Delaware State journal and statesman., 1869-10-05
Artic Ncws--RepOrt Of DIR. IIall--ReIics of
the franklin Expedition.

DR.. G. f. Hail, the Arctic explorer, who
g recently returned 10 New York from an ex-
tended research within the North circle,
d furnishes the following narrative of his in
q vesiigaions and discoveries in that region
REPULsE BAY, June 90, 1869
HENRY GRINNELL;-
a Dear Sir.-TLis day have returned from
a sledge journey of ninety days to and from
King Williams Land. II was my purpose,
/ and every preparation was made, TO make
this journey last season, but my attention
then having been called to Mellyle PENN
sula. in the vicinity of Fury and Hecla
; Straits, where native report lad ii that white
men had been seen, / directed my expedi
lion there, by way OF Am-i-ioke, Oog-lik
isle, Ig-loo-lk, with the ardent hope and ex.
pecl0tlon OF rescuipg alive some Of Sir John
FIanklins lost companions. The result of
this journey was the finding of tentng
place of few white men and a stone pillar
they had erected close by it at tie bottom OF
Parry Bay, which is some fifty miles south
OF the western outlet of Fury and Hecla
Straits, and the visiting of several places
where white men and their traces had been
been by natives of Ig-loo-lik and vicinity IN
or about the years 1862. also gained much
Information from the natives of Ig-loo-lik,
North Oog-lik isle, and thereabouts, that
confirmed the report / had heard in the
winter of 1SG7-9, which | nave already sta
ted. And still further proofs of this report
have been also obtained on my late visit 10
King Williams Land. My sledge journey
to the Straits OF Fury and Hecla, and thence
down 10 Parry Bay and back 10 Repulse
Bay by the route already defined, consumed
ninety-six days.
The result Of my sledge journey 10 King
Williams Land may be summed up thus
None of Sir John Franklin's companions
ever reached or died on Montreal Island.
IL was late In July, 194e, that Crozier and
his party, of about forty or forty-five, passed
down the west coast of King Williams Land
in the vicinity of Cape Herschcl. The party
was dragging two sledges on the sea ice,
which was nearly in its last stage of dissolu
tion-one large sledge laden with an avn
UNCOVERED boat, and the other small one,
laden with provisions and camp material.
just before CrOzier and party arrived at
Cape HeTschel they were met by four fami-
lies of natives, and both parties went into
camp near each other. Two Esquimaux
men, who were of the native party gave me
much sad but deeply interesting Information.
Some of 1t stirred my heart with sadness, in
termingled with rage, for it was a confession
that they, with their companions, did Sc
cretly and hastily abandon Crozier aud his
party 10 suffer and die for need of fresh pro-
visions, when in truth, it was in the power
Of the natives to save every man alive. The
next trace of Crozicr and his party is to he
found in the skeleton which McClintock dis
covered a little below, TO the sotuhward and
eastward of Cape Herschel. This was never
found by the natives The next trace is
camping place on the seashore of King Will
liam's Land, about three miles eastward of
Pfetier river, where two men died and re-
Ceived Christian burial. AT this place fish
bones were found by the natives, which
ala tI,,N 4. i.
caught while there species OF fish excellent
for food with which the sea there abounds.
The next trace Oi this party occurs some five
or six miles eastward, on n long, low point
of King Williams Land, where one man
died and was buried. Then about south
southeast two and a half miles further, the
next trace occurs, on Todd's inlet, where
the remains of five men lie. The next GER
, tain trace of this party is on the west side OF
the inlet west of Point Richardson, on some
, low land that is an island or part of the
mtin land as the tide may be. Here the
, awning-coveTed 6oAt and tic remains Of
| about thirty or thirty-fve of Crozier's party
were found by the native Poo-yet-ta, of
, whom Sir John Ross has given description
, in the account of his voyage in the Victory,
. 1s29-3i.
f In the spring of 1s40 largetent was found
: by some of the natives whom saw, the floor
OF which was completely covered with the
! remains of white men. Close by were two
graves This tent was a little way inland
. from the head of Terror Bay.
] In the spring of 1861, when the snow was
e nearly all gone an Esquimaux party, con-
> Quoted by native well known throughout
+ the Northern regions, found two boats, with
many skeletons in and about them. One of
these boats had been previously found by
McClintock, the other was found lying from
one-quarter 10 one-balf mile distant, and
must have been completely entombed in
I snow at the time McClintock's rarties were
z there, or they most assuredly would have
seen it. In and about this boat, besides the
! many skeletons alluded 10, were found many
9 relics, most of them similar in character 10
those McCliniock enumerates as having been
# found in the boat he discovered. The native
a who conducted this native rarty in its search
, over King Williams Land, is the same in
# diydual who gave Dr. Rae the first infor-
. nation about white men having died to the
e westward of where he (Dr Rae) then was
3 (Pelly Bay), in the spling of 1854. Iii:
/ name is -poo-zhe-iook, and he is q
native of Neitchille, very great traveller
+. and very intelligent He is, in fact, walk
= ing history of the fate OF Sir John Franklin.
N expedition. This alive met when within
/ one days sedge Of King Williams Land
l. off Point Dryden-and after stopping few
1 days among his people, he accompanied mt
e Williams Land.
!. The same year that the Erebns and Ter
}, ror were abandoned one OF them cOnsumma
If ted the Great Northwest passage, having tivi
d men aboard. The evidence of the exac
j. number is cumstantial Everything abou
1t this Northwest Passage ship of Sir JOIN
Il Franklin's expedition was in complete order
e four boats were hanging high up at the ship
!; sides and one was on the quarter deck; th
}; vessel was in lis winter housing of sail o
l. tent cloth. This vessel was found by til
T. 0ok- .lik natives near O'Reilly Island, lal
69 deg. 90 min. north, lon. so deg. 8 min
west, early in the spring of 1S49, il bein
la frozen in in the midst of n smooth and ur
,e broken foe of ice of only one winters fol
40 nation From certain evidences | hav
te gained both at Ig-loo-lik and King William
10 Land there must lave been dog Of tn
ln greyhound species belonging 10 one or tn
"a other of the two slips. ! only know th
ne through native testimony. II is quite likel
le that some one in England can tell wheiht
xt there was dog ON board either of the shiI
(, when Sir John Franklin left in 1915.
ID To complete the history OF Sir John Franl
u. Inns last expedition one must spend sun
/. mer on King Williams Land, with col
A siderable party, whose only business shOul
s. be 10 mike search for records which heyon
le doubt lie buried on that island. am ce
Le tain, from what | haye heard the nalv
say ana rom Wlal l saw myself that hit
or nothing more can be gained by makir
ID searches there when the land 10 clothed
NC lis winter galb, for the Esquimaux ha'
no made search alter search over all the Goa
So of King Williams Land, on either sid
ar. from its southern extreme up to Cape Fell
pn the northern point, for anything and ever
al- thing that belonged 10 the conn anions
he Sir John Franklin, and these searches ha
"a been made when the snow had nearly
ar disappeared from the lands.
rs- My sledge company from Repulse Bay