A second attempt to continue Parry’s work in the same region was made by Captain Back, in 1836. He was in command of the Terror, and left England on the 14th of June. On the first of August he was among heavy ice, off Resolution island. On the 23rd he was working through heavy ice on the east side of Southampton island, and finally nearly reached Repulse bay, where he intended to winter, when he was driven back late in September, past Cape Comfort, out into the middle of Fox channel, where the ship became fast frozen in, and drifted all winter at the mercy of wind, tide and ice. Towards the close of February the floe broke up, and the ship was caught in a pressure ridge formed between great pieces of the broken floe. In this manner the vessel continued to be tossed about and squeezed until the 16th of March, when an extra heavy squeeze lifted the ship up and left her stranded on the top of a great mass of ice, caused by the piling of large broken cakes upon one another. The Terror remained embedded on this mass of ice, and drifted with it until released, on the 13th of June, near Charles island, in Hudson strait. Notwithstanding the terrible usage of the ship, Back managed to caulk and fit her, so that he reached the coast of Ireland, but there had to run the ship ashore to prevent her from sinking.
The Admiralty made no further attempt at Arctic exploration for nine years after Back’s disastrous trip. In 1845, they fitted out the Erebus and Terror with provisions for three years, and with the most approved systems of heating and ventilating, and other means of preserving the health and comfort of the crews. The command of the expedition was given to Sir John Franklin, with Captain Crozier, of the Terror, second in command. The other officers were carefully selected from among the most promising and energetic of the junior officers of the navy, while the seamen and petty officers were also of the best in the navy. The crews leaving England amounted to one hundred and thirty-four persons, of whom five were sent home from Greenland, leaving a total of one hundred and twenty-nine on board the ships when they entered Lancaster sound, and were seen for the last time. The fate of the expedition remained for a number of years unknown, although the British government spared no expense in the attempt to rescue the unfortunate crews, and, when the hope of succouring was gone, in a search for proof of their fate. Official relief expeditions were supplemented by others under private auspices, due either to Lady Franklin or to her appeals to the sympathy of the public for convincing evidence as to the terrible fate of her unfortunate husband and his companions. America joined forces with England in the attempt to rescue the expedition, and sent out a number of ships, to act in conjunction with the others, while France sent two gallant officers, one of whom, Lieutenant Bellot, lost his life while engaged in this work. As the conditions under which the searches were made were exceedingly difficult and hazardous, much time and energy were spent, and many risked and lost their lives. Twelve years passed before M’Clintock discovered undoubted proofs of the complete loss of the ships and the death of the entire crews. During this time thirty-five ships and five overland expeditions carried a host of eager searchers to the Arctics, where, incidental to their main object of rescuing the crews of the Erebus and Terror, they explored the entire northern coast-line of America and the shores of the Arctic islands, with such minute care as only their mission would warrant. To these search expeditions our intimate knowledge of Arctic America is largely due, and when the search was finished only the most northern islands remained for the future explorer.
At Beechey Island.
Before entering upon a short statement of the work of the search parties, the work and fate of Franklin’s expedition may be traced. His instructions were to enter Lancaster sound, and, when in the vicinity of Cape Walker, to penetrate to the southward and westward in a course as direct as possible to Bering strait. A quick passage appears to have been made through Lancaster sound to Wellington channel, up which the ships sailed to the seventy-seventh parallel, and then down again on the west side of Cornwallis island, returning eastward to winter at Beechey island. Many traces of a winter residence were found there, including sites of workshops, forge and observatory. Over 700 empty meat cans, all labelled ‘Goldner’s Patent,’ were found piled in regular mounds. A large quantity of similar tins supplied to the navy had been found to be putrid, and were condemned. This had probably happened to the tins left at Beechey island, and helped to hasten the starvation of the unfortunate crews two winters later. Three seamen died during the first winter, and were buried on the island. The next information concerning the fate of Franklin was obtained from a brief record, found on King William island by M’Clintock, in 1859. The record is as follows:
‘Lieutenant Graham Gore and Mr. Charles F. des Vœux, mate, left the ships on Monday, the 24th of May, 1847, with six men (to deposit papers on King William’s island)’—‘H.M. ships Erebus and Terror wintered in the ice in latitude 70° 5´ N., longitude 98° 23´ W. Having wintered in 1846-47 at Beechey island in latitude 74° 43´ 28´´ N., longitude 91° 31´ 15´´ W. After having ascended Wellington channel to latitude 77°, returned by the west side of Cornwallis island, (Sir) John Franklin commanding the expedition. All well.’
This was the original record, and a most mournful addition was made to it, on the 25th of April, 1848, after another winter in the ice. Here is the addition:
‘—(1)848. H.M. ships Terror and Erebus were deserted on the 22nd April, 5 leagues NN. W. of this—(hav)ing been beset since 12th Sept., 1846. The officers & crews consisting of 105 souls under the command ——tain F R M. Crozier landed here in lat. 69° 37´ 42´´, long. 98° 41´—paper was found by Lt. Irving under the cairn supposed to have been built by Sir James Ross in 1831, 4 miles to the northward, where it had been deposited by the late Commander Gore in June, 1847. Sir James Ross’ pillar has not, however, been found, and the paper has been transferred to this position which is that in which Sir J. Ross’ pillar was erected. Sir John Franklin died on the 11th June, 1847, and the total loss by deaths in the expedition has been to this date 9 officers & 15 men. F. R. M. Crozier, Captain & Senior Offr., and start on to-morrow 26th, for Back’s Fish river. James Fitzjames, Captain H.M.S. Erebus.’
The rest of the sad story may be shortly told: the distance to the mouth of the Fish river, from the spot where the ships were abandoned, is about 250 miles. They started from the ships dragging heavy boats on sleds. M’Clintock found one of the boats on the west side of King William island with two skeletons inside it; and the Eskimos told him that the men dropped down and died in the drag ropes. The Eskimos living at the mouth of Fish river said that about forty white men reached the mouth of the river, and dragged a boat as far as Montreal island in the estuary, where the natives found it and broke it up. The last of the survivors died shortly after the arrival of the summer birds. It is exceedingly doubtful, if their strength had lasted, whether they could have travelled over the thousand miles of barrens separating the month of the river from the nearest trading post on Great Slave lake, but at least a trial would have been made.
It is impossible to give in this report more than a mention of the numerous searching expeditions, and a brief summary of the geographical work accomplished by them.