A Raw Take: The Diary of P.W. Johnson
The P.W. Johnson diary serves as a critical primary source in piecing together the Greely Expedition and rescue efforts. Throughout the diary, P.W. Johnson chronicles his experiences and notable events as a low-ranking sailor of the Greely Relief Expedition of 1884. Due to his low ranking, mentions of P.W. Johnson are few or non-existent in documented historical texts such as The Rescue of Greely. Therefore, little is known about P.W. Johnson himself; however, his diary plays a critical role in telling the story of The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition and the Greely Relief Expedition. P.W. Johnson's diary begins with a torn-out page of paper that rests on top of the first page of the diary. The page has a piece of the flag taken from the encampment of the Greely crew glued onto it, coupled with a note from a different author (D.L. Brainard), who states the coordinates of the location of the flag and the accomplishments of the Greely Expedition to reach “nearer the North Pole that the flag of any nation was advanced.”
P.W. Johnson begins his diary listing the officers of the Greely Relief party by name and branch. On the next page, he names the rest of the crewmembers, including seamen and low-ranking sailors like himself. These lists contain critical information for historians and are one of the only accurate records of crewmembers aboard the Thetis and Bear. There is much to dissect regarding P.W. Johnson’s diary, both physically and contextually; his diary paints a picture of the true story behind the Greely Relief Expedition of 1884 and its gruesome discoveries.
The physical condition of P.W. Johnson’s diary tells a story in itself. This large diary, measuring over a foot long in length, has a tarnished reddish-brown pattern on the cover. The spine is visibly worn, falling apart at the seams. The corners are bent, aged, and damaged–likely from use and water. Multiple pages are falling out of the book, held together by gravity. The pages are wrinkled and torn, contain smudges of ink and food, and there are fingerprints and spills of liquids, all evidence of how lived the diary itself is. Writing can only be found on pages 2-64, and the rest of the diary (pages 64-138) are left blank because their expedition concluded once they returned to St. Johns.
Additionally, P.W. Johnson uses a black pen throughout his entire diary, except for pages 37-39, which he distinctively chooses to write in a red pen. Pages 37-39 were written on June 22nd, 1884, when the Greely Relief Expedition found the few survivors of the Greely Expedition.
P.W. Johnson’s choice to use a red pen emphasizes the importance and urgency of their discovery. Throughout the diary, P.W. Johnson tells the story day by day, detailing each day’s significance, or insignificance, by tracking the temperature, weather patterns, and notable events.
Moreover, his consistent entries and informal tone create a simple narrative that follows their three-month journey to the pole. Some entries simply consist of the day's weather, but others, like the entry on June 22nd, 1884, are in-depth, graphic accounts of the events that P.W. Johnson witnessed during the relief expedition.
On pages 37-39, P.W. Johnson recounts the findings of the Greely Expedition survivors. He explains the grave condition they found the men in and their rescue efforts. Overall, his explicit and gory language illustrates the magnitude of their relief efforts and the seriousness of the situation.