THE DISCOVERIES OF DEASE AND SIMPSON
Meanwhile the exploration of the shores of Northern America was
proceeding apace. At the time when the _Terror_ sailed for Hudson’s
Strait the situation was this. Beechey, starting from the west, had
mapped out the coast as far as Point Barrow. No white man had yet
examined the coast from Point Barrow to Return Reef, a matter of some
150 miles. The expeditions of Franklin and Richardson, however, had
covered the whole distance between Return Reef and Point Turnagain,
but the coast-line between that point and the mouth of the Great
Fish or Back River still remained to be explored, as, too, did the
shore of the Polar Sea eastward of the Great Fish River. It was to
the last-named stretch of coast-line that the greatest importance
was attached, because it was felt that search might very possibly
reveal the existence of a waterway between Regent’s Inlet and the
Polar Sea. There being so much work to be done in this direction, in
1836 the Hudson’s Bay Company determined to send out an expedition on
its own account “to endeavour to complete the discovery and survey
of the northern shores of the American continent.” The command of
the expedition was given to two of the Company’s officers, Mr Peter
Warren Dease and Mr Thomas Simpson. Dease had accompanied Franklin
on his expedition of 1825-26, and, on account of his seniority in
the Company’s service, the command of the party was given to him.
Simpson was only a junior official, but he was a man of such immense
enthusiasm and ability that, to all intents and purposes, before many
weeks were over, he became the actual leader, and the most important
discoveries made by the expedition must really be accredited to him.
According to the official instructions, the party, which was to
consist of twelve men in addition to the two officers, was to proceed
to the Athabasca Lake, and to winter either at Fort Chipewyan or
at Fort Resolution. The summer of 1837 was to be devoted to the
exploration of the coast-line between the mouth of the Mackenzie
River, which would lead them to the sea, and Point Barrow. As soon as
winter set in the party was to make its way to the Great Bear Lake,
whence, in the summer of 1838, it was to pass down the Coppermine
River, with a view to linking up Franklin’s discoveries with those of
Back.
In pursuance of this plan Dease set out for the Athabasca Lake at the
end of July, while Simpson, who was a man of extraordinary energy,
went south to the Red River Settlement, with a view to rubbing up his
astronomy, entirely undeterred by the fact that he would have to make
the whole of his journey to the Athabasca Lake—a distance of 1277
miles—on foot, in the depth of winter, over a rugged and trackless
waste. It was to energy of this kind that he owed so much of his
success. Frequently during his subsequent trips he achieved feats
which had hitherto been regarded as absolutely impossible, while he
invariably travelled at a pace which none of his predecessors had
ever approached. He covered the whole of the distance between the
Red River Settlement and Lake Athabasca in sixty-two days; and what
makes the achievement all the more remarkable is that he invariably
insisted on “raising the road” himself—in other words, he marched on
ahead of the party to mark out the track through the snow. This task
is so exceedingly trying, that, as a rule, each member of a party
undertakes it in turn for an hour at a time.
The winter at Fort Chipewyan was very largely occupied in the
construction of the two boats that were to take the party down to
the Polar Sea. The _Castor_ and _Pollux_, as they were named, were
light clinker-built craft of 24 feet keel and 6 feet beam, carrying
two lug-sails apiece. They were duly launched at the end of May,
and on June 1 the party set out on its way down to the sea. At
Fort Norman four men were sent off to the Great Bear Lake to build
winter quarters, establish a fishery, and make all the necessary
preparations for the return of the party.
The voyage down the Mackenzie passed off without misadventure, and
on July 9 the party found itself on the shores of the Polar Sea. The
next fortnight was spent in verifying Franklin’s discoveries, but on
July 23 they reached Return Reef, and there they began to open up new
country. Fog, ice, and adverse winds now made their progress rather
slow, and Simpson feared that if the conditions did not improve they
would not reach Point Barrow before winter set in. Accordingly he
determined to make a push for it, and selecting five men to accompany
him, he started off to accomplish the rest of the journey on foot.
The weather was bitterly cold, with a biting north-east wind and a
thick fog. The coast, moreover, was intersected by countless salt
creeks, through which it was necessary to wade, and the conditions
altogether were as disagreeable as could well be imagined.
