they were assailed by heavy storms. The canoes took a terrible battering and began to splinter apart, striking even further terror into the hearts of the voyageurs. The several landings they made in search of food were almost totally unsuccessful. Yet somehow they managed to explore and chart 555 miles.
It was now August 15. Even the determined Franklin began to realize that it was time to call a halt to the journey. âIn the evening,â he would later write in his memoir, âwe were exposed to much inconvenience and danger from a heavy rolling sea, the canoes received many severe blows, and shipped a good deal of water, which induced us to encampâ¦Mr. Back reported that both canoes had sustained material injury. Distressing as were these circumstances they gave me less pain than the discovery that our people, who had hitherto displayed a courage beyond our expectation, now felt serious apprehensions for their safety. The strong breezes we had encountered led me to fear that the season was breaking up, and severe weather would soon ensue, which we could not sustain in a country devoid of fuel. I announced my intention of returning at the end of four days unless we should previously meet the Eskimos, and be enabled to make some arrangement for passing the winter with them.â
THE FRANKLIN PARTYâS arrival at the Arctic Sea was a major accomplishment, one of the few triumphs of Franklinâs otherwise disastrous first overland expedition. George Back, who proved vital to the survival of most of the party, drew this scene of Franklinâs hastily erected camp on the bank of the Coppermine River, overlooking the sea.
On the eighteenth, even the ever-optimistic Richardson concluded that to continue would be pure lunacy. On that day, he and Franklin walked overland to a spit of land aptly named Point Turnagain. Franklinâs journal notes that âit is possible Point Turnagainâ¦forms the pitch of a low cape.â They agreed that it was the appropriate spot from which to turn back. But even though he knew that winter was rapidly closing in on them, that the winds were rising, and that the sea was becoming increasingly turbulent, Franklin dallied for another five days. He had accomplished the goal of mapping a significant portion of the coastline. But perhaps, he thought, a few more days would allow him to spot a link to the Northwest Passage. It was a tragic blunder. Finally, on August 23, he gave the orders for the party to head back. Although he had placed his expedition in further jeopardy by delaying his return for so long, Franklin felt compelled to defend his indecision to turn back. In his published journal, he wrote:
When the many perplexing incidents which occurred during the survey of the coast are considered in connection with the shortness of the period during which operations of the kind can be carried on, and the distance we had to travel before we could gain a place of shelter for the winter, I trust it will be judged that we prosecuted the enterprise as far as was prudent and abandoned it only under a well-founded conviction that a farther advance would endanger the lives of the whole party and prevent the knowledge of what had been done from reaching England. The active assistance I received from the officers in contending with the fears of the men demands my warmest gratitude.
His disappointment at not finding a trace of the passage was shared by the other officers, including Backâwho nonetheless was convinced that the expedition had shown that it could be done, and wrote in his diary: âThus ended the progress of our Expedition which we had fondly expected would have set at rest all future discussion on the subject of a passageâ¦It was now the season, not more particularly the want of food that stopped usâ¦. Be this as it may it must be obvious that we had incontestably proved the practicality of succeeding.â
IT WAS FRANKLINâS INTENTION to canoe
It was now August 15. Even the determined Franklin began to realize that it was time to call a halt to the journey. âIn the evening,â he would later write in his memoir, âwe were exposed to much inconvenience and danger from a heavy rolling sea, the canoes received many severe blows, and shipped a good deal of water, which induced us to encampâ¦Mr. Back reported that both canoes had sustained material injury. Distressing as were these circumstances they gave me less pain than the discovery that our people, who had hitherto displayed a courage beyond our expectation, now felt serious apprehensions for their safety. The strong breezes we had encountered led me to fear that the season was breaking up, and severe weather would soon ensue, which we could not sustain in a country devoid of fuel. I announced my intention of returning at the end of four days unless we should previously meet the Eskimos, and be enabled to make some arrangement for passing the winter with them.â
THE FRANKLIN PARTYâS arrival at the Arctic Sea was a major accomplishment, one of the few triumphs of Franklinâs otherwise disastrous first overland expedition. George Back, who proved vital to the survival of most of the party, drew this scene of Franklinâs hastily erected camp on the bank of the Coppermine River, overlooking the sea.
On the eighteenth, even the ever-optimistic Richardson concluded that to continue would be pure lunacy. On that day, he and Franklin walked overland to a spit of land aptly named Point Turnagain. Franklinâs journal notes that âit is possible Point Turnagainâ¦forms the pitch of a low cape.â They agreed that it was the appropriate spot from which to turn back. But even though he knew that winter was rapidly closing in on them, that the winds were rising, and that the sea was becoming increasingly turbulent, Franklin dallied for another five days. He had accomplished the goal of mapping a significant portion of the coastline. But perhaps, he thought, a few more days would allow him to spot a link to the Northwest Passage. It was a tragic blunder. Finally, on August 23, he gave the orders for the party to head back. Although he had placed his expedition in further jeopardy by delaying his return for so long, Franklin felt compelled to defend his indecision to turn back. In his published journal, he wrote:
When the many perplexing incidents which occurred during the survey of the coast are considered in connection with the shortness of the period during which operations of the kind can be carried on, and the distance we had to travel before we could gain a place of shelter for the winter, I trust it will be judged that we prosecuted the enterprise as far as was prudent and abandoned it only under a well-founded conviction that a farther advance would endanger the lives of the whole party and prevent the knowledge of what had been done from reaching England. The active assistance I received from the officers in contending with the fears of the men demands my warmest gratitude.
His disappointment at not finding a trace of the passage was shared by the other officers, including Backâwho nonetheless was convinced that the expedition had shown that it could be done, and wrote in his diary: âThus ended the progress of our Expedition which we had fondly expected would have set at rest all future discussion on the subject of a passageâ¦It was now the season, not more particularly the want of food that stopped usâ¦. Be this as it may it must be obvious that we had incontestably proved the practicality of succeeding.â
IT WAS FRANKLINâS INTENTION to canoe
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