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A flattened roll of lead sheet.
A flattened roll of lead sheeting from the 1845 Northwest Passage Expedition led by Sir John Franklin.
The lead was recovered by the US expedition under Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka between 1878-1880. It is described as 'Item 12. Roll of sheet lead from Erebus Bay' in the 1881 catalogue of items that he sent back to Britain in 1881 [TNA, ADM 1/6600].
Schwatka's expedition reached Erebus Bay sometime between 15 and 21 July 1879 and they found many items scattered around. Gilder recorded they '...gathered together...some sheet lead,...] [Gilder, page 156].
McClintock records that there were 'two rolls of lead' at the Erebus Bay 'boat place' when he visited in 1859 [McClintock, page 367].
The lead is not specifically mentioned being on display in the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich.
During the intervening years the Inuit had broken it up. They reported to Hall and Schwatka, that they had found a second boat at Erebus Bay and 14 more skeletons. Although Schwatka could not find the other boat, he discovered the bones of four Europeans in this area. Barry Ranford found a boat site on a small island in Erebus Bay in 1993. An excavation revealed the remains of eleven more individuals.
The lead was recovered by the US expedition under Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka between 1878-1880. It is described as 'Item 12. Roll of sheet lead from Erebus Bay' in the 1881 catalogue of items that he sent back to Britain in 1881 [TNA, ADM 1/6600].
Schwatka's expedition reached Erebus Bay sometime between 15 and 21 July 1879 and they found many items scattered around. Gilder recorded they '...gathered together...some sheet lead,...] [Gilder, page 156].
McClintock records that there were 'two rolls of lead' at the Erebus Bay 'boat place' when he visited in 1859 [McClintock, page 367].
The lead is not specifically mentioned being on display in the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich.
During the intervening years the Inuit had broken it up. They reported to Hall and Schwatka, that they had found a second boat at Erebus Bay and 14 more skeletons. Although Schwatka could not find the other boat, he discovered the bones of four Europeans in this area. Barry Ranford found a boat site on a small island in Erebus Bay in 1993. An excavation revealed the remains of eleven more individuals.
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Object Details
| ID: | AAA2280 |
|---|---|
| Collection: | Polar Equipment and Relics |
| Type: | Lead sheet |
| Display location: | Not on display |
| Creator: | Unknown |
| Events: | Arctic Exploration: Franklin's Last Expedition, 1845-1848; Arctic Exploration: Franklin Search Expedition, Schwatka, 1878-1880 |
| Date made: | circa 1845; 1848 1858 |
| Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. |
| Measurements: | Overall: 38 x 356 x 70 mm |
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