The Washington times., 1938-03-25
COMDR. TILLMAN,
Marine GENIUS,
TAKEN BY DEATH
Funeral of Scientist Sci
For Tomorrow

Commander Edwin Ford Tillman.
U. S. NJ, retired. noted marine
scientist and voyager, who died
at his residence, 1910 Kalorama
Rd., N. W., yesterday, will be held
tomorrow at 1890 o'clock at the
residence of his daughter. Mrs.
w. c. Stirling, 2618 Thirty-first
ST.. N. w.
The Rev. Joseph H. Brooks,
Navy chaplain, will officiate. In
terment will be in Congressional
Cemetery.
BORN IN TENNESSEE
Born in Shelbyville, Tenn,
Commander Tillman was the son
of Mary Catherine Davidson Till
man and Lewis Tillman, promt-
nent Tennessee family. His father.
during and after the Civil War,
was in Congress, a stalwart Union
list. Commander Tillman'S Oldest
brother, however, was the young
est colonel in the Confederacy.
He later became a prominent
American diplomat.
Another brother, who entered
West Point on President Lincoln'S
appointment, became superinten-
dent of the institution. Three
other brothers were eminent
jurists.
Described as ''the ablest marine
surveyor of his generation Com
mander Tillman Travelled more
than 400, 900 miles by water in his
Al years of naval service. He
traversed all Of the unfrozen seas,
visited and made studies pracsi-
cally of all the great ports OF the
world.
WROTE GUIDE FOR PILOTS
Commander Tillm ms book,
Coast Pilots" guide for mari.
ners along the Atlantic coast and
for its harbors and bays, was the
fruit of eight years or original
and painstaking investigation. His
hydrographic sounding reached
from Eastport, Me-, to Pensacola,
Fla, and form the basis for pres
ent-day guides to navigation along
the coast.
While serving in the Coast Sur
vey, he designed and constructed
the famous Tide and Current
Diagrams" which are the basis Tor
the indispensable water-movement
volumes published today by the
Coast Survey.
CLOSE FRIEND OF TAFT
In honor of setting the course Of
navigation for the Mississippi
River over the 1000 miles between
New orleans and Cairo, a work
which consumed three years. he
was given command Of II vessels
which escorted President Taft on
his official voyage down the Mis-
sissippi.
During this trip, Commander
Tillman struck up q warm ac-
uuaintance with the President. A
humorous story connected with
the trip and his subsequent friend
ship with President Taft, is that
Commander Tillmap refused to re-
strict the menu Of other pasSen-
gers because of the diet ordered
for the President by his phySi-
clans. He advised instead that
the President learn to control
himself" The Chief Executive
heard Of this, was amused, and
actually curbed his appetite.
CHARTERED THE YUKON
Following the charting of the
Mississippi, Commander Tillman
next charted the Yukon, laying
the foundation of Alaska'S pres
ent internal navigation system.
BY a quirk Of naval retirement
laws, he did all his work on the
Mississippi and Yukon rivers while
technically retired from the Navy.
He went on the inactive list in
1905, taking advantage of the
Roosevelt retirement law, but actu-
ally saw nearly II years of duty,
although technically relieved from
active service.
Commander Tillman was edu-
Gated at the University of Ten
nesSee and was graduated from
the Naval Academy in 1879.
WIDOW SURVIVES
Surviving is his widow, the
daughter of former Danish min
lister to the United States: a
daughter, Mrs. Randolph Leigh, of
Virginia; a son, Lieut.. e. H. Till
man, jr., now stationed at
Charleston, S. c., and five grand
children, Miss Frida Frazer.
Margheritta Edwin, and Elizabeth