The Arctic Grail: The Quest for the Northwest Passage and The North Pole, 1818-1909
by Pierre Berton

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Book Reviews of The Arctic Grail: The Quest for the Northwest Passage and The North Pole, 1818-1909

Book Review: From Parry to Peary
Summary: 5 Stars

For most of the 19th Century, Arctic explorations were dominated by the British. Royal Navy ships, fully manned but inadequately provisioned, skirted or bludgeoned the ice in search of open water. As in North America and Australia, the British assumed an "inner sea" that might link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Berton scorns John Barrow's adherence to the "Open Polar Sea" idea, but it dictated the plans of many British explorers. As Berton shows, the erratic nature of Arctic ice packs lent credence to the concept. Some years vast expanses of open water would appear, only to be sealed off the following year. These varying conditions plagued Passage and Pole pursuers alike.

Berton skims over the 1818 Ross expedition opening the RN's Passage quest to introduce us to William E. Parry. Parry [for whom Ontario tourist centre Parry Sound is named], made three attempts to find the open water leading to the Pacific. Although his efforts reflect a courageous and dedicated officer, the real impact of Parry's voyages resulted from the loss of one of his ships. Ice pressure forced the Fury onto a beach where her stores couldn't be transferred to the other ship. In this location, well known to the Royal Navy, the Fury became a lodestone for lost adventurers seeking supplies.

The ineptness of Royal Navy planners permeates Berton's account. For successive decades the RN continued to send men North to live on salted meat, making them lug huge sleds across the ice, ignoring the recommendations to use dog teams and provide hunters for fresh meat. This stubborn policy condemned countless sailors to miserable deaths in extreme conditions. Men died not from the freezing temperatures, but from the debilitating effects of scurvy. Lemon juice [not the "limey" elixir that led to the appellation applied to British sailors] was an inadequate antiscorbutic - it would freeze on the open sleds and wasn't as effective as fresh meat. Still, the RN persisted in using it.

The key to many Arctic explorations was the inexplicable loss of 129 men and the two ships of the 1845 John Franklin expedition. Franklin's career was beset by ineptness, having been cashiered as Governor of Van Dieman's Land and nearly died during an earlier land expedition. These transgressions were forgiven by the British public and ignored by the Admiralty planners, who were goaded on by Franklin's wife, Jane, for decades. Expeditions by land and sea were mounted, some privately financed by Lady Jane. The explorers learned much about the Arctic, but little truly determined what prompted Franklin's crew to flee the ships.

Berton calls the successive ventures the "Arctic virus," asserting that it most recognized the Northwest Passage as a chimera. That claim is unlikely, since the quest continued into the 20th Century with the Norwegian Raoul Amundsen's successful venture. However impractical the route, due to the vagaries of the ice pack, it remained an aim. Berton moves from the Passage to the more romantic objective of planting a flag at the Pole. The early attempts, including the ill-fated balloon Eagle's venture are vividly described. As every schoolchild "knows" the storm of contention came to centre on two men. Robert Edward Peary and Dr. Frederick Cook were thrown together in a concurrent race to achieve the goal. Berton's analysis of both expeditions makes a worthy finale to this book. Although today, Peary is generally accepted as the man who "stood on the roof of the world," Berton weighs the evidence and finds the award wanting. Americans who haven't read Dennis Rawlins assessment of Peary's account will no doubt be shocked to learn Peary had to have faked his daily travel rates. At best, he stopped 150 kilometres from the goal.

Berton's book is invigorating reading. His highly detailed account is drawn from numerous original journals and later histories. The combination gives him a solid foundation for his narrative, brought to life by his animated prose. The accompanying maps and illustrations enhance each story as it unfolds under his deft touch. A thorough reading list for each chapter provides the bibliography, and the indexing is thorough. Given the expenditure of life, funds and material squandered on these ventures, Berton's effort to portray the complete picture deserves attention and respect. With heroism, persistence, romance all pigments in Berton's portrayal, this book can appeal to nearly everyone.

Summary of The Arctic Grail: The Quest for the Northwest Passage and The North Pole, 1818-1909

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