On the second day of the journey, however, when they had proceeded
about thirty miles, they had the good fortune to come upon an Eskimo
encampment. Here Simpson succeeded in borrowing an “oomiack,” or
large family canoe, which proved of such material assistance that
before long they were at their journey’s end.
The first part of their expedition was now safely accomplished, for
they had surveyed the whole of the 150 miles of coast-line between
Return Reef and Point Barrow, thus linking up the discoveries of
Beechey and Franklin. There was, therefore, nothing left for them to
do but to make the best of their way up the Mackenzie River to the
Great Bear Lake, which they duly reached on September 25.
The winter passed without any misadventure whatever. The usual
Indians, of course, swarmed to the Fort and expected to be fed by the
Englishmen. Fortunately, however, provisions were plentiful, and the
party, unlike some of the preceding expeditions, was never in danger
of starvation, in spite of the enormous appetites in which most of
its members rejoiced. The intense cold of these climates makes a
liberal supply of animal food absolutely indispensable, and the daily
ration served out to each man was 10 or 12 pounds of venison, or,
when they could be obtained, four or five whole fish weighing from 15
to 20 pounds. Even this was found insufficient by some members of the
party.
As soon as summer began Simpson and his companions set out on their
journey to the Coppermine River. Their way lay up Dease River and
across the Dismal Lakes, and, as the ice had not yet given way to the
thaw, the journey was attended by not a few difficulties. However,
with characteristic enterprise, Simpson fixed his boats firmly on
stout iron sledges, and having hoisted his sails sped away over the
lakes at a good pace, to the immense astonishment of the natives.
On reaching the Coppermine they found it greatly swollen with
the melting snow and strewn with loose ice. Delay, however, was
intolerable to the explorers, and they determined to make the best
of their way down to the sea without more ado. Navigation was
extremely dangerous, for the river went raging down between gigantic
precipices, along whose base the breakers raged and foamed with
overwhelming fury. Simpson’s account of the shooting of Escape Rapid,
which they reached at noon on the first day of their journey, is well
worth quoting as showing the sort of difficulties with which they had
to contend: “A glance at the overhanging cliffs,” he says, “told us
that there was no alternative but to run down with a full cargo. In
an instant we were in the vortex, and, before we were aware, my boat
was borne towards an isolated rock which the boiling surge almost
concealed. To clear it on the outside was no longer possible; our
only chance was to run between it and the lofty eastern cliff. The
word was passed, and every breath was hushed. A stream which dashed
down upon us over the brow of the precipice, more than a hundred
feet in height, mingled with the spray that whirled upwards from
the rapid, forming a terrific shower bath. The pass was about eight
feet wide, and the error of a single foot would have been instant
destruction. As, guided by Sinclair’s consummate skill, the boat
shot safely through those jaws of death, an involuntary cheer arose.
Our next impulse was to turn round to view the fate of our comrades
behind. They had profited by the peril we incurred and kept without
the treacherous rock in time. The waves there were still higher, and
for a while we lost sight of our friends. When they emerged the first
object visible was the bowman disgorging part of an intrusive wave
which he had swallowed and looking half-drowned. Mr Dease afterwards
told me that the spray, which completely enveloped them, formed a
gorgeous rainbow round the boat.”
They reached the shores of the Polar Sea on July 1, and here they
were doomed to disappointment. The winter had been one of exceptional
length and severity, and in consequence the shores of the sea itself
were so encumbered with ice as to make navigation almost impossible.
They pushed slowly along, but they found both Coronation Gulf and
Melville Sound completely covered with solid ice, and by August 19,
when the time was rapidly approaching for them to return, they were
still three miles short of the furthest point reached by Franklin.
There was no chance of proceeding any further in their boats, but
Simpson was determined to set foot on land which had never been
trodden by an European, so with a party of seven men he set out on
a ten days’ tramp eastward. Travelling was very painful, for the
way lay mostly over loose stones and was intersected by numberless
brooks and streams. Their labours, however, were well rewarded.
Simpson had feared from the formation of the land along which he was
travelling that the coast-line of the Polar Sea was not continuous.
On August 23, however, he reached a lofty cape, on ascending which
he discovered that in reality he had merely been travelling along
the southern shore of a strait. Beneath his feet lay an immense sea
rolling away eastward as far as the eye could reach, while to the
north he saw an extensive land to which he gave the name of Queen
Victoria Land.
