New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-16
EEITIIN'S LONELIEST i>LE.

rocKAII. AND FRS GEOLOGICAL sl'NiFrAN'E
From The London Graphic.
Ash vour nearest neiebhor in what part OF the
British possessions RockalI rs situated. ana
even though n. be Wcll-nformed man oi the
world. ne is tolorahly certain To- "pN' ho' r.
all" Never heard of IT. Whtle IN TN N"TIn Is
il YET Rockal is practically. II not ~ strict
scientific SENSE Il portion not only ut tho British
possessions hut even of the BRUSH Isles theIH-
selves and the place has romantic interest
which Is all its own. RockaII IS "a Ioh'iH Pyra
midal rock some 20 feet in height and 80 feet
in circumference. rising sheer out OF IN. wlld
Atlantic waves. about Isl miles west-hai-south
from 81 Klda 10 the outer lIeirdcs. ~ miles
from IN, nearest point of the Scottish mainland,
and go miles northwest from the nearest point
on tn, Irish coast. More exactly. its POSITION
at least. nearly as this has been as''rtained-
is latitude ~ degrees 80 minutes north. ongl-
tudo IL degrees T. minutes west. There is
neither soil upon it nor sandy beach round 1t.
tn. depth Of water close up to it being twenty or
thirty fathoms. "rock." Therefore ii must be
called rather than an island, or even an isiet;
and Of all the rocks and islands. great and
small. surrounding our shores II is al once the
most remote the most desoiate. the least known,
and in many respects the most remarkable.
Not only has II never boosted human nhab
liant but no holiday tripper sportsman has
ever drs,.rated it's shores and only on one or
two occa sions is il even known to have been
landed upon. only in the finest weather when
tn. almost ceasccss swell Of the Atlantic has
subsidized for hour or two is 1t possible to
land upon it while IN winter the ocean waves
far overtop its summit. This summit can only
be- reached even when a landing has been cf
fected by ascent on the northeastern face
of IN. rock. so PERCEPTIONS arc It's other SIDES.
Yet. ISOLATED Rockali is IL forms, never
thelcss tn, summit peak of an extensive
submarine plateau. known az "kocka Bank"
which extends in a nOrthcaStcrly and south
westerly direction for about on' hundred and
fifty miles. which has breadth of about
forty miles. and about half of which is sub
merged L. a depth Of less than "A hundred Ith-
oms Probably within comparatively recent
times tin the geological senso) the gr. alter part
Of this bank exposed az dry land. which
disappeared partly through gradual subsistence
and partly through the action 90 The sea
waves Close Ia the main rock, and with deep
water between them. lies Il dangerous reef.
posed at low tide known as HaZle wood Rock:
while "A mile and half southeast lies another
similar rock known as Helen Reef from a yes
sci Of that name whose wreck upon II first
mad. il known That Rorkali belongs. pOt-
icalIv Speaking t. RrItain Is a fact never likely
to be disputed. for not only does i: lie nearer to
he British Isles than to any other land but
none except British fishermen have ever sys-
tematically rcsOr;ed thlthri to fsh.
Vet Rockal IL certainly no part of the British
Isles speaking strictly and IN phySOgra phcal
sense. for. Will. all the Other islands lying ad-
iacrnt 10 Britain, except the Faro'S lie well
within what ~ known as the lO,'-lathom con-
tour line including even St. ktlda. The nearest
land POtkali and the bank surrounding il
separated from Britain by sea giving sound
ings of from 100 to 500 fatnOms- depths
which are Truly oceanic and when indicate that
the period when dry land communication ex-
listed between kookal and Britain or, indeed, IL
eyer did 500. must have been immensely remote,
even as tn. geuogist reckons time That il to
say man with legs 100 fathoms long could
easily wade out L. any other Of The islands sur
rounding Britain. nut to get to kockaIl hs would
require less sixteen times as long.