The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-26
5000 tons annually. Considerable coral

| 5000 tons annually. Considerable coral
| was also being exported
During the early Sos the British ship
| Pelican was wrecked on a reef near
| Rowland island The crew managed
| to get to the island in safety. Some
| years later the huts they lived in and
| other traces of them We're found by a
| whaling vessel, but the men had dis
| appeared. What had become of them
will doubtless never be known. Prob
| ably tired of the eternal solitude and
of battling with sea birds and rats,
| with which the island abounds, they
| built raft or boat and put to sea,
| only to meet death in the mighty
waters.
Rowland island will never be visited
| by tourists for the sake of it's scenery
| 1t is almost fiat, of coral formation and
| rises but 20 feet above the level of the
reef. only about IL or Is feet above the
level of high tide. The western side of
| the island is slightly depressed and
much Of it is covered with an abundant
growth of vegetation
| Shortly after the civil war the island
| was leased to the American Guano
company There was no safe anchor
| age about the island and the company
placed buoy about mile and half
from the western beach. This is the
| only anchorage to-day.
quadrilateral figure about mile long
and a fraction less than mile in
width. 1t is of coral formation. There
is absolutely no water on the island
and drinking water can be obtained
only by distilling sea water. The topo-
graphy of the island is somewhat SINH
lar to that of Rowland, save that on
| the west side is a small open bay, in
which is a boat entrance.
The island is encircled by reef some
300 feet wide and its jagged heads are
awash at high tide. A strong current,
| running nearly four miles an hour sets
in around the island and makes navi-
cation near it extremely dangerous.
The land slopes away so abruptly from
the reef that an anchor will not Crap
pie, and for this reason a number q
large mooring buoyS are anchored just
outside the reef.
Approaching the island from the
| western side, the large white buildings
of the Houlders brothers, guano firm
of London, to who the guano deposit
was leased, can be seen IA miles from
shore. If ship should be at the buoy
there she can be seen for an hour be-
fore the island comes into view.
From this side the island presents a
pretty picture, with the white houses
nesting in the arms of the surrounding
greenery on top of the reddish coral
stars and stripes. But not always does
that flag wave there. 1t is used as a
signal to incoming ships, as well as a
symbol Of our ownership.
From November to April 1t Is practi-
cally impossible for a ship to approach
the island, and during the other months
Of the year landing is not always
possible This is entirely due to the
strong current around the island When
a vessel approaches the land she hoists
the lack at the fore-royal masthead
If conditions are favorable the ensign
continues to float from the signal stan
on shore and the ship approaches the
buoy, but if there is any danger the
flag on shore is hauled down, and to
prevent being wrecked on the reef the
ship must stand to sea. sometimes COM
PEELED to beat about for days before an
anchorage is possible.
Baker island was discovered by cap
tain Henry Foster of the bark jamaica
in 1851 1t was reported from time 10
time by various other mariners, nut
was not accurately charted until Com
mander Meade visited it in 1872.
The island is a veritable eath-trap
of the sea. as its wreck-strewn reef at
tests. Not only are the shore streWn
with wreckage, but nealy dozen skel-
etons of ships still exist in the clutches
Of the reef.
Such are our other possessions in the
South sea.-San Francisco Bulletin.