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Octavo. Dated New York, June 5, 1929. Nearly 400 words on two integral leaves, with a 3-word manuscript insertion; about fine. A wonderful and exciting letter from the Arctic explorer who accompanied Peary on his quest for the North Pole in 1909. Henson (1866-1955) was the first Afro-American in the extreme Arctic. In 1888, Peary hired Henson as a personal assistant for his expedition to Nicaragua, Central America. Because of Henson's resourcefulness, strength, and skills (he was an accomplished mechanic, navigator, and carpenter, was expert with sleds and dogs, and fluent in the Inuit language), Peary chose Henson to accompany him on his next seven expeditions to the Arctic, including the last of 1908-09 when Peary, Henson, and four Eskimos were the first to reach the North Pole. At the request of his correspondent ("Mr. Straus"), Henson dramatically recounts several details of the expedition: "I was delayed in soldering some leaky alcohol tins that had been cached there a week before; that by the way was one of the meanest jobs I had on my way to the Pole. I didn't know wether [sic] I was going to be blown up or burned up, because I was working in the dark, usuing [sic] a kerosene lamp and my kerosene, which was ice, had been chopped off and melted before I could use it for fuel." He continues, explaining the final push of the expedition: "When Bob Bartlett's feet froze I was the last man left... We reached the Pole April 6, 1909. Peary, myself and four Eskimos. The sky was a wall of frozen blue with a red sun pasted on it. Everywhere a man turned nothing but blinding whiteness, we called on our strength to clear a path for the straining stumbling dogs." Despite Henson's claim here that the final accomplishment was made alongside Peary (not surprising given Henson's loyalty to Peary), current scholarship credits Henson with being the first man to actually reach the Pole, some 45 minutes ahead of Peary. A magnificent letter.
Item #78693
