Inuit Oral Stories Could Solve Mystery Of Franklin Expedition

The Gazette ^ | 6-25-2008 | Randy Boswell

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[Rebelbase]

I've always been intrigued by the Franklin Expedition tragedy.

[Thebaddog]

Didn’t they find graves of the poor souls still intact?

[PLMerite]

The phrase “tastes like chicken!” isn’t going to be in there anywhere, is it?

[pj_627]

I have a really good book in my library, “Frozen in Time”, by Owen Beattie and John Grieger, that documents the discovery of the bodies of three seamen from the expedition. There are several really good color pictures of the condition of the body of one of the men. Made me shiver with cold just looking at his poor face. Gonna have to read through it again. Fascinating, and tragic.

pattyjo

[Portcall24]

Last Feb I was working at National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA. In the PX I found a copy of The Terror which is a long fictional book about what might have happened. It is fabricated horror/fiction but you'll sleep with a light on! A great read.

[AnAmericanMother]

Saw those same pics. They were also published in Smithsonian magazine.

Terrible to die so far away from home. The body being so well preserved just makes it worse.

[pj_627]

Yes. In the book I referenced, there are also several pictures of the surrounding landscape. The word that immediately pops into my head is ‘forlorn’, almost featureless. The young seaman I mentioned was only 20 years old when he died. So young and, like you said, so very far away from his home and family.

pattyjo

[JRandomFreeper]

So young and, like you said, so very far away from his home and family.

That is the nature of heroic young men.

God bless them.

/johnny

[proxy_user]

“It was homeward bound one night on the deep
Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
I dreamed the dream and I thought it true
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew

With a hundred seamen he sailed away
The frozen ocean in the month of May
To seek a passage around the pole
Where we poor seamen do sometimes go

Through cruel hardships the mainly strove
Their ship on mountains with ice was drove
Only the Eskimo in his skin canoe
Was the only one that ever came through

In Baffin Bay where the whalefish blow
The fate of Franklin no man may know
The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell
When Franklin along with his sailors do dwell

And now my burden it gives me pain
For my long lost Franklin I’d cross the main
Ten thousand guineas would I freely give
To say on earth that my Franklin do live

[Peter Libra]

I remember a documentary on the redoubtable researchers who had unearthed for us much more information. It was the first known casualty who was John Torrington. Something we can as a group of human beings appreciate, their work and interest.

I am indebted to:

www.mummytombs.com
Franklin.

Old friend. Wikipedia.
Franklin Expedition.

I was particularly interested in the fact that the lowest tender was given to a company who canned foods. Such was the novelty of a new break through in preserving foods, that the Victorians were slap dash in some ways. Cans were found and analyzed. The cans were soldered on the inside. This accounted for the amount of lead in the system of young John Torrington.

Of interest also is the fact that the commanders did it right initially. They built a stone shed and even had a practice firing range. A speculation is that the lead poisoning set in and a boat was dragged by some of the survivors. It was not equipped for survival, it is said.

We may never know, but had they stayed put, they might have stood a chance. Well- who knows? Torrington has living relatives, we are informed.

[Aglooka]

Thank you for posting this.

Her book is due out on Nov 1 2008.

Check this website out for recent Franklin search expeditions links to other Franklin websites.

http://www.ric.edu/faculty/rpotter/SJFranklin.html

[Aglooka]

More crew remains were found on King William Island in the early 1990s. (Not the same island where the three frozen guys were exhumed).

It appears that a good portion of the dying occurred at a place now called Erebus Bay. A web search should turn up a forensic report on the cannibalized bones found in this area.

There is a well known story of a group of Inuit who got on board one of the ships after it was deserted.

[kalee]

Lady Franklin’s Lament

We were homeward bound one night on the deep

Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep

I dreamed a dream and I thought it true

Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew

With a hundred seamen he sailed away

To the frozen ocean in the month of May

To seek a passage around the pole

Where we poor sailors do sometimes go.

Through cruel hardships they vainly strove

Their ships on mountains of ice were drove

Only the Eskimo with his skin canoe

Was the only one that ever came through

In Baffin’s Bay where the whale fish blow

The fate of Franklin no man may know

The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell

Lord Franklin with his sailors do dwell

And now my burden it gives me pain

For my long-lost Franklin I would cross the main

Ten thousand pounds I would freely give

To know on earth, that my Franklin do live.

(alternate: To know Lord Franklin and where he is.)

[Rebelbase]

**Graphic Warning**

Franklin Expedition members bodies exhumed 130+ years later

[infowarrior]

Didn’t they find graves of the poor souls still intact?

I recall seeing a photograph in, as I recall a National Geographic magazine, sometime in the late 70's, maybe early 80's of the body of a British seaman, believed to be one of the Franklin expedition's crew, but as far as an large number, or a mass grave, no, I've never heard of such a find...

the infowarrior

[pankot]

Also, checkout the recent book “The Terror”. A fictionalized account but will keep you cold on hot Summer nights.

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks Blam. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are Blam, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology magazine · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·

[Noumenon]

Yes, The Terror was an excellent book. Dan Simmons is at the top of his form with that one.