Washington sentinel., 1900-11-10
Phenomenal Islands
EveHing Standard

Since its hrSt discovery III 1902
Falcon Island. o the Tonga group,
in the South Pacific, has played
hide and seek from its mysterious
bed beneath the waves. With tam
talizing regularity it has belied the
ocean charts by surreptitlousIY
swooping to its native deeps from
the wondering ken OF the puzzled
mariner. It has been missing since
1893, and now it has emerged once
more, in the form of huge whale.
This unstable characteristic ot tal-
con Island is one Of the family OF
peculiar phenomena which have
been the fruitful core Of many a
ghostly ocean legend, and the
foundation OF natural fact on which
have been built interesting phases
OF iairv lore OF lake and sea. Those
Will-o'-the. Wisp bits OF ocean land
have caused discontinue to the
mariners OF the sixteenth and sew
enteenth centuries, and the loca-
ton of numbers oil vanished islands
have place in all or most OF the
maps of those periods. AS late as
the year 1900, N English ship re-
turning from Newfoundland, near
lat. so deg. north, discovered an
island, hitherto unknown, which
not only appeared fertile, but was
covered with fields and woods, but
hindered by a violent surf, the
boats crew failed to secure land
ing. So convinced were the cap
tain and sailors Of the reality OF
their discovery that ships were
chartered in London to explore
the island, but the search was fruit
less-the fugitive land had again
vanished. Like Falcon Island, it
may have been a volcanic up
heaval, a theory supported, per-
haps, by the extreme agitation OF
the surrounding water, 1t is a re-
markable coincidence that, since
as early as the Ninth Century,
there is a circumstan'ial record OF
the discovery OF an island, by Irish
and DANISH fishermen about the
same place, midway between the
coasts Of Ireland and Newiound-
land. From that period to the
Fourteenth Century it was fre-
quently seen by the English aud
French fishermen ard mariners,
but it eluded all their attempts to
land on tin fact it was the Sea-
serpent Sensation OF those Centur-
les, In Erse it was called Flath
Innis, or the Noble Island; by the
Anglo-Saxons, Icockane, or the
country in the waves; and by the
Irish, French, and Spanish it was
known as Brasil and Asomanda,
or the Island Of Ghosts. But so
confident we're the geographers Of
the sixteenth and seventeen h
centuries OF the presence OF land
in that particular spot OF the
Atlantic, that it is marked on the
maps Of the period.
1t may have been a volcanic part
OF the ocean sbed, whose active
period covered those early cen
turies till the seventeenth, when
we have the latest circumstantial
record Of its appearance, or it may
have been a Fata MOrgana, such
as that described by Commodore
Byron in his voyage round the
world, where he tells OF phantom
island in high Southern latitude
with capes and mountains that de-
ceiVed his most experienced mar
iners. But to come closer to facts,
we find that among the most iamil-
lar wonders in phenomenal islands,
are those buoYant lands that rise
to the water surface, or sink to the
bottom by means of some hidden
evolution of natural law. One of
the most important OF those aquatic
wonders is the floating island OF
the beaut full Lake OF Derwent.
water. 1t is situated ia the south
east corner OF the lake, almost
within the sound OF the Falls OF
LodoTe; it never changes its loca-
ton, but dives to the bottom or
raises TO the surface according to
the dictates Of the mysterious law
that mo yes it. In connection with
that curious island there is a sup
Elementary phenomenon called
"the bottom wind" a local sub
aqueous agitation that rudely rut-
fles the water at certain times in
that particular part oi the lake.
The periods OF the rising Of the
island have been irregular and un-
certain; it has come 70 the surface
in two successive years; at other
times it has been in hiding for
seven or eight years, and then
made its appearance, at the end of
an exceptionally warm, dry sea-
son. Its figure and extent are var
liable; it sometimes comprises an
acre, entirely covered with sort
Of peat moss vegetation. It ap-
peared in the first year Of the CEN
tuEy, and then sank tor eight years,
when it rose TO the surface for
three months, and then vanished
till 1873, when it again paid six
weeks visit and returned to its bed
till 1915; then experiments proved
that it was charged with a mixed
gas ofnitrogen, carburetted hydro
gen, and carbolic acid, hence it
was surmised that the formation
ofthe gas in greater or lesser guam
tity determined the gravity or
buoYancy OF this curious island.
Phenomena Of this kind are iamiI-
lar obi in Cumbe rland, for in
Esthwaite Lake a natural floating
island has been used as a ferry