The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-17
A LOST ISLAND.
Millions of Guano Await the Fortunate
 Discovered.

Millions of Guano Await the Fortunate
 Discovered.
 The mysterious island of the South ern ocean whereon rich deposits of guano are said to be has not been dis covered yet, though the little schooner Moonlight that arrived to-day from Mazatlan searched for it all seas over in the latitude and longitude where it is believed to exist. Out of the regular course of sailing and steam vessels cruised the Moonlight for days, but nothing occurred to break the monotony of the placid Southern ocean save the , well-known high rock of much-men- tioned Clipperton. Treasure Island and it's wealth of phosphates still exists merely as an unknown quantity, for the rough charts of old Captain Martin and his adventurous associates are either in error or else some strange se- ismic phenomenon caused the lost isle to disappear years ago, perhaps, for all that mortal sailor knows.
 The Moonlight sailed from this port on July 16 bound for Altata, Mexico, with a general cargo. The vessel is the property of J. A. Magee and others, and the primary object of her voyage was the discovery of the island men toned. MT. Magee is one of the com pany known as the Oceanic Phosphate company, which has shown considera- ble enterprise in solving the problem of loading vessels at Clipperton Island | with phosphates. After an outlay of 1 capital and frequent trials the colony established on Clipperton succeeded in I securing cargoes for the craft sent out by the corporation from San Francisco, and having placed their Clipperton
 business on paying basis a number | of members of the company turned 1 their attention to the accounts of 1 rich guano island that mariners of the 1 old school have declared exists not so
 many hundred miles off the Mexican and Central American coast. The sup | posed location is, of course, held a se I cret by the promoters of the Moonlight
 expedition. Though those who re- 1 turned to-day on the schooner are dis
 appointed at not finding the place, they l still have hope of some day locating l the spot
 1 The Moonlight, after leaving San i Francisco, proceeded to Altata, keep l ing a little out of the regular course in i so doing, and after discharglng cruised 1 again and then put back to Mazatlan,
 Mexico. From Mazatlan the schooner 1 sailed f1fty-two days ago. She cleared
 for this port, but before straightening l out on her northward trip looked the 1 seas over for the lost island; it could l not be found, and fearing to waste any
 more time, as provisions and water
 might run short, the vessel headed for | San Francisco.
 For a number of years the lost island | of the South Pacific has been searched l for by ambitious seamen. The stories concerning it are various and roman l tic, and to a great extent conflicting, l though the narratives all seem to cen- l ter on the fact that the place exists
 somewhere about four or five hundred
 miles southwest of Clipperton Island,
 and is a low coral atol which is covered
 with the richest phosphates The little
 unknown also has it's legends of pi-
 rates treasures, and according to an
 old volume containing mention of Lord l Clipperton's voyages, was once the rem 1 dezvous of pirates.
 One of the expeditions of recent date
 which have been fitted out to look for
 the island was the Vine expedition. 1 The Vines owner, Captain Burns, &C., | cording to the first officer of that craft,