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The Fraternity of Masters and Seamen
in
Dundee
Archivist’s Discoveries and Stories
April 2017
#06/17
20 August
THE EIRA ARCTIC EXPEDITION
TOTAL WRECK OF THE STEAMER EIRA
ARRIVAL OF MR LEIGH SMITH AND CREW AT ABERDEEN
INTERESTING NARRATIVE BY THE SURGEON
Aberdeen, Sunday Night
This morning the steam whaling ship Hope, of Peterhead, which was chartered some months ago to go in
search of the exploring yacht Eira, returned to Aberdeen, bringing with her the whole of the Eira’s crew,
who had passed through the rigours of an Arctic winter on Franz Josef Land, after the loss of the vessel on
21st August last year.
Almost every one of the men was in thoroughly good health and eleven of them left for Dundee by train
thios forenoon, while another ten, along with eight men belonging to the Hope, sailed in the steam tug Pride
of Scotland, for Peterhead – the Hope’s crew, however, simply having leave of absence for 24 hours. Mr
Leigh Smith, the commander of the Eira, and Sir Allen |Young, who had command of the Hope, saw the
men off by rail and sea, and it was evident from their manner that the greatest harmony and good feeling
had existed during this expedition. In the course of the afternoon n Dr Neale, who was the surgeon on board
the Eira, was kind enough to give an interview to a number of the members of the press in Aberdeen, and
the following interesting narrative is almost verbatim from his information:The Eira left Peterhead on June 14, 1881. She made the ice eight days afterward and steamed along the
edge of the pack to the eastward, trying to find an opening to allow her passing north. On the 1st July Nova
Zembla was sighted and some days were spent coasting along South Island. On the 13 th a slack place was
found in the pack and for upwards of a hundred miles the Eira steamed northward among loose ice. She
then came to heavy floes, but had little difficulty in steaming northward. On the 23rd July Franz Josef Land
was sighted, but a tight pack to the north prevented her going any further than she had been in 1880. Indeed
it may be said that the Eira has almost exactly reached the same points on this her second and, unfortunately,
last voyage that she had made the first time she was in the Arctic seas. Roughly speaking, these may be
described as slightly to the north-westward of Cape Ludlow, and some 15 miles from Bell Island and Mabel
Island. The Eira Harbour could not be put into in 1881 in consequence of the condition of the ice. Finding
it impossible to get any further northward Mr Smith returned in the Eira to Gray Bay, and several days were
spent by the crew in hunting walrus and bears. The Eira then proceeded to Bell Island where a store was
erected of materials taken out in the ship from Peterhead. The store, however, was not filled at this time, it
being intended to place provisions in it at a later period in the season. On the 15th August the Eira steamed
away from Bell Island to the eastward, but was unable to get further than within some miles of Barents’
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Hook. She was then made fast to the land floe off Cape Flora and some days were spent in collecting plants
and fossils. Unluckily there was no time to classify or describe these and they were lost in the ship. On
Sunday, the 21st August, the ice closed in and the Eira was nipped between the pack and the land floe.
Barely two hours warning was given to the crew before she sank. Part of the ice was driven through the
vessels side – near the fore-rigging it was conjectured – the result being that she filled with water and went
down. During the brief time at command of the men they contrived to save about two month’s provisions
and a considerable amount of vegetables. The provisions thus saved were carefully preserved, not being
touched until a couple of months ago. The medicine chest and a little tea were saved. Mr Smith and the
whole crew of the Eira remained on the ice near the scene of the accident during the ‘night’ (of course there
being no darkness) on the 21st August and the next day the ship’s boats, the provisions saved and the men’s
clothing were taken to Cape Flora, from which the wreck had occurred at a distance of about a mile. Cape
Flora, it may be mentioned, is in latitude 79 degrees 56 minutes north, and about 49 degrees east longitude,
so that in wintering there the crew of the Eira were within about two degrees of the point at which Sir
George Nares wintered. When the land was reached the crew rigged a tent in the course of a few hours, the
ship’s sails and the boar oars being utilised in its construction; and in this tent they lived for 16 days. During
this period a number of the men were engaged building a hut with stones and turf, and the others were away
in the boats hunting walrus, the water being quite open near the land. Guns and ammunition had been saved
from the Eira, and it is needless to say they were found most useful. Before the winter set in 16 walrus and
several polar bears had been shot. At this time the cold was not seriously felt during the day, but at night
there were several degrees of frost; and in regard to the weather it may be stated here that even at Christmas
the temperature might be called ‘warm’, the ‘heat’ being due to southerly wind. When wind blew from the
north and caused snow drifts, it was almost impossible to venture out of doors, and only those did who were
on duty. In January and February this year the average temperature registered was about 55 degrees of frost.
This mention of the weather, however, has taken us somewhat in advance of the doctor’s narrative.
