The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-09-20
MoRRELL ISLAND DISAPPEARS
Either ID Never Existed or 1t Has
Sunk Beneath the Waters
of the Pacific.

The United States photographic Of
flee is about TO wipe Morrell island off
the face of the map. Morrell island
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
just such islets as Morrell island was
first described as being whose exist
ence 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-
piored 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 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 APP
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 to
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 80 degrees 81 minutes
north and longitude ia degrees 81
minutes east. The whaler's captain
describes the island as being about
four miles in circumference, fiat, and
so low as to be nearly level with the
water. Extending around it were reefs
for about Is miles in the west and 30
miles in the southerly direction. An
other very small island was reported as
being close to the greater one.
The time was July, 1925, and at the
season green turtle were to be found in
abundance.
AS no one has ever reported the island
in the location mentioned Capt. Daven-
port is of the opinion that either it has
sunk beneath the waters of the ocean
and completely disappeared or that
Capt. Morrell mistook his latitude. He
might well have mistaken some one of
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 are
many recorded instances of mariners
of the period having made even greater
mistakes.
At any rate Capt. Cobb, commanding
one of the Pacific mail steamers, states
that he has passed over the location of
Morreil island on several occasions.
Lieut.. James NJ. Miller, of the United
States flagship Omaha, reported some
time since that Capt. Cavalry, of the
City Of Peking, had caused special
lookout to be made when he reached
this point on his way from the Sand
witch islands to China, but no trace Of
the island or discoloration of the water
was anywhere observable.
The late report of a vessel sent out es-
pecially to look for this island by some
of the merchants of Honolulu contains
the positive information that it does
not exist. With this as a basis the hy-
geographic office will issue all charts
henceforth leaving only blue water for
the spot whre Morell island is now in
Dictated, and Uncle Sam must strike one
off of the long list of insular posses
sions which he has acquired of recent
years.