The already significantly advanced effects of corrosion, due to the bell being submerged in salt water, would have continued to progress if corrosion products had not been removed. The bell has several ropes and two markings on its surface: the date “1845” and a large arrow called a broad arrow.įor two years, conservators worked on the bell to preserve it. On a ship, the bell was rung at regular intervals, day and night, and was used to mark time and determine the activities of the seamen. The bronze bell was found on the upper deck by the anchor windlass (winch) at the bow. It would therefore have been used for the stowage of casks, spars or oars on the upper deck, as can be seen on some plans of HMS Erebus dating from 1839. This stanchion appears to be too small to have been part of a railing. Several are illustrated on the plans of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, and on those of other Royal Navy vessels of the period, for example, HMS Investigator. These stanchions connected by rope were used as a railing or for the stowage of material. From its base to the tip of the eyelet, the stanchion measures 51.7 cm. There are significant signs of erosion on the end that was fastened to the deck. The bronze stanchion consists of two sections welded together. It was detached from its original position, which was probably along a bulwark on the upper deck. This artifact was found on the upper deck. This leg may come from a similar piece of furniture from the captain’s cabin. This leg could have belonged to one of the pieces of furniture in the captain’s cabin.Ī contemporary artistic representation of Franklin’s cabin shows a map table at the center of the cabin. The leg has a square upper section and a rounded lower section. This process prevented the artifact from warping or splitting. The salt was extracted and the degraded wood was gradually filled with a consolidating agent (PEG) before the artifact was freeze-dried. This mahogany artifact, which is 69 cm high, 128.5 cm long and 9.5 cm wide, had to be carefully preserved and stabilized. What material is this artifact made of?.These two items are possibly from the same piece of furniture. Another identical piece, which has not been recovered, is located in the captain’s cabin. The archaeologists recovered a furniture leg on the seabed near the stern.

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