Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-03
MYS FERROUS ISLANDS
Little Dots in the Pacific That Are Hard to
Find.
ClippertOn Has at Last Been Deanite-
Iy LOcated-WelI Worth Look
ing For.
From the New Zealand Herald.

From the New Zealand Herald.
Much attention has been given of late to
what We may call the strange case of Clip
perton Island. 1t is not more than three
miles in circumference, and it lies in the
western Pacific something like 500 miles
west of Mexico. In the wide expanse of
the Pacific ocean 1t shows like a mere
speck, so small as to be of no value SEEM
ingiy, save as refuge for few of the
army of beach cOmbers who have burst
all bounds of habit and have wandered far
away in the course of their downward
progress. But the ownership of Clipperton
Island has of late been claimed by no fewer
than four countries-Mexico. the United
States. France and Great Britain; and when
it is added that the island is a favorite
haunt of sea birds. and that many tons of
valuable guano are waiting to be picked up,
the reason for this unwonted solicitude,
even i'll an era of land-grabbing, will be
apparent.
Clipperton Island is of interest in another
direction 1t is one of those numerous
stretches of land set in the midst of the
seas. sunny and otherwise, which, after
their first discovery, for many years elude
all endeavors to locate them again. 1t has
row been, as it We're, nailed down in one
particular spot in the ocean-that is to say
its exact position has been finally deter
mined by warships sent out for the express
purpose of searching for it and settling all
doubts as TO its eXiStence-and the only
thing remaining now Is that the question of
ownership should be settled. 1t happens
that there IS another island about 400 miles
southwest of Cliprerton, and rich in the
same deposits that make that place worth
possessing. for which adventurous miners
are at this moment looking.
As late as July last vessel named
Moonlight left Alfalfa. Mexico. on a voyage
in search of this latest mysterious island.
and spent fifty-two days of fruitless labor
toward this end. Her captain failed to find
the place, and. fearing that his provisions
and water would run short. returned home
to report that either the rough charts of cid
Capt. Martin and his associates were in
error or else that some strange seismic
phenomenon had caused the lost isle to dis
appear years ago, perhaps. for all that NOR
tai soul knows. Spice is added to this ro-
nance by the fact that another Frisco
captain located the place definitely a year
or two before, and found a small colony
there. which colony is still on the island,
shipping giano in their own schooners,
manned by numbers of their own party, to
the leading ports the Pacific slope of
North and South America.
Quite a number of expeditions have of
late been made with the object of wrestling
this valuable secret from the handful of
men in whose possession it is and of partic
ipating in the sp0is; and one of these days
we viii, no doubt hear of a sanguinaTy
fight for the supremacy between the pres
emf colonists and party of marauders. AL
though the stories told about the unknown
lSiahd vary CONSIDERABLY, they all agree
that it exists somewhere about 400 or 500
miles southwest Of Clipperton, in a low
coral atoL covered with the richest phos
pilates. The place also has its legends of
pirates treasures, which may may not
have had any foundation in fact One of the
expeditions of recent date. which have been
fitted out to look for the island, was the
Vine expedition. That vessels owner
claims to have secured his knowledge Of the
place from the Old sea captain named Mar
tin above referred to, who died some years
ago. and who left old chart among his
belongings. which told of a small island in
the south Pacific. not down on the regular
charts, enormously rich In guano