The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-09-12
SCHOONER TO Be SOLD
CLOSING CHAPTER OF MARCUS
EXPEDITION
Backers Of Enterprise VIII Now Put in
Their Claim for the Island-Descrip-
ton Of the Place.

The schooner Julia f.. Whalen is to
be sold at public auction next Monday
The sale >ef the trim little vessel will
mark the close of the romantic phase of
the dispute over Marcus Island. The
struggle for the title to the rich guano
land will now pass into diplomatic
channels. Captain A. A. Rosehill and
his hackers are quite sanguine over the
ultimate outcome of the dispute with
the japanese holders of the island but
Captain Rosehill fears that by the time
his title is recognized by the United
States and Japan, the Japs will have
stripped the island of all its riches.
Captain Rosehill says that there
were between 80 and 40 coolies living
on Marcus Island, in addition to the
eighteen marines and officers. There
were some women at the settlement.
He says that the crowd has built a
number of dwelling places, most of the
living places being simply Japanese
shacks consisting of very wide roofs
with no sides. These shacks are COW
ever with a roof of grass and cocoa
nut leaves. There are several houses
also built with corrugated iron roofs.
Captain Rosehill says that the rain
squalls are some times very severe.
These showers last perhaps half an
hour and then the sky is clear again.
On the way home, the schooner stop
ped at Midway Island. Both Sand and
Eastern Islands were visited, but no
Japanese were found to be living on
either of the spots. Evidence of form
er residence, in the shape of empty
sake tugs, shoes and a couple of Jap
anese graves were found however.
Owing to the departure of the jap
anese cruiser from Marcus Island be-
fore Captain Rosehilf arrived, the COM
mander of the Honolulu expedition did
not have the opportunity of comforting
personally with K. Ishii, the secretary
to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, who had been specially sent to
the island to await the American eXpe-
dition. 1t is doubtful, however, if mat
ters could have been settled more ami
/ cably had Rosehill met the Commits
| sioner, although it is not improbabl
that the secretary might have permit
| ted the party to have remained little
| longer on the island for the purpose of
! exploring the guano deposits. mas
much as Mr.. Ishii had to leave before
Rosehill arrived the secretary instruct
ed the commander of the marines not
to allow the Americans to remain long
err than one week and imposed restric-
lions more severe probably than would
have been required had the Commits
sioner met Rosehtll.
In the communication which the
Commission left for Rosehill brief
statement of the claims of the Japan
csc to the island is made. The island
was continuously visited by Japanese
fishermen since 1879, and in 1896 was
formally occupied by the Japanese
Rosehill is quoted as saying that when
he visited the place in 1897 no Japs
were living there.
The matter will now be taken into
the diplomatic channels. The hackers
of the enterprise still insist that theirs
is the best claim to the island, as Rose
hill raised the American flag there ii
1889 and made a proper claim for title
to the place.