THE LAST TRACES.
M’Clintock’s Summer Explorations—The Second Winter—Sledging
Parties—Snow Huts—Near the Magnetic Pole—Meeting with
Esquimaux—Franklin Relics obtained—Objection of Esquimaux to Speak
of the Dead—Hobson’s Discovery of the Franklin Records—Fate of the
_Erebus_ and _Terror_—Large Quantity of Relics Purchased from the
Natives—The Skeleton on the Beach—Fate of Crozier’s Party—“As they
Fell they Died”—The Record at Point Victory—Boat with Human
Remains Discovered—The Wrecks never Seen—Return of the _Fox_.
During the summer of 1858 M’Clintock made several detailed examinations of
Eclipse Sound, Pond’s Bay, Peel Strait, Regent’s Inlet, and Bellot Strait,
without discovering the faintest trace of the lost party. The _Fox_ was
again to winter in the Arctic—this time, however, under favourable
circumstances—Port Kennedy, a harbour of Bellot Strait, being selected.
The early winter of 1858-9 passed away without any occurrences of great
importance, the ship being safely placed and the crew still well
provisioned. One important member of the expedition, Mr. Brand, the chief
engineer, died of apoplexy on November 7th, and, in consequence,
M’Clintock himself had, at a later period, not merely to navigate the
vessel, but to manage the engines.
[Illustration: CAPTAIN (AFTERWARDS SIR LEOPOLD) M’CLINTOCK.]
Again their Christmas was spent in the happiest manner, and, says
M’Clintock, “with a degree of loyalty to the good old English custom at
once spirited and refreshing. All the good things which could possibly be
collected together appeared upon the snow-white deal tables of the men as
the officers and myself walked, by invitation, round the lower deck.
Venison, beer, and a fresh supply of clay pipes, appeared to be the most
prized luxuries; but the abundance and variety of the eatables, tastefully
laid out, were such as well might support the delusion which all seemed
desirous of imposing upon themselves—that they were in a land of plenty—in
fact, _all but_ at home! We contributed a large cheese and some preserves,
and candles superseded the ordinary smoky lamps. With so many comforts,
and the existence of so much genuine good feeling, their evening was a
joyous one, enlivened also by songs and music.” Without, the scene was
widely different. A fierce nor’-wester howled through the rigging, the
snow-drift rustled swiftly past, no star appeared through the oppressive
gloom, and the thermometer varied between 76° and 80° _below the freezing_
point. At one time it was impossible to visit the magnetic observatory,
although only 210 yards distant, and with a rope stretched along, breast
high, upon poles the whole way. After making all proper arrangements,
M’Clintock and Young started out on February 17th, in different
directions, with sledges and searching parties. The cold was intense: on
the 18th the thermometer registered 48° (80° below freezing); and even the
poor dogs felt the effects, their feet becoming lame and sore in
consequence of the hardness of the snow.
[Illustration: AN ESQUIMAUX SLEDGE AND TEAM OF DOGS.]
We are now approaching the _dénoûment_—the climax of the painful story
which tells us of the sad fate of two whole ships’ companies amid the
perils and horror of the frozen seas. We cannot do better than present the
narrative for the most part in the graphic words of M’Clintock. “On the
1st of March,” he writes, “we halted to encamp at about the position of
the Magnetic Pole, for no cairn remains to mark the spot. I had almost
concluded that my journey would prove to be a work of labour in vain,
because hitherto no traces of Esquimaux had been met with, and in
consequence of the reduced state of our provisions and the wretched
condition of the poor dogs—six out of the fifteen being quite useless—I
could only advance one more march.
“But we had done nothing more than look _ahead_; when we halted and turned
round, great indeed was my surprise and joy to see four men walking after
us. Petersen and I immediately buckled on our revolvers, and advanced to
meet them. The natives halted, made fast their dogs, laid down their
spears, and received us without any evidence of surprise....
