The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure (review)

When an unexpectedly early freeze leaves eight whaling vessels crushed or trapped along Alaska's northern coast in September of 1897, Captain Benjamin Tilton of the Alexander, which had barely escaped a similar fate, apprises officials and journalists in San Francisco of the circumstances of the whalers and calls for a rescue mission. President McKinley responds by setting in motion a truly audacious rescue attempt: a rescue cutter will travel as far north as possible, and from there rescuers will begin an extensive Overland Relief Expedition that would start by dogsled along the Alaskan coast; then, after convincing two reindeer herders to give up their animals, the team would drive the reindeer up to Point Barrow. There they would provide sustenance for the survivors until their ships were released from the ice or the men could be transferred to the rescue vessel. The focus here is on the heroic efforts of a handful of men: Charlie Brower and Edward McIlhenny, who sheltered the seamen as best they could at Point Barrow; Captain Francis Tuttle, who commanded the rescue ship Bear through the winter ice; David Jarvis, Samuel Call, and Ellsworth Bertholf, who made the overland trek; and Charlie Artisarlook and Tom Lopp, who released their herds at great sacrifice and financial risk. The ordeal of the rescuers, whose mission was roundly considered as a suicidal folly, is portrayed in nose-numbing, frostbitten detail, and the contrast between the hyper-organized rescuers and the undisciplined men they ultimately saved makes the feat even more extraordinary. Black and white photographs, mostly taken by Samuel Call, bring the punishing landscape to life. Appended material includes sketches of the subsequent careers of the main players, a timeline of the yearlong mission, source notes, bibliography, and index. No true adventure fan should miss this one.