The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-04-24


land surface of the globe which have
not been pretty thoroughly explored,
and those geographical details which
are still lacking are being added little
by little by adventurous travellers. The
science of hydrography, however-the
mapping of the oceans-presents far
greater obstacles than geography, for
it deals not only with the 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 ship
traversing the trackless waste Of
waters can fix with precision the po-
sition of aly newly discovered reef or
island. All that can be done when a
passing vessel detects some unrecord-
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 storm,
or been driven out of her course by
currents during a calm or 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 - reef" 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
hon coil
tained.
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 navigators 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, ly-
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-
terieus isles. In 1852 the ship Aurora,
returning from Lima, passed two ISL
ands thirty-five leagues to the eastward
Of the Malvinas (Falklands). "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 1774 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 east-south-east of them, about
eleven miles distant, was a bank or
Bhoal. In consequence of these reports
the Spanish corvette Atrevida was dis
patched in 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 18th at daybreak on the
10th two large pyramidal banks of
snow and ice were sighted, but fog
and bad weather prevented nearer ap-
proach. On the 21st, however, the ship
sailed up to and coasted along what
was described as "a great mountain, in
form of a tent, divided into two parts,
the eastern extremity white and the
western very dark, but covered with
snowy band. Sailing along the west
eCn side within a mile it presented the
appearance of sharp rock trending
north and south. The southern part
being exposed to freezing winds is at
that time of the year covered with
snow; but the winds on the northwest
point being more temperate and moist,
the land is visible" The vessel stood
off the land for the night, and next
morning another island was seen. The
position was set down respectively as
latitude fifty-three degrees fifteen min