Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-21
MANUSCRIPT TELLS
OF FIRST EXPLORER
|. or ANTARCTIC LAND
Library of Congress Present
ed With Log of Capt.
4 N. B. Palmer. -
HAD MANY ADVENTURES
NEAR COAST OF CHILE
Records of Expeditions to Polar
Regions 0bscure-Credited
With Discovery.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

a BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
A manuscript log book of the first
explorer and probably the discoverer OF
the Antarctic continent, containing a
thrilling tale of the adventurous days
when Yankee wnalers cruised the seven
seas, has just been presented to the
Library of Congress.
This Is the log of the brig COM
manded by Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer
: OF Stonington, Conn, who, in 1920,
sighted that section of West Antarctica
now entered on most maps as Palmer
Land and who explored the coast line
The following manuscript was received
from Mrs. Elizabeth D. Soper and her
son, A. d. Soper. of Stonington.
The events recorded took place after
Palmer'S discovery of Antarctica and
! relate chiefly to an adventure on Juan
Fernandez Island, of the coast of
Chile, famous as the scene of the fic-
tional adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
In addition to the journal records by
Palmer himself, there is longer ac-
count written from memory quite
clear" by George Hubbard, the second
mate.
Tells Of Uprising.
men had gone ashore in search Of seal
skins. After they had been gone for
about two hours Chilean brig came
alongside the Annawan and impaired
the news that there was q revolt on
shore, that the military and civil gov
eminent had had q serious quarrel and
the military took charge, combining the
governor and releasing the prisoners, 1t
being q penal settlement This made
nMmf aV1A frnx IA oh
and the military and convicts, of course.
were very anxious to get away from
the island before the news could reach
Valparaiso.
Immediately upon Capt. Palmer's
landing he was made q prisoner, and
the demand was made that the Anna
wan come in shore to take them on
board. Capt. Palmer strictly declined.
Then they threatened Capt. Palmer,
and even went so far as to set him up
for mark II he refused their request.
Capt Palmer was not man easily
frightened and incautiously said, Give
me one gun and either of you the other
and We viii settle this matter This
nearly cost him his life.
Finally Capt Palmer wrote q note
to the mate stating his position and II
we were q mind we could come in and
take these devils on board and so re-
lease him. Capt. Palmer's wife being on
board, we did so, and after getting in
close under high land we were becalmed
and the vessel became unmanageable
and these devils came on in launches
and took possession of our decks. They
numbered 100 in all. Many were well
armed with guns, bayonets, etc. Shortly
after these villains came on board we
were ordered to make all speed for q
place called Rio or PHO Negro. The
wind usually being ahead, we made a
tack on shore from the island. The
next day we tackled in shore and finally
sighted the island again.
Confined Capt. Palmer.
"This caused great rumpus and
came near being fatal, as some Of the
convicts believed Capt. Palmer in
tended to go to Valparaiso and give
them up. Some were wild with rage
and they confined Capt. Palmer to his
room and gave the command to the
mate. They made the proposition to
the mate that If he would take COM
mand and turn pirate they would dis
pose Of Capt. Palmer. This he refused
to do. After telling them the impossi-
bility Of going south with little or no
water on board, they consented we
should land them at Copiapo, q small
town in the north Of Chile. In few
days we sighted the land, and at near
eve we landed them just below the
town, and thus got clear OF the blood
thirsty set.
prom here we touched at Santa,
Peru, and after this cruised around In
search of seal skins. Then we returned
to Santa, where Capt. and Mrs. Palmer
had left some clothes for washing.
When our mate, with q boats crew,
went on shore for water, he was sur
prised by a gang in the bushes and
made prisoner. After Capt. Palmer
was informed Of this arrest he became
at once enraged and called on me to
load my gun, and with himself with a
gun well loaded and two men In our
small boat we again landed on the
beach swearing vengeance. BY this
time the captain of the port interviewed
and our men were released.
| Prom here we sailed to Valparaiso.
A day or two after our arrival about
! so of our captorS were brought into
I town in carts to be sent back to the
! island. When they passed the vessel
/ they yelled out BuenO Americano"
J Due to the fact that his enterprises
/ were entirely commercial. Palmer re-
mains one Of the most obscure figures
among American explorers. There Is
practically no other material in the
Library Of Congress files regarding this
earliest explorer of the Antarctic, and
the honor of having discovered the
continental mass where Comdr. Rich
ard z. Byrd now Is exploring by air.
plane usually goes to the American
naval officer Wilkes, who went into the
Antarctic much later than the whaler
The land actually discovered by Pal
mer, who had set up whaling opera
tons on the coast of South Shetland
recently has been determined to be a
mountainous archipelago rather than
| the actual coast OF Antarctiea, which
lies further south. Ga the other hand
some of the land described by Wilkes
Is known not to exist.
Being interested In whales and seals
rather than geography. Palmer made
no official reports of his discoveries and
! explorations. These have been pieced
together from his logs and from letters
Of members of his crews. but the re-
suits have not been entirely satisfactory
in establishing his claims as the dis.