Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Isaac Israel HAYES
HAYES, Isaac Israel, explorer, was born in Chester county, Pa., March 5, 1832. He was of English and Irish extraction. He was educated at the district school at Westtown academy and at the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated in medicine in 1853. He was surgeon and naturalist in the second Arctic exploring expedition of Dr. E. K. Kant, 1853-56. He was the first civilized man to reach Grinnell Land in May, 1854, and in his journey along the coast he travelled as far as Cape Frazer 79° 45' north latitude. On Aug. 28, 1854, with eight others he left the ice-locked Advance under command of Petersson, a Norwegian, in an attempt to reach Upernavik. This journey was made with the permission but under the protest of Dr. Kane, who demanded a renunciation of all claims on the rest of the party left with the ship. After almost indescribable hardships they returned frozen and starved to the ship in December, 1854. A better organized and better provisioned expedition, made up of the entire ship's officers and crew under Dr. Kane piloted by Dr. Hayes, abandoned the Advance and made the long journey to Upernavik with sledges and small boats, reaching the place in safety Aug. 6, 1855. On his return to the United States, Dr. Hayes wrote an account of the journey and lectured on his Arctic experiences. He obtained a public subscription that enabled him to fit out the schooner United States for exploring the open polar sea. He sailed in command of the expedition, July 7, 1860, wintered in latitude 78° 18' near Littleton island and in May, 1861, crossed Kane sea and travelled on foot over Grinnell Land to a point he named Cape Lieber which he represented to be latitude 80° 35' N. longitude, 70° 30' W. within 480 miles of the north pole, but more recent explorers make the point to have been Cape Joseph Good, 80° 15' N. 70 W. He took out his ship July 10, 1861, and in it explored the eastern shore of Ellesmere Land being the first white man to land there. In 1869 on board the Panther he visited Greenland with William Bradford, the [p.158] artist. On his return he entered the Union service as surgeon, April 4, 1862, and served as brigade surgeon. He built the U.S. army hospital at West Philadelphia to accommodate 4000 patients and was its commanding surgeon with the rank of major receiving the brevet of lieutenant-colonel in 1865. He resigned his commission in the volunteer army July 3, 1865, and made his home in New York city where he was a member of the state assembly, 1876-80, and served on important committees, being chairman of those on canals, cities and expeditions. For his explorations he received numerous gold medals and decorations from societies and rulers. He lectured extensively, and published: An Arctic Boat Journey (1860, new ed., 1897); The Open Polar Sea (1867); Cast Away in the Cold (1868); and The Land of Desolation (1871). He died in New York city, Dec. 17, 1881.
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