River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-02-12
SHORT OF IsLANDa
NO New Worlds Left for oeographers 70
Conquer.

From the London Standard.
Geographers complain that soon there
will be no more worlds to conquer, ano
the Danes have ever, since the loss Oh
the Duchies, looked forward with dole
full forebodings to the time when THEN
country will be still further shorn of its
fair proportions. Nature is, however,
bountiful, and now, by throwing up
new island off the shores of Iceland, il
has added in an appreciate degree to
the territories of King Christian and tc
the regions which still await the explo.
rations of the traveller. 1t is true that
the new land is only volcanic cone.
and as it was the result Of subterrane-
an fire, may, like so many of its prede-
cessors born of the throes of mother
earth, sink again into the ocean from
whence it sprang. AT various
times especially after some Sc
we're disturbance of Hecla, similar
islets havefor briefperiod shown Them
selves above the waves, but generally,
with the exception of Nyoe, which was
thrown up last century, have been worn
away by the action of the surf before
geologists could accurately examine the
volcanic scorie and ashes of which they
were composed. In 1911 Capt. Tillard,
of ii. M. S. Sabrina, witnessed such an
islet arise during volcanic outburst in
the Azores, and proudly named it after
his ship; but when he returned a few
weeks later to survey and annex his
acquisition, not a trace of Sabrina
island was visible. The sea had re-
claimed it.
In the volcanic REGION of the Mediter-
ranean several similar births have been
recorded by ancient and modern writ
ers. But the most notorious of them
was Graham Island, which arose in the
year 1881, some thirty miles off the
southwest coast of Sicily. for few
weeks much ink was shed over 1t, and
at one time it was feared that gunpow-
der would be burnt in the assertion OF
the angry claims which were made for
the wretched 1900 yards OF Etnaic Gin
ders. The names of Sciacca, Julia,
Hotham, Graham and Corrao We're sue
cessively given by the fiery mariners who
cruised around it, ready to land and hoist
their countries flags the moment the
scoria cooled. But before Europe was
embroiled in war about it Graham Is
land vanished, and settled the dispute
in its own simple way. After the de-
struction of Krakatoa by the great Javan
earthquake of 1888 twenty one new is
lets appeared in the Sunda Strait, and
only last year one hitherto unknown
rose above the sea off the shores of Alas
ka
In all of these cases volcanic action
has been the ostensible cause Of the
formation of these specks in the ocean.
But in 1871 Captains Luzen and Mack
discovered to the north of Nova Zembia
a group of islets just above the sea on
the very spot where, 1894, William
Barents had found soundngs. On the
two largest, which were named Brown
and Hellwald's islands. tropical fruits
were picked up, tossed thither by the
northern extension of the gulf stream.
Hence the group was named the Gulf
Stream islands, and as the land in this
portion of the polar basin is undergo
ing a slow secular elevation, just as in
ether places it is sinking, in the course
of century or two the Arctic navigator
may find in that direction something
worthy Of flag and an entry on his
chart.