The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-10-26
CLAIM SHOAL
WAS ANNEXED
ISLAND MASTERS RECALL
CIRCUMSTANCE OF ANNEXA-
TON OF FRIGATE SHOALS.

From the statements Of masters of
the Inter-Island fleet of steamers, there
was no necessity for the steamer Ka-
uai to have cleared for French Frigate
! Shoal. That rock and the adjoining
reefs are part of the Hawaiian ISL
ands and in consequence the place is
within the Hawaiian district. The
| annexation of French Frigate Shoal
was a part of the SCENE of expansion
that was caused by the annexation of
Necker Island.
About ten years ago it was learned
here that the British government in
tended to annex Necker island for the
purpose of using it as, landing for
their proposed cable from Canada to
Australia. The Hawaiian government
acted with shrewdness on that occa-
sion and it was due to Curtis j. Lyons
the former weather observer that the
island was annexed.
A British cruiser came to this place
on some mysterious mission. The Of
ficers did not divulge the purpose of
her trip and it was generally supposed
that the British government had mere
ly sent the vessel on a cruise. The
officers began however to make in
quiries for charts of Necker island and
to ask information regarding the place
They acted in quite a mysterious way
in their desire to secure information
regarding the island. Mr.. Lyons sur
missed that the vessel had been sent out
for the purpose of anneXing Necker ISL
and for use as a landing for their ca
BILE. He acquainted President Dole
with this opinion. President Dole and
the members of the Cabinet ware i'm
pressed with his idea and at once de-
cided to act upon his suggestion to an
mex the island.
An expedition under command of
Minister of the Interior King, was dis
patched on the steamer Iwalani, Capt.
Tullett to Necker island and the place
vast formally annexed.
Some years later, it was decided to
annex all of the surrounding reefs and
shoals, so a second expedition was dis
patched on the steamer Waialeale with
Captain Mosher as the navigator.
Charles Wilcox was the representative
of the government on the second eX-
| petition of expansion. Necker ISL
was visited. The box in which had
been placed the proclamation and other
documents relating to the annexation
of Necker island, was opened and an
additional proclamation and papers
stating that the surrounding reefs and
shoals were annexed also, were placed
in the recepticle. This was all the
ceremony attached to the annexation
of the other members of the line of
chain of isles and reefs. French Fri
gate Shoal was not visited by the mem
bers of that expedition and no at
tempt was made to raise the flag of
Hawaii on it, as it was considered that
the requirements of inter national law
had been sufficiently complied with.
Every since that expedition the va
rious reefs and isles which had not
previously been annexed have been re-
garded as part of Hawaiian territory.
Naturally when the Hawaiian Islands
were annexed to the United States,
those distant possessions passed under
the American flag. The annexation of
the French Frigate shoals therefore,
places that place within the, local Gus
tom district so it was not necessary for
the Kauai to have cleared for the place
Acting Collector Stackable is investi-
eating the matter and will be in a po-
sition to know exactly how to proceed
when the vessels returns from her trip.