BROWNE BAY, A GOOD PLACE TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER PAPER COMING FROM THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION

This is how exploration looks like:

When one thinks on how exploration ships sailed in search of a Northwest passage, barely can imagine the amount of changes of direction they had to take in order to examine every inlet that could lead them to the west.

I am impressed by the route followed by the Fury and Hecla during the second Parry´s expedition of 1821-23. I knew more or less how explorers of that time conducted they researches, but it is my believe that this route is specially twisted. I focused on that I when I was trying to locate the exact place where James Pringle, the seaman who fell from one of the mast of the Hecla, was buried in Winter Island in order to place the grave in my "Arctic graveyard" map.

It is not rare to find in the narratives of many expeditions that officers and men landed from time to time to make observations, hunting, etc. Often, during those incursions, cairns were built and documents buried.

This erratic course has made me think what could have been the route followed by the Erebus and Terror in 1846 while descending by Peel sound. I wouldn´t be surprised to find a forgotten cairn, maybe with a copper cilinder still intact inside, in the barely frequented shores of Browne bay, a big inlet which runs in southwest direction starting from the west side of Peel sound, waters which follows with precision the direction of Franklin orders. If this region has been searched before, I would be happy to know if something was found. Maybe some sledge parties from the 1850´s searching fleet of Horatio Austin, I should check out my notes.

POLAR MEMORIALS MAP

I introduce you another of my unfinished projects, the POLAR MEMORIALS MAP. This new distraction is keeping me away from writting about the Franklin expedition, which is the thing I should be dedicating my spare time right now, but ...this is so fascinating that I can´t hardly stop pinning in the mapevery new plaque, statue, bust, grave and so on which I am continuing finding here and there. Will this have this project an end? I am beginning to think it will not.

This map aims to be an useful tool for those who are visiting any country to find lost pieces of the Polar history, it will also help you to take long detours from your programmed route to visit the grave of your favourite explorer while on holidays, no matter how loud could be the complains of your companions, or even to realize that when you were visiting St Nicholas church in Copenhagen during your summer trip of two years ago, you missed to take a look to Jens Munk grave, which was exactly my case.

I have found digging into internet in websites, blogs and genealogical forums tens of items in museums, forgotten graves, memorials, statues, etc. and will keep on doing it for the coming years but, I have also to say here, that the actual satisfactory side of all this work, is the help I am receiving from many friends, some real and some virtual, and from many strangers who willingly are sending me specific locations of polar related places they found during their trips or visits.  I would like to underline the collaboration of Logan Zachary and Nick Aglitki, who have supplied me with many very useful information. As this is just an amateur project I am doing by my own, the only way I have to thank them properly is to give the collaborators credit of their findings in every pin they provide me. With time I will be able to add in the description box of every place a short description of what is there. For now I am only adding some useful links to the above refered websites or blogs where further information can be found.

Here is what I have so far:

Thanks to all those who are collaborating:
Logan Zachary, Nick Aglitki, Jonahtahn Dore, Russell Potter, Mechtild Opel, Narda Elvidge, Peter Carney, Jessica Forde, Silvia Wright, Javi LG, David Legrand, Ken McGoogan, Gisle uren, Regina Koelner, Dave Brook, etc. for their direct and some times indirect contributions.