Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/529

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KANE
KANE
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but his vessels were closely beset by the ice in Wellington's channel, and drifted from September, 1850, till June 1851, southeasterly into Baffin bay, where they finally escaped from the pack. Kane's exertions and medical skill did much to mitigate the ills of the scurvy-stricken squadron, and bring back the party with undiminished numbers. His reputation as an arctic explorer depends almost entirely on his second expedition, which was under- taken at the solicitation of Lady Franklin in a search for Franklin and his companions. The expedition contemplated an overland journey from Baffin bay to the shores of the polar sea. Kane sailed 30 May, 1853, from New York, in command of the brig "Advance," which Henry Grinnell had placed at his disposal. George Peabody contributed liberally, while various scientific societies of the country also fostered the undertaking. Kane not only spent much of his private means, but through strenuous exertions succeeded in sailing under the auspices of the U. S. navy department, although congress failed to aid him. Dr. Isaac I. Hayes (q. v.) went as surgeon of the expedition. The " Advance " touched at various Greenland ports, where Esquimau recruits were obtained, and finally, by following the bold coast of Smith sound, reached 78° 43' N., the highest latitude ever attained, even to this day, by a sailing-vessel in that sea. Unable to proceed farther, Kane wintered in Van Rensselaer harbor, 78° 37' N., 70° 40' W. Short journeys that autumn resulted in the discovery of Humboldt glacier, which, issuing at its southern edge from the great mer-de-glace of Greenland in 79° 12', extends northward many miles. An attempt to push northward along this glacier in the spring of 1854 resulted only in the loss of two lives and the maiming of two other persons. Later, Morton, with Esquimau Hans, reached, by dog-sledge, Cape Constitution in 80° 35' N., 21 June, 1854, from which point the southwesterly part of Kennedy channel was seen to be entirely open and free from ice. Dr. Hayes, with dog-sledge, crossed Kane sea, and, reaching Cape Hawkes, Grinnell Land, pushed northward to the vicinity of Cape Frazier, 79° 45' N. The ice remaining unbroken near his winter-quarters, Dr. Kane, in July, 1854, made an unsuccessful attempt by boat to visit Beechy island, about 400 miles distant, whence he hoped to obtain assistance. Later that year half of the party, under the command of Petersen, a Dane, abandoned Dr. Kane and the brig in an attempt to reach Upernavic, but, after three months of extreme hardship and suffering, were obliged to return to Kane, who received them kindly. In 1855 Kane was reluctantly forced to abandon the '* Advance," which was yet frozen in. By indefatigable exertions he succeeded in moving his boats and sick some sixty miles to the open sea, losing one man on the way. During this journey he received much aid and kindness from the Etah Esquimaux. He reached Cape York, 21 July, and, crossing Melville bay successfully, arrived at Upernavik, 6 Aug., 1855. This second voyage of Kane's greatly enlarged the world's knowledge of the Etah Esquimaux, and added to geography the most northern lands of that day, while the scientific observations were more accurate and valuable than those of any preceding polar expedition. The explorer and his companions were received with enthusiasm on their return. Arctic medals were authorized by congress, and the queen's medal was presented to officers and men. Kane received the founder's medal of 1856 from the Royal geographical society, and the gold medal of 1858 from the Societe de geographie. His health had been much impaired by the sufferings of his second expedition. In the hope of recovering it he visited England, and then went to Havana, Cuba, where he died. His remains were taken to Philadelphia, and accorded civic and mili- tary honors. Dr. Kane published "The U. S. Grinnell Expedition " (New York, 1854) ; and " The Second Grinnell Expedition " (Philadelphia, 1856). See William Elder's "Biography of E. K. Kane" (Philadelphia, 1858).— Another son, Thomas Leiper, soldier, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 27 Jan., 1822; d. there, 26 Dec, 1883, was educated in Paris, where he associated with Auguste Comte and French Republicans, and contributed to "Le National," a democratic organ. After his return to Philadelphia he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1846, and held for several years the office of clerk of the U. S. district court, but resigned it on account of the passage of the fugitive-slave law. In 1847 he visited the Mormon settlements, and secured their confidence to such an extent, by befriending them during the miseries of their pilgrimage to Utah, that in 1858, after Brigham Young had called the people of Utah to arms to prevent the entrance of U. S. troops, and Gov. Alfred Cumming (q. v.) had issued a proclamation declaring the territory to be in a state of rebellion, he went to Utah at his own expense with letters from President Buchanan, and arranged the basis of the settlement that was afterward concluded by peace commissioners. He founded and laid out the town of Kane in the northwestern part of Pennsylvania, where he raised, in April, 1861, a regiment of hunters and loggers known as the "Bucktails," which became famous for valor and endurance. He was wounded at Dranesville, where he led the advance, and at Harrisonburg he was sent to the rescue of a regiment that had fallen into an ambuscade, with 104 picked riflemen encountered three regiments of the enemy, and was wounded and taken prisoner. He was released on parole, and in August, 1862, exchanged. On 7 Sept., 1862, he was made a brigadier-general for gallant services in the field. At the beginning of the battle of Gettysburg he was absent on sick leave, yet he hastened to Washington for orders, took to Gen. Meade the information that the Na- tional telegraphic cipher was known to the Confederates, joined his brigade on the morning of the second day, and held an important position on the extreme right. He resigned on 7 Nov., 1863, being disabled by wounds and exposure. He was the au- thor of "The Mormons" (Philadelphia, 1850); '•Alaska" (1868); and "Coahuila" (1877).


KANE, Paul, Canadian artist, b. in Toronto in 1810; d. there in 1871. He early evinced a love of art, and after studying in Upper Canada college he visited the United States in 1836, and followed his profession there till 1840, when he went to Europe. There he studied in Rome, Genoa, Naples, Florence, Venice, and Bologna. He finally returned to Toronto in the spring of 1845, and after a short rest went on a tour of art exploration through the unsettled regions of the northwest. He travelled many thousands of miles in this country from the confines of old Canada to the Pacific ocean, and was eminently successful in delineating the physical peculiarities and appearance of the aborigines, as well as the wild scenery of the far north. He returned to Toronto in December, 1848, having in his possession one of the largest collections of Indian curiosities that was ever made on the continent, together with nearly four hundred sketches. From these he painted a series of oil-pictures which are now in the possession of George W. Allan, of Toronto, and em-