Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-10-11
MORRELL ISLAND DISAPPEARS
Either 1t Never Existed or 1t AaA
Sunk Beneath the Waters
of the Pacific.

The United States photographic OF
fee is about to wipe Morrell island OIL
the face of the map. MorrelI lsIano
does not at present rear its head above
the waters of the Pacific.
AS matter of fact, remarks the New
York Sun, there may be hundreds OF
lust such islets as Morrell island was
first described as being whose exist
tnce is not indicated on the best OF
mariners charts. In some portions OF
the Pacific, the officials Of the hydro
graphic office state, vessels never go
OF course it is impossible to make the
definite statement that there is any
SPOT in the ocean which has never been
passed by some vessel at some time, but
the chances are vastly against either
sailing vessel or steamer having eX'
p,ored a great portion OF the waters OF
the mightiest of oceans.
Again, there are undoubtedly num-
Der of islands charted on the maps
which exist only on paper. The
sailing vessels which first explored
the Pacific were manned by small
crews and carried abord them most
imperfect chronometers. On many
occasions they did not stop when they
came in the vicinity of land, but sim
ply recorded in a more or less careless
fashion the fact that the vessel had
sighted an island of such and such size
at the latitude and longitude in which
the captain thought he was sailing.
Capt. Davenport, of the photographic
office. states that mirages which ap-
pear from time to time in those seas
have often been recorded as actual
land. He says that many of the Pacific
islands now chartered will turn out &c
be nothing more than mistakes in the
vision of careless navigatOrs.
Capt. Morrell stated in the account Of
his voyage that he had sighted the is
land in latitude 20 degrees 81 minutes
north and longitude TIA degrees 81
minutes east. The whaler's captain
describes the island as being about
four miles in circumference, fiat, anc
so low as to be nearly level with the
water. Extending around it were reefs
for about IS miles in the west and 81
miles in the southerly direction. An
other very small island was reported al
being close to the greater one.
The time was July, 1925, and at the
season green turtle were to be found II
abundance.
Asno one has ever reported the islant
in the location mentioned, Capt. Daven
port is of the opinion that either it ha'
sunk beneath the waters of the oceaI
and completely disappeared or tina
Capt. Morrell mistook his latitude. HI
might well have mistaken some one o.
the Midway island or Bryce or Pearl is
land for the one he describes and have
miscalculated his location by distance
of several hundred miles. There ar
MANY recorded instances of mariner
of the period having made even create
mistakes.
AT any rate Capt. Cobb, commanding
one of the Pacific mail steamers, state
that he has passed over the location o
Morrell island on several occasions
Lieut.. James NJ. Miller, of the Unite'
States flagship Omaha, reported som
time since that Capt. Cavalry, OF tn
City of Picking, had caused a speeia
lookout to be made when be reache
this point on his way from the Sand
witch islands to China, but no trace
the island or discoloratioD of the waite
was anywhere observable.
The late report of vessel sent out es
pecially to look for this island by som
of the merchants of Honolulu contain
the positive information that it doe
not exist. With this as basis the ny
Geographic Office will issue all chart
henceforth leaving only blue water 10
the spot whre Morell island is now II
Dictated, and Uncle Sam must strike on
off of the long list of insular posses
sions which he has acquired of rscen
years.