“We gave them to understand that we were anxious to barter with them, and
very cautiously approached the real object of our visit. A naval button
upon one of their dresses afforded the opportunity; it came, they said,
from some white people who were starved upon an island where there are
salmon (that is, in a river), and that the iron of which their knives were
made came from the same place. One of these men said he had been to the
island to obtain wood and iron, but none of them had seen the white men.
Another man had been to ‘Ei-wil-lik’ (Repulse Bay), and counted on his
fingers seven individuals of Rae’s party whom he remembered having
seen....
“Despite the gale which howled outside, we spent a comfortable night in
our roomy hut.
“Next morning the entire village population arrived, amounting to about
forty-five souls, from aged people to infants in arms, and bartering
commenced very briskly. First of all we purchased all the relics of the
lost expedition, consisting of six silver spoons and forks, a silver medal
the property of Mr. A. McDonald, assistant surgeon, part of a gold chain,
several buttons, and knives made of the iron and wood of the wreck; also
bows and arrows constructed of materials obtained from the same source.
Having secured these, we purchased a few frozen salmon, some seal’s
blubber, and venison, but could not prevail upon them to part with more
than one of their fine dogs. One of their sledges was made of two stout
pieces of wood, which might have been a boat’s keel.
“All the old people recollected the visit of the _Victory_. An old man
told me his name was ‘Ooblooria.’ I recollected that Sir James Ross had
employed a man of that name as a guide, and reminded him of it; he was, in
fact, the same individual, and he inquired after Sir James by his
Esquimaux name of ‘Agglugga.’
“I inquired after the man who was furnished with a wooden leg by the
carpenter of the _Victory_; no direct answer was given, but his daughter
was pointed out to me. Petersen explained to me that they do not like
alluding in any way to the dead, and that, as my question was not
answered, it was certain the man was no longer amongst the living.”
M’Clintock returned to the _Fox_, having travelled 420 miles in their
twenty-five days’ absence, and having also completed the survey of the
coast line of continental America, thereby adding about 120 miles to our
charts. On reaching the ship the crew was at once assembled, and the
information obtained laid before the men, M’Clintock pointing out that one
of the ships still remained unaccounted for, and that they must carry out
to the full all the projected lines of search.
After several sledge journeys to the various depôts previously made, to
collect provisions deposited there, the search was resumed, M’Clintock and
Hobson leading two parties in different directions.
On their return M’Clintock writes as follows, under date of June 24th:—“I
have visited Montreal Island, completed the exploration and circuit of
King William’s Island, passing on foot through the only feasible
North-west Passage; but all this is as nothing to the interest attached to
the _Franklin records_ picked up by Hobson, and now safe in my possession.
We now know the fate of the _Erebus_ and _Terror_. The sole object of our
voyage has at length been completed, and we anxiously await the time when
escape from these bleak regions will become practicable.”
On April 20th two families of the same people previously encountered at
Cape Victoria were found in their snow huts upon the ice. M’Clintock
says:—“After much anxious inquiry we learned that two ships had been seen
by the natives of King William’s Island: one of them was seen to sink in
deep water, and nothing was obtained from her, a circumstance at which
they expressed much regret; but the other was forced on shore by the ice,
where they suppose she still remains, but is much broken. From this ship
they have obtained most of their wood, &c., and Oot-loo-lik is the name of
the place where she grounded.
“Formerly many natives lived there, now very few remain. All the natives
have obtained plenty of wood.
“The most of this information was given us by the young man who sold the
knife. Old Oo-na-lee, who drew the rough chart for me in March to show
where the ship sank, now answered our questions respecting the one forced
on shore; not a syllable about her did he mention on the former occasion,
although we asked whether they knew of only one ship. I think he would
willingly have kept us in ignorance of a wreck being upon their coasts,
and that the young man unwittingly made it known to us.
“The latter also told us that the body of a man was found on board the
ship; that he must have been a very large man, and had long teeth: this is
all he recollected having been told, for he was quite a child at the time.
“They both told us it was in the fall of the year—that is, August or
September—when the ships were destroyed; that all the white people went
away to the ‘large river,’ taking a boat or boats with them, and that in
the following winter their bones were found there.”(38)
On May 7th, to avoid snow-blindness, the party commenced night marching.
