The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-19


Island and that her passengers and all
hands are safe. Captain Downie with
a boats crew managed to reach Fam
ming Island
Christmas Island is about a thousand
miles directly south of Honolulu and
just below Tanning Island, where the
Canadian-Australian steamships occa-
sionally call, and where the Alfred -
Gable Company has a station. The
dispatch does not state when the Aeon
was wrecked, and it may have been
some time ago. AS the S. S. Mariana,
which passed through here few days
since, from the Colonies, did not call
at Tanning Island this trip, and there,
fore did not 90 near Christmas Island,
possibly a chance was lost to gain
some news of the wrecked steamer
then, and in all likelihood the passen-
gers would have been brought to Ho-
nolulu, or, at least, dropped at Tanning
Island for transfer south.
1t is likely that the steamer which
passed Honolulu at $50 p. m, July
II, but which displayed no signals, was
the Aeon. The vessel left San Fran
cisco on July and, being a tramp
steamer, the ten days would just about
have brought her abreast this island,
but why she should pass here at all
is a mystery. As she did not display
signals, and did not wish to be report
ed, presumably. it is likely that the
vessel was in no pilikia. If that YES
sci was the Aeon, and she proceeded
south toward Samoa, it can be under
stood how the Aeon may have struck
the Christmas Island reefs.
The fate of the Aeon became a mat
ter of international anxiety, for Eng
lish vessels were instructed to keep
lookout for her in the South Seas, Ad-
miral Swinburne received instructions
to search, and the gunboat Annapolis
at Page Page was sent out to trace
her up.
Scientists regard Christmas Island as
an appraised coral atOll, and interest
centered in it up to a few years ago
as having then never been inhabited by
civilized or savage race. Just why
it is called Christmas Island is not
altogether definite In 1866 the wan
dering Dampier of Holland sighted this
small "wooded island, and since that
date it has appealed on Dutch maps.
but it was not until 1856 that a British
surveying vessel succeeded in finding
an anchorage and in landing and par
TALLY exploring the island. The fol-
lowing year H. NJ. S. Egeria made fur
Their explorations, and the conclusion OF
the commander is interesting: Man
has never lived on Christmas Island,
nor would it be a pleasant residence,
as. apart from the fact that there is
no water, the rains sinking into the
limestone rock. the extreme discomfort
of locomotiOu and the absence of any
harbor whence any product could be
shipped viii deter any settler from
seeking home there until other more
favorable spots are occupied. y Within
ten years after this prophecy the island
had a population of 600 souls, and
from the phosphate deposits found on
it a Pactolian stream of gold is flowing
into the pockets of British shippers.
The island is situated in south lati-
tude 10 degrees % minutes, east longi-
tude 1O5 degrees 10 minutes It's dis
coverv, dating from the Challenger ex-
pcdition. cost the British Government
81 100000. The expedition was the
means of adding Christmas Island to
the British Crown. After the island
was annexed a ninety lease
was granted DIR. John Murray and Mr..
Clunies Ross, jointly, at a yearly rental
of $3.50. The island is about ten miles
long and seven broad, with an area of
forty to fifty square miles. The island
rises out of waters deeper than those
which surround any other tropical Is
land. Down to the waters edge the
island is covered with a heavy vegeta-
ton. The plateau is one long success
sion of phosphate blocks, varying IN
depth down TO forty feet.
The lack of anchorage was finally
overcome and Flying Fish Bay now at