Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/394

 November fi,  18£9.]

THE SEARCH  FOR  SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN.

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The “Fox"  In  Harbour.  (Sec  page  3S3.J

In 1848  the  public  alarm  at  the  long-continued absence of  Franklin's  Expedition  occasioned  the search to  be  commenced. Those who  were sent knew  no  more  than  Franklin  did  on leaving  England  of  the  geography  of  the  vast region between  Lancaster  Sound  and  Behring’s Strait; and in  all  that  area,  many  tens  of  thou- sands of square  miles,  we  had  to  seek  two atoms — two ships. The labour  was  long  and disheartening; for, with  the  exception  of  the discovery in  1850  of  Franklin's  winter  quarters of 1845-46,  under  Beechey  Island,  no  due  to  their whereabouts was  found  until  near  the  fall  of 1854. That discovery  at  Beechey  Island  merely assured us  that  he  was  within  the  area  above alluded to,  and  that  his  expedition  had  not perished, as  some  supposed,  in  Baffin's  Bay. During those  six  years,  however,  the  entire geography of  the  regions  of  Arctic  America  w'as made  known; and,  with  the  exception  of  a small portion around  King  William’s  Land,  every  coast, creek, and  harbour  thoroughly  searched. A com- parison of the  two  charts  we  have  given,  will  best prove how  much  of  this  area  was  thus  laid  open; and it  should  be  remembered,  that  these  explorations were nearly  all  made  by  our  seamen  and  officers on foot,  dragging  sledges,  on  which  were  piled tents, provision,  fuel  for  cooking,  and  raiment. This sledging  was  brought  to  perfection  by  Cap- tain M'Clintock. He made  one  foot  journey  in those  regions  with  Sir  James  Ross  in  1848  with the equipment  then  known  to  Arctic  navigators, and such  as  Franklin  probably  had,  and  was struck with  its  imperfections,  and  the  total  impos- sibility of making  long  journeys  with  materiel  so clumsy,  and  entailing  so  much  unnecessary  labour upon the  seamen. His suggestions  were  subse- quently eagerly adopted,  and  in  some  cases improved upon  by  others; the  consequence  was, that whereas  in  1848  we  found  our  sledge- parties able  to  remain  away  from  the  frozen-in ships only  forty  days  to  explore  two  hundred miles of  coast,  those  of  Captain  Horatio  Austin’s expedition were  away  for  eighty  days,  and  went over eight  hundred  miles  of  ground. And in Sir  Edward  Belcher’s  expedition  the  journeys extended over  a hundred  and  odd  days,  and distances were  accomplished  of  nearly  1400 miles!

In spite  of  these  improvements,  the  labour  and hardship entailed  upon  our  seamen  by  these  sledge- journeys remained  extremely  severe; and  none but those  who  have  witnessed  it  can  conceive  the constant suffering  it  entailed  upon  our  men,  or the  unflagging  zeal  and  earnestness  with  which they underwent  it  year  after  year,  in  the  hope  of discovering  their  lost  countrymen. There were two points  to  be  ascertained  by  the  officers  con- ducting the search  in  order  to  insure  the  utmost possible amount  of  work  being  done  each  season: the one  was  the  maximum  weight  a strong man could  drag  through  deep  snow  and  over heavy ice  for  a consecutive  number  of  days; the other was,  to  what  temperature  we  could  safely expose them,  and  upon  how  small  a quantity  of food.

The results  obtained  were  curious. The maxi- mum weight was  ascertained  to  be  220  lb.  per man; and of  that  weight  3 lb.  per  diem  was  con- sumed by each  man  for  food  and  fuel — viz.,  1 lb.  of bread,  and  1 lb.  of  meat,  while  the  other  pound comprised his  spirits,  tea,  cocoa,  sugar,  tobacco,