'ENTERPRISE.'
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."