De Long returned to Juniata in mid-August, having found no trace of the Polaris crew—who had meanwhile been rescued by the Scottish whaler SS Ravenscraig—but the experience had profoundly affected his outlook.
De Long vendte tilbage til "Juniata" i midten af ​​august, da de ikke havde fundet spor af Polaris-besætningen (som i mellemtiden var blevet reddet af den skotske hvalfanger "Ravenscraig"), men oplevelsen havde dybt påvirket hans holdning.