The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-15

bold, high promontory, rising seVeIh hun"tou 'e''
above the surf dashng against its base, sreaked with
alternate layers Of and black, like wall OF mas
slve masonry; a little bay running in behind this
promontory along whose shore may be seen, hrst,
large boat dragged high up the beach, with tall
mast standing up her; further along two more boats
likewise hauled up the beach; then a house. with
masses and barrels scattered around in heaps
and flagstaff in front. 1t is midnight the steep,
high walls OF rock that shut in the little bay all sides
are bleak and bare and dark except where lighted up
here and there with sreaks of snow, and they rise up
against the bright northern sky still a1ame with
the departing glory of the Arctic sun, which is
scarcely below the horizon, in Of rugged,
suen grandeur But there are no lights shining
the windows Of this house, children about the
door, no figures the beach to wave a welcome, no
fishermen moving about among the boats, nets
strewed along the shore flag the flagstaff
jewellers in this dwelling inhabitants in this hab-
ation. The place is sad silent and lonely a grave
yard And II may well appear lonely, for no human,
form has crossed the threshold of this house human
foot tired beach, human voice disturbed the ng
dreary silence for twenty years
GRAVES PRASKLIN's MEN
II may well appear silent and mournful for 1t is
Beechy Island, where picked up after years OF
search, the lost trail OF Sir John Franklin, when
found the first tokens OF the passages Of
were that seemed to point but surely the way the
expedition had gone; for they gravesthe graves
Of three the expedition lost when winerng here.
IL was here Sir John passed his first winter after eav
ing England evident from many things that
were found-such boards the remains OF house,
frepaces, built Of stones; n backsmths forge and
huge cairn built of empty meat tins, most OF which
had contained rotten meat, furnished by
known among Arctic navgators and explorers as the
'inlamous Goldnern
But not line or writing was found no indica-
ton of the movements OF the expedition, nor what
had been accomplished what plans were made for
the next season, which direction they going,
except the ominous indications furnished by the head
boards of the graves
AS long as the search for Sir John Franklin was
kept up Beechy Island made starting point and
place of meeting for the different ships
out and at time less than ten ships OF different
expeditions were lying in the little bay.
THE YACHT
At length when the search was finally abandoned by
the English government, Sir James Ross before re-
turning England in 1851 landed all the stores which
he did not need and which would have been useless
out of the Arctic and left them for the Of future
expeditions. Among other things he left boat Of
about twenty tons the yacht Mary two large eboats
India rubber boat and light wooden boat together
with carpenters and backsmhs tools and sorts of
other useful things The North Star wntered here in
1852, when the house built and called Northum.
berland House. Upon leaving part Of the pro
visions were slowed away in it to protect them from
the bears. Sir Leopold McCntock visited it again in
the Fox in 1851, since which time it has remained
disturbed by any human visant, waiting through the
silent, dreary years for the arrival Of the
next ship. That ship came at last and
she the Pandora Captain Young wished
to examine the state of the stores here in order to
know whether We could depend upon finding provisions
here should be obliged TO abandon our ship
in Peel Sound, McCntock Channel or Franklin Strait
'NoRTHUMBIRLAND HoUsE' BROKEN
Upon going ashore scene OF devastation and ruin
met gaze which little prepared to see.
northumberland House" had been broken into and
half the stores apparently destroyed The ground out
side srewn with tins OF preserved meat veg
etabes, forty pound tins of pemmican great rolls of
heavy blue cloth, hundreds of pairs of woolen mtens
and socks rolls soft white fannels bales OF blankets
bales of clothing, hanks OF woolen yarn-a
scattered over the ground In the most admired
disorder The fine, warm blue cloth, the
fannels and blankets and clothing for the most
part into shreds and strings; the and pemm
can tins where not torn open, were pierced with holes
the little wooden boat split and broken and scarcely
anythng was left of the India rubber boat Tho house
ITSELF which bpilt of boards considerably dam
aged The marauders had apparently broken IN at the
window the south sde which had probably not been
nailed up, and to enlarge the opening had away
half the boards this side The had got in dur
ing the winter and partly melted during the summer
frozen and thawed again during succeeding winters and
summers, so that now everything to depth OF three
feet from the ground imbedded in a solid Of
ice. In short, the rum and destruction great
that the place resembled the OF first class rail
way accident than ythng else could think Of
But who the nlarauders who had wantonly
destroyed everything? Who were these thieves that
steal for funthese burglars that leave their booty be
hind NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. that not only break houses
but everything else they lay their hands upon in
stead OF carrying it OFF to the nearest pawnbroker
Evidently the Polar bears. The marks of their claws
were everywhere and every thing They had even
gnawed into two three barrels of salt beef which
they had quite emptied and their claws that had
punched holes in the heavy pemmican tins Polar bears
TO be possessed OF the genius OF destruction
Nothing that they can destroy, iniure mutilae, bite,
scratch deiace, claw throw down escapes them and
they do II apparently without any other object
destruction for its own sake. They appear have
gone systematically To work and TO have left nothing
untouched unnjured that absolutely too
strong for them, and 1t only remained for them to
apply the torch, men would have done TO complete
the work Of ruin.
SURVEY MADE.
A great part Of the provisions, however as flour
meat sugar, preserved milk OF the timed meat
was put up in solid, heavy iron hooped barrels which
they had found too strong for their claws and which
were consequently uninjured.
4 Captain Young made u OF everything order
to report TO the Admiralty the condition of the
stores. The yacht Mary proved upon inspection to be
in good condition, and with few slight repairs would
be quite seaworthy. Her sails were slowed away be
meath deck, quite dry and well preserved and she was
provided with oakum calking and carpenters tools
which, although rustcd somewhat were nevertheless
capable OF being used The feboats were not IN
such good condition, but might still be made sea
worthy with "A little work The -four, sugar and salt
in barrels in good condition. us was a con
siderable quantity Of the timed beef and that
the bears had not been able to get at Many of the
cases Of pemmican had holes punched in them, and
were consequently spoiled but many Of
those that the bears had apparently been throwing
Y at each other had escaped injury, and there were
probably couple Of hundred that had not been dis
turbed We found several barrels full of boots and
shoes most Of which in excellent preservation.
/ Part OF them made of felt, with cork soles an
inch thick and others of beautifully prepared seaskn
soft Kid with ordinary sole leather soles with
III
let the rain they were, after twenty years lying
here, quite good They all bore the mark OF
Jeiis, oxford street, and certainly did the maker
credit There also barrel two Of leather
shoes OF old fashion, with square toes and low quar-
tiers many of which small they must have
4 been intended for girls The milk found be well
preserved although il had lost most OF its virtues
whether through the fault Of its original preparation
or the great number Of the reezings and thawngs
had undergone we could not tell