The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-10-12
Sir John Franklin and his Men.
THRILLING TIDINGS.

"Away, away" cried the stout Sir John,
While the blossoms en- the trees;
For the summer is short and the time speeds on,
AS we sail for the Northern seas.
Ho aant Croser and brave Fitz James!
When we fad way through the Northern seas
That never was found till nOwl
stout goodly ship, is the Erebus,
AS ever unfurled sail,
And the Terror will match with as brave a one,
WI '"'''' < s'''
Oh, the sailors wife and the sailors child;
They weep, and watch and pray;
And the Lady Jane, she will hope in vain,
As the long years pass away.
Lady Jane, the model wife of Sir John
Franklin, long since, no doubt, gave up all
hope of ever seeing her brave husband and
his brave men alive, but her time, and her
money have been spent in gaining tidings of
his fate, and now the "Fox," sent out by her,
has returned to England, bringing particu-
lars of his fate.
Let US refresh our memories as to Sir John
Franklin and his expedition. May 10, l845,
Sir John-who was an old Arctic navigator
set sail from England with the ships En-
ebus and Terror. Sir John in command Of
the first, and Capt Richard Crosier in com.
mand OF the last. The expedition, of course,
was to discover North West psssage.--
The crews amounted to one hundred and
thirty eight men. A tender, with stores,
accompanied the expedition. July 6, l845,
they were seen by a whaleship in latitude
IA degrees 4s minutes, longitude 66 degrees
3 minutes, and about the center OF Batfin s
Bay, moored to an iceberg, and waiting an
opening into Lancaster Sound.
That was the last seen of the expedition
Franklin was sent out by Government, and
was instructed to make his way into Baffin's
Bay, thence into Lqncaster Sound, and to
push westward in about latitude IA degrees
Is minutes till reaching the longitude of tha,
portion Of land on which Cape Walker is
situated (North of Somerset) or about 9s
degrees west. From that point he was di.
rected to penetrate to the southwurd and
westward in course as direct towards Beh.
rings Straits as ihe position and extent Of
the ice or the existence of land, then un.
known, might admit. Of course he was
given discretion to net as unforeseen emer.
gencies might dictate.
In l84S, no tdings coming, three expedi.
tions went in search of Frank lin, by the
British Go vernment, but without success
In lS49 the British Government offered 20,.
600 pounds to private exploring expeditions
of any country, that should render aid to the
missing explorers. In lS49 Lady Frank lin
had supply of Goals and provisions landed
upon Cape Hay, south side of lancaster
Sound. In 1850 three new expeditions were
sent out by the British Government, ant
there were other expeditions in existence fol
the same purpose, amounting in all to eight
Among these expeditions was that of Doctor
! Rae, of whom more will be said presently
Lady Franklin sent out one expedition ant
paid part expenses of another Moses H
J Grinnell, of New York, was chiefly at tht
expense of the Advance and Rescue, unde
Lieutenant De Haven the entire numbe
of vessels in oil those expeditions bein!
twelve in the Arctic waters in search o
franklin and his men.
The first traces of the missing men wer'
found by Captain Ommaney, of the Assist
ance, at Cape Riley, August 23d, 1850
where a site of tent, paved with stones
birds bones and meat canisters we're found
proving, as was supposed, that franklin
party had tarried there sometimes. A
Beechy Island, three miles west of Cap
Riley, and just at the entrance of Wellington
channel, Lieutenant Osborne came upon tn,
place where Franklin had his first winter
quarters, as is supposed, from finding mea
cans, the embankment of a house, carpen
ter's shops, and other remains of large es
tablishment; also the graves of three mer
belonging to the Erebus and Terror, bearing
date 1856, and further on the traces of
garden and various articles of wearing ap
parel. This same spot was examined b,
Lieutenant De Haven, August 25, 1850, bu
nothing further was discovered, and it wa
inferred that up to that time nothing alarm
i ing or extraordinary had happened.
Other expeditions were fitted out, anon,
them, in 1863, one by Mr.. Grnnell, and 9th
ers, commanded by Doctor Kane. This wa
the famous expedition of which our reader
all know 4; none successful save that of Doc
tor Rae, who in April 1864, reached Pell
Bay. at the southern termination of Primo
Regents inlet. In the Daily Herald of o.
J tober 26th, 1854, we gave an account of Dot
tor Rae's discoveries. At Pelly Bay, Doctc
r. learned from the Esquimaux that a part
OF 40 white men. In the spring Of 1850, wa