The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-04-28
COLD CLIMATE.
The Commander of the Frank
lin Search Expedition.
His experience whi1o in the
the Arctic Regions.
The Results cf that Exploration.

The Chicago Journal published the fol
lowing interview with Lieutenant Schwat-
ka, commander of the famous Franklin
search expedition, which left New York
June 1S, 1878:
The exploring party was fitted out by
private subscription, and had for its object
the discovery of
THE FATE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN
and his crew, who were last seen in 1S41
The party which left New York consisted
of four white men and one Esquimaux.
They arrived in the whaling vessel Ethonia,
at North Hudson, on August 8, 1878, and
spent the winter till April in preparing for
the trip further north. They had to secure
sleds, dogs, EsquimauX, one months supply
of provisions They started north with four
white men, thirteen Esquimaux, three sleds
and fOrty-tive dogs, the latter for drawing
the sleds. The sleds were heavily loaded,
but made fifteen to twenty miles day.
THE COUNTRY
over which they travelled was very level.
They avoided the few hill by shedding on
the river ice. They went on nearly bee
line from North Hudson, 300 to 400 miles
north, to Backs Great Fisk river, which
was a route never before taken by human
beings so far as is known They arrived at
the Backs May %, and from the tribe
called the Ooqueesik Salik obtained snow
knives (used for building snow houses)
marked with the Queens broad arrow,
bolts that had been made with chisels,
and other trinkets, Ikkin-nik Pooh
tooroke, the oldest of the the tribe, told
how they had found a ship eight
miles off Grant Point, in which bodies
of white men were found a box, tools,
etc. They did not know enough to enter
the ship by the door, but cut through
the sides. 1t had three masts, six sails set
and one boat hanging from the davits,
When the ice melted the ship sank. The
native indicated that this was when a 40
year old man was the size of 10-year old
boy and in the month of the young rain
deer (June) which corresponded to the
date of the loss of the Franklin explorers.
The explorers then crossed the Net-chil-hk
(seal eaters) Peninsula. They told of
ship that had been wrecked three miles
northwest, where the last of the white men
were ever seen. The party marked the
place for later examination and
STARTED FOR KING WILLIAMS LAND.
At this point the native had found a boat
and six to ten bodies; also tin box ] feet
square, containing records. They threw
the latter away ana kept the DOA. Iney
had also found gold and silver watches.
sextants and other ship Instruments; also
boxes of bones that had been sawed in two
Indicating, as the natives said that the
men had eaten each other up. These reports
were corroborated by later examination.
Buttons, socks made of cloth, medals and
other things indicated that the sailors had
been Britishers, and had been there soon
after 1S45 Other relics were also found
on the peninsula A female Esquimaux
told how she had seen white men there
abouts many years ago. In Terror Bay
ten or more bodies had been found. The
party arrived at Irving Bay June 21,
whence they went to Cape Felix There
had been found
THE REMAINS OF CAMP
port bottles, and q lot of relics They
searched the coast from Felix to Irving
Bay. At the latter point they found rec
ord by Captain McClintock, of the Royal
Navy stating that the Erebus and Terror
were caught in the ice in September, 1S46,
fifteen miles northwest from Felix; that
Sir John Franklin died June II, 1849, and
that Commodore Gore and nine officers and
fourteen men up to date had perished, 1t
was dated April %, 1848. Captain Crozier
and 1O5 men had abandoned the ship at
this point, intending to go to Backs river.
No other records were found, but many
relics were picked up, and skeletons of the
unfortunate crew found. The party arriv-