The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-04-08

previously only a haunt for bats and rats
ana a resting place Tor. sea birds has be-
come basis Tor the output of one of the
most valuable fertilizers Known to mod
ern agrlculturalisIS. Within a single wear
after theS commencement of operations
England, Germany, Australia and Japan
were absorbing its manurial treasure and
cSrrlng lor increased supplies
rms upralSed top of a submarine noun
tain, round which seas run down almost
pefPend4 cularly from its shores to a deDIh
OIL three Engllsh miles, is but ten miles
long ana seven miles broad, with an area
OF forty 10 tiIty square miles. AS already
Indicated, II rises out OF waters deeper
tropical island. Moreover, from & scien-
tine point of view, il is the most interest
ing Island on the lace of the earth. When
the pioneer inhabitant pitched his tent
on the virgin shoreiand on the isle he
could only discover two species OF bats
Two species of rats and a shreyvnoo1lSle
Ihese were the only mammals
Down to the very waters edge the sur
race Of the island IS covered with vegeta-
WeSlan pines, through which nothing is
visible but giintS OF the sky. lead 10 a
sreat central plateau, some so to 800 feet
s( t me sea IeVei, and the highest peak
IN the island, called Murray point is ]. lJl
tdSet ABOVE the level OF the Indian ocean
me plateau is covered with f.xcaiIent son
so rich that all tropical fruits and nisnts
s loM Iuxurlantly, ana a special form of
Saso may yet lind its way 10 the markets
u tHe Wofld from Christmas island The
psateau IS one long succession OF blocks
OF phosphate varying in deDth down to
- ACtt- AZ. present these blocks are
$500 W rom the roofs of the trees and
exported They are white almost as snow
anu lull or pure phosphate OF lime to thn
S1NeeAt OF % per cent Great difricultles
were Tor time encountered in ohfasn,nr
an anchorage, and many as ten bargeS
nave been lost, but these difficulties hsSe
a aoG Do Dee IN overcome in Flying Fish bay,
ana on ShoIe line of railway two miles
IN length carries the phosphate RI rbs
point of embarkation ~ 'nS
Ouring last year 10000 tons of nhosnhato
cent on the capital Within a vear ~ =;
confidently hoped, the output win risa -
Iyo,VVO TONS Even then the wealth OF mos
Fnate VIII only be tapped and the go,
ply, at much greater rate of outn1f vi,
easIiy outIast the term of the lease " -
Inc colony on the island has gradually,
thirteen white people (nc,udinS q N,IID luz
manager. a doctor, a Chemist fbras ,.-53a
ana chlIdren), 500 Chinese coolies thirfV
Maiay Do2tmen and thirteen Sikh r,oiies
men. The STRAITS SettIen1 ents go go
mas Just voted the sum of x12 soo -, ieie
Gal buildings on the island. and ,,ybs,,
lneSe are competed there will be an i'm
HS1late augmentation OF the Don,fIatio,
Wnich viii 90 on increasing with the ezr
tension OF the phosphate business ana n.
9legeeIopment OF agriculture and other in
The scientist to whom the discovery of
Ihe value OF Christmas island is dl,e is SIR
Jonn Murray, X. c. B., who has lust re-
turned from a visit to the island A.
tracted TO it by its coral fornatfo1, his re
searches led him TO the concnlsion maj
ne process OF time under existing condi-
o1, ibuSt nave transformed the calcare-
GUS substance into phosphate of lime the
value of which to agricuIt1re 9s III
known. Indeed, the optimistic salculat on
MS seen made IN , n apo that the value
or This islet in phosphate alone is 81 500 '
ooc.o9- Sir John Murray. in as....tior 70
discovering the commercial value of the
Island, IS nursing its scientific side with