The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-09-23
AN EVENING WITH AN ARCTIC
ExELORRR.

tenant Schwatks sketched his expen-
ences while hunting for relics of the
iiifated Sir John Franklin party Of
Arctic explorers. Lieutenant Fred
Sehwatks is native of Illinois, who
was sent from Oregon to West Point,
where be graduated 10 June, 1871. and
was assigned 10 the Sd Cavalry. He
Is abont 32 years of age, nearly 9 feet
IN blight. aud weighs 232 pounds. He
Is q robust looking man, with the fea-
lures, mustsche, .nd eye glasses OF q
Germao student. having good diges :
tion. He reads his lecture IN distinct
but mopotonous tone Of voice. varied
only by Q harsh, nasal twang, and
without using gestures. HIS language
Is that OF . scholar. while throug bout
the whole lecture. which occupied an
hour and twenty minutes in its read
ing, there 10 vein Of western humor
which repeatedly caused his audisuce
to smile. and occasionally burst into
laughter. Before proceeding TO narrste
his own journey in commend of the
land expe ition IN search OF relics of
Sir John FraDklin's ill-fated vessels
and their crews, the lecturer gave
brief history Of the various voyages III
search of the northwest passage. aud
. statement of the importance attached
to that passage by the entire CONNER
cial world. In the searches for this
passage fifty ships have been employ.
ed. ten of which had been utterly
destroyed by the mountains Of ice
which forever clash and jam each
other with irresistible force in that
region. five expeditions which had
gone thither having never returned to
tell the tale of their terrible voyage.
He briefly alluded to the searches for
Sir John franklin, made by various
expeditions under Sir John Ross. Capt.
Moore. Capt Wm Penny. Richardson,
Lieuts. Osborn and Griffin, DR. Elisha
Kent Kane. Sir Allen Young, Capt
Anderson, Rt Hon Ray McClintock,
Stewart and others. These searches
had oil been made With ships, the men
living on the same kind OF food and
wearing the same kind of clothing as
worn by them in the temperate zone.
Al q uncs 1910 kicut OCuWnthb, with
four white men aud an Esquimaux
guide. set ont on an expedition to those
regions. with much misgiving on the
part of their commander rs 10 its sue,
cess. Without experience in Arctic
service, he dreaded voyage into .
country where the thermometer marked
100 degrees below zero. and where
mercury was frozen into bullets that
might be fired into an inch board. In
June Of that year the expedition pitch
ed their tent on an island in Hudson
Bay, proposing to make it their base Of
operations. Here they met the first
squimaux, race of people who have
often been described. the first dis
tinguished charscteristics of whom is
their everlsstingly rich aud racy odor.
from which there is no escape from
Hudson's Bay to the farthest north of
human existence. From Hudson's Bay
Lieut. Sch hwstka's exploration extended
six hundred miles toward the north
pole. and lasted over year. examining
the various rivers. mountains. bays
and inlets to King Williams Land. ia
the vicinity of which records of other
explorers aud various relics of Sir John
Frsnklins expedition were found: rs
we'll rs the discovery from the state
ment Of the natives. that the records of
that expedition had been found by
natives, enclosed in tin box, but had
been by them thrown out upon the
ground aud destroyed. He brought
back piece of board from the bunk Of
q ship, with certain letters upon It..
which have been given TO Bristol
society aud might yet lead TO the es-
tablishment Of important facts He
also found the grave Of Lieut. Irving,
Of one Of II. II. ships. and the third
officer under Sir John franklin. Irving
having been buried by his companions.
who afterwards psrishsd. Many inter.
esting details Of the habits. customs
and supeIsti.ions of the EsquimAux
Indians, their manner of hunting. their
clothing. diet and daily life were given.
The great extreme OF cold prevailing
and the modes Of securing humanity
from serious damage thereby. were re-
lated in Q graphic ami entertaining
style. The coldest recorded tempers-
ture 10 rs degrees below zero. Lieut.
Schwstka experienced his coldest day
in January last year, on his return. the
thermometer going down 10 IL degrees.
the average Tor that month being mi
nus 53 degrees; 16 days ID Was below
90, or % degrees under the freezing
point. No permanent injury fro,n fros,
bite. nor any more inconvenience was
suffered BY the Lieutenant or any oi
his party than would ordinarily be
suffered in . winter campaign on the
plains Of America. This fact he at
tributes 10 the kind of clothing worn
by the men. and that they lived as the
natives OF the country live. Other ex-
peditions had suffered because thes
had lived part Of the time in warm
ships and asc food such - was used in
the temperate zone; his men living il
the open air or in the 'iglows' or houses
made entirely out of ice or snow. and
wearing clothing made out Of the skin.
of animals Of the Arctic zone. With
two good buffalo robes and pair o.
heavy blankets, the lecturer began Il
suffer with cold. bat substituting tive
reindeer skirs. he could sleep quite
comfortably. and travelled in the sledge'
without inconvenience when the ther
mometer marked eighty-fve degrees
below fresxiog.
Many other thrilling incidents ant
details Of this voyage were given. snt
the lecture closed before . single in
dividusl showed any symptoms o
vearipess. His voyage, the longes