The narrative described a British expedition to the North Pole led by
Captain John Hatteras that occurred in 1861. Despite the crew's mutiny
costing their ship its life, Hatteras and a few other men continue the
journey. He finds the wreckage of a ship from the previous American
mission along the beach of the island known as ""New America."" Doctor
Clawbonny remembers the design for the actual Ice palace, which was
built entirely out of ice in Russia in 1740 to create a snow house where
they were supposed to spend the winter. The travelers survive their
winter on the island mostly because of Doctor Clawbonny's inventiveness.
The water loses its ice after winter is over. The travelers construct a
boat from the wreck and move in the direction of the pole. They find an
island with an active volcano here and give it the name Hatteras. The
gang locates a fjord with difficulty and makes landfall. They arrive at
the volcano's mouth after three hours of climbing. Hatteras leaps into
the crater where the pole is located precisely. The final sentence,
""Captain Hatteras ceaselessly marches northward,"" makes this clear.