The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-02-12
IMPORTANT TRIP PLANNED FEARS Of ANOTHER FLOOD.
CAPTAIN POND TO LOCATE OCEAN
DANGERS.
Lisianski Island Claimed to be lncor-
ably be Made by Iroquois Party.

The annual cruise of the government
ship Iroquos this year will be one of
the most extensive ever taken by that
vessel as Captain Pond Will make
number of very important observations
regarding the locations of some danger
Gus spots in the ocean. About four
months ago a British ship went aground
on Lisianski island which is about 300
miles west northwest of here. Her
master claimed that the island was
mscharted so Captain Pond will prob
ably have to determine if this claim be
correct. The thorough and efficient
way in which the surveys of the Mid
way island group were made under the
direction of Captain Pond last year, is
ample evidence that his findings in the
Lisianski case will be beyond question.
The last advices from San Francisco
tell of this ship the Springbank going
ashore. The vessel struck but got off
only to the driven aground Again she
was gotten off but with the same re-
suit. For 16 days the captain and crew
of the ship experienced the fear of be-
ing marooned on the desolate spot but
finally the boat was gotten off and out
of danger and reached the Coast where
she was put on the dry dock at Hunters
Point to undergo repairs
In conversations with one of the Of
ficers of the transport Lawton, Captain
Pond was informed that the master of
the Springbank claimed to be blameless
for the accident for the reason that Lii
sianski island was not properly char
tered.
Captain Pond did not learn of this re-
port until shortly before the LawtOn
sailed yesterday and he Immediately in
dited a letter to the San Francisco
branch of the photographic office, call
ling attention to the claim of the
Springbank's captain. The principal
reason for asking information upon this
point is that Captain Pond expects to
visit Lisianski island this spring as the
proper charting of that little spot
comes within his duty. Inasmuch as
he does not start until after the return
of Captain Merry from Guam the hy-
geographic office will have had time in
which to give all the information which
it possesses on the subject
Lisianski island belongs to the chain
of tiny reefs, shoals and patches of sand
that extend for 1,200 miles west north
west from the Hawaiian Islands. Lii
sianski is a little over 900 miles from
Honolulu and is tine first islands to the
west of Laysan. Owing to it's remote
situation and unimportance, compare
lively little is known of Lisianski island
but is possesses historic interest. 1t is
named after the first Russian naval Of
ficer to CircumnaVigate the globe. cap !
tain Lisanski left Russia in 1903 and
occupied four years in making the tour. !
He wrote an interesting account of his |
voyage and in the course of his writing
utters a peculiar prophecy regarding |
the Hawaiian islands, which has not !
been fulfilled entirely as the Russian |
officer expected. on his visit to these !
islands in 1905 he saw native sugar cane |
growing. He was greatly impressed |
with the fertility of these islands and /
said that they would ultimately prove
to be highly productive S~OtS and that
sugar would be their principal produc- /,
ton. Already, he added the savage in Z
dians of the north west coast referring
to Vancouver and that section or North |
America had acquired a taste for sugar
and it would be supplied, by the sugar
from the then, Sandwich Islands.
That Lisanslki possessed an acute !
vision and truthful judgment in shown
by the practical fulfllment of his pro-
phecy although it was not the Savage
Indians" of the north west coast who
consumed the saccharne production
but the civilized people of an enlighten-
ed nation which at that time was but
in it's infancy.
After leaving here Captain Lisianski
ran aground on the island which bears
his name. Like the SprOgbank, his
vessel the "NieVa," got off the reef only
to be driven back several times. Good
fortune enabled him to get the vessel
off finally with the aid of a second ship
which was with him. The party sailed
south west one night they saw breakers
in midocean, about several hundred
miles beyond Lisianski island. Profit
ing by their previous experience the
Russians kept clear of the breakers and
made no attempt to definitely see the
hidden rocks but gave it the name of
"Krusenstern " after the master of the
second vessel in the little trans-oceanic
fleet. The trip home was accomplished
safely and the present chartings of Lii
siansR island and Krusenstern rock
are those given by the Russians
If the claim made by the captain Of
the British vessel is correct those chart
ings are wrong. Captain Pond proposes
to ascertain definitely the right location
| of the troublesome places and have
them correctly reported. The chain
which he will explore is regarded by
! sailors as one of the most serious me-
naces of Pacific navigation and every
| skipper endeaVOrs to give that section
| of the ocean a wide BERTH the routes
being either to the northward or south
ward of the chain. Exploration has
| therefore been comparatively limited
and that many reefs and shoals exist
which have never as yet been charted,
| is certain.
Captain Pond has planned very ex-
| tensiVe trip this year covering 5000
| llllltS. ne Will ltdNt TINS pace ana go
| to Bird Island and then stop at Frost
shoals as his attention was called to
them within the last few days by Cap
| tain Stockton who passed through here
| on the China, enroute to the Orient to
| take command of the new battleship,
| Kentucky.
| Several years ago during the ProVi-
sional government the japanese war
ship Naniwa-kan stopped at Honolulu.
The presence of the vessel was given a
sinister purpose and the fear was en-
tertained that Japan intended to take
possession of these islands. The mat
ter was brought to the attention of the
| United States government and the
cruiser Yorktown was ordered to Homo
lulu to watch the actions of the Japan
ese vessel. Captain Stockton was in
command of the American vessel. While
coming here from the Orient he APP
preached Frost Shoal one night and
took soundings. Although the charts
reported II fathOms. Captain Stockton
said that he found the water as low as