisher's blue pebbled cloth, decorated with a blind-stamped design on the boards and lettered in gilt on the spine.  Octavo; 9 inches tall. iv, 3–143 pages.

CONDITION: Near Fine. The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean with light, even age-toning. Minimal shelf handling wear. The numerous photographic illustrations remain clean and well preserved. The large folding color map is complete, securely attached, and free of tears or notable wear. An unusually well-preserved example with no significant flaws noted to either the volume or the map.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE — EARLY AMERICAN POLAR EXPLORATION.
 Published at the close of the nineteenth century, this report represents an important moment in the development of American Arctic exploration. The Bear expedition demonstrated the increasing role of the United States government in polar regions and preceded the major twentieth-century expeditions that would transform Arctic exploration into a field of scientific and geographic discovery.

OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTATION OF POLAR EXPLORATION.
Issued by the Treasury Department’s Division of Revenue-Cutter Service, this volume combines administrative record, expedition narrative, and visual documentation. It remains an important primary source for the history of Arctic rescue efforts, maritime exploration, whaling history, and the early work of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service.

Subjects: Arctic Exploration, Polar History, U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, U.S. Navy History, Whaling History, Alaska History, Arctic Rescue Expeditions, Maritime History, Nineteenth Century Exploration.

Item #22313

Price: $275.00