Chapter XVII: Part 17

Captain E. Collinson; Lieuts. G. A. Phayre, J. J. Barnard, and C. T. Jago; Master, E. T. G Legg; Second Master, Francis Skead; Mate, M. T. Parks; Surgeon, Robert Anderson; Assistant-surgeon, Edward Adams; Clerk in Charge Edward Whitehead. Total complement, 66.

'INVESTIGATOR.'

Commander B. J. M'Clure; Lieuts. W. H. Haswell and S. G. Cresswell; Mates, H. H. Saintsbury and E. J. Wyniatt; Second Master, Stephen Court; Surgeon, Alexander Armstrong, M.D.; Assistant-Surgeon, Henry Piers; Clerk in Charge, Joseph C. Paine. Total complement, 66.

Mr. Miertsching, a Moravian missionary, who had spent five years on the coast of Labrador, was appointed to the 'Enterprise,' as interpreter. The vessels sailed from Plymouth on the 20th of January, 1850, and reached the Sandwich Islands on the 29th of June. Meantime the 'Herald,' Captain Kellett, had been ordered up from Oahu to Behring's Straits, to assist in the search. At Petropaulski she met the Royal Thames Yacht Club schooner, 'Mary Dawson,' owned by Mr. Shedden, who had come along the Chinese coast to Behring's Straits, also in search of Sir John Franklin. After exploring for some time in company, they were compelled by the ice to leave the Straits, but the 'Plover' wintered there, while Lieut. Pullen led a boat expedition of a most arduous nature along the northern shores of America, towards the Hudson's Bay establishment on the Mackenzie river. Sir John Richardson also led a land party from the South to the Polar Seas, but was compelled to return without discovering any trace of the expedition.

In 1846, also, the Hudson's Bay Company sent out an expedition, commanded by Dr. John Rae, to survey the unexplored portion of the American continent, between the further point reached by Dease and Simpson and the strait of the Fury and Hecla. However, the expeditions which have created the greatest interest are those which have been despatched during and since the year 1850.

The first consisted of H.M.S. 'Resolute' and 'Assistance,' with the screw-steamers 'Pioneer' and 'Intrepid,' as tenders, under the command of Captain Horatio T. Austin.

His chief aim was to visit Melville Island, and to explore the shores of Wellington Channel, and the coast about Cape Walker. The ships were provisioned for three years, and a transport completed their supply at Whalefish Islands.

The following of the many officers who volunteered were appointed to the expedition:--

'RESOLUTE.'

Captain Horatio T. Austin, C.B.; Lieutenants, R. D. Aldrich and W. H. J. Browne; Mates, R. B. Pearse and W. M. May; Purser, J. E. Brooman; Surgeon, A. R. Bradford; Assistant-surgeon, Richard King; Midshipmen, C. Bullock and J. P. Cheyne; Second-master, G. F. M'Dougall. Total complement, 60 men.

'ASSISTANCE.'

Captain E. Ommaney; Lieutenants, J. E. Elliot, F. L. M'Clintock, and G. F. Mecham; Surgeon, J. S. L. Donnett; Assistant-surgeon J. Ward; Mates, R. V. Hamilton and J. R. Keane; Clerk in Charge, E. N. Harrison; Second-master, W. B. Shellabear; Midshipman C. B. Markham. Total complement, 60 men.

'PIONEER' (Screw-steamer).

Lieutenant commanding, Sherard Osborn; Second-master, J. H. Allard; Assistant-surgeon, F. B. Picthorn; with a crew of 30 men.

'INTREPID' (Screw-steamer).

Lieutenant commanding, B. Cator; with a crew of 30 men.

No expedition ever left England with a greater prospect of success--every one engaged in it being enthusiastically resolved to use every exertion to advance the noble cause in which they were engaged.

The ships were commissioned on the 28th of February, 1850, and left England the 3rd of May. On the 16th of June, they arrived at the Whalefish Island, where they received the remainder of their supply of provisions from the transport.

At the same time that Captain Austin's expedition was fitting out, another was arranged and placed under the command of Mr. William Penny, an experienced whaling captain of Dundee, to act in concert with it. Mr. Penny, by the directions of the Admiralty, proceeded to Aberdeen and Dundee, where he purchased two new clipper-built vessels, which were named the 'Lady Franklin' and 'Sophia,' the first in compliment to Sir John's devoted wife, the latter to his admirable niece. These vessels were placed under Mr. Penny's command, with separate instructions direct from the Admiralty. The ships showed during the voyage the good judgment employed by Mr. Penny in their selection, and the men acquitted themselves throughout the enterprise in a way not to justify any contempt on the part of their associates in the ships-of-war. Mr. Penny has been employed in the Arctic Seas since he was 12 years old, and has commanded a whaling-ship for 16 years.

