The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-10-29
Schwatka's Search.

alive to the Schwatka search, have true
points of value. In the first place they
confirm the report hitherto made as to the
fate of the memorable Franklin expedl-
ton. and in the second place show that
the last season has not materially dl1-
fered from previous seasons, and exhlDlt
nothing. therefore, but what is favorable
to the success of the American expedl-
ton now in the Arctic waters. The lowest
temperature recorded by the Schwatka
party, as reported by your correspon-
dent. was II degrees below zero-a tenn
perature not unusual in the experience
of other Arctic explorers. DR.. Kane, for
instance. encountered even a lower tenn
ature so did Capt. Parry and several
Russian explorers, and, without serious
inconvenience, have travelled at ~ be-
low. allude to this merely to counter
act a suggestion I have met that the
winter has been exceptionally severe, ana
that the Jeanette was consequently IN
exceptional danger. The truth Is that
the Arctic seas are uncertain, Ike all
others, but not in general way more
perilous. The expedition OF Sir John
Franklin stands altogether alone and
and would long since have been forgot
ten had it nat been for the peculiarly
fate of himself and crew. The expedition
was sent out in May, 1S45, with two
ships. the Erebus and the Terror to ac-
complish a northwest passage to the
Pacific ocean-the last of many similar
attempts in the interest of commerce, and
certainly in that interest the last that will
ever be made. We know enough OF It's
history to show that the two vessels,
after passing through Baffin bay entered
Barrow strait. wintered at Beechy island,
sailed north through Wellington chan
mel nearly to latitude " degrees, thence
south toward the American coast doubt
less in consequence of their meeting
impenetrable ice) with the evident
expectation of finding there along the
American shore, passage from ocean to
ocean, similar to that which Nordeuslold
has recently found by the shore of Asia.
In it's southerly course the Franklin
expedition reached latitude 70. degrees,
where, within hundred miles, or in
deed perhaps less, of water that had been
previously navigated by Arctic explorers
in boats, such as franklin himself, Dease
and Simpson, Back, Rae, Richardson and
others, the two ships were beset in the
ice and there frozen fast at the close of
the season of 1916. From that time un-
~
up. but thew drifted south about twenty
piles, and in April, 1S48, the vessels were
Ibandoned when about fifteen miles from
land, the crews reduced by death mean
while from 1913 to 105, betaking them
selves to the ice, dragged the ships boats
mounted on sleds, to King William
Land, An island about two hundred miles
long, the coast line of which they fol-
lowed. or the low lands of which they
crossed, with the expectation of reaching
finally at or about the mouth of Great
Fish or Backs river, near latitude 68 de-
grees, as the evidence proves, the main
land of America. Then, it was their
evident purpose to ascend Backs river,
. and then strike the outposts of the Hud
sons Bay company. The distance
that was trayersed by the party in
their retreat could have been as shown by
the records of the Schwatka expedition,
hardly more than two hundred and fifty
miles, and yet during that distance every
member of the party perished, and every
record of the voyage was blotted out
save few buttons, spoons, coins, and
other relics easily identified scattered
along the shore or in possession of the
natives The first of these relics were
found by DIR. Rae in 1858, and the Gov
srnment award of s1O, 900 was accorded
him for having solved the mystery. DIR.
Rae's journey was made in the same gen.
eral direction as that of Lieut..
Schwatka twenty-six years later, though
not over the same course. A great many
relics were found by DIR. Rae, which are
now in the British Museum; but Lady
Franklin, not content with the reports
that he made nor satisfied with the de-
cisions reached, sent out the Fox, under
Capt. (ncw Admiral Sir Francis Leo
pold) McCintock, who found, in 1858,
the only written record ever yet dis
covered This record showed that Frank
lie died June IL, 1847, probably on ship
board, and thereafter the struggle for
the release from the s'thick-ribbed ice"
devolved upon Capt. Crozier, who was
Franklin's second in command. As to
the fate of the expedition, wide gap for
inquiry lay between the points reached
by Dr. Rae from the mainland of Amer
ica on the south) and by Capt. McClin-
took, who had come around by Barrow
Strait and thence descended from the
north through Victoria strait toward the
American coast.
This extensive gap was somewhat filed
in by our countryman, Capt. Hall,
but it has now been completely covered
by the spirited efforts of Lieut. Schwa
ka and his resolute companions. This
expedition, although founded upon in
correct information at the outset, as
would appear by the evidence furnished
by your correspondent, has really per-
formed an unparalleled journey, as to time
and distance, in the history of arctic
travel. The peculiar feature of the
journey was that the party subsisted by
the way, obtaining abundant supplies of
food, such as reindeer, musk oxen, etc.
Although they did not obtain the records
of which they were in search,
they have secured most valu-
able information, not only as concerns
the Franklin expedition, but geographi-
cally. They have traversed regions en-
tirely unknown, trusting to fortune for
their daily supplies, which seem never to
have failed them during almost year of
exposure through all the vicissitudes of a
rigorous climate. A singular feature of
their journey would appear to be that a
no inconsiderable part of it was made
along shores md over lands traversed by
Franklin's men, the latter dying from
want, the former living in plenty. Per-
haps this fact indicates a change of
climate. There may. have been at that
particular period an Unusual accumula-
tion of ice in that quarter, where is gen.