Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-08-15
PALMYRA Isle
PROVES NATURE
WONDER-SPOI
: CONTINUED from page one,

CONTINUED from page one1
found. where they had been drawn up
on the shore and partly concealed in
the dense jungle that in some places
reaches TO the waters edge. Thai
the Japanese were finally removed
from the island by means of a larger
Vessel is the belief Of the. party.
| Washington island. which lies some
two hundred miles to the southwark.
/ is known ia be populated by between
forty and fifty Japanese laborers, en-
ployed by the owners Of the copra
plantation.
They could easily have crossed the
intervening distance in good weather.
carried on poaching operations anG
patiently awaited the arrival of one
of the larger Japanese. schooners OPP
Grated in the Pacific islands by the
large bird feather companies which
have headquarters at Tokyo and 9th
er large Japanese cities.
/ copra Is King at Palmyra.
AT the least calculation there are
] twenty thousand bearing c0coanut
trees on. the several islands in the
group. according to the members of
the party. All are in a thriving
state and the. product simply drops TO
the ground where 1t finally rots and
disappears. What augurs well for
! the cultivation of cOcoanuts is the
fact that no rats, parasites or leaf
worms were found Judge Cooper. as
well as the scientists who accompan-
led him on the expedi tiop, made care
full inquiry into this phase OF the sit
uation.
1t is believed that many tons of
copra could be harvested from Palm
yra within very short space of time.
| following the careful inspection Of all
the islands made by the party.
Millions of Birds.
I'VE met with millions of birds. "
i declared Professor j. F. Rock, who
as member of the party returned
with cases filed with specimens, and
also a collection of a hundred and
fifty large photographs taken through
out the group.
4 The bird life in the Palmyras Is
said to much resemble the varieties
/ found throughout the Hawaiian bird
I reservation to the westward OF. Ho-
Honolulu and occasioned visited by
/ the u. s. revenue cutter Thetis. One
peculiarly noted was that the birds
/ find nests on the coral and solid
rock. Available stretches of sandy
beach are not plentiful. Every vari-
ETY. of bird known to the south seas
is to be found
i The possibilities for guano are not
bright. Judge Cooper paid consider
able attention to this feature. but
i stated this morning that little or no
guano was found on the islands visit
ed. No animals or rodents Of anyEde-
scription were discovered, though =
search of many days was prosecuted
with this object in view. The same
result followed in seeking snakes or
[other reptiles.
1 luka Fine Sea Craft.
The Luka is fine craft, and exceed
Iingly we'll adapted for the purpose OF
lsouth sea exploration and research,
Iaccording to the opinion of Captain
tPiltz, the veteran navigator who COM
manded the vessel. The schooner be-
4 hayes well in all kinds of weather.
ITEe auxiliary engines served their pur-
pose during. the many days that the
vessel passed through the doldrums.
uood weather favored the yoyagers
on the entire trip.
Trip a Pleasant One.
The vessel, which is well known to
kamaainas, and for years prominent
1 tigure on the local waterfront, has
ample accommodation for quite NUM-
/ Der of passengers.
4 Al Hrrl 1rrlr1 on
July Ord and arrived at Palmyra onthe
morning of July L. The return voy-
age took sixteen days to complete,
owing to an almost total absence OF
wind for greater portion of the way.
The Luka picked up the island of
Kauai Wednesday, and then came In
Ito little wind, which assisted the
vessel in gaining port shortly after
tnine o'clock last night,
/ Ten tons of ice, PACKED in the
f1arge refrigerator, were available I'M
It'll the day of sailing from Palmyra.
The ships stores were more than suf-
ficient for the requirements of the
Iparty and the crew of the vessel.
I Captain Piltz brought the Luka to
an anchorage some six miles OFF the
islands, and the explorers as well as
their effects and supplies were brought
to land by means of the seyeral ships
boats.
No Treasure.
/ I'VE went to the islands on bust
ness, and not on fools GRAND, was
the comment made when member of
the party was asked if it had attempt
ed to unearth the tabled buried trea-
sure; believed to have been left there
many years ago by one of the famous
piratical gangs. Judge Cooper also
stated that no attempt was made
to find any supposedly hidden wealth.
A substantial house has been erect
/ ed ON one of the islands, and sup
ply of provisions left there The
crates of chickens carried in the Luka
were returned, the possibility of the
fowls securing food appearing remote.
The waters adjacent to the islands are
said to be infested with rayenous
sharks. The Cooper party did not go
Ito Tanning island, though arrange