Evening star., 1933-10-27
Admiral Nicholson
Defends Commodore
Wilkes as Explorer

To the Editor OF The Star:
An article by Mr.. Fawcett, published
in The Star TO Wednesday. October Is,
does great injustice to Commodore
Wilkes, who was an 0filcer OF the high
est attainments and who enjoyed the
confidence of the Navy Department up
He was Ourt-martialed after his
return from his famous exploring ex-
pedition. He was charged with illegal
to be reprimanded, but this Odense in
no way impugned his character or in
any way lessened his achievements as
a celebrated explorer. Upon his return
from his famous exploring expedition,
he was given a gold medal by the
London Geographic Society. In an
article in the Geographical Magazine
of October, 1882, published by the
American Geographic Society of New
York. Wilkes claims to Antarctic dis
coveries are substantiated.
inclose transcript of his Official
record feeling confident that The Star
will do justice to this officer, now dead
many years. r. r. NICHOLSON.
The following is an extract from the
transcript of the official record of Com
modore Wilkes, inclosed in Admiral
Nicholson's letter:
ION March 20, 1888, Wilkes was Or
dered to the command Of the South
Seas Surveying and Exploring Expedi-
ton, the history of which is given in
detail in his Narrative of the United
States Exploring Expedition in five
volumes and an atlas, published in 1845.
He left Norfolk August l8, 1888, and
reached New York June 10. 1912, after
circumnavigating the globe. The YES
sells sailed first to the Madeira Islands,
thence around Cape Horn to the South
Pacific, the Antarctic, New Zealand,
the Fiji and Sandwich Islands, the
Columbia and Sacramento Rivers, the
Philippine Islands and Sulu Archi-
pelago, the East Indies and the Cape
of Good Hope. Wilkes was detached
from the command of the expedition on
July 7, 1912, but remained on special
duty in connection with it until 1861.
For his services to science as an
explorer Wilkes received the gold medal
Of the Geographical Society of London
He was the author Of several books on
scientific subjects.
"A torpedo boat named in honor Of
Admiral Wilkes was launched Septem-
Der 20, 1901, at the Gas Engine g.
Power Co., Morris Heights. N. j.,
his eldest great-granddaughte Mrs.
Charles Vaughan Ferguson Of Sche-
nectady, N, Y, acting as sponsor. A
destroyer named for him, to replace
the torpedo boat. was launched at
Cramps Shipyard, Philadelphia, May
18, 1916, another great-granddaughte
Miss Carrie McIver Wilkes of Charlotte,
N. C., acting as sponsor.
according to the best authorities,
Charles Wilkes was the first man to
discover that the land near the South
Pole was a continent and not merely
collection of islands. In a brief re-
port TO the Navy Department dated
March II, 1840, he wrote as follows:
1t affords me much qualification to
report that We have discovered a large
body of land within the Antarctic
Circle, which I have named the Ant
arctic Continent and refer you to the
report OF our cruise and accompanying
charts, inclosed herewith. for full in
formation relative thereto
In his longer report Of the same
date he wrote:
1.-The results stated in this report
lead me to the following conclusions:
First, from our discoveries of the
land through forty degrees Of longitude
and the observations made during this
interesting cruise. with the similarity
of formation and position of the ice
during our close examination of it. I
consider that there can scarcely be a
doubt of the existence of the Antarctic
Continent extending the whole distance
of seventy degrees from east to west 4"