Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-31
Al. Condition. and Absence Sustaining Life
tGraD
ua1 Opprunti~ rNwD

on a small island eight 10 lies from the
coast and set up tine American flag.
The sailors gathered roc ks and hand
fllls of gravel for souvenirs. Some CA
these probably still are, in Washin <.
ton, but, like most of the Wilkes col
lection. they have been lost sight OF.
After the landing tn - squadron sailed
North. -
SIMULTANEOUSLY French expe-
~ dition, under Capts Dumonti d'Ur-
Vile, was in .Antarctici waters. Dur
vile sighted land twd or three days
after the A americans Both COM
manders chatted the tCoast line, and
the Frenchm:ln gave French names to
large segments. For 1.-THE rest of his
life he consistently ldenied Wilkes
claims, and considered shmself the dis
coVercr Of the Antarctic continent.
His maps we've more accurate and he
possessed fur more pleasing person
atty than his Amer Rcan rival.
Unfortunately for Wilkes, the next
Antarctic expedition, sailed IN one or
"
he had indebted on his map. This
expedition consisted tof two ships fly
ing the flagNof Great Britain and com.
manded by y1ne of the most distin-
guished explorers Of the last century
Sir James Clark Floss. Ross vessels,
the Erebus and Terror, had BEEN
especially eQuippal for Antarctic ex-
ploration. Fl Q SAILED through the ice
pack and into the Ross Sea, the start
ing point 1br most succeeding Ant
arctic eXped itiOns.
To the end of his life Rass ques-
toned the existence of an Antarctic
continent. 4 He believed that there,
were onlysgroups of islands and that
the South Pole probably was located
in the oleil sea. He named the cour.
try at the head of the great bay VIC,
toria La nd, after the Queen, and II
still reta lls that nomenclature.
The testimony of Ross was OK.
tremely damaging to the claims of
Wilkes. For more than half a DEN
fury his name was omitted from raost
charts the great Southland. THE
American Rcommander's reputation was
SUSTAINED l. however, by the ex plora
tions of sSir Ernest Shackletont who
found tn 1T his maps for the mo st part
were acc tlrate. Mistakes were1 inevi
table in the charting of co Ast line
from ship 10 or Is miles distant
with all natural objects BLURRED by
heavy fo r.
On his return to Washington, Wilkes
was tried by court-martial fCh - his con
duct of the, expedition. Cruelty tc
sailors NvaSi charged, as we'll as gross
exagger atidn in claims to discovery
The cornm tnder was cleared of the
charges, BY 1T a cloud hasf hung ever
since over This name. Thejfull reports
of the expo 1ition never wore published
A few plan specimens cbllectel in the
South seas or their defendants, still
are grown g in the Botanic Garden.
Wilkes tonce more cGhme into public
notice dun ing the Civil War, when he
stopped ~ British mail steamer and
| took off two Confederate commission
ers to. Great Bri3ain-Mason and
| Slidell. This undiplomatic action al.
most sea we'd as the spark necessary tc
bring al )out war between Britain and
| the Uni ted States. Congress congrat
ulated Wilkes, but President Lincoln
| apologf zed to Britain, and the com
| mslnda.' once again. found himself on
trial before a court.martial board
o nee ;more he was indicated, but re
| m aine d a rather embittered man to the
eI Id e his days.
He retired from the Navy in 1873
I'D fdied in Washington in 1873. He
il ! buried at Arlington, where several
cars ago a monument was unveiled
o him under the auspices Of the Ma
tonal Geographic Society. With his
claims vindicated by Shackleton
Wilkes certainly is deserving of credit
as one Of the greatest of all American
explorers.
LII fortune seems to pursue those
who cross the Circle. Like the
Ancient Mariner, also an Antarctic
| voyager, they have plenty of trouble
In store for them after the escape
/ from the mists and the ice pack.
Il There still is a cloud on the claims of
Il both Palmer and Wilkes, and the only
Il other American whose name is asso.
Il ciated with the South Polar regions
4 now is in Federal penitentiary.
Il Friends Of DR.. Frederick A. Cook
h say that if he had retired after his
4 participation in the Belgian Antarctic
4 expedition of 1898 he would be entitled
/ to rank among the most illustrious of
all American explorers. This expedi-
| ton, under command of Lieut.. Adrien
de Gerlache, spent one Winter in the
II Antarctic ice. 1t was one Of the worst
Winters ever recorded in the South.
/ For 70 days they were in darkness
Cook was surgeon of the expedition,
and among the officers was Amund.
sen.
Ever since that day the Norwegian
has remained one of DIR. Cook 8
stanchest friends. On his last visit
to the United States, after the success
full voyage of the Norge across the
North Pole, he visited the imprisoned
man at Leavenworth and renewed a
bitter controversy when he asserted
that his claim to discovery of the
North Pole was as good as that of
Peary. Amundsen in his enthusiasm
doubtless said more than he meant,
but he may be excused when one con-
siders the testimony of other members
of the expedition that they owed their
lives to Cooks courage, resourceful-
ness, ingenuity, medical skill and per-
sIstent cheerfulness in the face Of
continual disaster. Cook doubtless did
not discover the North Pole. Whether
or not he was sincere in thinking that
he did is another matter. But there
Is little question that his researches
with the Belgian Antarctic expedition
placed all future polar explorers in
permanent debt to him.
For the past three centuries there
have been three impelling motives in
| Antarctic exploration. First, until
EI1x. 80 L. ~