The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-10-12

seen dragging slsdgesover the ice, they were
all thin, and BY signs said that their ships had
been crushed BY the ice and they were In
search OF food. Later in the season, the
bodies OF thirty whites were found on tho
continent and FIVE on an island near.
This place where these bodies were found
was supposed to be about 80 miIes norths
west OF Backs river. One body had teIe.
scope strapped on it, probably an officer, and
appearances indicated that some had been
driven to cannibalism.
DR.. Rae purchased OF the Esquimaux va
rious articles that belonged to the expedition,
such ss ten silver forks, five silver spoons,
and articles marked with initials, one OF them
a silver plate marked "Sir John franklin.
X. c. B." DR.. Rae concluded the party died
of starvation and not BY the hands OF the
ma tives. s.ttEG
In June, 1856, Mr.. Anderson, who went
TO inspect the spot where these remains
were found, saw, little way from the mouth
of Backs river, some Esquimaux who had
various articles of boat equipage, and the 10.
dians said the owners had starved to death.
On Montreal Island, where the five bodies
were said to be, he found chain hooks, tools,
rope, bunting, and a stick on which Yves
carved the name of Mr.. Stanley, Surgeon Of
the ErebUs. On a plank was found the word
Terror, but no ueSti9e Of the remains, nor any
papers were found. At Point Ogle small
articles were found, but no bodies, and the
party was unable to reach King William's
land, the scene Of the chief disaster.
Nothing has been discovered since until
the arrival Of the Fox, of which the Canada
brings the news. Ofthis expedition we will
make a few notes. In 1857 the British
Government, stimulated by previous discov.
cries, agitated the scheme of another expedi.
ton, had resolved to send another expedition
but Immediately abandoned the scheme. In
the same year Lady franklin made an ap.
peal to the navigators of the world to aid in
finding out the fate of the crew of the Erebus
and Terror, and she published the names of
five vessels then abandoned in the Arctic
seas, and the fact that the salvage on the
Resolute which was recovered by an Ameri-
can ship was 5000 pounds. Lady F. also
offered reward Tor any further discoveries.
Lady franklin in 1857 got up another ex.
pedition, commanded by Captain McC Clintock
with the Fox to search at The place indicated
by former discoveries he was to 90 down
Prince Regents Inlet, thence through Bel
lots Straits to the field of search, or if ice
should prevent their going, he was to leave
his ship in Prince Regents Inlet and pro.
ceed with sledges. The object of L,dy
Franklin, as she snid in her appeal to Lord
PalmerSton for Government aid, was s'that
careful search be made for any possible sur
vivor; that the bones of the dead be sought
Tor and gathered together ; that their buried
records be unearthed, or recovered from the
Esquimaux; and, above all, that their last
written words, SO precious to their bereaved
families and friends, be saved from destruc.
tion."
This appeal was not entirely in vain for
government aid, and on July lst, 1857, tho
screw steamer Fox sailed from Aberdeen,
Scotland, fitted out by Lady Franklin, her
friends and assisted by government. The
Fox had crew Of about 80, officers and
men, including Mr.. Peterson as interpreter,
and who was with DR.. Kane. The officers
were Captain McClintock, r. NJ, Lieutenant
Hobson, R. NJ, Captain Young, as sailing
master, DIR. Walker as surgeon and natural.
lst. Lady Franklin declined to give Captain
McCintock any specific instructions. The
object lst was to rescue any survivor, I'd
discovery OF documents or relics, and Sd the
veriication Of the course taken by the Frank
lin Expedition, and confirmation of the 70.
ports brought by Dr.. Rae, that party from
the Erebu4 and Terror in 1850 landed boat
on King Wilinm's Land, fact that in itself
will establish the priority OF the discovery Of
the North West passage by Sir John frank.
lin.
The news by the Cannda announced The
of b. IL r L
expedition. The teIegraphic dispatch from
Sackville, New Brunswick, dated Oct. 7th,
says:
GREAT BRITAIN.-The screw steamship
Fox, Captain McCIntock, sent by Lady
Franklin to the Arctic regions in search Of
Sir John Franklin's Expedition, has return.
ed to England, having been completely sue.
cessiuI At Point Wilium, on the north
west coast of King Williams Island, a re-.
cord was found dated Apri 25th, lS4S, sign.
ed by Captains Crosier and Filz james.
The record says the Erebus and Terror
| were abandoned, three days previously, in
the ice, five leagues to the northwest. and the
survivors, in all amounting to one hundred
and five, were proceeding to Great Fish riv-
er. Sir John Franklin had died June llth,
lS47, and the total deaths to date had been
nine officers and fifteen men.
Many interesting relics of the expedition
on the western shore Of King Williams Is-
land and others were obtained from the Es.
quimaux. who stated that after their aban.
donment one ship was crushed in the ice and
| sunk, and the other forced on shore, whero
she remained. The Fox was unable to pen.
etrate beyond BelIot Straits, and wintered in
Brentford Bay. Minute and interesting de-.
tails OF the expedition are published. Sew
eral skeletons OF Franklin's men, large
quantities of clothing, &C., and duplicate
record up to the abandonment of the ships
were discovered.- Cleveland Herald.
Singular Freak.