Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 16.djvu/205

* POLAR RESEARCH. 169 POLAR RESEARCH. of Franklin, Ommaney finding in August, 1851, three graves at Beeehy island. Brown, Om- maney, Osliorn, Aldricli, Bradford, and McC'lin- tock of Austin's party traveled by sledge 3340 miles, and discovered 070 miles of coast to the westward of winter quarters at Griffith Island (1850-51). Edward IJelcher commanded ( 1.S52- 53) another squadron of five ships sent out by the British Admiralty. McClintoek, Mecham, Narcs. Hamilton, Pini, and Domville fruitlessly searched adjacent lands in journeys that aggre- gated 5892 miles, of which McClintoek, the greatest of Arctic sledgemen, traveled no less than 1401 miles. Belcher brought home Jrciure's crew from the Inrestigntor, but had to abandon, in 1853, two of his own ships, the Intrepid and the Kcsohde. The latter, drifting south, was picked up in 1854 by an American whaler, was bought by the United States, and was refitted and returned to Great Britain. The nation hav- ing failed to find certain traces of Franklin, Lady • Franklin sent McClintoek in the Fox on a search expedition. Beset in Ballhi's Bay, ilcClintock, after a winter drift of 1200 miles, pushed on in the next summer (1858), and, following Peel Sound, wintered at Port Leopold. jMcClintock, Hobson. and Young, covering the whole field in sledges in 1859, discovered 800 miles of coast and unraveled the mystery, Boothian natives with Franklin silver led to the finding of boats, sledges, tents, and skeletons on King William Land, and finally of a written record. This told of Franklin's besetmcnt and death, of the aban- donment of the ships, and of Crozier's retreat toward Great Fish Itiver. The Northw'ESt Pas.sage by Land. The Xortliwest Passage also involved land journeys, which began with Hearn's explorations from the Hudson I5ay post. Fort Prince of Wales, in 1771, when, traveling with an Indian war party, he reached the mouth of the Coppermine, 67° 48' N". One of the Northwest Fur Company, Alexander Mackenzie, started from Fort Chijiewyan to trace the waters of Slave Lake to the sea. Undeterred by tales of hardship and disaster, with Indian guides he reached, in July, 1798, Whale Island, 69° 14' N., at the mouth of the great river that bears his name, jVIackenzie's successor, John Franklin, was the most notable figure associated, whether by land or sea, with the Xortliwest Pas- sage. Cooperating with Parry, at sea, in 1819 Franklin pushed his advance posts bv winter journeys to Fort Enterprise, 64° 28' N.," 113° W. Accunuilating sujiplics on the Coppermine, in 1821 he reached the mouth and explored the sea- coast eastward to Port Turnagain, 68° 18' N., 109° W,, turning back the same day that Parry sailed out of Repulse Bay, 539 miles distant. In 1825. acting in concei't with Bcechy in Bering Strait and Parry in Lancaster Sound. Fi'anklin established his base at Fort Franklin. Great Bear Lake. In 1826. reaching the mouth of the Mac- kenzie, Franklin coasted westward, while John Richardson explored to the east. Franklin was turned back at Kcturn Reef. 70° 20' N.. wuthin 160 miles of Port Barrow. Ricliardson in a suc- cessful journey rounded Ca]ic Bathurst, discov- ered WoUaston Land, and reached Cape Hope, 68° 58' N, He had traced the continental coast line through 20 degrees of longitude and 2 degrees of latitude, discovered a new land, de- termined tidal conditions, and made valuable geological and botanical observations. In 1833 G, Back, wintering at Fort Reliance, Great Slave Lake, discovered the Great Fi>li or Back River, and the following year passed be- yond its mouth to Port Ogle, at the east en- trance of Simp.son Strait. In 1837 two employees of the Hudson's Bay Company, P. W. Dease and T. Simpson, operating from Fort Chipewyan, reached in 1837 Port Bar- row to the 'west, and, wintering at Fort Confi- dence, explored in 1838-39 the continental shore line to the east, reacliing Cape Herschel. OS" 41' N., 89° W. It remained for .lobn Rae ])ractically to complete the exploration of the north coast of America. From Repulse Bay, in 1846-47. Rae proved that Boothia Felix was a peninsular extension of North America, and connected with the discoveries of Parry and Ross by sea. It fell, however, to Capt. C. F. Hall, an American, in 1808 to trace the west coast of Melville Penin- sula, the last unknown shore between the far- thest of Rae in 1846 and of Parry in Fury Strait in 1825, In the Franklin search the north- ern coasts of America were exaniineil 1)V .1. Richardson and Rae (1848-49) ; the latter visited 'ollaston Land in a boat expedition which brought him within fifty miles of Franklin's farthest, the nearest apjjroach to the Northwest Passage by sea. Rae in 1854 wintered at Repulse Bay, and the following April fell in with Eskimo, who gave him the first news of the Franklin disaster, reinforcing their story of the retreat on King 'illiani Land by silver bearing the Frank- lin crest. The last search for news of Franklin was made in 1878-79 by F. Schwatka and W. H. fiilder, who found in King William Land graves, skeletons, and relics. Smith Sound. E. A. Inglefield by his voyage of 1859 opened waterwavs to the north, as he reached 78° 28' N., off Cape Sabine. He also penetrated far into Jones Sound and charted 000 miles of new coast. In 1853 Dr, E. K. Kane of Philadelphia pushed the Adiniirc through .Smith Sound into Rensselaer Harbor. 78° 3' N., 71° -W. His surgeon. Dr. I. I. Hayes, traced the east shore of Grinnell Land to Cape Frazer. 79° 43' N., and W. Jlorton. a member of Kane's party, pass- ing Humboldt glacier, reached Cape Constitu- tion, 80° 35' N., whence he viewed Kennedy Channel to Mount Ross, In 1855 Kane aban- doned his ship and retreated safely to Upernivik by boat. Hayes in the United States returned to Smith Sound in 1800, wintering his ship in Foulke Fiord and penetrating the inland ice some fiu-ty miles. In 1801 by a sledge journey he reached the vieinitv of Cape Goodc, Grinnell Land, about 80° 11' N, Captain Hall suc- ceeded better, and in the Polaris (1871), pass- ing Kennedy and Robeson channels, entered the Arctic Ocean near Repulse Harbor, 82° 11' N., the highest northing then attained by ship. Forced southward by ice, he anchored in Rol)eson Channel, under lee of a huge lloeberg, explored adjacent parts of Greenland, and charted the Grinnell Land to its northern extremity beyond the 83d parallel. Hall died that autumn, and the Polaris, returning south in 1872, was wrecked near Littleton Island. Part of the crew under Captain Tyson drifted in the ice-pack five months, 1300 miles, and were saved otV Labrador by the Tii/ress. Others wintering at Polaris boat-house' were rescued in 1873 near Cape York. George S. Nares in 1875 commanded a British squadron, of which the Discovert/ wintered in