The Open Polar Sea: A Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery Towards the North Pole, in the Schooner “United States”

Hayes (1832-1881) was an American Arctic explorer, physician, and politician. His first Arctic expedition came as ship’s surgeon for Elisha Kane’s Second Grinnell Expedition (1853-55) in search of sir John Franklin’s lost expedition.

Hayes’ second expedition, led by him and the subject of this day-by-day account, was from 1860-61. He claimed to have reached the farthest north; on the Ellesmere Island coast at 81°35' north, 70°30' west. It was later found that this position is deep within Ellesmere, not on the coast, and that Hayes's resulting map of Ellesmere north of 80° north was erroneous, his farthest north actually being at Cape Collinson, less than 10 miles north of 80° north.