Unravelling the Franklin Mystery: Inuit TestimonyDavid Woodman's reconstruction of the mysterious events surrounding the disappearance of two British exploration vessels in 1845, under the command of Sir John Franklin, challenges standard interpretations and promises to replace them. Among the many who have tried to discover the truth behind the Franklin disaster, Woodman recognizes the profound importance of the Inuit testimony and analyzes it in depth. He concludes from his investigations that the Inuit probably did visit Franklin's ships while the crew was still on board and that there were some Inuit who actually saw the sinking of one of the ships. He maintains that fewer than ten bodies were found at Starvation Cove and that the last survivors left the cove in 1851, three years after the standard account assumes them to be dead. Woodman also disputes the conclusion of Owen Beattie and John Geiger's book Frozen in Time that lead-poisoning was a major contributing cause of the disaster. |
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abandoned Adelaide Peninsula Ag-loo-ka Aglooka ashore Bayne Beck boat place bodies Boothia cairn camp Cape Crozier Cape Felix Captain Chantrey Inlet coast of King crew Cyriax Erebus and Terror Erebus Bay Fieldnotes Fish River Fitzjames Franklin expedition Franklin's ships grave Hall Collection Hall's hunting Ibid Igloolik In-nook-poo-zhe-jook Inlet Inuit islet James Ross John Franklin Keeuna King William Island Kob-lu-nas Kokleearngnun later Long Arctic Search Matty Island McClintock miles Montreal Island Narrative natives Neitchille Northwest Passage noted Nourse Omanek Ootgoolik Ow-wer Parry's party Pelly Bay Pooyetta Prince Regent Inlet Rae's Rasmussen record relics remains remarked Repulse Bay Ross's Schwatka's Search Second Arctic Expedition seen Shartoo shore Simpson Strait Sir John Franklin's Sir John Ross skeleton sledge Stackpole Starvation Cove survivors tale Teekeenu Teekeeta tent Terror Bay testimony Too-shoo-art-thariu Toolooa Toonoonee traditions vessel Victory Point visited Voyage Washington Bay white men's winter wreck
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Page 380 - Voyage in Baffin's Bay and Barrow's Straits, in the Years 1850 and 1851, performed by HM Ships Lady Franklin and Sophia, under the command of Mr. William Penny, in search of the missing Crews of HM Ships Ereb-us and Terror, With Charts and Illustrations.