Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1880-12-24
The Franklin search Expedition.

The members of the Franklin search
party, under the command Of Lieuten-
ant Frederick Schwatka, L. $. A,
were picked up August /, by New
Bedford bark, at Depot Island Hud-
sons Bay, where they had been since
March f. The party had been for
two years exploring the regions north
and northwest Of lIudsons Bay, in
search of relics in Sir John franklm's
expedition. Reports Of the irst years
work was received and published about
a year ago. Having como to the con
clusion that the records of the Frank
lin expedition might be preserved III
cairns in King vii liam's Land, Lieut..
Schwatka set out, on the first of April
1879, to look for them During the
succeeding eleven months he accom-
plished the longest sledgo journey ev-
er made III an unexplored Arctic
country, travelling in all 3,25l statue
miles. It was the first sledgc Journey
ever made that covered an entire Are
tic Winter and the temperatures cx-
perienced exceeded in frigidi-
ty anything ever before cnooun-
tered by white men in the field. On
January Sd, 1880, the thermometer
sank to II degrees below zero, Fahrcn-
heit, or 1913 degrees below freezing
point, and during the entire day it
did not rise aboycG9 degrees. Dur
ing sixteen days the average temrcra-
,ure was 100 degrees below the frecz-
ing point, and during twenty seven
days it was below SO degrees. All
this time the party travs He'd; in fact
hey never halted q single day on ac-
count Of the cold. During the SUN
mcr and Fall of 1870 they made q
complete search Of King Williams
Land and the adjacent mainland, tray
cling over the route pursued by the
crews Of the Ercbus and Terror up,
on their retreat toward Backs river,
and while SO engaged the party buried
the bones Of all those unfortunatcs re-
naming above ground, and erected
monuments to The memory OF the fall
len heroes. Their research catab-
lished the mounful fact that the rec
ords Of Franklin's expedition are lost
beyond recovery. \ large quantity
Of relics were gathered by the party to
illustrate the last chapter of the his'o-
ny of Sir John Franklin's expedition.
FROM each spot where the graves were
found few tokens were selected that
might serve to identify those who per
ished there. A piece of each Of the
boats which had been found and de-
stroyed hy the natives Was brought
;wAy, together with interesting, though
mournful, relics in the shape Of the
prov of one of their boa's, the s,edgc
upon which it was transported, and
part of the drag.rope upon which
these poor fellows tugged until they
fell down and died in their tracks. In
addition to these the party secured a
| board which may ser to identify the
ship which completed the north west
passage. They also brought the re
mains of Lieutenant John Irving,
third officer of the Terror" which
were identified by prize medal found
i'll his opened grave. The party en-
dured many hardships, aud were
threatened with starvation after their
return to Depot Island, where they
failed to find the supplies which
were TO have been left fer them by tht
schooner "Eothcn." The party suffer
ed no serious sickness while in I'll,
field. Scientific Annual,