Elisha Kent Kane
Elisha Kent Kane | |
---|---|
United States of America | |
Branch | United States Navy |
Service years | 1843–1857 |
Rank | Assistant surgeon |
Expeditions | |
Relations |
|
Elisha Kent Kane (February 3, 1820 – February 16, 1857) was a United States Navy medical officer and Arctic explorer. He served as assistant surgeon during Caleb Cushing's journey to China to negotiate the Treaty of Wangxia and in the Africa Squadron. He was assigned as a special envoy to the United States Army during the Mexican–American War and as a surveyor in the United States Coast Survey.
He was senior medical officer in the First Grinnell expedition to rescue or discover the fate of the explorer Sir John Franklin. He was credited with the discovery of an encampment and gravesite from Franklin's lost expedition on Beechey Island. He led the Second Grinnell expedition to the Arctic which was unsuccessful in discovering the fate of Franklin's expedition. His explorations of the Arctic went further North than any other expeditions at the time and led to the eventual path to the North Pole taken by subsequent explorers.
He spoke frequently to large audiences about his Arctic expeditions. He published two books chronicling his explorations; The United States Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin: A Personal Narrative in 1856 and Arctic explorations: The Second Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin, 1853,'54, '55 in 1857. Two United States Navy ships, a lunar crater and a waterway in the Arctic were named in his honor.
Early life and education
Kane was born in
In 1837, Kane entered the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to study civil engineering. He worked closely with geology Professor
Career
On September 14, 1843, he became an assistant surgeon in the Navy. The post allowed him to travel the world including to Bombay, Ceylon, Macao, Madeira and Rio de Janeiro.[9] He served in the China Commercial Treaty mission on the USS Brandywine[10] under Caleb Cushing. While Cushing negotiated the Treaty of Wangxia with the Chinese, Kane and the crew of the USS Brandywine explored the island of Luzon in the Philippines.[11] He descended into the Taal Volcano to obtain water samples, was almost overcome by the toxic fumes[9] and angered the locals who considered the volcano sacred.[2] He served in the Africa Squadron[8] and in February 1847 contracted "coast fever" (most likely a strain of malaria)[2] and returned to the United States to recover.[12]
In the Fall of 1847, he petitioned Secretary of State, James Buchanan, to be assigned as a special envoy to deliver a message to General Winfield Scott in Mexico City. Scott had taken Mexico City during the Mexican–American War but had stopped communicating with the White House. Buchanan and President James Polk feared that Scott was exceeding his authority and negotiating with the Mexicans. Kane was deployed to deliver a message to Scott reiterating the previous order to discontinue negotiations. Kane was deployed and received official orders from the Navy[13] with a cover story that he was being sent to Mexico City to report on military hospitals and medical conditions.[2] While approaching Mexico City, Kane's entourage was attacked at Nopalucan on January 6, 1848. During the battle, Mexican General Antonio Gaona and his son were both wounded. Kane treated a severed artery in the son's chest and saved his life. Kane also refused to allow the Mexican prisoners to be killed in retaliation for the attack and delivered them to U.S. forces in Mexico City. Kane returned to the U.S. in February 1849 and was honored by the city of Philadelphia with the presentation of a ceremonial sword.[14]
Kane was assigned to the United States Coast Survey under Alexander Dallas Bache and had responsibility for the hydrophgraphic survey of the southeast coast of the United States.[2]
Kane was appointed senior medical officer of the
From 1851 to 1853, Kane spoke multiple times to audiences hundreds in size on his Arctic explorations and was well regarded due to his oratorical skills.[9] His eloquence and frequency in speaking may be why he was credited with the discovery of the three graves.[16] He began to write the book The U.S. Grinnell expedition in search of Sir John Franklin. He convinced Grinnell and several scientific organizations to fund a second expedition to continue to explore the Arctic and search for Franklin.[8]
Kane organized and headed the
Kane finally abandoned the icebound brig Advance on May 20, 1855, and made an 83-day march to Upernavik on the west coast of Greenland. The party, carrying the invalids, lost only one man. Kane and his men were saved by a sailing ship. Kane returned to New York on October 11, 1855, and the following year published his two-volume Arctic Explorations.[17] Despite the unsuccessful expedition, he was welcomed home as a hero. He received hundreds of speaking invitations and stage producer James Wallack planned to turn the expedition into a play.[18] Although in poor health, Kane completed his second book Arctic explorations, the second Grinnell expedition in search of Sir John Franklin.[8] Kane used his celebrity and charisma to promote the idea of an open and temperate polar sea, which he claimed to have seen, and helped to link exploration of the High Arctic with nationalism and nation-building, adding a northern frontier for the United States to conquer in the pursuit of scientific progress.[19]
Personal life
In 1852, Kane met the Fox sisters, famous for their spirit rapping séances, and he became enamored with the middle sister, Margaretta. Kane was convinced that the sisters were frauds, and sought to reform Margaretta and paid for her education.[20] She would later claim that they were secretly married in 1856 – she changed her name to Margaretta Fox Kane – and engaged the family in lawsuits over his will. After Kane's death, Margaretta converted to the Roman Catholic faith, but would eventually return to spiritualism.[21]
Death and legacy
After visiting England to fulfill his promise to deliver his report personally to Lady
Kane received medals from Congress, the
The
In popular culture
In 2010, a young adult book, Tombstone Tea, by Joanne Dahme takes place in Laurel Hill Cemetery and Kane is one of the characters in the book.[28]
Bibliography
- The United States Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin: A Personal Narrative; Philadelphia: Childs & Peterson, 1856
- Arctic explorations: The Second Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin, 1853,'54, '55, Volume 1; Philadelphia: Childs & Peterson, 1857
References
Citations
- ^ Cunningham, John M. "Elisha Kent Kane". www.britannica.com. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9781582439105. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Smucker 1858, p. 16.
