The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-10-01
s. g s. 8. g s. 3. 50 g 8: g :.sss.gss
ISLEWORTH FROM
OCEAN ISLAND

noon with cargo of phosphates. The
Isleworth made the trip to Honolulu
in fourteen and a half days. She is a
tramp steamer, now under charter to
the Pacific Island Co. She has been
running between Ocean Island and
Australia for fourteen or fifteen
months. Previous to her trip to Ho-
nolulu, the Isleworth made a recruit
ing tour among the Gilbert and Caro-
line Islands, getting natives to work
in the phosphate deposits on Ocean
Island. She was eleven days in taking
on her cargo of $500 tons. There is no
harbor at Ocean Island and the steam
er was anchored to moorings sunk in
40 fathoms of water. The phos-
pilates were carried out to her in surf
boats, two tons in a boat
The propeller of the Isleworth was
badly damaged when she was moofei
| at Ocean Island, on this last trip. The
| current swung her down on the buoys,
and quite a number of her propeller
blades were broken. No repairs have
| been yet made.
| The Isleworth is at the railway
wharf. She will begin discharging her
| cargo this morning. and will then re-
| turn to Ocean Island and carry the
| same sort of cargo to Australia.
Ocean Island is not very desirable
| place for residence according to the
| men on the Isleworth. Its just the
kind of place you never want to go
back to- said the chief officer of the
Isleworth. 'It is nothing but a coral
island, no harbor, and no vegetation
There are a few cocoanut trees and
plenty of fish. The natives live on
fish and cocoanuts. There is no fresh
water, excepting that which is caught
during a rainfall. The native island
ers do not work. The phosphate de-
posits are worked by kanakas imported
from the Gilbert, Caroline and other
islands. There are about 500 native
residents of the islands, who do nothing
but eat and fish. The workers are i'm
ported by the Pacific Island Co, and
about twenty white men live there,
| They are the overseers for the blacks.
It is not a pleasant place of residence
and we have had all we want of the
| island
The Isleworth has been running be-
tween Ocean Island and Australian
| ports. She is under three years char
| ter and has but a few months more of
service in these parts, when she viii
probably return to London.
| MISSED THE PHOSPHATES.
| Captain Bray, superintendent of the
Sailors Home. and formerly master of
the missionary schooner Morning Star,
regrets that in 1885 when the Morning
Star stopped at Ocean Island, he did
not go ashore and investigate it. Capt
Bray read an item in the Advertiser
1
| titles of phosphates on Ocean Island,
and his eyes sought out a broken piece
of a stalactite among some curios at
the Home.
In 1885, the Morning Star lay off
Ocean Island" said the Captain. 1T
was a small island in Lat. so s., 1895
East Long, about fifty miles south OF
| the equator and west of the Gilbert
group. 1t is my recollection that the
island was about twelve to fifteen miles
in circumference, forty or fifty feet
! high in some places. There was ne
anchorage, and the currents We're ire
mendously strong. For this reason
did not go ashore, and it was one OF
! two islands in all the Pacific at which
we stopped that L did not investigate
Now, after reading of all the great
wealth there I wish I had landed. But
| I got this piece of rock or stalactite
i which a native said he had taken from
a cave From this stone they used tc
/ fashion fish hooks. I think a steamer
with a full load Of phosphates was los
at Ocean Island a few years ago"
Shipping Notes
The Waialeale arrived yesterday af'
ternoon.
The Norwegian bark Sigurd goes t.
Tacoma for a lumber cargo after dis
charging her coal cargo.
The British ship Forfardshire viii
probably sail Saturday for Port Town
send to receive loading orders.
The Mikahala arrived from Kaua
ports yesterday morning. She report
the Lahaina still at Eleele dischargint
coal.
The Lehua got in yesterday evening
from Molokai ports. She was delayet
by taking politicians from Molokai t
!, Maui.
The Dfrigo will probably sail tomor