St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-09-03
OUR OCEAN EMPIRE.
Widely Scattered Islands that Belong
to Uncle Sam.

Most people have a notion that
Uncle Sam, by annexing laval, will
come into possession Of the first
islands, worth mentioning that he
has ever owned. But this is great
mistake, inasmuch as this country is
proprietor of a large number OF scat.
tered pieces of real estate in both the
Atlantic and the Pacific. These, in.
deed, constitute quite an ocean EN-.
pire, and among their inhabitants
are numbered several kinds OF say.
ages, some clad in furs and others at
tired in little else besides their own
brown skins.
Distributed over the mid Pacific, in
the neighborhood OF the EQUATOR are
quite lot of small islands, that be.
long to the United States. Most of
them are from 900 to 1000 miles
to the south and southwest of
Hawaii. Some of them are near the
Gilbert Archipelago, and there is a
considerable cluster just about the
lesser distance mentioned, and di-
rectly south Of the Hawaiin group,
including America, Christmas, Pal
myros and other islands OF large
size. Christmas island is about
thirty-6ve miles long. 1t got its
name originally from the fact that
the famous Captain Cook stopped
there on a Christmas day for the pur-
pose Of observing an eclipse. 1t is an
atoll, or ring OF coral formation, en-
closing lagoon of water that has
become so salt through evaporation
as to be a veritable brine. Fishes,
thrown over the reef by storms are
picked in it and remain perfectly pre-
served and good to eat for months.
These isles of the Pacific belonging
to Uncle Sam number sixty in all.
They have all been annexed to the
United States under an act of Con-
gress which became law Aug. IS,
1856. This law which remains in
force today, declares that whenever
any citizen of the United States shall
discover deposit of guano on any
island, rock or key, not within the
lawful jurisdiction of any other gov
eminent, he shall be at liberty to take
peaceable possession thereof, and
such island, rock or key may at the
discretion of the president be consid-
cred as appertaining to the United
States. The discoverer is required to
give due notice to the department of
state, with affidavit describing the
island and showing that possession
of the same has been taken in the
name of his country. He is obliged
at the same time to give a bond,
which is filed in the treasury.
The discoverer at the pleasure of
Congress, enjoys the exclusive right
to occupy his island for the purpose
of obtaining guano, and for this
product he is allowed to charge only
a certain fixed price, namely, SO
ton for guano delivered at the ships
side, 81 ton for the privilege of dig
ging it where it lies. Furthermore,
he gives guarantee by his bond to de.
liver the guano only to citizens of the
United States, and to be used in the
United States. The law also pro-
vides, curiously enough, that all Of
fences and crimes on such islands by
persons who may land thereon, or in
waters adjacent, shall be deemed as
committed on the high seas, on board
of merchant ship of the United
States, and shall be punished accord
ingly. The president is authorized
to use the land and naval forces of
the United States to protect the
rights of the discoverer or his heirs.
Any adventurous and speculative
person today is at liberty to tramp
about the Pacific Or any other ocean,
and annex islands to the United
States in the manner described, under
the law quoted, which appears in the
Revised Statutes as section $50. 1t
is merely necessary to show that
deposit OF guano exists. and that the
island in question is not claimed by
any nation. Now, there are thous
ands and thousands of small islands
IN the Pacific that are unclaimed and
uninhabited except by the sea birds
which breed upon them, so that no
difficulty lies in the way of acquisi.
ton of territory. The reason why
all the so-called guano islands in the
Pacific that belong to the United
States are located in the neighbour
hood OF the equator, and betwe he
Gllberts on the west and the Mar,
quesas on the east is that there is
comparatively little rain in that par.
ticular oceanic region. There are
quantities OF islands to the north and
south which have guano deposits,
as well as on the Asiatic side of the
parifp hut he ctuH &c a ,,,ae, ,,.i..a