The ships left Aberdeen on the 13th of April, but did not fall in with Captain Austin's squadron till the 28th of June, off Berry Island, on the west coast of Greenland.

About the same time that the above-named ships left England, three other expeditions were despatched. One in the 'Prince Albert,' under Commander Forsyth, chiefly at Lady Franklin's expense. She had a crew of 20 men. Her mates were W. Kay and W. Wilson, and Mr. W. P. Snow acted as clerk. She sailed from Aberdeen on the 5th of June, and was thus the last vessel which left England that year. Another in the 'Felix' yacht, with a tender, the 'Mary,' under the veteran Captain Sir John Ross, at his own charge. The Americans, likewise, showed a generous sympathy in the fate of the missing expedition, and sent out one to aid in the search, under Lieut. De Haven, in the U.S. brig 'Advance,' and the U.S. vessel 'Rescue,' commanded by Mr. S. P. Griffin.

These various expeditions were to examine the different channels up which it was supposed Sir John Franklin might have endeavoured to work his way. The result of their examinations has proved beyond almost all doubt that he proceeded up Wellington Channel.

Without following the ships step by step through their laborious progress across Baffin's Bay, down Lancaster Sound, and Barrow's Straits, we will carry them at once to Beechey Island, which lies at the south-eastern extremity of Wellington Channel, just at its entrance into Barrow's Straits. Here, on the 27th of August, Mr. Penny discovered undoubted traces of Sir John Franklin. Here, accordingly, the ships assembled to prosecute the examination. Dr. Sutherland, who went out in the 'Lady Franklin,' gives the following account of the interesting event:--

"Traces," he observes, "were found to a great extent, of the missing ships; tin-cannisters in hundreds, pieces of cloth, rope, wood--in large fragments and in chips; iron in numerous fragments, where the anvil had stood, and the block which supported it; paper, both written and printed, with the dates 1844 and 1845; sledge-marks in abundance, depressions in the gravel, resembling wells which they had been digging, and the graves of three men who had died on board the missing ships in January and April, 1846. One of the shore party was despatched with this intelligence to Mr. Penny, who immediately came on shore, accompanied by Sir John Ross, Commander Phillips, of the 'Felix,' Sir John's vessel; Commander De Haven and Lieut. Griffiths, of the American expedition, which had joined our ships in Barrow's Straits, and other officers. These were unequivocal proofs that the missing ships had spent their first winter in the immediate vicinity of Beechey Island. A finger-post was picked up, which we at once supposed had been made use of to direct parties to the ships during winter, if they should happen to have lost their way in a snow-storm. Captain Parry adopted the same precautions around his winter-quarters at Melville Island; and it is not improbable some of the posts may be found after a lapse of 30 years. Our ideas were that the ships had wintered in a deep bay between Beechey Island and Cape Riley, which we called Erebus and Terror Bay.

"Immediately adjacent to the supposed position of the ships, we found the site of a large storehouse and workshop, and smaller sites which were supposed to have been observatories and other temporary erections. Meat-tins to the amount of 600 or 700, and a great number of coal-bags, one of which was marked 'T-e-r-r-o-r,' were found. But there were no papers found anywhere that had been left by the missing ships."

This station, in the opinion of Captain Penny, was occupied by Sir John Franklin's party until the 3rd of April, 1846, if not longer, as a look-out up Wellington Channel to watch the first opening of that icy barrier which so frequently seems to block it up.

Other still more interesting vestages of the expedition were three graves, with neatly carved oaken head-boards, and the following epitaphs:--

Sacred to the
Memory of JOHN HARTNELL, A.B., of H.M.S.
'EREBUS,'
Died January 4, 1846,
Aged 25 Years.
Haggai, chap. i. verse 1,
"Thus saith the Lord of Hosts,
Consider your ways."

Sacred to the
Memory of W. BRAINE, R.M., of H.M.S.
'EREBUS,'
Died April 3, 1846,
Aged 32 Years.
'Choose you this day whom you
will serve,'
Joshua, chap. xxiv. verse 15.

Sacred to the
Memory of JOHN TORRINGTON,
Who departed this Life, January 1st, A.D. 1846,
On board of H.M.S.
'TERROR,'
Aged 20 Years.

No record, however, was left to show in what direction the bold explorers had proceeded. With deep regret, therefore, that no further information could be gained, the various vessels proceeded on the search. Captain Forsyth had, however, before this returned in the 'Prince Albert' to England, with news of an interesting discovery made by Captain Ommaney of some articles left by Sir John Franklin on Cape Riley. He reached Aberdeen on the 22nd of October, having been absent somewhat less than four months.

Early the next year the 'Prince Albert' was again despatched, under the command of Mr. Kennedy, an old Arctic explorer, but he was unable to effect more than to prove where Sir John Franklin and his followers were not.

