Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1899-05-25
A LONELY ISLAND.
IT IS A BRITISH POSSESSION in THE
ATLANTIC OCEAN.


Known as Rockal1, and No Human Be-
ing Has Ever Landed Upon It-Prob-
ably the Cause of Many Disasters-Looks
Like a Ship Under Full sail.
Perhaps the loneliest island in the
Atlantic Ocean is a British possession
known on the map as Rockall. Where
is it? Rockall is a lonely pyramidal
rock, some 70 feet in height and $50
feet in circumference, rising sheer out
of the wild Atlantic waves, about 1874
miles west-half-south from st. Kilda,
in the outer Hebrides, 290 miles from
the nearest point of the Scottish main
land and ECO miles northwest from the
nearest point on the Irish coast.
More exactly, its position-at least,
as nearly as this has been ascertained
is latitude 81 deg. 80 min. north,
longitude 10 deg. ~ min. west. There
is neither soil upon it nor sandy beach
round It, the depth Of water close up
to it being twenty or thirty fathoms.
A rock, therefore it must be called
rather than an island, or even an tslet;
and, of all the rocks and islands, great
and small, surrounding our shores it
is at once the most remote, the most
desolate, the least known, and in many
respects the most remarkable.
Not only has it never boosted a hui
man inhabitant, but no holiday tripper
or sportsman has ever set foot on its
shores, and only OF one or two occa-
sions is it even known to have been
landed upon. Only in the finest wealth
er is it possible to land upon it; in
Winter the ocean waves far overtop
its summit. This summit can only be
reached, even when a landing has been
effected, by an ascent on the north
eastern face of the rock, SO precipltous
are its other sides.
Close to the main rock, and with
deep water between them, lies dan
gerous reef, exposed at low tide, known
as Hazlewood Rock; while mile and
a half southeast lies another similar
rock known as He!en's Reef, from a
vessel of that name whose wreck upon
1t first made It known.
To the mariner RoekalI presents it
self as a serious danger. Neither the
main rock nor the surrounding reef
has even been either lighted, belled or
buoyed. Yet, though not in the main
line of cross-AtIantic traffic, there can
be no doubt that they have frequently
proved fatal to vessels. There are
several actual records Of wrecks upon
them, the earliest being in 1856. and
It is probable that they are partly ac-
countable for some of the disappear
anees of well-found vessels which are
reported annually from the Atlantic.
Even in broad daylight the main rock
is a menace, for. with its steep, tall
sides, and its pointed top, always whit
ened by the deposits of sea birds, it is
Invariably at first sight taken for
ship in full sail.
Mr.. ]. A. Harvie-Brown, an eminent
Scottish naturalist; Mr.. r, NJ Bar
Tington, a leading Irish naturalist, and
two other gentlemen, undertook not
long ago a scientific expedition to
Rockall, under the auspices of the
Royal Irish Academy Twice was the
rock approached, but Cd each occa-
sion the swell around it rendered
landing impossible, and the expedition
had at last to return, baked of its
main object. Nevertheless it brought
back some very interesting results, OBJ
tanned chiefly by dredging on the bank
and by observing the birds flying
around the rock.
Ornithologists have long awaited
with keenest interest information re-
lating to the bird population of the
rock, and have imagined it a possible
breeding place of several interesting
sea birds. But the recent expedition,
during which no fewer than twenty
species were observed round the rock,
proved that in all probability no spe-
cies breeds upon it except the common
guillemot.
In many other ways the rock is of
much scientific interest, and any
yachtsman or others who may hereaf-
ter be fortunate enough to effect
landing upon Rockall will certainly
obtain results Of much interest to nat
uYalists