Artifacts links to sailors on doomed expedition of Spilsby explorer

A toothbrush and human hairs caught in the bristles of a hairbrush are among the discoveries of underwater archeologists from Parks Canada linking to sailors from the mid-19th century British expedition led by Spilsby's Sir John Franklin
Statue of Sir John Franklin in Spilsby.Statue of Sir John Franklin in Spilsby.
Statue of Sir John Franklin in Spilsby.

The personal items were among more than 350 artifacts removed from the HMS Erebus wreck site off the coast of Nunavut, according to CBC News.

It is hoped the finds will help archeologists move closer to understanding what happened on the ill-fated polar mission.

The underwater excavation on Erebus late last summer was the result of several years of archeological preparation following the discovery of the other Franklin Expedition vessel - HMS Terror .

Human hairs caught in the bristles of a hairbrush.Human hairs caught in the bristles of a hairbrush.
Human hairs caught in the bristles of a hairbrush.

Members of the underwater archeology team made 93 dives and spent about 110 hours underwater at the Erebus site over a three week period from August to September last year.

Among the other items recovered were a leather coat sleeve, textiles, navigational instruments, buttons, an entire table service for the captain's table and a ceramic jar with "prepared mustard" stamped on it and mustard seeds inside.

An accordion which was also found doesn't play, but illustrates how the sailors took along items to entertain themselves.

In spite of human hairs being found on the hairbrush, no human remains have been discovered on Erebus so far.

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, shown in the Illustrated London News published on May 24, 1845, left England that year under the command of Sir John Franklin in the search of the Northwest Passage. (Illustrated London News/Getty Images)HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, shown in the Illustrated London News published on May 24, 1845, left England that year under the command of Sir John Franklin in the search of the Northwest Passage. (Illustrated London News/Getty Images)
HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, shown in the Illustrated London News published on May 24, 1845, left England that year under the command of Sir John Franklin in the search of the Northwest Passage. (Illustrated London News/Getty Images)

"Through the work we did on Terror and being able to look inside the cabins, and now getting into the artifacts of individuals inside Erebus, this is the beginning — and it's only the beginning — of really getting into the story in depth," Marc-André Bernier, manager of Parks Canada's underwater archeology team, told CBC News

Erebus and Terror set sail from Greenhithe, England, in 1845 in an expedition led by Franklin in search of the elusive Northwest Passage.

According to a note left by the crew in a cairn, the ships were beset by ice off King William Island in 1846 and deserted two years later. Franklin and his 128 men all died.