Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1912-02-27
SAYS PALM YRA


growth of cocoanut and fern forests
and other tropical plants which fairly
uverrum the majority of the little dots
which comprise the group.
Mr.. Low spent two or three days on
the islands. He possesses a knowl-
edge of the islets gained from actual
experience and hard tramping over
the little collection of coral reefs ana
! islands.
81 visited Palmyra two years ago
this coming April in the schooner Con-
cord was sent there at the In
stance of local hui of business men
to look into the possibilities of extern
sive copra cultivation and expectation.
II was then the purpose of the Homo
lulu company to purchase the group
and institute development Of the many
little islands capable of growing the
Coccanu; tree in paying quantities.
Some Island Inaccessible.
1--WE had very close call from be-
ing maroonod at Palmyra" so stated
Supervisor Low this morning In re-
iullllE MS llN'i'NNihS 'AiN''N''N w
that time. "The Concord ran very
close and finally into the reef, and for
time was hard and fast. 1t really
looked as II the wcll-known Hawaiian
insland schooner was destined tn leave
her bones on those inhOspitable reefs.
We succeeded. however. in hauling a
ship's boat into the lagoon, but the
feat could only he attempted at high
tide. l. was no easy task and required
the combined efforts Of Captain Emil
Piltz. the veteran skipper, once with
the mtcr-Island Company, myself ana
son. We composed the party that
trampcd through the jungle, for that
is what II really amounts to IN many
places on some of the larger islcts ia
the group.
"In my opinion no buildings can be
| erected on any accessible spot on
Palmyra, owing to the fact that the
islands are very low the highest spot
that We found being barely six feet
above high water
No Habitation Found There.
mo habitation Graces the islands in
that group" says Low. I'VE met with
signs that indicated at one time the
presence of several parties of poach-
ers, but In my opinion they must have
been natives from some of the neigh
boring islands, as they had in some
instances carved their names on the
Of hn Thor,
was nothing on the island that indi-
Gated that japanese bird-poachers had
! visited there, at least for number OF
years.
The place is simply oyerrun with
! sea-birds Of almost every description.
In going about the islands we were
/ continually obliged to exercise care
that we did not step upon them as they
sat about the ground. The ground in
place sappearcd to he Uttered with
| the husks of cocoanuts. these presu-
mably gathered by the visiting par
| tics of south sea islanders.
THE fern trees and the so-callch
| bird's-nest ferns to he found In the
interior of the larger islets were large
and well developed. Many of the
trees were much finer specimens than
! we find here.
Cocoanuts Galore.
in my trip through the islands
counted three thousand bearing co,
coanut trees. Other trees of the same
nature but not bearing numbered over
| five thousand, and under this classh
cation were ranged trees from eight
cen months to four years old. | DO
lieye that the latter should in mos
instances he listed AS full bearing py
| this time.
There Is one solitary islct which AT.
fords Judgement for but single co
COanut tree"
Mr.. Low tells of a string of island.
| 10 the south of the group upon which
he estimated that between tweniy
and thirty thousand cocoanut trees
were growing.
A Paradise for Birds.
Birds find on Palmyra an undis
turbed haven for rest and refresh
ment, They literally cover the groun,
and the well-known "love bird" wa
found in such numbers that the Low
party were continually employinl
sticks TO move them out of the way o
the pedestrians, Eggs by the thou
sand Uttered the sandpiles and som,
of the more protected reefs.
It is believed that some OF tn,
I southern islands are at times yisite,