Captain Austin's ships were constantly placed in great peril as they proceeded on their voyage. "The 'Assistance' was hemmed in by the ice in the centre of Wellington Channel, and was in such imminent danger of being crushed to pieces, that every preparation was made to desert her," writes an officer belonging to her. "Each person on board was appointed to a particular boat, provisions were got on deck, and every two men were allowed one bag between them for spare clothes, attached to lines which were passed through the upper deck, ready to be pulled up at any moment. One day the vessel was raised six feet out of the water by the pressure of the ice, and it became so probable that she would fall on her broadside, that the men were employed with shovels and pickaxes in smoothing a place on the ice for her to lie upon." Again, on the 6th a large floe came down upon them with great violence, and pressing the vessel against the land ice, lifted her several feet out of the water. Every one rushed on deck, with the exception of the carpenter, who coolly sounded the well, to ascertain the depth of water in the hold. For some hours the ship was in danger of being driven on shore; the ice continued to grind and pile up round her, while all the ice-anchors were laid out, one of which was wrenched in two by the tremendous strain, and thrown high up into the air. The wind, however, providentially changed, the ice slacked, and they were safe. At length, while Captain Austin's squadron were secured for the winter in a field of ice between Cornwallis and Griffiths Islands, Mr. Penny and Sir John Ross reached Assistance Harbour, where they wintered. A variety of means were taken to amuse the crews during the depth of winter; and as soon as spring began exploring parties went out in every direction. I cannot trace the progress of the several parties in boats and sledges. Their persevering struggles serve to prove the present existence, at all events, if that were required, of the heroic endurance of hardships, the indomitable courage, the invariable cheerfulness under the most depressing trials, and the unconquerable ardour, in spite of every obstacle, characteristic of British seamen. About 2,000 miles altogether were traversed by the different parties. Mr. Penny made every effort to ascend the Wellington Channel; but his success was trifling compared to his unwearied endeavours. When his sledge was stopped by open water, and after incredible labours a boat was brought to the spot, thick-ribbed ice had collected to impede its progress. All the efforts of the heroic explorers were in vain. Lieut. De Haven's ships returned to the United States after enduring many hardships, and Captain Austin, Sir John Ross, and Mr. Penny came back to England in the autumn of 1851.

Another year, however, was not allowed to pass before a further expedition was intrusted to the command of one of the most talented and boldest officers in the service, Sir Edward Belcher. The 'Assistance' and 'Resolute' were again commissioned, and with the 'Pioneer' and 'Intrepid,' screw-steamers, were placed under Ins orders, many of the officers who before accompanied Capt. Austin volunteering their services.

They proceeded early in the spring for Wellington Channel, and when last seen, favoured by an open season, they were entering that mysterious inlet, with a favourable breeze, in high health and with buoyant hopes, and we have still some foundation for trusting that they have before this brought succour to our long-lost countrymen. The 'Isabel,' screw-steamer, was sent out to examine Smith's Sound, under the orders of Commander Inglefield, but he returned, as directed, in the autumn, and commissioned the 'Phœnix' screw steam-sloop. His orders were to proceed to Beechey Island, with a fresh supply of provisions and other stores, which will be turned over to the 'North Star,' Commander Pullen, expected to be found stationed there, as a rendezvous for the vessels of Sir Edward Belcher's expedition. The 'Phœnix,' having accomplished that object, will proceed, at Commander Inglefield's discretion, to Smith's and Jones's Sound, to follow up the discoveries he made in 1852. The 'Lady Eranklin,' sailing-tender to the 'Phœnix,' is to be left at the Carey Islands, or other eligible winter quarters, as a rendezvous for the crew of the 'Phœnix' to fall back upon, in the event of any unforeseen accident to the steam-sloop.

Mr. Kennedy again proceeded in the 'Isabel' to perform an overland journey towards the Polar Basin. The Americans also have sent out a further expedition of a similar character, under Dr. Kane, who, with great energy of character and power of endurance, is firmly convinced that Sir John Eranklin and his brave companions still survive. There is an account in existence of four Russian seamen who subsisted in Spitzbergen, on the produce of the country, for upwards of six years. They had, to begin with, only a few ounces of tobacco, 12 musket charges of powder and shot, and a small bag of flour. If this narrative be true, and there is no reason to doubt it, may not a body of British Blue Jackets, commanded by officers with the Arctic experience, unconquerable courage, and fertility of resource of Eranklin, Crozier, Fitzjames, and their companions, find the means of existence for a far longer period in that not more barren region, and the way ultimately of escape?

I wish that my space would have allowed me to dwell longer on a subject of such intense interest and of so much instruction; but I must conclude, with an earnest hope, that notwithstanding the faults and omissions, which, I fear, may exist in my narrative, the Navy will forgive them, in consideration of my wish to do justice to their noble service; and that my countrymen will look with a favourable eye on the "Chips of the Old Block."

LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET.

[Transcriber's note: Inconsistent and archaic spelling is as printed.