Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1859-10-21


within the last 20 or 80 years reached their
shores.
The remains Of three wrecked ships are
known to them; two Of these appear to have
been the whalers Dexterity and Aurora,
wrecked in August, 1921, seventy or eighty
miles southwark Of Ponds Inlet. The third
vessel, now almost buried in the sand, lies
few miles cast of Cape Hay. This peo-
pie communicate every winter with the
tribes at Igloolk. They all knew Of Parry's
ships having wintercd there in 1929, and
had heard of late years Of DR.. RAGS visit to
Repula Bay, describing his boats as similar
to our whaleboat, and his party as living in
tents within snow-houses, smoking pipes,
shooting reindeer, DC. None died. They
remained there only one winter.
Norumor of the lost expedition has reach
ed them. Within Ponds Inlet the natives
told us the ice decays away every year, but
so long as any remains whales abound
Several large whales we're seen by us, and
VIC found among the natives considerable
quantity of whalebonc and many norwas'
horns, which they wero anxious to barter
for knives files, saws, rifles and wool; they
drew us some rude charts of the inlet, show
ing that it expands into an extensive chan
mel looking westward into Prince Regents
Inlet.
We could not but regret that none of our
own whaling friends-from whom we had
recently received so much kindness-were
here to profit by so favorable an opportuni-
ty. Leaving Ponds Inlet on the 9th Au-
gust, we reached Beechey Island on the
l lth, and landed handsome marble tablet
sent on board for this purpose by Lady
Franklin, bearing an appropriate inscription
to tho memory of our lost countrymen in the
Efebus and Terror.
Tho provisions and stores seemed in per-
feet order, but a small boat was much dam
aged from having been rolled along the
beach by storm. The roof of the house
received some necessary repairs. Having
embarked some coal and stores we stood in
need of, and touched at Cape Hotham on
the 10th, we sailed down Peel Strait for 25
miles on the 18th, but finding the remain
der Of this channel covered by unbroken ice,
determined to make for Bellot Straits
On the l 9th of August, examined into sup
plies remaining at Port Leopold, and left
there a whale-boat, which we brought away
from Cape Hotham for the purpose, so as
to aid us in our retreat should we be oblig.
cd to abandon the Fox The steam launch
had been forced higher up on the beach, and
somewhat damaged by the ice. Prince Re-
gents Inlet was unusually FREQ from ice
but very little was seen during our run
down to Brentford Bay, which we reached on
the Goth August. Bellot Strait, which
communicates with the western sea, aver
ages one mile in width by II or 19 mile,
in length. AT this time it was filled with
drift ice, but as the season advanced became
perfectly clear; its shores are 10 many places
faced with lofty granite cliffs, and some OF
the adjacent hills rise to 1000 feet; the
tides are very strong, running six or seven
knots at the springs. On the 9th of Sep
tember we passed through Belot Strait
without obstruction, and secured the ship to
| fixed ice across its western outlet. From
here until the 9th, when deemed it nee
essary to retreat into winter quarters, we con-
stantly watched the movements of the ice
in the western sea or channel. In mid-chan-
mel it was broken up and drifting about
gradually the proportion of water increased,
until at length the ice which intervened was
reduced to three or four miles in width
But this was firmly held fast by numerous
islets, and withstood the violence of the au-
tumn gales. 1t was tantalizing beyond de-
scription thus to watch from day to day the
free water which we could not reach, and
which washed the rocky shore few mile,
to the southwark of u.s.
During the autumn attempts were made
to carry our 'depots of provisions toward Tho
magnetic pole; but these almost entirely
failed owing to the disruption of the ice tc
the southwark. Lieutenant Hobson return.
ed with his sedge parties in November, af
ter much suffering from severe weather, and
imminent peril on one occasion, whom the
ice upon which they were encamped became
detached from the shore, and drifted off tc
the leeward with them.
Our wintering position was to tho east
entrance of BeIlot Strait in snug harbor
which / have named Port Kennedy, aftel
my predecessor in these waters, the com
mander of one of Lady Frankln's former
searching expeditions. Although vegeta
tation was tolerably abundant, and our two
Esquimaux hunters, Mr. Petersen, and sew
eral sportsmen, constantly on the alert, ye
the resources Of the country during clever
months and half only yielded us cigh
reindeer two bears, eighteen seals, aud {
few water foul and ptarmigan.
The Winter was unusually cold and stor
my. Arrangements were completed during
the Winter for carrying out our INTENDED
plan of search; felt it TO be my duty per
sonally TO visit Marshal Island, and in S,
doing proposed to complete the circuit o
King William Island
To Lieutenant Hobson ! allotted tn
search Of the western shore Of Boothia l.
} the magnetic pole, and from Gateshea,
Island westward to Wynniatts furthcst
Capt. ALIGN Young, our sailing master, wa
to trace the shore of Prince of Wales
Land, from Lieut. Brownies furthest; and al
so to examine the coast from Bellot Strai
} northwald to Sir James Ross furthest.
Early Spring journeys were commence
on tho l7lh of February, 1859, by Cap
J Young and myself Capt. Young carryin
his depot across to Prince of Wales Lanc
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