After travelling a few miles south-south-east the expedition was
obliged to start on their way back, the five days allotted to the
outgoing journey having now expired. On the 29th they rejoined the
rest of the party at Boathaven, and on September 4 they began the
journey up the Coppermine. Hitherto the ascent of the Coppermine by
boat had been considered impossible. Simpson, however, determined
to prove that the reverse was the case, and with infinite labour he
succeeded in towing the boats safely up all the rapids. On September
5 they reached a spot about four miles below the junction of Kendal
River, which they considered to be the nearest point to Fort
Confidence. Here, accordingly, they dragged the boats out of the
water, and leaving them high and dry in a wood, they made their way
back to their winter quarters on foot, reaching their journey’s end
on September 14.
There everything had been got in perfect readiness for the long
winter. The buildings had been put in order, a quantity of dried
venison had been purchased from the Indians, and several thousand
fish had been caught and cured. Consequently they were in no danger
of want, and spent their time in comparative comfort until June
brought a release from the frost. As soon as it was possible they
set off for the point on the Coppermine at which they had left the
_Castor_ and _Pollux_, and in due time they reached the Polar Sea.
In the first week or so their progress was rather slow. The season
was, however, far more open than was that of the preceding year
and, on reaching Coronation Gulf, they found it, to their great
delight, perfectly navigable. From that point they pushed on apace.
On the night of the 20th they stopped at Boathaven, and thence,
helped by a favouring wind, they ran rapidly along the west coast
of Kent Peninsula to Cape Franklin, which they reached exactly a
month earlier than Simpson’s party had reached it in the preceding
year. Here again they were favoured by fortune, for they found
an open passage of water, two miles wide, along which the boats
bowled merrily. They reached Cape Alexander on the 26th, and then,
rounding the eastern extremity of Kent Peninsula, they ran along the
shore which they had been previously obliged to traverse on foot,
discovering and naming Melbourne Island and Roxborough Cape as they
went.
On the 10th they entered the strait which is now called by Simpson’s
name, and it was then that they realised that they were on the verge
of linking up Franklin’s discoveries with those of Back, for the
rapid rush of the tide from the east told them that they were about
to enter the open sea into which the Great Fish River disgorged its
waters. On the 13th all doubts on this point were set at rest for, on
rounding a very sharp cape, they saw before them a sandy desert which
they knew to be Back’s Ogle Point.
By reaching the estuary of the Great Fish River they had practically
accomplished the objects of their expedition. Simpson, however, was
by no means disposed to rest upon his laurels, and he determined
to make an effort to discover whether or not the North American
continent was linked to Boothia Felix or whether a strait connected
the Boothia Gulf with the Arctic Sea. Accordingly, with his wonted
energy, he selected three volunteers and set off on a short voyage
of exploration in one of the boats. He was not destined, however, to
succeed in his search, for on the 20th adverse winds compelled him
to take shelter in a small river, which he named after the _Castor_
and _Pollux_. To attempt to proceed any further would have been
foolhardy, and might well have resulted in the loss of the entire
party. Accordingly, having decided his position as lat. 68° 28´ N.,
long. 94° 14´ W., he turned back and reached Cape Britannia, where
Dease had remained, on August 20.
They decided to vary their homeward journey by sailing along the
coast of Victoria Land, which had never, of course, been explored.
They made its nearest point, which they named Cape Colborne, on
September 6. The 7th and 8th were spent in sailing across two great
bays, to which they gave the names of Cambridge and Wellington Bays,
and on the 9th they were nearly opposite Cape Franklin, the shore of
the American continent being then about twenty miles away. On the
following day they made for Cape Barrow, having explored some 156
miles of the new country.
The ascent of the Coppermine was difficult, as winter had now set
in, and the ice on the rocks afforded very poor foothold to the men
who were towing the boats. The journey was, however, accomplished
in safety, and on September 25 they reached Fort Confidence. Thence
they passed on to Fort Simpson, where the leader of the expedition
proposed to spend the next few weeks in writing up the account of his
voyages and discoveries. These were completed by December 2, on which
date he set out for his own station at Red River Settlement, which he
reached on February 2, having travelled 1900 miles on foot in those
sixty-one days.
This was destined to be the last journey which the indefatigable
young traveller undertook, for within a few months he was lying in
his grave. The exact circumstances which led to the tragic death of
one of the most brilliant and enthusiastic explorers England ever
possessed have never been properly ascertained, and no one ever knew
whether he was murdered or whether he committed suicide.