Crossing over from Matty Island towards the King William’s Island shore,
they continued their march southward until midnight, when they had the
good fortune to arrive at an inhabited snow village. They halted at a
little distance, and pitched their tent, the better to secure small
articles from being stolen whilst they bartered with them. M’Clintock
purchased from them six pieces of silver plate bearing the crests or
initials of Franklin, Crozier, Fairholme, and McDonald; they also sold
them bows and arrows of English woods, uniform and other buttons, and
offered a heavy sledge made of two short stout pieces of curved wood,
which no mere boat could have furnished them with; but this, of course,
could not be taken away; the silver spoons and forks were readily sold for
four needles each. The narrative continues:—
“Having obtained all the relics they possessed, I purchased some seal’s
flesh, blubber, frozen venison, dried and frozen salmon, and sold some of
my puppies. They told us it was five days’ journey to the wreck—one day up
the inlet still in sight, and four days overland: this would carry them to
the western coast of King William’s Land; they added that but little now
remained of the wreck which was accessible, their countrymen having
carried almost everything away. In answer to an inquiry, they said she was
without masts; the question gave rise to some laughter amongst them, and
they spoke to each other about _fire_, from which Petersen thought they
had burnt the masts through close to the deck in order to get them down.
“There had been _many books_, they said, but all have long ago been
destroyed by the weather. The ship was forced on shore in the fall of the
year by ice. She had not been visited during this past winter, and an old
woman and a boy were shown to us who were the last to visit the wreck;
they said they had been at it during the winter of 1857-8.
“Petersen questioned the woman closely, and she seemed anxious to give all
the information in her power. She said many of the white men dropped by
the way as they went to the Great River; that some of them were buried and
some were not. They did not themselves witness this, but discovered their
bodies during the winter following.”
Having examined Montreal and King William’s Island, they started on the
return journey. After three weeks’ travel M’Clintock continues:—“We were
now upon the shore along which the retreating crews must have marched. My
sledges, of course, travelled upon the sea-ice close along the shore; and
although the depth of snow which covered the beach deprived us of almost
every hope, yet we kept a very sharp look-out for traces; nor were we
unsuccessful. Shortly after midnight of the 25th of May, when slowly
walking along a gravel ridge near the beach, which the winds kept
partially bare of snow, I came upon a human skeleton, partly exposed, with
here and there a few fragments of clothing appearing through the snow. The
skeleton—now perfectly bleached—was lying upon its face, the limbs and
smaller bones either dissevered or gnawed away by small animals.
“A most careful examination of the spot was, of course, made, the snow
removed, and every scrap of clothing gathered up. A pocket-book afforded
strong grounds for hope that some information might be subsequently
obtained respecting the unfortunate owner and the calamitous march of the
lost crews, but at the time it was frozen hard. The substance of that
which we gleaned upon the spot may thus be summed up:—
[Illustration: CAPE YORK, MELVILLE BAY.]
“This victim was a young man, slightly built, and perhaps above the common
height; the dress appeared to be that of a steward or officer’s servant,
the loose bow-knot in which his neck-handkerchief was tied not being used
by officers or seamen. In every particular the dress confirmed our
conjectures as to his rank or office in the late expedition—the blue
jacket with slashed sleeves and braided edging, and the pilot-cloth
great-coat with plain covered buttons. We found a clothes-brush near and a
horn pocket-comb. This poor man seems to have selected the bare ridge-top
as affording the least tiresome walking, and to have fallen on his face in
the position in which we found him.
“It was a melancholy truth that the old woman spoke when she said, ‘They
fell down and died as they walked along.’
“I do not think the Esquimaux had discovered this skeleton, or they would
have carried off the brush and comb. Superstition prevents them from
disturbing their own dead, but would not keep them from appropriating the
property of the white man, if in any way useful to them. Dr. Rae obtained
a piece of flannel marked ‘F. D. V., 1845,’ from the Esquimaux of Boothia
or Repulse Bay; it had doubtless been a part of poor Des Vœux’s garments.”
