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In 1850 the First Grinnell Expedition, one of seven missions in the Devon island area of the Northwest Passage looking for Sir John Franklin, had all put ashore at tiny Beechey island to compare their searches when a seaman came rushing up to the fire shouting about graves he had found. | ||||||||
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| In 1984, forensic anthropologist Dr. Owen Beattie conducted a well-publicized exhumation of three seamen buried in 1845-1846 by Franklin at Beechey: John Torrington, John Hartness and William Braine.
Beattie, along with co-author John Geiger, concluded in his book Frozen in Time that the men probably died from poisoning caused by the lead used to seal meat tins at the time. |
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| In the last two decades, a few eccentric history buffs have chosen to be buried on Beechey, near the remains of Franklin's unlucky shipmates. | |||||||||
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