The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-18
The Hermit OF Macuuaric.

ne hermtt Df Matuuaric.
The report Of the voyage nj the steam
yacht Nimrod. Captain J. X. DAVIS. IN
quest, under Instructions from Li"u,en-
ant ERNEST SHACKLEIoN. Of Chart,d
islands in The south Pacific marked
e. ID existence doubted has recently
been printed in England These islands
We're Royal a group. Emerald \Imrnd
| "A group and Dougherty Captain
DAVIS. "A competent navigator found
only water. and deep water when the
weather permitted soundlng~, where
! these islands Were supposed 10 b. In
the case of ROYAL Islands hl- failure to
sight land WIS not surprising. because
'CRvILI.E. IN the Journal Of hus eNp.'di-
ton To the south pole. SAYS: We found
ourselves January n. 1880 IN the posi-
. Il ion assigned by several photographers
To the ROYAL Company Islands, and not
withstanding careful searching and a
most favorable horizon We saw no land.
Nor did WILKES sight them in the Amer
lean expedition of about the same time.
In January. ISL, WILKES looked for
Emerald Island without seeing At or
any indication of land
Captain fiLBECh OF "A ship named the
Nimrod on a voyage round the Horn
in ISIS set down IN his log book he dis
covery Of "A group of islands IN ~ ~ =,
1852 N W but at that point Captain
DAVIS saw no land last wear and paid out
/ I4o fathoms Of wire without finding
bottom. But IN the case. of Doughcrtv.
so =. 1907 W. Captain DAVIS may have
been disappointed not To make land at
the position marked on the chart for The
exist.nc. oil AN island there seemed to be
well atte.ted. first, by Captain DoUOm-
ERTY of the whaler James stewart,
who reported that on Nav - 1871 he
passed an island. five toy sin miles
within three cables and then ~ >rlr-
cession by kEATES Of the Louise Of Bris-
tol on September 4. 1853. and hv STAN
SAED Of the bark linGalrs" IN com
pany with the ship CITY at Agra in 1856
and again in lSs1. STANNANp Wa, three
days off DougherIy. which he described
a. six miles long. 80 fe.'t hugh at the
northeast, and very rugged al m" south
west, with no signs of SNOW ar ve&.ta-
ton. Captain DAVIS. who had "A clear
horizon, saw no ve-tigo Of land.
In its way all this ~ interesting, but
it was the discovery Of "a man and not
the failure Ia find Charted islands that
makes Captain DAvIs's voyaC" enter
tanning The man was AN Irish philo-o-
- I'll. II
and contcnted on Ma,quarie Island
Maori. Murihiku meaning the last
Joint Of the tail IN the stormy seas
545 miles south Of New Zealand Mac
quarir - lump "i AN island. twenty
miles long and three wide visited once
year BY "A seal oil schooner Sailing
along the mountainous side of the island,
the company on IN. NImrod behcld. Ia
their Arrangement. the figure Of a man
standing before one of two huts- ON the
beach near Nugget Point \ boat wiIs-
put out. and tn. tenant marched into
the surf. but with no vlslbl. excitement
| To lend hand The crew Of the Nm
rod spent four days on Mac1uIri" and
learned his story. He wis briefly Mao
! kIBBEN. an freshman, II years old ~
very quaint character SAWS captain
DAVIS. who landing from a -"alrr and
/ yearning for solitude. had informed the
skipper that h" wals going ashore Ia live.
"a while. 80 they provided NACkIBBEN
with ships store. and "t him hav" his
way
! When the Nimrod called MAok IRErN
/ had been on the island thr"' months
sharing possession with p.nguins and
sea elephants. There WAS n larg.. colony
Of the pcnglIlns which furnished the
hermit with oil and the sea elephants,
ponderous creatures tw"nty-fv" feet
long bat MOI az all Formidable. con-
I tributrd fresh meat to MACH IBBEN y
table Their hearts w"r" good caring
and their tongues a dcliracy All day
long the sea elephants lay ~ th. grass,
and when they were. not -mInD"rIng hey
made cultural noises. which relieved
| MAC X IBBts. Ipu"llfr's-. a. the squeak
ing OF M" I"uGiIIrs also did From
| a snalcT-' depot, four miles from
| his hut Of two rOOu- h.. carried coal.
/ keeping two stoves going The place
was warm AMI cO-"y" SAWS Captain
! DAVIS Som" sort or creature comfort
would br necessary 20 most men in such
a situation for Macuuarie - - bleak spot
all weather ami --a. blg blnw- abound-
ing. rain copIo'i-. skies rnOrtly overcast
chill ~ he ar ard IN" surf rounding
/ the beach with roar that fills the hills
Captain DAVIS tried 10 I.rSuad" th..
freshman 10 return 10 civilization. and
this was his answer.
why should T. I'm nspPy enough herc snd