The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-06-25
HEAD OF GEOGRAPHIC BOARD
ALSO LEARNS SOME HISTORY
BY s. w. WALL

ward Rear Admiral Richardson
Glover, u. 8. NJ, retired-defend-
ing before the u. 8. geographic
board the RIGHT OF Captain Van
couver to fix irrevocably upon our
mountain the name of man who
hauled down our flag-"your flag
and my flag'--from an Ameri-
can ship at sea, that same Cap
tain Vancouver being distin-
guished in history by the fact that
he went to any and every length
to obscure or block the character
OF Americans engaged in the same
profession as himself and for no
other reason than that they were
Americans-such was his hatred
of them-becaus they were
Americans.
But this is to be said for Ad-
miral Glover, that he did not
know anything about this charac-
teristic of Captain Vancouver
there is the extenuation OF ignor-
ance.
Get Back to Braid.
AS / have pointed out in an
earlier chapter, Admiral Clover's
knowledge concerning this man
for whose RIGHTS as a Idiscoverer
there is such an amazing obses-
sion in certain circles, was abso-
lutely limited to the fact that he
was a sailor like himself, and like
himself surveyor and map
maker.
Get beyond that in the history
of this matter and Admiral Clio
ver-swelling with pride Of the
| fact that he was one OF those who
perpetrated this injustice of the
mountain name in the first place
lis at sea again; no longer re
tired"
But have kept your gaze
turned away from Andrew Braid,
president of the U. S. geographic
board and chief of the division of
terrestrial magnetism have in
my charity kept him under the
shadow of Admiral Glover as
long as / intend to. We are
about to discover that he is no
less ignorant OF his history.
Honest Confession.
All this time this fine looking
old gentleman is gazing in sort
of bewilderment at the pages of
the standard work of history that
had placed in his hands. / have
to say this for him that he made
mo attempt whatever to conceal
his surprise and chagrin-mani-
Testing in that at least, an hon
est confession of his crime.
IF this is to be believed, then
l have done wrong"-that was
what his manner bespoke. But
there he sat, a standard history
none more so-in his hand, this
old scientist, doubling what he
saw before him.
This cannot be the historians
own language" he said. See, 1t
lis not in the text of his history
it 10 a footnote-he must be quot
ing someone else"
| II made no answer.
He Wonders How.
"Surely this Is not Greenhow
himself" he repeated, turning
the page back and forth. II is a
footnote-he is quoting someone"
II were making a STORY OF
this, simply-simply trying to en-
terrain you'll would have myself
yawn here, of course. 1t was al
most pitiful to see how nonplussed
the old gentleman was.
1T is a standard history, doc
tor" l said ct last. "Greenhow
would not likely crib another's
work without quotation marks"
"But Vancouver could not have
had much to do with Americans
he could not have met many on
the western coast. How then
could he have given warrant for
such a statement"
"Oh, as to that cannot go
Into that-Greenhow doubtless
did. 1t is the record I am sub
hitting. But we know Of one
american that he met on the
coast; one that was there cou-
pie of years before him. Van
eouver speaks of him in his jour
nal and admits that he got .valu-
able information from him."
Met Capt. Gray.
THAT would seem to contradict
this statement, then, that he new
er gave credit to Americans" said
Mr.. Braid eagerly, catching at this
straw.
"Greenhow had no doubt read
lVancouver's journal when he
wrote his own history" said /.
who was the American you
Irefer to-" he asked.
Captain Gray-Captain Gray
flor whom Grays Harbor is named.
THE American explorer had been
Iout there at least two years be-
fore vancouver. He wintered In
THE Straits of Fuca and was sailing
lout in 1892 when Vancouver was
going in"
Where do you find such a
statement? What is your author
Iity for that?" he said in voice
which did not conceal its note Of
surprise.
| Well, sir, there seemed no
limit to 1t. Wouldn't you think
the old gentleman would have had
enough by this timer When l
told him that Vancouver him
self was the authority he sprang
up, hurried into hallway and
called through one of those old
fashioned tin speaking tubes to
somewhere downstairs" asking
that vancouver's journals be