The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-06-05
OF THE
MIDDLE PACIFIC
ALBATROSS VISITS MANY LONE
LY ROCKS WHERE SEA-
BIRDS REIGN.
SAW NO EVIDENCE OF THE
VOLCANOES.
Fishing Commission Steamer Returns
After -Four Weeks Trip to Laysan
and Neighboring Islands.

ALIeI an absence OF nearly four weeks
the United States Fish Commission
steamer Albatross returned this morn
ing, docking shortly after IL o'clock
from trip to Laysan Island. which
included visits and soundings made at
Neckar Island, Bird Island and French
Shoals. While some dredging was done
and good results obtained in that
branch of the work the principal effort
was made in sounding the seas of the
places visited. The Albatross left here
on May 10, and the officers and crew
We're eager to learn the news. The
ulsaster at Martinique and st. Vincent
Cdme TO them as shock while rumors
Vi giant explosions on Hawaii drifted
INTO the forecastle within a few min
utes of the docking of the shin.
Dr. G. f. Gilbert, in charge of the
scientists aboard, stated that he had
seen no evidence of volcanic eruDtion
uurlnS the trip, not having even no
tlced the atterglow or unusual sunsets
NOT Knowing of the disasters which
had occurred, it is possible that he NAV
nave overlooked certain signs thar
might nave acquired a fresh signif-
| cahce In the light of such news.
we mad an excellent and most en-
JoyaDle trip, said DR.. Gilbert, on land
ms aIthough it feels good to get on
shore again We had fair success win
our fishing but did more sounding We
Sighted a transport just after leaving
honolulu, and met the Albert ar
Laysan Island where she is making a
| shipment of guano. -
Ihere is landing on Laysan Island
Dy an entrance through a narrov--cbarN
mel in the reef We carried a Dac;aga
OF letters for Mr.. SChlemmer ana nro-
Nlueu MN with some newspapers The
HrSt day of our arrival it was too roupb
10 attempt a landing, though one of
Vul otI oIIlcers succeeded in getting
through in small punt and assured ne
! Ihat he had some very interesting ax-
perlences in making the trip. The navt
uay the weather was available and We
eight days '"ere
/ Inc blrds are there in great variety
aIpatross, tern, frigate birds. boobiss
ana other varieties. The young aIhat-
ross are about three-quarters grown
now. There are also some land birds
| there' a small yellow bird not unlike a
| canary, red bird and a rail win al
most rudimentary wings.
'Laysan Island is of considerable siza
and nourishes quite a fair amount Of
Negetation, so that the land birds are
aDIe to sustain life with the insect and
vegetable food that they pick up. Mr.
| Schlemmer is quite comfortably loca ted
ana fortified for his lonely vigil He
mas other live stock on the island he
| SIDES the chattering sea fowl being
| the possessor of three or four cows and
! a DULL We made a number of fresh
soundlngs in the neighborhood of the
| island. ''ie
I'VE visited French Shoals en- routa
| making soundings there and passed
Bird Island, being unable to land tbare
through the sOutherly prevailing breeze
Whlch made very unsafe the only
| available landing place. At Necker
island we were more successful. The
lava rocks rise directly out of the sea
! there, and there is no reef to get
through. One of the hagstaffs has
blown down. We made further sound
lhSs IN the vicinity. 1t is a barren
rock, the only water on it being the
| drippings from the rocks of a cave
which has to be entered by boats and
| which would prove but a sorry source
of refreshment to any shipwrecked
sailor
I'VE secured several specimens of the
birds on Laysan Island bringing some
of the land birds back with us alive.
AS | said we did not do much dredging
but have secured many interesting spe-
cimens, although we have nothing
| startling in the line of new discovery.
We saw sword fish outside here, and
there are number of wonderful shark
stories aboard which l shall not at
tempt to tell you. The sailors are hap
py, the goat, originally annexed in the
Philippines, seems to be Sticking up in
. n1 ta nd 10
of kittens aboard which / think ex-
hausts the news of the trip as far as /
know"
Speaking casually about the guano
deposits DR.. Gilbert gave the informa-
ton that once the present deposits are
cleared off, the islands will need a rest
OF at least a thousand years before the
fresh supply would be worth going
after. The action OF the acids contain
ed in the excreta of the birds is very
slow upon the rocks and the forma tion
of the fertilizer a tardy process.
Mr.. Schlemmer, guardian oft the ISL
and in the interests of Hackfeld &
Company, will have his loneliness
cheered by the presence of his wife who
recently completed arrangements to re-
join the family i'm mid-PacifiC. After
this trip Of the Albert but one more
will be made the deposits then lying
fallow until April next,
Dr. Gilbert was met at the wharf by
Fish Inspector Louis Berndt who es'
cOrted him i'm triumph to show him the
new carmine-colored pediculate fish
secured during the absence of the Al
baUOss, This was at once pronounced
a prize by the savant who also hailed
small silvery fish with tentacles un
der the chin, the specimen being per
haps six inches in length not unlike Z
small moi, as something entirely new
Berndt has many more specimens II
Continued on page hve)