Evening star., 1932-02-15
ARCTIC MYSTERY
NEAR SOLUTION
Canadian Explorer Says
ESkimoS Found Franklin
Party'S Food.
BY THOMAS X. HENRY.


Final solution of the century-o
mystery of the Arctic-the fate of Sir
John Franklin and the crews OF the
Erebus and Terror-probably is near
at hand, according to report just re-
ceived at the National Museum here of
findings last Summer by Maj. l.. L. Bur
wash, explorer for the Canadian De-
part of the Interior.
The disappearance Of the famous
British explorer and his men during
the Winter of 1848 resulted III the
greatest impetus ever given Arctic eX-
ploration Expedition after expedition
both British and American pushed into
the ice IN search of the lest men, and
resulted in putting the North Polar
regions definitely on the map.
Icebound Two Years.
It was 10 years before any clue was
found. Then il was established that
both the Erebus and Terror had spent
nearly two years locked in the ice off
King William Land. north of Canada.
They deposited a record on the shore,
the final entry in which stated that
both ships were being abandoned and
that the crews hoped to make their
way along the coast to the mouth OF
the Back River. which they hoped to
follow down to Great Slave Lake,
where it might be possible to get III
touch with the outer world.
From this time on accommodating dis
coveries have since traced the fortunes
of the party from Victory Point. the
place where the records were found
to Starvation Cove, on the Prince Will
liam Land coast 1t was trail of
graves and skeletons. The record at
Victory Point stated that 105 men had
left the ships. 1t was early April,
months before the ice was due to
break. and progress must have been
very slow At Starvation Cove there
was an accumulation Of skeletons, but
altogether they account for only half
the party. They evidently We're in
hard straits. the living too enfeebled
to bury the dead.
structed-the last report was by the
Norwegian explorer, Peter Norberg, III
1923-it has been assumed that the
rest of the party continued to press
on into the Canadian mainland. perish
ing one by one along the trail. But
there is no trace of their skeletons nor
any record of them among the Indians
they might have encountered.
Food Supply Nearly Gone.
Mai. BurWa>hS discovery throws a
different light, he believes, on the fate
OF this missing half, All. he believes,
reached Starvation Cove. where 1t be-
came obvious that If they went any
further all must perish. The slender
food supply was nearly exhausted
They had been Cn the road for nearly
two months. 1t was now approaching
Midsummer when the ice which had
locked up the ships would be breaking
The only hope was for the strongest
to turn back, try to regain the ships,
get them free of the ice and sail them
to Starvation Cove with food for the
sick who must be left there. The men,
Maj. Burwashs discovery indicates,
actually reached the Erebus and Ter
ror, got them clear Of the ice and
started sail TO rescue their comrades.
But before they reached them both
ships went down.
On a previous expedition he had
heard rumOrS Of a large submerged
ship. known to the ESkimos. some dis
tance from Victory Point. On the last
expedition he found Two cid men who
told him that when they We're boys
they had found nearby large cache
OF wooden boxes filled with food.
To them and the one other native
who was with them" says the report
the wood in the outer castings formed
the only prize. All the boxes were
opened and the castings divided among
them, as the wood was greatly de-
sired for arrows. After the wood had
been divided they opened the tin con-
tainers, but found them to contain ma =
terials of which they had no knowl-
edge. In number they found white
powder which they called the white
mans snow which they and their
families threw up in the air to watch
it blow away This probably was flour.
Planks Are Obtained.
'"rhey also secured number Of
plS,ka. The wreck itself. which hao
long been known to the natives, lay be-
meath the water about three quarter.
of a mile off the coast Of the island
upon which the cache was found. Botf
gave 1t as their opinion that the boxe.
had been put on the island by white
men who had come on the ship which
lay on the reef off shore. Both sale
that when they visited the island few
years ago only the marks of rusty tin:
we're to be seen. The writer visited thi!
island, but found a low, fiat terrain still
covered with snow, and therefore wa
uTdDIe 10 CHECK up OH tHe TuSG SIdlIlS.
The location of this cache found by
the Eskimos, Maj. Burwash believes
tends to establish the fact that TIT
ships were brought from Victory Point
where they first were abandoned, undeI
sail. At this place something happened
that made it impossible for one o
them, at least, to 60 any further Th'
crew had tried to save the food or
board by bringing it to land before tht
craft went down. Doubtless they alst
had in their possession the log book
Of the expedition. This would accoun
for the inability to find any writer
records of the expedition. What hap