The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-03
BRAVED ARCTIC TERRORS
And Survived to Meet Death in the
Steets Of a City.
SCHWATKA, THE EXPLORER, AND
HIS WORK IN THE NORTH.

He Found Relics of Sir John FrankHn's
Fatal Expedition. and Also Explored
AIaska-Tortured by Pain, He Has
Lately Resorted to Laudanum-It Is
Believed that His Death Was Due to
an Overdose of the Drug.
PORTLAND, Oregon, November g.
About three o'clock this morniug Lieut..
Frederick Schwatka, the famous Arctic
explorer, was picked up on First street
in an unconscious condition. Beside him
lay bottle of laudanum. A patrol wag-
on was called and the lieutenant was re-
moved to the police station, where he
soon died. 1t was first supposed to be
case Of suicide, but it has since been
learned that Lieutenant Schwatka had
of late years been troubled with stomach
complaint and was in the habit OF taking
laudanum to allay the pain. Last night
he complained that his stomach was
ssldlling him." He went to drug store
and purchased two-ounce bottle of
laudanum, remarking to the clerk that
he was accustomed to taking Is or 20
drops laudanum when his stom ach
was troubled. When last seen last nj ght
he appeared cheerful. The theory that
he committed suicide is fast giving way
to one that he took an overdose of lauda-
mum by accident.
Lieut.. Frederick Schwatka
was born in Galena, ILL.,, September 80,
1849, entered West Post, June s, 1867,
and graduated June 13, 1871, and was
assigned to service in Arizona. After
ward he was transferred to the Depart
ment of the Platte. Meanwhile he stud
led law and was admitted to the United
States Circuit Court for the District of
Nebraska. HIS restless ideas turned
next to medicine, and in 1876 he had
graduated at the Bellevue Hospital Med
ical College in New work. That year al
so he rejoined his regiment and served
in the Sioux war, participating in the ac-
tions of the Rosebud and Sim Butte and
minor other Indian skirmishes.
In 1878, at his own request, he was
granted leave of absence to commrnd the
Franklin search party in the Arctic
ocean, and on that service he continued
until 1880. The objectsof the expedition
was to find the record and relics and de-
termine the facts of the British North
west Passage
Expedition of Sir j ohm Franklin
which sailed from England III the Erebus
and Terror in 1915, and of which but
very little had ever been ascertained.
The expedition under Lieut., Schwatka's
command made the longest sledge jour
ney in the world, distance of 1851
miles, being absent from the source of
supplies II months and 20 days. The
daring explorers subsisted off of the
game of the country, the trip having
been undertaken with but one months
rations provided. They encountered the
lowest temperature ever recorded by
white men travelling in the field, viz:
80 Fahrenheit, or 103o below freezing
point. They also discovered and buried
many of the skeletons of Sir John
Franklin's lost party, secured numerous
relics and otherwise cleared away much
of the mystery connected with that i'll
fated expedition.
Lieut.. Schwatka afterwards made ex-
teusive explorations in Alaska, tracing
the Yukon river to its source. He re-
signed from the army in 1884. He re-
ceived many souvenirs of distinction.