Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-08-22

EI4W9 and virginia., dashed
w ~ "a through the sapphire sea
IN El in the gold and silver OF
6SSE6HZ the noontime. Everything
~ shout her was white. even
her smokestacks and ventilators. Nothing
sharper, cleaner or more graceful could
be irnagined Than the lines Of the Alceste,
5 but her tonnage was over the two thou
sand mark, and she might have passed
tor the little sister Of crack third class
cruiser.
Below in her great cabin. splendid
room thirty feet square. sat two men
smoking and talking.
Here" said Sir Kenneth Moncrief to
4 Warrington, the American newspaper
Correspondent, SIS the record" handing
-azn at the same time manuscript.
Warrington grasped it eagerly. He had
been sent ont by great New York daily
70 discover certain things concerning q
nid-Pacifc island about which strange
and conflicting accounts had been given.
BY the exercise Of superhuman tact and
colossal audacity he found himself aboard
the yacht Of Sir Kenneth Moncrieff, the
man more interested than any other
human being in the doubtful island.
It was agreed between the two men,
who had become fast friends. that Sir
Kenneth should write in full the history
Of the island. and Warrington solemnly
swore that he would respect the private
part Of the record in making up his news
paper story. Sir Kenneth Moncrietf, how
ever, stipulated that in the event OF his
Heath the entire record should be deposited
In triplicate with the naval authorities OF
the United States. France and Great
Britain.
Sir Kenneth smoked laEily while War
rington pounced upon the story as q
pointer takes to his field work. he felt
that his professional reputation would be
made By the story, and, the thought made
his blood gallop. Sir. Kenneth began
reading the manuscript, which was in his
,wn hand writing. sihsularly firm. with
nut blot Or serasure = -
I'm 1923 the ship Selma, Of nine hun
lred tons, Of Bristol, England, command
ed BY Captain Wright, from Singapore
to Vera Cruz, reported that on February
81, in Longitude 143 deg. 16 min, latitude
I IL deg. "a min, he sighted an uncharted
island Of approximately ten square miles.
There was a bay with good anchorage.
and the Seiina's skipper. Captain Wright,
went ashore and took possession of the
island in the name Of the British govern
,nent. he planted flagstaff and made
d cairn Of rocks, under which he buried
4 tin box containing formal claim to,
The island, which he named Selma Island,
after his ship and his wife.
Ills report was forwarded to the Brit
ish Admiralty, and two years and half
later, in August, 1929, the British sloop
81 war Diomede. Captain Moncrief, then
cruising IN Pacific waters, was sent to
take poSsession Of the island.
.'rhe Diomede reached the spot indicat-
I'd BY Captain Wright and cruised over the
whole ground Tor month, but was totally
unable to locate the island. Her COM
handing officer, Captain Moncreiff, on re-
turning to Singapore, reported his failure
to find the island to his flag officer, Ad-
miral Knowlton. Captain Moncrief's
cruise had not been altogether satisfactory
70 the Admiral, who made some severe COM
ments on this particular point Of the fail
nre to find the island.
.'Feeling insulted by the Admiral's Ian
,uage, Captain Moncrief got leave, re-
tIfned to England, found Captain Wright
and secured every detail from him concern
ne the island. Then Captain Moncrieff,
who was man Of fortune, fitted out a
bark and, putting Captain Wright in
commend. sailed IN her himself as a pas
seneer to the Pacific. While passing
through the Indian Ocean Captain Wright
suddenly developed violent form of in
sanity with suicidal mania and succeeded !!
in throwing himself overheard and was
lost. Captain Moncrief then took COM
mand Of the vessel. The data given by
Captain Wright was, however, complete
and Captain Moncrieff had no difficulty in
finding the island.
"He landed in January, 1880, and discov-
cred It to BE more beautiful and more ex-
tensive than Captain Wright had sup
posed. He also noted, as Captain Wright
had done, the fora and fauna and tenn
perature were unusual for that latitude.
In the middle Of the island was a cone
like elevation, which appeared to be
solitary peak. Captain Moncrieff climbed
to the top, but instead of finding a
plateau, as he expected, there was great
basin the size and shape Of an extinct
volcano.
The Flagstaff left by Captain Wright
was zone and also the tin box which he
had buried under the cairh. In digging,
for this box, however, which Captain Mon
Grief himself did, he found lump of
amber weighing something like fifteen
pounds. There were also indications Of
amber in great profusion over the whole
island and especially upon the shores Of