The Hope left the Thames on the 23rd June and proceeded northward. Hammerfest was left on Sunday, 9th
July. Taking in tow the Martha, which had been purchased as a tender, we proceeded through the Fjord of
Tamso to complete our coaling at the Trafalgar hulk lying there. Coaling was finished on the 1st (? Ed.) and
the Hope and her tender proceeded for Porsango Fjord, calling on the way at Honnisvaag in order to
telegraph to England. Going towards Nova Zembla the Hope had a stormy voyage and encountered a deal
of ice and passed through many heavy fogs. Karmakula was reached on 19th July, that place being called at
for the purposed of leaving a substantial depot for Mr Smith’s party. This depot was to be in charge of the
officer commanding a Russian observing station; but as he had not arrived the Hope stayed waiting for him
for five days. Eventually the vessel had to sail before his arrival, but a letter was left for him requesting that
he would take charge of the stores deposited for the use of the Eira’s crew, and a similar request was made
to the chief man of the Samoyedes, a travelling race nominally under Russian rule, a party of whom had
found their way to Karamakula and were communicated with through an interpreter. Both the Russian
officer and the chief just referred to were asked to keep a good lookout for Leigh Smith’s party, as it was
thought that they might be found retreating that way.
The Hope sailed from Karamakula about the 25th July and went along closely examining to coast as far as
Matotchkin Straits. Care was taken to look into all; the bays and inlets with a view of discovering any trace
of a boats party retreating or of any person being encamped. No ice was encountered and favourable weather
prevailed. Finding that no boats party has as yet encamped at Mototchkin Straits, the hope proceeded
northward to Suchoinos in order to place a depot of provisions there, and also another depot at Admiralty
Peninsula, as had been directed by the Relief Committee. It is most satisfactory that this work was thus
accomplished, although it proved unnecessary, because if the Hope had missed picking up Eira’s crew when
she did the retreating party would have found themselves well provided for the arrangements made on their
behalf. In all her sailings the Hope kept as close inshore as practicable so as not to miss and boats or parties
on the land, and this hugging the coast caused an accident which might have proved most serious. The Hope
struck on a sunken reef and remained on the rock, lumping heavily, for 24 hours. Luckily however, the
exertions of the officers and crew were successful in getting her afloat and it was found that though her
rudder stern post and part of her keel had been injured, she was perfectly tight and not making a drop of
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water. She was taken back to the entrance of the Mototchkin Straits and brought up in Altglan Bigen, a
place of considerable interest to those aquainted with the history of the district. The vessel could not be
beached there as the tide only rises and recedes about two feet. By weighing the bows as much as possible
the stern was got raised so that the injury to the rudder and stern post was repaired in a manner sufficient
to render the Hope perfectly serviceable for continuing her voyage. These repairs were completed on the
evening of August 2nd and the hope was to have sailed the following day, proceeding along the coast of
Nova Zembla, when the occurrence of events already narrated brought her cruise northward to a happy
termination. The purpose for which the Hope was dispatched having thus been accomplished preparations
were at once begun for her homeward voyage and she left Nova Zembla on Sunday, 6th August. Favourable
weather was experienced till the North Cape was reached, but a south-west gale then came out and blew
with more or less force till the 14th, but during that period as much progress as possible was made
homewards along the coast of Norway. Peterhead was passed between seven and eight o’clock on Saturday
evening, and as Sir Allen did not intend to call there, being desirous of reaching Aberdeen as speedily as
he could, no colours were hoisted or signals made, but as the Hope was well known at Peterhead, she was
promptly recognised, and a feeling of consternation is stated to have been experienced there at the thought
that the rescuing vessel had not been able to effect her purpose, and that possibly the Eira’s crew, many of
whom, as will be seen, belong to the Buchan capital, had been lost. This caused th tug Pride of Scotland to
be sent after the Hope, and the little steamer was consequently able, as already mentioned, to take a number
of the Arctic explorers home. The Hope reached Aberdeen Bay at one o’clock yesterday morning and got
into the harbour about five o’clock, her voyage being thus completed within a day of the anniversary of the
destruction of the Eira on the ice. The Hope, it is believed, will remain at Aberdeen till she has been
thoroughly examined and repaired. She was under charter till Christmas, but arrangements may be made
for her passing into the hands of her Peterhead owners before that date.
The name Leigh-Smith may seem familiar to some of you and that could be because in my issue #14/15 I
recalled the story of Captain Alexander Fairweather who, in his first command the ‘Diana’, was
instrumental in assisting Benjamin Leigh Smith in his exploration of Spitzbergen during 1873 to come to
the assistance of the Finnish explorer Erik Nordenskjold who was is some difficulty.
The above narrative of the fate of the Eira and the involvement of the Hope ends suddenly in recalling the
temperatures during January and February 1881. Then there is nothing until the crew of the Eira are
rescued by the Hope. However, it is reasonable to assume that the crew of the Eira, all 26 of them including
Leigh Smith, were rescued by the Hope about August 4th 1881. Given this fact, the evidence shows that Mr
Leigh Smith decided at the beginning of July when the ice had cleared from the area of Cape Flora in Franz
Josef Land, to prepare the ships boats and crew to sail for the coast of Nova Zembla, it being the nearest
land where he believed they had a better hope of being rescued. On or about the 14th of July the four ships
boats rigged with makeshift sails, each carrying either six or seven crew members as oarsmen, set off south
from Cape Flora into the unpredictable Barents Sea. It was to be three long weeks later before all 26 men,
battered and bruised by the elements, were finally rescued by the Hope.
The following map shows the movements of the Eira, its crew and the rescue ship Hope.
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Eira track
Hope track
Crew Boat Track
©
John J Watson
Broughty Ferry
April 2017