The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-27
THAT SINKING ISLAND.

It is of Considerable Size and Has an
Unfathomable Lake.
| South Manitou Island, in the northern
! part of Lake Michigan, is sinking. The
south beach is rapidly being swallowed
up, and the greatest concern is felt by
| those living there lest the entire area
of five thousand acres shall suddenly be
submerged. The boathouse at the Uni.
ted States lie-saving station has al
ready disappeared, and where a month
ago there was high and dry beach
deep-draft boats now pillow trough the
water.
Vessel men and officials advance two
theories as to the cause of the phe-
nonenon. One is that the Island, which
seems to be of volcanic origin, has been
shaken by the seismic disturbances felt
this year in a bet encircling the earth.
The other is that the action Of the wa
ter has undermined sections of the and.
thus causing submarine avalanches.
The first intimation received by out
siders that the area of the Island was
diminishing came from Captain LAT
berg, who has charge of the life-saving
crew at Sleeping Bear Point, on the
Michigan mainland. He sent word to
his superiors at Washington ten days
ago that the boathouse at South Mani
tou had dropped out of sight during the
night. Further news came from Lake
captains. who said that many residents
were alarmed over indications that the
peculiar Island may suddenly be swal-
lowed up.
Soundings made during the last few
days have served only to add to the
alarm. A short distance off shore
where shoal water was formerly from
three to five feet deep, the sounding
line indicated a depth OF from twenty
to seventy feet. No ordinary shifting
of the shoal sands is regarded as being
responsible for the great change
The strange sinking Of the land is re-
garded by many as being a warning to
leave the island. Several have already
eft and others are preparing to go.
They think they foresee disaster that
will erase South Manitou from the map
and drown the entire population. Some
are keeping a watch upon an unfath-
ENABLE lake in the center of the island.
The Hollanders that inhabit the Island
do not share in the terror. Tey remain
at their homes without fear, and while
tey are more or less amazed at the
creeping in Of the lake they point to the
sand hills and say it will take a ong
time for the water to reach the top.
But it is not the gradual destruction
of the island that Is expected by the
alarmists. They believe it will be
swallowed up suddenly, and that all
who remain to tempt fate viii perish.
They fear destruction from two sources,
and ook either for the land to sink be-
meath the surface of Lake Michigan or
for a volcanic eruption to rain fire
down upon tenn. The cataclysm of st.
Pierre and the tidal wave at Calves
ton are recalled and recited by the
fearful ones.
The geological formation of South
Manitou is different from that of most
of the neighboring bodies of land. 1t is
composed of clay upon rock fOunda-
ton and upon the clay the wind has
built great sand dunes and hills. FIX
cavations have shown trace of scor-
lac rock, which invariably is cast up
by volcanoes. The elevation of the is
let is another thing that gives weight
to the teory of seismic disturbances
Tt is piled up to height Of three hun
dred and fifty feet and slopes away