Within the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Horrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette

New York Instances 
bestselling writer Hampton Sides returns with a white-knuckle story of polar exploration and survival within the Gilded Age


Within the late nineteenth century, folks had been obsessed by one of many final unmapped areas of the globe: the North Pole. Nobody knew what existed past the fortress of ice rimming the northern oceans, though theories abounded. The foremost cartographer on the earth, a German named August Petermann, believed that heat currents sustained a verdant island on the prime of the world. Nationwide glory would fall to whoever may plant his flag upon its shores.

James Gordon Bennett, the eccentric and stupendously rich proprietor of 
The New York Herald, had not too long ago captured the world’s consideration by dispatching Stanley to Africa to seek out Dr. Livingstone. Now he was eager to re-create that sensation on an much more epic scale. So he funded an official U.S. naval expedition to achieve the Pole, selecting as its captain a younger officer named George Washington De Lengthy, who had gained fame for a rescue operation off the coast of Greenland. De Lengthy led a crew of 32 males deep into uncharted Arctic waters, carrying the aspirations of a younger nation burning to turn into a world energy. On July 8, 1879, the USS 
Jeannette set sail from San Francisco to cheering crowds within the grip of “Arctic Fever.”

The ship sailed into uncharted seas, however quickly was trapped in pack ice. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the hull was breached. Amid the frenzy of water and the shrieks of breaking wood boards, the crew deserted the ship. Lower than an hour later, the 
Jeannette sank to the underside,and the lads discovered themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with solely the barest provides. Thus started their lengthy march throughout the countless ice—a frozen hell in essentially the most lonesome nook of the world. Going through all the things from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and frosty labyrinths, the expedition battled insanity and hunger as they desperately strove for survival.

With twists and turns worthy of a thriller, 
In The Kingdom of Ice is a spellbinding story of heroism and dedication in essentially the most unforgiving territory on Earth.

E-book version contains over a dozen additional photos