David Goes to Greenland by David Binney Putnam
David Binney Putnam narrates his own experiences as a boy accompanying his father's expedition aboard the Newfoundland fishing schooner Morrissey, captained by Robert A. Bartlett, to explore Greenland and collect scientific specimens for the American Museum of Natural History's Hall of Ocean Life. Twelve, soon thirteen, and fresh off a prior Beebe expedition to the Galápagos on the Arcturus, David describes preparations at McWilliams' shipyard on Staten Island, the crew (Jim, Tom, Joe, Ralph, cook Billy Pritchard and his helper Don, mate Will Bartlett, wireless operator Ed Manley), and the scientific party including Dan Streeter, Harry Raven, Art Young the archer, taxidermist Fred Linekiller, Robert Peary (the engineer, son of the Admiral), Carl, Mr. Kellerman, and Doctor Heinbecker. The Morrissey departs Rye, New York, on June twentieth, sails through fog and storms to Sydney, Nova Scotia, then crosses to Newfoundland and through the Straits of Belle Isle into the Labrador ice pack. They reach Greenland on July fifth, stopping first at Holsteinsborg, where David trades with Eskimos and observes kayaks, before dropping Professor Hobbs's party at the fjord Ikortok to study the Ice Cap. The ship visits bird rookeries, fishing villages, and the coal town Godhavn on Disko Island, then continues north to Proven and Upernivik, the northernmost substantial town, where they meet Governor Otto and his daughter Ruth. Robert Peary comically capsizes trying a kayak roll. At Upernivik they also witness Governor Otto feeding his sled dogs, observing the pack's "King Dog" hierarchy. Crossing Melville Bay, they reach the Duck Islands, finding whalers' graves and eider duck nests, then Cape York, marked by the Crimson Cliffs, where they trade for a kayak and net dovekies on a "bird mountain" with an Eskimo named Kaweah. At Parker Snow Bay they collect bird specimens and name a mountain Bartlett Peak. Off Northumberland Island the Morrissey strikes a hidden rock and grounds for twenty-five hours; the crew builds "Shipwreck Camp" on shore from provisions while repairs are attempted, aided by local Eskimo families. The ship is refloated and limps back across Melville Bay to Upernivik for repairs, assisted by Dr. Rasmussen (the "Lady Doctor"), Governor Otto, and eventually the Danish patrol ship Islands Falk under Captain West, whose diver fixes the leak. They meet the explorer Knud Rasmussen, who boards for the journey to his trading station at Thule, picking up his manager Hans Nielsen and a girl named Nette bound for Denmark. The Morrissey then crosses Melville Bay a third time to Thule, where David describes the settlement, its trading system, and meets the ailing former Peary guide Ahngmalokto. Near Northumberland Island they recover a dead narwhal and a preserved calf, then proceed to Karnah on Whale Sound, hiring Eskimo hunters (Etukashuk, Pooadloona, Kudluktoo, Kesingwah) and boys Matak and Nils, plus the artist Kakutia, who draws illustrations for David's planned book. They witness and participate in narwhal and walrus hunts, including Art Young's bow-and-arrow kills and Carl's roping of a live walrus calf, "Halitosis," later embalmed for the Museum. The expedition crosses Baffin Bay to Jones Sound on Ellesmere Land, finding the police post at Craig Harbor abandoned, then hunts walrus, bearded seal, and kills their first polar bear, "Nanook," by combined rifle fire. They proceed to Pond's Inlet on Baffin Island, visiting the Hudson Bay Company post and Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment, attending a dance, examining ancient stone igloos with Dr. Rasmussen, and hunting Arctic hare with Art and Ed. Continuing down Baffin Island's coast, they encounter a mother polar bear and two cubs on an ice floe; Art kills the mother with arrows for the first time in this manner, and Carl lassos both cubs alive, named "Cap'n Bob" and "Cowboy," intended for the Bronx Zoo. After collecting the Hobbs party at Holsteinsborg, the Morrissey loses her propeller and tail shaft a third of the way across Davis Strait, forcing a fifteen-day, 1,400-mile passage to Sydney under sail alone. David closes his account writing aboard ship within sight of Cape Breton Island, anticipating the completion of his book upon arriving home.
By David Binney Putnam · First published 1917 · Genre: Adventure, Travel Literature, Natural History · 15 chapters · 29,938 words
First lines
Last year I went on the Beebe trip to the Galápagos Islands on the steamer Arcturus which was all fixed up especially for the journey. This was a scientific expedition down to the Equator to get deep sea specimens, some of them caught at a depth of nearly three miles. The islands where we went are on the Equator six hundred miles west of Ecuador in South America, and going down we passed through the Panama Canal.
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Genres
- Adventure — The narrative is centered on a perilous Arctic expedition featuring dangerous encounters with ice, storms, shipwrecks, and survival challenges that form the core of the storytelling.
- Travel Literature — The work provides detailed descriptions of geographical locations, navigational details, and cultural observations of Greenland and Arctic regions, documenting the author's journey north.
- Natural History — Extensive passages describe the collection of specimens, detailed observations of wildlife including seals, whales, birds, sharks, and discussions of Arctic fauna and geological features.
- Memoir — The first-person narrative perspective presents the author's personal experiences, reflections, and coming-of-age during the expedition, with intimate details of daily life aboard ship.
Tags
adventure · travel · exploration · Greenland · arctic · geography · biography · memoir · nature · wilderness · polar regions · discovery
What this Textopian page supports
David Goes to Greenland is listed on Textopian as a novella by David Binney Putnam, dated 1917 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novella
- Author: David Binney Putnam
- Date: 1917 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Adventure, Travel Literature, Natural History, Memoir, Young Adult Literature
- Length: 29,938 words
- Structure: 15 chapters, 369 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for David Goes to Greenland by David Binney Putnam
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Contents
- Off to Greenland
- Through the Straits of Belle Isle
- We Reach Greenland
- Along the Greenland Coast
- Upernivik and the Duck Islands
- Across Melville Bay
- Shipwreck
- The Morrissey Repaired
- Our First Narwhal
- Our Eskimo Artist
- Walrus Hunting
- Across to Jones Sound
- Nanook!
- At Pond's Inlet
- More Bears