William Braine
William Braine | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1814 |
| Died | 3 April 1846 (aged 32) |
| Cause of death | Lead poisoning |
| Body discovered | 1984 |
| Resting place | Beechey Island 74°43′N 091°51′W / 74.717°N 91.850°W |
| Occupation | Explorer |
William Braine (1814 — 3 April 1846) was an explorer. Braine served as a marine in the Royal Marines. He was part of an expedition to find the Northwest Passage, but he died early in the trip and was buried on Beechey Island. His preserved body was exhumed in 1984, to try to determine the cause of death.[1]
Early life
1845 Franklin expedition
Braine was a part of Sir John Franklin's final expedition to find the Northwest Passage. The trip was expected to last about three years, so the ships were packed with provisions which included more than 136,000 pounds of flour, 3,684 gallons of high-proof alcohol and 33,000 pounds of tinned meat, soup and vegetables.[2][3][4]
Death
Graves
In 1976, 3 graves from the Franklin expedition were found on Beechey Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, by marine surveyors.[4] The graves belonged to Braine, John Torrington and John Hartnell. The team exumed the bodies in 1984 and found them to be perfectly preserved, later determining that they had died from lead poisoning.[3]
References
- ^ What Can We Learn From the Well-Preserved “Franklin Expedition” Mummies?
- ^ PBS, NOVA [Arctic Passage http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/arctic/provisions.html]
- ^ a b "William Braine (1814-1846)".
- ^ a b "The Franklin Expedition: Featured Mummy". Retrieved 2007-06-29.
Further reading
- Beattie, Owen; John Geiger. Frozen In Time: The Fate of The Franklin Expedition. Douglas & Macintyre. ISBN 1-55054-616-3.