West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-07-20
Arctic Exploration.


enthusiasm in regard To an expedition
which has for its purpose the discovery
of particulars concerning the VOYAGE of
the ill-fated Franklin whose mysterious
disappearance amid the frozen regions
OF the North has been the cause of 81
much public and private lamentatiun
At present, however, unusual interest il
felt IN the matter from the fact that
within the past six years certain in
formation has been gathered by North
ern explorers which leads To the con
clusion that there may even yet be a
chance of obtaining full records of all
that happened To the daring crew who.
with their beloved leader. persisted in
the ArtiC expedition of lS45
In 1872 Captain Potter, i'm command
of an American whaler in Hudson BAY,
met some EsquimauN of the Nachili
tribe, near Whale i, int, To the south of
Repulse Bay. The NaChilis are natives
of the Boothia lsthmus, often mentioned
IN the narratives of Sir John Ross They
told Captain Potter thata party of white
men came, long time before, To place
i'm the Gulf of Bootha, where the
Nachili were then wintering, and they
all died there. The captain also OBJ
tanned some silver and other things be
longing to the FRANKLIN expedition from
these people. In 1877 Mr.. Thomas +.
Barry, in the whaler A. Houghton, be-
longing To Messrs. Morrison and Brown,
oi New York, wintered at Marble island
of the mouth of the Wager River. lie
was visited 10y other Esquimaux of the
Nachili tribe, from whom he obtained a
spoon with Sir John Franklin's crest
upon it. They told him exactly the
same story as had been told 20 Captain
Potter five years before Two, who
were between fifty and sixty years of
age, said that they had seen the white
men. They added that the white men
had leader. but that when the spring
came they were AL dead. After good
ma had died, the rest made a cairn,
and put under il some things like the
book in which Barry was writing, and
which the Nachili examined. They of
iered 10 so and point out the spot where
the cairn still remains, with the books
under it; but il involved Journey of
several hundred miles, and Barry was
unable TO undertake il. When asked to
pont out the position of the island
where the white men died, on the map,
they always put their fingers on Il spot
in the unexplored part of the Gulf of
Boothia, northwest of the entrance To
Fury and Bccla Strait in the direction
OF Felix Ilarbor Of Ross, on the east
coast of Boothia.
Upon the return of Captain Barry the
interest of several influential gentlemen
was awakened i'm the cairn and the
valuable relics it is supposed TO cover. II
was determined, if possible, TO send
vessel To the North for the purpose of
discovering the repository, and the ac-
emulation of fund for the purpose
was Immediately begun. In the mean
time the business of testing the evidence
of the existence Of the cairn, and the
probability of its being situated i'm the
place ind Gated, was intrusted TO Chief
Ju.tice DAILY, of this city. This gentle
man had a long and satisfactory con
yersation with Captain Barry, and at
the same time heard from Joe, the faith
full companion of Captain Hall, who
gave his testimony in regard 70 Captain
Barry's familiarity with the Esquimau
language. The result of further i'm
vestigaton seemed 10 prove conclusively
that the supposed position of the cairn
doomed party would have naturally
hAtANN hAA'ii way hhilllE bildN HNdEt VI lllt
fatal Journey Of which we have no re-
cord. The result OF the inquiry was
such as TO convince Messrs. Morrison
and Brown that the $4,000 placed in
their hands for the purpose might with
proPrlety be sp.nt in fitting out n vessel
70 go in search of the cairn. The Eotben,
which has been selected, is small ship
Of one hundred and two tons burden
l,ttf gnpgt A,r.1 ,..rF,gt1., l. Al
work -hc is TO undertake. Her com
mander will be CAPTAIN Barry, whose
interest in the affair and experience in
the artic seas eminently fit him for the
position
The exploring party will be simply
passengers aboard the vessel, selected
with view 20 the necessities Of such an
expedition, and commanded by Lieu
tenant Frederick Schwatka, who has not
been identified with labOrs Of explora-
ton, but has heretofore served his coun-
try in the capacity of an army officer,
whose business IL is to protect our
frontier from the incursons Of the In
dlans Lieutenant Schwatka is but
twenty-eight years Of age, and compare
lively q young commander for the diff
icult and dangerous enterprise now be
fore him. Light i'm complexion, strong
and well built, he has, however, the ap-
pearance Of a man whose expert nee is
beyond his years. As his name sug-
gests, he is Of foreign extraction. Born i'm
Illinois, on the completion Of his school
career ne entered West Point, where he
graduated i'm 1871. While fond OF his
profession, he entertained at the same
time a taste for medicine, and having
procured Il six months leave of absence
from his regiment, he came ~ New
York, where, after diligent ursc of
study, he graduated at the Bellevue
Medical College II was at one time his
Intention to become n surgeon i'm the
army, abandoning his place in the line,
but the outbreak Of the Indian war
caused him to relinguish this intention.
Thus he was On the field during the
bloody struggle which cost us Custer,
but eliminated i'm the subiugation of
Chi.f Joseph. During this time he
fully demonstrated his ability ~
soldier.
IL was while with his regiment in the
West that Lieutenant Schwatka first be-
came interested in the subject of arctic
exploration. Learning from the East
crn newspapers the story Of Captain
Barry and the information elected by
him from the Esquimaux, the ambition
of the Young soldier wga fred "a 90 and