Daily camera., 1900-11-30
MORRELL ISLAND DISAPPEARS
Either 1t Never Existed or Ii Has
Sunk Beneath the Waters
of the Pacific.

Inc United states nNurOgfaphlc OF
fce is about to wipe Morrel. island of
the face of the map. Morrell is.and
does not al 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
ence is not indicated on the best of
mariners charts. In some portions OF
the Pacific. the officials of the hydro
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 great portion :, tne 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 III the vicinity of land. but SIM
ply recorded in more or .ess care ess
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 viii turn out TO
be nothing more than mistakes in the
vision of careless nayigators.
Capt. Morrell stated in the ~ocount Of
his voyage that he had sighted the is
land in latitude % degrees 81 minutes
north and longitude ia degrees II
minutes east. The whaler's captain
describes the island as being about
four miles in circumference. fiat. and
50 low a. To be nsarly level with the
water. Extending around it were reefs
for about Is miles in the west and 30
mics in the southerly direction. An
other very small island was reported as
being close 10 the greater one.
The time was July. 1928. and at the
season green turtle were to be found in
abundance.
A. no enc has ever reported the island
in he .ocation mentioned. Capt. Dayen-
port is Of the-opiniuU thar either 1t has
sunk l'urath the waters Of iie ocean
and com .etely Gi.aj p ared or that
Capt N rell mis- ouk h. latitude. lie
might wri have mistaken some one of
the Midway island Gr Bryce or Pearl is
land Tor the one he describe, and have
.scalcu'ated his location by distance
Of syyera, hundred miles There are
manl recorded instances of mariners
OF the period having made even greater
mistakes.
At any rate Capt. Cobb. commanding
one of the Pacific mai steamers. states
that he has passed over the location Of
Norre,l island on several occasions.
Lieut.. James NJ. Miller, of the United
States flagship Omaha. reported some
time since that Capt. Cavalry OF ;.e
City of Pekinc, had caused a sp,c a!
lookout to be made when he reac',d
this point an his way from The Sand
wich islands to China. but no trace of
The island or discoloration OF the water
was anywhere observable.
The late report of asesse, sent out es
peciallv to lock FOR this island by some
nf the merchants of Honolulu contains
the positive information that il does
moi exist. With this as IA basis the hy-
geographic office will issue all charts
henceforth leaving only blue water for
the spot whre Morell island is now in
dicated. and Uncle Sam must ssrike one
off of the Ion. list of insular possess
sions which he has acquired of recent
years.
Symptoms Caused by Anger.
A So nd ,,f