After finishing the Gardiner transcriptions I got to thinking a lot about the other "Obervers" (as they were dubbed) on the expedition.
"The Observers" were four members of the expedition who exclusively carried out Scientific observations and readings.
They took thousands of readings including measuring temperatures, gravitational and tidal observations as well as deep sea readings and much more. They had support from other members but that often didn't take away from how intense carrying out these readings, sometimes for ages in the cold, could be.
I have had the chance to see some of these readings in the National Archives and I was quickly overwhelmed and amazed at the vast amount of them! Hundreds of thousands of lines of numbers and observations.
The four men drawn above (to the best of my ability) were "The Observers" they are as follows:
David C. Ralston: Born October 2nd, 1848, Died May 23rd, 1884. (Meteorological Assistant)
Hampden S. Gardiner: Born January 19th, 1858, Died June 12th, 1884. (Meteorological Assistant)
Winfield S. Jewell: Born September 20th, 1850, Died April 12th, 1884. (Meteorologist)
Edward Israel: Born July 1st, 1859, Died May 27th, 1884. (Astronomer)
None of the Scientific Observers survived the expedition, the last one, Gardiner, died just days before rescue. The scientific observations they carried out did however. Their work is some of the earliest detailed scientific observations done in the Arctic. It can help us identify the changes the arctic experiences due to climate change and help us form an action plan for what is to come.
This is really a basic summary of what they did and I hope to give a more in depth blog post soon!
If you want further information on these men or the sources used please reach out! I am happy to share!
Goodbye and happy readings!