Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1869-10-09
Fate of Sir John Franklin,

In the San Francisco CHrVn itle
VIC find the following account Of Il
discovery which, if true, will forever
set at rest all speculation as to the
fate OF Sir John Franklin and his
companions. English journals, We are
informed by telegraph, discrcdit the
account; regarding it as sensational
fabrication. The Chronicle saws:
The discovery was made by James
DAILY, of the firm Of DAILY 4 Rodgers,
lumber merchants. San Buenavcntura.
Mr.. DAILY, walking on the coast,
accidentally stumbled on WORKOUT
battcrcd-looking bag, made out of
scal-skin and hcrmetically sealed.
Curiosity induced him to open it, and
inside he found the following remark
able documents:
RECORD OF SIR JOHN rRANKLIN's DEATH.
1t consists of a piece Of paper, 13
hy 10 inches in size, and so mutilated
that it is extremely difficult to dcciphcr
what is on it. Printed in six Ian
guagcs is the following:
Whoever finds this paper is re-
uuc,tcd to forward it to the Secretary
of the Admiralty, London, with Il
note of the time and place at which
it was found: or. if more convenient,
to deliver it for that purpose to the
British Consul at the nearest port.
The writing is as follows:
II. NJ. ships E'cbus and Terror,
May 2S. 1917. Wintcrcd in the ice
in Lat. 20 deg. min. n, Lon. 9S
deg. % min. w.
Having wintercd in 1856 ut
Bccchy Island in Lat. Il deg. 43
min. - sec. n. Lon. 81 deg. 81 min.
Il soc. w., after having asccndcd
Wellington Channel to Lat. Il deg,
and returned by the west side of
CORVALLIS Island.
Sir John Franklin commanding the
expedition. All well.
Party consisting oftwo officers and
six men lct: the Ships on Monday.
24th May. 1871.
GRAHAM GoRE, Lieut..
CnA>. +. DEs EoErx, Mate.
Around the margin and on the
available space outside the printing
the following is inscribcd:
IL. NJ. ships Ercbus aud Terror
were deserted on the ODD of April,
five leagues n. n. W. of here. having
been last seen September II, 1916.
The officers and crews, consisting Of
lO5 souls, under the command of
Captain +. Il. NJ. Crozier, landed
here in LAT. SO deg. 81 min. ~ sec.
n. Lon. % deg. fl min. W. Sir
John Franklin died on the 1lth of
June, 1917, and the total loss in the
expedition by death has been to this
date nine officers and fifteen men.
+. II. M. CRozIER,
Captain and Senior Officer.
JAS. FIrzJAMEs,
Captain IL. NJ. ship Erebus.
And start tomorrow, Goth for
Backs Fish river.
The above is transcript of this
strange document committed to the
care of "Greenland's icy ocean" Just
81 years ago. Who shall tell where
it has been since! In what iceberg's
frozen bosom has it traversed the
northwest passage, and whittier dur
ing those long years has it wandered
in its Arctic prison until the tropical
sun of the Pacific thawed it free and
gave it to the waves to bear whittier
they would. 1t is relic of interest
for all. 1t is the parting word of a
few brave navigators committed to
the waves in the hope that an allwise
Providence might direct it where
friends, relatives and countrymen
could hear their last message still
full of hope and courage. But few
months passed from the time it was
written, and they all found graves be-
meath the frozen fields of tho Arctic,
man after man of their noble band
slowly succulnbins to the freezing
grasp of that fearful region and dying
far from all those man holds most
dear. How strange that after 81
years the frail bark on which they
relied to send their message should
at Inst come to shore in California,
thousands of miles from England, and
that the telegraph should flash its
news and import to those at home
who had long forgotten them.
n@ Key West, on the reef of rocks