- ^ Elder 1858, p. 36.
- ^ Elder 1858, p. 40.
- ^ Smucker 1858, pp. 22–23.
- ^ Elder 1858, p. 44.
- ^ a b c d e f "Kane Elisha Kent". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
- ^ ISBN 1-57958-436-5. Retrieved May 30, 2022.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ Smucker 1858, p. 24.
- ^ Smucker 1858, pp. 24–27.
- ^ Smucker 1858, p. 28.
- ^ Elder 1858, pp. 110–111.
- ^ Smucker 1858, pp. 30–33.
- ^ "The U.S. Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin: a Personal Narrative". World Digital Library. 1854. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
- ^ Heider, Cynthia. "Elisha Kent Kane's Uncanny Philadelphia". www.amphilsoc.org. American Philosophical Society. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c Chisholm (1911). The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information - Eleventh Edition - Volume XV - Italy to Kyshtym (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge, England. p. 650. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ISBN 0-226-72184-1. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- JSTOR 10.1163/j.ctv2gjwzhs.
- ^ Smucker 1858, pp. 73–75.
- ^ Doyle 1926: volume 1, 89–94
- ISBN 0-7385-1229-X. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- ^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
- ^ "Pennsylvania SP Anoatok". www.catalog.archives.gov. Department of the Interior National Park Service. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- Scott catalog# 2220.
- ^ The Polar Question — Proceedings - 1885 Vol. 11/4/35
- ISBN 9781458779700. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
Sources
- Elder, William (1858). Biography of Elisha Kent Kane. Childs & Peterson. ISBN 9780608425481.
- Smucker, Samuel Mosheim (1858). The Life of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, and of Other Distinguished American Explorers: Containing Narratives of their Researches and Adventures in Remote and Interesting Portions of the Globe. G.G. Evans. ISBN 9780608402451.
Further reading
- Andrews, E.W., Memoir and Eulogy of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane (New York: Dexter & Brother, 1857)
- The Royal Navy in Polar Exploration from Franklin to Scott, E C Coleman 2006 (Tempus Publishing)
- Corner, George W., Doctor Kane of the Arctic Seas (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1972)
- Edinger, Ray. Love and Ice: The Tragic Obsessions of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, Arctic Explorer (Savannah: Frederic C. Beil, Publisher. 2015). ISBN 978-1-929490-42-4
- Early Wesley Fornell, The Unhappy Medium: Spiritualism and the Life of Margaret Fox (Austin, University of Texas Press, 1964)
- Fox, Margaret, Love Life of Dr. Kane(New York, 1866)
- Greely, A.W., American Explorers and Travelers (New York, 1894)
- Mirsky, Jeanette. Elisha Kent Kane and the Seafaring Frontier (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1954)
- Sawin, Mark. Raising Kane: Elisha Kent Kane and the Culture of Fame in Antebellum America. Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society Press, 2009. ISBN 1-60618-983-2
- Sonntag, August (1865). Professor Sonntag's Thrilling Narrative Of The Grinnell Exploring Expedition To The Arctic Ocean In The Years 1853, 1854, and 1855 In Search of Sir John Franklin, Under The Command of Dr. E. K. Kane, U.S.N. Philadelphia: Jas. T. Lloyd & Co. ISBN 9781425510503. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
- David Chapin, Exploring Other Worlds (University of Massachusetts Press, 2004).
External links
- Works by Elisha Kent Kane at Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Works by Elisha Kent Kane at Open Library
- Works by Elisha Kent Kane at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Elisha Kent Kane at Internet Archive
- The Papers of James Laws at Dartmouth College Library
- The Papers of Margaret Elder Dow at Dartmouth College Library
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.