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A SECOND CHANCE Ross
wanted to lead a new expedition there, but the British Admiralty had lost confidence in him and refused to sponsor the voyage. After several years of trying, Ross was able to obtain private backing for his voyage from Sir
Felix Booth, a gin merchant. Ross set out in May 1829 on a paddle steamer called the 'Victory'. His crew included his nephew James Clark Ross, who was to gain fame as an explorer in his own right. The younger Ross
was second in command, as he had been promoted to Commander after taking part in a series of Arctic expeditions with Parry during the 1920's. They traveled through Lancaster Sound and then into Prince Regent inlet, where they
found traces of Parry's ship 'Fury', which had been wrecked on North Somerset Island five years earlier. From there he turned south where he landed on a large peninsula that Ross named the Boothia Peninsula after the sponsor
of his expedition. James Ross was John Ross's Nephew
and Discovered the Magnetic North Pole Having reached land 200 miles farther than Parry had gone, Ross and his party were forced to stay
there for the winter, naming the place Felix Harbor, again after his backer. To keep his men occupied Ross gave lectures and taught lessons. They were visited by the native Inuit people of the
area, who were able to draw accurate maps of the peninsula and surrounding region, indicating to Ross that they were on the mainland of North America. They also taught the Englishmen how to
build sledges and Ross's nephew James used these to make several expedition into the interior. On one of these he discovered the North Magnetic Pole. next: Assumed Deceased |
