Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-05

present, none of these reports has been
verified. Yet evidence exists that seems
to point to the existence of an island
or islands somewhere within the mys-
FERROUS region The cruise of the United
States ship Tacoma, undertaken at the
instance of the photographic office. in
MAY. 1904, negatively and conclusively
disposed of half dozen or more reported
islands, as charted in certain defined po-
sitions. and deffnitiveiy eliminated from
further consideration of doubtful reports
an area of about 10000 square miles. leav-
ing a still questionable region of over
three times that space open to further
search
The complete survey Of this region may
possibly clear up the mystery of the loss
of the Levant, United States sloop-of-
war which disappeared In 1850, number
ing among those on board Nolan. the
Man Without a Country. The Levant
sailed from Hilo. Hawaii, for Panama. 1t
is SurInised that she wrecked upon
one of the undiscovered islands, an infer
ence borne out by a remarkable bit of
evidence in the shape of certain portions
of wreckage, identified having belonged
to the IeVant. which We're washed ashore
on the Hawaiian coast. This wreckage
concluSively demonstrated to naval eX
perts that the Ievant broken to
pieces on reef or island somewhere i'll
her sailing track between Iilo and Pan
anna.
The official records of the Navy Depart
ment show that when the Levant sailed
from IIilo her commander. William l..
Hunt. intended to take the northern
course, heading eastward toward the
coast Of California rather than south
ward toward the equator, and thus prob
ably travcrsins the very region In which
the questionable islands are supposed to
b. situated. Within nine months after
her departure drifting spar and por-
tion of lower ward were found on
the shore of Hawaii, about seventy-five
miles south of Hilo. This spar was ex-
anlined and identified the mainmaSt
of the Levant by three witnesses. one OF
whom the pilot who had taken out
the Levant from the port of Hilo and who
knew the dimensions of her spars.
1t has been currently believed that the
Leyant capsiZed or foundered in some
tidal wave overwhelming sea; but it
is pointed out by naval experts that in
such event her mainmast would. in all
likelihood, have gone to the bottom with
the ship. whereas the mainmast found on
the shore of Hawaii indicated that it was
torn out of the vessel when broken to
pieces on a reef. Certain sketches, care
fully made a short time after the mast
came ashore. show it to have been seven
ty-three feet long, entire from heel to
top, not broken off, it would have been
If the ship had been dismaSted in a storm
dl Std, Dul toIipIett, SiloN iHS III deldil the
framing of the mast at the heel step.
indicating that the vessel from which II
came had not foundered and had not been
dSmasted at sea, but must have been
broken to pieces on reef. and that the
unbroken mast must thereafter have been
detached and drifted away with the
wreckage of the lower yard that was
found at the same place on the south
shore of Hawaii.
Subsequent Investigations have shown
that If the Levant was wrecked on
a reef within the mysterious region, and
afterward broken to pieces in heavy
surf, the trend and rapidity of the cur
rent would have carried the wreckage to
the shore where it was found. 1t is held
highly reasonable to suppose that if the
Levant, sailing III the night with a
smooth sea, struck upon the reef of an
ordinary coral island. especially at high
tide, her ships company might possibly
have landed without the loss of a single
life. In this event there would have been
many. and still might be some, survivors
whose chances of living until now on a
fairly habitable and healthful island
might. perhaps. have been far more favor
able than elsewhere, exposed as they