Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-06-06
WASHINGTON CIT
HE Cnpleasantness Between British
and American Explorers.


The Unplea.antness Between British
and American Explorers.
The other day We noted q statement made by
Lieut.. Hynes, Of the British discovery ship
Challenger, to the effect that his round the.
world trip had shown that no such land exists
In the vicinity Of the South Pole as Commodore
wilkes claimed TO have seen in no. and which
h& received the name Of the "wilkes' Antarctic
Continent" that Wilkes In fact saw nothing
but ice-neld and icebergs. We called upon
Capt. Fred. ID. Stuart, OF this city, who was of
the Wilkes exploring party. to rise and explain,
and have received the following In response
which seems 10 settle quite conclusively that
the Wilkes Antarctic Continent is a veritable
continent, and not q vision Of clouds or ice
bergs:
tice or reply TO the statement said TO have been
made by Lieut.. Hynes, OF the British discovery
ship Challenger, that no such land exists in
the vicinity Of the South Pole as Commodore
Wilkes claimed TO have seen in 1870" True
Amerie ans, and persons Of any country not in
imical 70 Commodore, now Admiral Wilkes,
viii attach no import ance 10 such an assertion
Ii sounds very much like the attempt made by
Capt Ross, OF the British navy who was him
self an Antartic explorer, (and soue of our own
country men jealous Of the reputation ACQUIRED
by Admiral Wilkes, who seized upon the occa
ston,) TO disparage him, Wilkes, and TO cast a
doubt on the results Of the American explorers
But 70 the point. That land was discovered a.
claimed by the Wilkes expedition, and by the
Officers and men On board Of three OF the YES
sells COMPOSING the squadron-the Peacock, Vim
CO nnes and PorpOise-and at the same time, the
10th day OF January, 1910, which the log books
and the journals Of the officers distinctly and
emPhatieslly state, there can be but q shadow
Of doubt This was called Ringgold's Knoll,
l Gated in lat. 90 south, long. 1877 46' east
But had doubts existed in the min Is of any of
10th, they were all removed on the 18th OF Janu-
airy, when the well defined outline OF land not
lCss than GOO feet high, doomed up in the not
very Tar distance, towering far above the tallest
iceberg, some Of them not less than 2oO feet
high; the latitude OF the ship Peacock sing at
the time 60 81 g., longitude 1882 40 E.; the peak
bearing southwest. Again, on the 3Oth of Anu
airy, the officers and crew OF the vincennes,
being in what Admiral Wilkes named Pfners
bay, latitude CO. as s., longitude 1902 O2 E..
and on soundings OF 80 fathoms, hard bottom
net more than half mile from many volcanic
rocks projecting above the surface OF the
wafer, there wasplainly in view q range of high
miles Sketches were carefully made at every
point OF discovery by competent persons on
board OF each OF the vessels, and these, together
with the astronomical Observ atoms taken at the
time TO deter mine position, were critically ex-
amined and compared, and In every essential
point found 70 agree. But all this 10 a m after of
record, and need not be referred to, except to
Gn'ighten those who have little or no knovI-
edge CT the subject Ii NAV be well TO remark
that vessels OF the squadron traversed the
ANTARCTIC region, In close proximity to the icy
barrier, and among icebergs, from the 165tR
meridian east to the 18th meridian east a dis
lance OF about seventeen hundred nautical
miles, and that frequently observations were
made or high well defined ranges and peaks of
land, a. on the LIST and 14th OF February by the
ftncennes.
Probabilities and Representatives, Will the
American people-will sensible men anyvhere
condemn Admiral Wilkes, on the mere asser,
ton Of Lieut.. Hynes, who had q single shin.
l1OO men, and, perhaps, at most only three or
i've chrOnOmeters, TO locate, lon gitudnaIly mis-
post on, when the L. 5. exploring s1uadron
consisting OF three vessels, 400 men, had not
less than twenty chronOmeters To rely upon for
time, which 10 Longitude. Could Lieut. Hynes
and hIs officers be exactly right in his determi-
nations OF latitude, and Admiral Wilkes and his
ofncers. be exactly wrong in the same opera
uon? When half q dozen other English nayi-
gators go over the route of the American ex-
Plorers, and each verify the others observa-
lions, and the whole are found 70 agree With
Lieut. Hynes, that Wilkes discovered No land
IN the vicinity OF the South Pole, then il will !
be time enough TO doubt our claim to the dis /
cOyeTy OF the Antarctic continent.
X may MT be amiss 70 say that in the investi-
CATION Of the charges preferred against Admiral I
wines Ia ISL, growing out of the scandalous I
statements made by Capt. Ross, in his narrative /
OF his southern expedition, II was proven 70 the |
court (sOme OF the members not over friendly !
10 Commodore Wilkes)tby officers under OATH !
kept the records, that all the discoveries claimed
70 have been made BIZ the Peacock Viuceunes
and PorICiSe had beeh made, and Commodore
wilkes character for verscity was declared
1nimpeaCh9d. FRED. ID. stuart,
Of fh0 E.r