It is impossible with the space at command to give in detailed form the
interesting narrative of M’Clintock’s and Hobson’s careful explorations.
“The Voyage of the _Fox_” should be read in the original by all interested
in Arctic adventure, for the modest and graphic account of it given by
M’Clintock bears the impress of absolute truth, without the slightest
attempt at fine writing or exaggeration.
[Illustration: RELICS BROUGHT BACK BY THE FRANKLIN SEARCH EXPEDITION.]
About twelve miles from Cape Herschel M’Clintock found a small cairn,
built by Hobson’s party, and containing a note for the commander. He had
reached this, his extreme point, six days previously, without having seen
anything of the wreck or of natives, but he had found a record—the record,
so ardently sought for, of the Franklin expedition—at Point Victory, on
the north-west coast of King William’s Land. It read as follows:—
“‘_28th May, 1847._—H.M. ships _Erebus_ and _Terror_ wintered in the ice
in lat. 70° 05’ N., long. 98° 23’ W.
“‘Having wintered, in 1846-7, at Beechey Island, in lat. 74° 43’ 28" N.,
long. 91° 39’ 15" W., after having ascended Wellington Channel to lat.
77°, and returned by the west side of Cornwallis Island.
“‘All well.
“‘Party, consisting of two officers and six men, left the ships on Monday,
24th May, 1847.
“‘GM. GORE, Lieut.
“‘CHAS. F. DES VŒUX, Mate.’
“Had this been all, it would have been the record of a grand success. But,
alas! round the margin of the paper upon which Lieutenant Gore, in 1847,
wrote those words of hope and promise another had subsequently written the
following words:—
“‘_April 25th, 1848._—H.M. ships _Terror_ and _Erebus_ were deserted on
the 22nd April, five leagues NNW. of this, having been beset since 12th
September, 1846. The officers and crews, consisting of 105 souls, under
the command of Captain F. R. M. Crozier, landed here in lat. 69° 37’ 42",
long. 98° 41’ W. Sir John Franklin died on the 11th June, 1847; and the
total loss by deaths in the expedition has been, to this date, nine
officers and fifteen men.
“‘(Signed) “‘(Signed)
“‘F. R. M. CROZIER, “‘JAMES FITZJAMES,
“‘Captain, and Senior Officer. “‘Captain H.M.S.
_Erebus_.
“‘And start (on) to-morrow, 26th, for
Back’s Fish River.’(39)
“In the short space of twelve months how mournful had become the history
of Franklin’s expedition! how changed from the cheerful ‘All well’ of
Graham Gore! The spring of 1847 found them within ninety miles of the
known sea off the coast of America; and to men who had already, in two
seasons, sailed over 500 miles of previously unexplored waters, how
confident must they have then felt that that forthcoming navigable season
of 1847 would see their ships pass over so short an intervening space! It
was ruled otherwise. Within a month after Lieutenant Gore placed the
record on Point Victory the much-loved leader of the expedition, Sir John
Franklin, was dead; and the following spring found Captain Crozier, upon
whom the command had devolved, at King William’s Land, endeavouring to
save his starving men, 105 souls in all, from a terrible death, by
retreating to the Hudson’s Bay territories up the Back or Great Fish
River.
“A sad tale was never told in fewer words. There is something deeply
touching in their extreme simplicity, and they show in the strongest
manner that both the leaders of this retreating party were actuated by the
loftiest sense of duty, and met with calmness and decision the fearful
alternative of a last bold struggle for life rather than perish without
effort on board their ships. We well know that the _Erebus_ and _Terror_
were only provisioned up to July, 1848.”
M’Clintock reached the western extremity of King William’s Island on May
29th, and on the following day encamped alongside a deserted boat of
considerable size, which had already been examined by Hobson, who had left
a note. A quantity of tattered clothing, &c., remained near it.
