Folios 24 - 32: Surgeon's general remarks. The vessel was commissioned 10 February...

ADM 101/105/1B/2

1852-1854

Folios 24 - 32: Surgeon's general remarks. The vessel was commissioned 10 February 1852 at Woolwich as tender to HMS Resolute, the crew, 5 officers and 25 men, was soon completed. Many had served in the Arctic before and were considered well adapted to the rigors of Arctic regions. The squadron, comprising in addition HMS Assistance, HMS Resolute, HMS North Star, and HMS Pioneer, left Greenhithe on 21 April 1852 for the Whale Fish Islands, arriving on 29 May 1852 at Disco Island. The Resolute's rudder was smashed by ice on 26 June. Up to this point the crew's health had been remarkably good, the illnesses are briefly mentioned, but on 27 June Henry Morgan ruptured himself while cutting a dock in the ice, his case is described very briefly. From 11 June to 18 August the issue of preserved meat was stopped since the squadron had left England 19,000 lbs short. They arrived at Cape York on 1 August and Beechey Island on 11 August., where the North Star was stationed as a depot ship. The Assistance and Pioneer sailed up Wellington Channel on 14 August and on 15 August, Intrepid and Resolute sailed west for Melville Island. The surgeon comments on the effectiveness of the chloride of zinc in cleaning bilges. He also recounts the cases which occurred while trapped in ice in Melville Bay. They reached Melville Island on 1 September, having left depots of provisions along the coast. On 8 September they reached Dealey Island where it was decided to winter. Twenty five musk oxen had been killed in September. A trip to establish supply depots for spring travelling is described, the difficulties caused by the wet snow and the cases of George Drover and James Wilkie are mentioned. On 4 November the sun set and the preparations for winter are described, a case of pleurisy is also briefly described. The provisions were good although they were deficient 16,000 lbs [sic] in preserved meats and one ton of Pemmican. There were no cases of scurvy up to the end of 1852 and diseases were mostly trifling. Lieutenant Mecham found on a journey to lay out provisions that the Investigator had wintered in the Bay of Mercy, 1851 to 1852, the record had been left by Commander Robert McCLure in April 1852 and was found in October 1852.

Folios 27 - 32: General Remarks for 1853. The year began with severe weather and the lowest temperatures recorded for that latitude, estimated 59 on the ice. The surgeon tried the effect of the low temperature on various fluids, the results are noted. The officers and men were occupied with travelling preparations. A couple of injuries were treated. On 5 February the sun returned after an absence of 93 days. There were no cases of scurvy in the winter, no sick cases at all in February and only two in March. On 10 March a party started from the Resolute to the Bay of Mercy to communicate with HMS Investigator. Other parties began to take long walks in preparation for spring travelling, which started on 4 April. Monsieur De Bray and Ensign de Vaisseau of the French Navy travelled with Commander McClintock. On 19 April Commander McClure arrived with a party from HMS Investigator and on 2 May a second party under Lieutenant Creswell arrived. In all there were 28 men, most suffering from scurvy. Commander McClure returned to his ship on 5 May, with the Surgeon of the Resolute, to survey the remainder of his officers and crew. On 18 May Monsieur De Bray returned with the body of John Coombes, his case is discussed. On 17 June the remainder of the officers and crew of HMS Investigator arrived, all suffering scurvy and very debilitated. They were treated with extra lime juice and vegetable and fresh meat, with the most beneficial results. A case of acute pleuritis occurred in a man who had been travelling 45 days and was not in the best condition, the men generally suffering from working on the ice and having to wade in pools of water. Game was shot and the other ships of the squadron communicated with. On 18 July the last of the travelling parties returned, they had left the ship on 4 April and had been away for 106 days covering 1407 miles, the longest distance recorded to date in Arctic travelling. They had discovered new land but no traces of Sir John Franklin. Many of the men's legs were swollen from having to walk in the water for days and also form the distance. A depot was left on Dealey Island for Captain Collinson on HMS Enterprize, 7 months provisions for 66 men. The cases of Thomas Hood, Robert Ganniclift and Charles Steel are mentioned. The shortage of preserved meat (16000 lbs) and pemmican necessitated a reduction in its issue to once a week. The provisions are discussed. On 18 August, during a gale, they broke free from winter quarters, where they had been 343 days, and reached Point Griffiths at the southern tip of Melville Island. They were detained by ice until 10 September when they sailed into open water but were soon halted by ice. The case of Thomas Hood is discussed again. He had been on the Arctic expeditions of Captain Austen and Sir James Ross and consequently had spent four winters in the Arctic. When the sun disappeared for the winter in November and he was faced with another Arctic winter, his spirits fell and his appetite failed him, he died on 2 January 1854. James Wilkie had served in the same expeditions and also in whalers, his case is also mentioned in some detail. He died on 2 February 1854. Both men had been on the very arduous travelling party led by Commander McClintock in Autumn 1852 and had spent 80 days travelling in 1853, the fatigue of these journeys contributing greatly to their deaths. While they were detained at Point Griffiths, 27 musk oxen were killed amounting to 13,302 lbs of fresh meat. The thermometer did not rise higher than 47 the whole summer and Barrow Straits were never free of ice in 1853. Dredging in the cracks in the ice found 20 to 30 fathoms of water and some samples of bivalves and crustacea. The birds and animals encountered are listed. Preparations for another winter were made. On 6 November the sun sank. The sick cases and temperature of the final quarter of 1853 are briefly discussed. It is mentioned that no fingers or toes have been lost to frostbite, which is attributed to having better equipment than previous expeditions.

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