The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-05-03

There are but few regions OF the
land surface Of the globe which have
not been pretty thoroughly explored
and those geographical details when
are sdll lacking are being added little
by little by adventurous travellers. Inc
science of photography, howeyer-the
mapping of the presents lar
greater obstacles than geography, LOT
ii deals not only with Tie surface, but
with the concealed depths and currents
of the seas, and these are very diff
cult TO locate, there being no stable
marks in many cases by which a ship
trayersing the trackless waste q
waters can fix with precision the po-
sition OF any newly discovered reef or
island. All that can be done when
passing vessel detects some unreooFd-
ed rock or shoal is to note in the log
book, as nearly as may be, the appar-
ent position of the ship at the time;
though If She has encountered a storm,
or been driven out Of her course by
currents during a calm OF by being en-
tangled in drifting ice. the reckoning
Is apt to be unreliable. So it happens
that on the Admiralty charts one may
occasionally find two or three doubt
full indications with note appended:
Reported position of -- rect" Such
approximate positions have been thus
marked down Professionally from time
to time on the reports of passing ships,
until the exact locality Of the danger
shall have been scientifically ascer-
tanned
Little, however, as the charts Of the
present day leave to be desired as to
accuracy, the following narrative, TAX
en- down as nearly verbatim as pos
sible from the lips of a sea-captain who
vouches absolutely for its truth, shows
that there are many most interesting
photographic problems still to be
solved In this case the problem con-
Germs the position, or rather the exist
ence, of a group of islands known as
the Auroras, and situated, according
TO the old nayigators in the Southern
Atlantic Ocean For anyone who may
desire to inquire more exactly into the
technical side Of the narrative it may
be mentioned that details will be found
recorded in the Liverpool Journal Of
Commerce for the year 1892.
Formerly the old charts Of the
Southern Atlantic were marked with
certain islands called the Auroras, w.
ing somewhere about five hundred
miles east of the dreaded Cape Horn
and description of their appearance,
as given by those who had sighted
them, was set down in the handbooks
and sailing directions for the South
Atlantic under the heading Doubtful
Islands and Shoals
The following is a summary Of the
earliest reports concerning the mys-
FERROUS isles. In 1862 the ship Aurora,
returning from Lima, passed two ISL
ands thirty-fve leagues to the eastward
OF the Malyinas (Falllands). They
bore northeast and southwest of each
other distant from two and a half to
three leagues, The easternmost one
was the smaller Of the two and a reef
extended between thin, but with a
clear passage, through which the Aur-
ora sailed. The westernmost one was
from five to six miles in extent from
south to north. Their sides were in
accessible, and no bay could be seen
In liza the Aurora again reported hav-
ing met with two islands in these lat
itudes, Five years later islands were
seen, but no position determined by
the Pearl In 1890 the Dolores report
ed similarly, and in the same year the
captain of the Princess, of the Royal
Philippine Company, stated that he
had sighted the islands and ascertained
that southeast of them, about
eleven miles distant was bank or
shoal In consequence of these reports
the Spanish corvette Atrevida was dis
patched i'm January, 1894. to the local
ity TO fix the position of these unchart-
ed islands whose position was uncer-
tain to the extent of twelve or fifteen
minutes of latitude and seven degrees
Of longitude. Sailing from the Falk-
lands on the llth at daybreak on the
l6th two large pyramidal banks of
snow and ice were sighted, but fog
and bad weather prevented nearer APP
proach On the 21st, however. the ship
sailed up to and coasted along what
was described as "a great mountain, in
form of tent divided into two parts,
tie eastern extremity white and the