Briefly put, the story is as follows: The Governor of the Hudson’s
Bay Company at that time was a relation of the explorer, who was not,
however, too well disposed towards him. Though the expedition had
accomplished great things, it seems that Governor Simpson thought
that it ought to have accomplished more; and in one of his letters to
its leader he expressed his regret that the party was not prepared
to spend another year in the Arctic regions, with a view to pushing
its discoveries on in the direction of Fury and Hecla Strait. As the
younger Simpson had already told him in one of his letters that his
men were utterly worn out and his provisions exhausted, the tone
adopted by the Governor seems to have been distinctly unreasonable.
That his relative was perfectly prepared to prosecute his researches
still further was obvious from an offer which he made to lead another
expedition north in the following year, with a view to surveying
Boothia Felix, and, if possible, to passing through Fury and Hecla
Strait, and so making his way to Hudson’s Bay. This offer was,
however, entirely ignored by Governor Simpson, who, indeed, gave the
young explorer to understand that, if another expedition were fitted
out, the command would be given to someone else.
Simpson was very much hurt by the Governor’s attitude, and wrote him
a somewhat strong letter upon the subject, with the result that he
was ordered to repair to England immediately. The controversy seems
to have affected the explorer’s health very seriously indeed, and it
is obvious from some of the letters that he wrote to the Governor
that he was suffering from great mental excitement. Had he but known
it, there was every prospect of his continuing his excellent work
as an explorer, for a letter which he had written to the directors
of the Hudson’s Bay Company suggesting a fresh voyage of discovery
through the Gulf of Boothia had been very favourably considered by
them, and they wrote him a formal reply appointing him to the command
of a fresh expedition within a few days of the date on which he set
out on his homeward journey from the Red River Settlement.
He took leave of his friends on June 6, 1840, and started off in the
direction of St Peters with a party which consisted of James Bruce of
the Red River Settlement, a father and son of the name of Legros, and
John Bird. Bruce’s sworn testimony as to the events which took place
on the journey is to the following effect. On June 14 Simpson seemed
to be restless and ill. He frequently expressed a desire to return
to the Red River Settlement, and urged the others to go with him. He
did not appear to be suffering from any particular complaint, but he
wished, nevertheless, to consult a physician, and told his companions
that he feared that he could not live much longer. Towards the
evening Bruce, Bird, and the elder Legros were engaged in pitching
the tent, standing with their backs to their leader. Suddenly Bruce
heard the report of a gun, and looking round, he saw that Simpson
had shot Bird, who fell dead upon the spot. Simpson then turned his
gun upon the elder Legros and fired at him, wounding him mortally,
though death did not ensue immediately. When they were sufficiently
recovered from their horror and amazement, Bruce and the younger
Legros approached Simpson, who told them that it had come to his
knowledge that Bird and Legros had formed a plot to kill him during
the night for his papers, and that he had only acted in self-defence.
Before he died Legros denied the existence of any such plot, and to
this day it is not known whether or not Simpson had any ground for
his suspicions.
The young explorer was still standing with his gun in his hand, and
Bruce and the younger Legros, fearing, apparently, that they might
share the fate of their comrades, mounted their horses and rode back
to find another and larger body of travellers whom they had left on
the previous day, and who were encamped a few miles back. On reaching
their friends they gave the alarm, and having been joined by five
men they returned to the scene of the murders. As they reached the
cart near which Simpson had been standing, they called him by name.
The only answer that they received was the report of a gun and the
whistle of a bullet. That Simpson had shot himself was the inevitable
conclusion, but, with a view to frightening him if he should be
still alive, they fired their guns as they approached the cart. The
precaution was unnecessary, however, for, on drawing nearer, they
found that Simpson had shot himself through the head. The bodies of
the three men, Simpson, Legros, and Bird, were there and then buried
in the same grave.
Such is the story as told by Bruce, but it is impossible to vouch for
its truth as there was no corroborative evidence, the younger Legros
never having been examined. Having regard to the state of Simpson’s
health at the time, it is more than probable that he really believed
that he was only acting in his own defence in shooting Bird and
Legros. But whether he died by his own hand, or whether he was shot
by Bruce or one of the party who returned with him, it is impossible
to say.