Cross, William Henry, 1843-1884

William Henry Cross
BIRTH
20 Jan 1843
District of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA
DEATH
18 Jan 1884 (aged 40)
Nunavut, Canada
BURIAL
Congressional Cemetery;
Age 39 years. Sergeant, General Service, United States Army. He was the son of Washington Cross and Ann M. Westcoat Cross. On June 3, 1869 as William H. Cross, he married Mary A. McGraw at the District of Columbia.

A machinist at the Navy Yard he volunteered to join the U.S. Army Signal Corps Lady Franklin Bay expedition to the Arctic from 1881 to 1883. Their goal was to be the first to reach the North Pole. He was the engineer in charge of the expedition's steam motor launch, Lady Greely. He was the first to die of malnutrition and exposure after the relief ship failed to reach the station for the second year in a row. The six surviving members of the party were rescued in July 1884 and the remains of those who could be found were returned to the United States. His iron casket with remains was said to weigh 700 pounds. His diary from the expedition is at the Explorers Club, New York City. His funeral was held August 10, 1884.

Sergeant William H. Cross / Died: January 18, 1884 of scurvy and malnutrition at Camp Clay; Working primarily as an engineer at Fort Conger, William Cross had a reputation for often being "full of beer." He was the first member of the expedition team to die after he developed scurvy, a disease caused by deficiency of Vitamin C.