The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-10-01


Return Of . Sir John Franklin Search
Party to New Bedford.
BOSTON, Mass, September q.
The bark George and Mary, Captain Baker,
has Just arrived at New Bedford from Hud-
sons Strait, bearing news from the Arctic re-
giors. The Franklin search party, under
Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka, q. 8. A.. are
passengers on board the George and Mary, and
have been the recipients Of much kindness
from Captain Baker and his subordinate. Off
GERS and men. After returning to Depot
Island, from q siedge journey Of over 1900
miles, occupying eleven months and four days.
they were reduced to the verge Of starvation
through the rascality OF Captain Thomas F.
Barry, Of the whaling schooner Eothen, of
New York, who stole their remaining provis-
ions to fit out his vessel for an additional
whaling voyage. Had it not been for the
timely aid offered by Captain Baker they
would have suffered extremely, as the native
Esquimaux with whom they were living were
short Of provisions, and had been reduced to
the necessity Of eating some of their dogs on
two previous occasions during the winter
while on King William Land and In its imme-
date vicinity.
During the summer of 1879 Lieutenant
Schwatka's party established the fact that the
precious records of Sir John Franklin's expe-
ditiOn, which persisted there in the year 184S,
were entirely destroyed by the Notchillik Es-
quimaux, who found them in a sealed tin box,
which they broke open and whose contents
they scattered to the winds more than thirty
years ago.
The party have secured many interesting
and valuable relics and identified the remains
of Lieutenant John Irving, third officer Of the
Terror, by silver prize medal awarded to him
by the Royal Naval College in 1880, which they
found in his opened grave. During the 70.
turn trip the search party encountered the
severest cold ever experienced by white men,
while travelling, and lived upon the same
fare, such as raw or boiled reindeer meat,
and fish, as did their native Esquimau< assist.
ants.
The party left New York on the 18th of
June, 1878, in the schooner Eothen, and pro-
ceeded direct to Camp Daily, as it was called,
in North Hudson Bay, latitude sixty-three de-
grees forty-seven seconds north, longitude
twenty degrees west, having had pleasant
passage up. Here the supplies were landed,
and the party established themselves and
made preparations to enable them to endure
the rigors of the Arctic winter, which they
knew was fast approaching. Skins were pro-
cured from animals slain, and soon the party
were warmly clothed and ready for business.
Abundant supplies of food, arms and ammu-
milton had been provided through the munifi-
cence of American merchants. So far the pro-
cess of Staying animals was greatly simplified
to the practiced marksmen. The summer Of
1879 was passed in active research for more
light on the fate Of Sir John Franklin and his
crew.
Lieutenant Schwatka, in his report Of the
sledge journey, says: 1t is the longest sledge
journey ever made, both in regard to time and
distance, having been absent from its base
eleven months and twenty days, and having
travelled 2,s19 geographical or 1921 statute
miles. It is the first sledge journey that has
been undertaken by white men in the Arctic
midwinter, but know of none before this en-
composing the whole duration of the last UNI
favorable months of that season, and, in fact,
they have been generally very short, and
under circumstances where comfort COM
mensurate with the exposure could be easily
attained from some suitable base. It expert
enced the coolest temperature ever recorded
by white men in the field. Not only
was a single observation II degrees
Fahrenheit January 3, $780, but also in regard to
protracted cold, there being no less than six
teen days when the average shows one hun
dred degrees below the freezing point, and
twenty-sev en- days when the thermometer
stood below sixty degrees Fahrenheit, during
very nearly all of which weather the party
prosecuted its journey without severe frost
bites, ana even in cOmpa rative comfort. 1t is
the first Arctic expedition whose sole reliance
for the subsistence of itself and its draught
animals has been placed in the game of the
locality, and W hose experience in that respect
has been spread constantly over every month
of the year, having stlrted with less than one
months full rations for the consumers, and
having been absent for a period already
stated. It may not be amiss, however, to
state that 1t was also the finest armed
party that ever entered the Arctic regions,
which fact placed it on almost favorable
footing for such an experience. 1t was the
first expedition wherein the men of the party
lived solely upon the same diet, voluntarily
assumed, as its native allies, which fact,
coupled with those already stated, shows that
white men are not only able to live the same
as Esquimaux in the Arctic region, and with
equal comfort, but also to prosecute any
projects that their superior intelligence may
dictate or their ambition may desire, and I'M
der all circumstances that the natives them
selves would similarly venture TO undertake
far less laudable objects; and it might be
further added that the prosecution of these
schemes need not be limited to such partieu-
larly favorable seasons of the year as the ex-
perience Of the Arctic expedition would lead
one to infer.
"The party was the first to make an extend
ed summer tour over the ground covered by
the unfortunate crews in their explorations,
glance at the map will show that
their base was in a far less favorable position
for such an undertaking than that Of the great
majority of the numerous searchers who pre-
coded them. 1t performed the last sad rites
for the few remains of the lost crews. Owing
mainly to the favorable circumstances Of
summer sojourn, and from the thoroushness
OF the search and the conspicuous contrast Of
the h1eachino H~ouAs 18th <hn ~l.,,