The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-19
CHARTS WRONG FOR FIFTY
YEARS.

Until tnroe year, ago tn0 cnarts OF ah inc
leading maritime nations had shown for
over fifty years q mass OF rocks, dangerous
to navigation In the Pacific, about 100 miles
west Of San Francisco. The existence OF
these rocks was vouohed for by ak ship
masters who were believed TO be reliable.
Five Of them had been able to make some
examination as TO the extent Of the rocks.
These indicated dangers were finally re-
moved from the charts as the result Of the
Investigations Of the United States steam
ship Wheeling under instructions from the
photographic ONCE. 1t is q remarkable
story OF Misleading appearances that de-
ceived experienced navigators and led ships
to avoid for half a century the localities
where rocks were supposed to rise from
the sea floor almost to the surface Of the
ocean. This curious chapter In the his
tory Of Pacific navigation has just been
written for the Bulletin Of the American
Geographical Society by Mr.. Littlehales OF
the photographic Office. with a chart show
ing the ave places, not far from one an
other where the rocks had been reported.
Mr.. Lttlehales says that in 1850 Capt
Reed of the brig Emma reported that he
had seen two rocks from 900 to 900 feet long
and from $50 to 400 feet broad, with depth
Of about 10 feet Of water over them, In
81 degrees "a minutes north latitude
and 1877 degrees 20 minutes west lon
gtude. In the following year the United
States war soop Falmouth confirmed the
existence OF rocks in this geographical
position. Capt. Redfeld Of the whaler
Susan Abigail also reported In 1855 that he
had discovered rocks with ten feet OF water
over them eleven miles north Of this po-
sition, and In 1855 Capt. Cave reported rocks
In the same neighborhood. A little later
the ships Kuttosof and Eliza Kimball found
these rocks, which had come to be known
as Reed or Redfeld rocks, and the latter
ship anchored in Ave fathoms Of water and
described three Of the rocks as extending
considerably above the surface.
Meanwhile, two ships had passed over the
locality without discovering any evidence
Of the existence of the rocks. Then began
a search carried on from time to time by
four United States war and survey vessels,
which, however, employed the inconclusive
method Of merely cruising back and forth
over the area where the rocks had been re-
ported. They found nothing, but the force
of their evidence that the rocks did not exist
rested wholly upon the fact that the observ-
ers did not see them.
The United States steamer Ranger in 1881
contributed the first positive evidence
toward the settlement OF the question. 1t
sounded to the bottom with pianoforte
wire at thirty stations over an area Extend
ing about thirty miles north and south
and the same distance east and west. These
soundings, however, while affordinH posi-
tive proof that the rocks did not exist in the
area examined, did not cover the entire
area within which the rocks might possibly
exist, and 1t was not till 1901 that the Wheel
ing, using the most scientific methods OF
investigation and examining the whole re-
gion except that within which the soundings
Of the Ranger were made, finally settled the
whole question. The rocks do not exist.
1t had been found by the Ranger that the
sea In that locality had depth Of over
$500 fathoms. At that depth a dangerous
shoal rising from the bottom must ascend
from a base with a minimum radius Of at
least ten nautical miles. Systematic sound
ings with an interval OF two miles between
the lines OF soundings would therefore
be sufficient to prove the existence or abb
senoe Of any formation very close to the
surface.
This Is the work that II Wheeling carried
out Parallel lines OF oundings were run,
the depth ranging from 1850 to $3.50 faith
oms. Numerous specimens Of the bottom
collected by both vessels indicated that
throughout the combined extent OF the
searches made by the Ranger and Wheeling
the characteristics Of the bottom soil are
the same. 1t was proved that there is no
submarine mountain rising nearly to the
surface Of the sea in this region, and there
were never any rocks here nor any shoal
upon which vessel could have anchored,
as the captain Of the Eliza Kimball reported
that he had done.
This Is not place where the flotsam and
jetsam OF the ocean are likely to collect,
and what misleading appearances Of the
surface Of the sea could have deceived
80 many navigators will perhaps always
remain a mystery.