“But,” says M’Clintock, “all these were after observations; there was that
in the boat that transfixed us with awe. It was portions of two human
skeletons. One was that of a slight young person; the other of a large,
strongly-made, middle-aged man. The former was found in the bow of the
boat, but in too much disturbed a state to enable Hobson to judge whether
the sufferer had died there; large and powerful animals, probably wolves,
had destroyed much of this skeleton, which may have been that of an
officer. Near it we found the fragment of a pair of worked slippers....
Besides these slippers there were a pair of small, strong, shooting
half-boots. The other skeleton was in a somewhat more perfect state(40),
and was enveloped with clothes and furs; it lay across the boat, under the
after thwart. Close beside it were found five watches; and there were two
double-barrelled guns—one barrel in each loaded and cocked—standing muzzle
upwards against the boat’s side. It may be imagined with what deep
interest these sad relics were scrutinised, and how anxiously every
fragment of clothing was turned over in search of pockets and
pocket-books, journals, or even names. Five or six small books were found,
all of them Scriptural or devotional works, except the ‘Vicar of
Wakefield.’ One little book, ‘Christian Melodies,’ bore an inscription on
the title-page from the donor to G. G. (Graham Gore?). A small Bible
contained numerous marginal notes and whole passages underlined. Besides
these books, the covers of a New Testament and Prayer Book were found.
“Amongst an amazing quantity of clothing there were seven or eight pairs
of boots of various kinds—cloth winter boots, sea-boots, heavy
ankle-boots, and strong shoes. I noted that there were silk
handkerchiefs—black, white, and figured—towels, soap, sponge, tooth-brush,
and hair-combs; macintosh gun-cover marked outside with paint A 12, and
lined with black cloth. Besides these articles we found twine, nails,
saws, files, bristles, wax-ends, sailmakers’ palms, powder, bullets, shot,
cartridges, wads, leather cartridge-case, knives—clasp and dinner
ones—needle and thread cases, slow-match, several bayonet-scabbards cut
down into knife-sheaths, two rolls of sheet-lead, and, in short, a
quantity of articles of one description and another truly astonishing in
variety, and such as, for the most part, modern sledge-travellers in these
regions would consider a mere accumulation of dead weight, but slightly
useful, and very likely to break down the strength of the sledge crews.
“The only provisions we could find were tea and chocolate: of the former
very little remained, but there were nearly forty pounds of the latter.
These articles alone could never support life in such a climate, and we
found neither biscuit nor meat of any kind. A portion of tobacco, and an
empty pemmican-tin capable of containing twenty-two pounds weight, were
discovered. The tin was marked with an E; it had probably belonged to the
_Erebus_. None of the fuel originally brought from the ships remained in
or about the boat, but there was no lack of it, for a drift-tree was lying
on the beach close at hand, and had the party been in need of fuel they
would have used the paddles and bottom boards of the boat.” In the after
part of the boat twenty-six pieces of plate—spoons and forks—were found,
bearing the crests or initials of Franklin and his officers. The reader
can see all these interesting relics at Greenwich Hospital, and he will
hardly examine them without dropping a tear at the remembrances they
recall.
Although M’Clintock and Hobson put forth almost superhuman effort to
discover the wrecks, they were never found, and the probability is that
they had broken up and were carried to sea at the disruption of the ice.
After making every attempt possible to discover further traces of the lost
party, M’Clintock and the rest returned to the _Fox_. On August 10th the
vessel’s bows were pointed homewards, and forty days later she reached the
English Channel, after one of the most remarkable and successful Arctic
voyages ever made.
The narrative is finished. It records one of the saddest tragedies of
modern days. Amidst all the perils of wreck, and fire, and flood, there
has generally been a loophole of escape for some few; here every man of
those gallant crews perished, the larger part while helplessly
endeavouring to reach a haven of safety. “They fell down and died as they
walked along.”
The Arctic medal was awarded to all the officers and crew of the _Fox_,
and one of the first uses made by the men of their pay was to purchase for
Captain M’Clintock a handsome gold chronometer. That brave and successful
explorer was deservedly fêted and honoured wherever he went, and, as most
readers are aware, was subsequently knighted.