Evening journal., 1921-12-28
XMAS island
LONELY, LOVELY
Bit of Land in Indian Ocean
May be of Astronomic
Value
WICKED RED CRAB
AND SKUNK TREE

Christmas Island, in the Indian
Ocean, one OF the several bits OF
land that lonely voyagers have come
upon in the holiday season and have
named accordingly, may play an inn
portant part in the further checking
lup OF the Einstein theory. accord
ing to press reports from London.
The Royal Observatory at Green
wich Is planning to send to the tiny
island, shortly after the first OF the
year, an expedition equipped with
good-sized telescopes to observe next
September's total eclipse of the sun.
A Dutch astronomical party may al
so install its instruments there.
The island is the subject of the
following bulletin from the National
Geographic Society:
/ Christmas Island has been describ-
ed by travellers as at once one OF
the loneliest spots in the world.
And its possession of tree-climbing
crabs and a super-scented tree gives
II right to be classed as one of the
queerest.
Java. its nearest neighbor TO the
north, is $50 miles away. the little
4 Cocos Islands lie more than 600
miles to the west, Australia is 1000
miles. to the southeastward while
to the south the waters of the Indian
/ ocean are unbroken by even the
smallest islands until the lands
around the South Pole are reached
at a distance OF nearly 1000 miles.
The island. twelve miles long by nine
miles broad. is in reality made up
Of the slopes and top OF a huge
mountain peak. Soundings show
that II the waters of the ocean were
drained away a rough pyramid 49,
600 feet high would stand alone in
a plain. the present island forming
the last 1000 feet OF its slopes.
The island is believed to be
unique in that it is probably the
only tropical island capable Of sus-
tanning a considerable population
which had never been peopled until
after its discovery by Europeans.
Except where sheer rock walls oc-
cur, II is heavily wooded from the
waters edge to the summit Cocoa
nuts and sago palms, as we'll as
many other tropical trees grow in
profusion. Beneath them is a tanglt
OF tropical underground, but in this
jungle are no wild beasts and only
few harmless reptiles.
But one pestlferous creature /:
, omnipresent-a wicked looking red
crab. Some OF these creatures at
tain a size OF nine inches across the
! back. They do not confine them
selves to tie shore sands, but range
e all over the island, and always II
groups. Sometimes armies Of then
march along. They even climb th'
j. trees and feast on the succulent nipi
4 palms As an offset to the crabs tn
s island. unlike practically ever
2 other tropical land. Is mosquitoes
4 This boon it owes 20 Its porous sol
8 and steep slopes Even in the rain,
5 season. there Is no standing water.
- Vegetable Pariah
3 For one of its features. Christmas
Island may be said to be infamou
. rather than famous. IL is tree, be
3 lieved not 10 exist elsewhere, whicl
s is described by one disguised visito
6 to the island as emitting "the mos
4 disagreeable odor in the world.
? with a trunk as sturdy as an oal
- and leaves as graceful as those Of al
/ aspen. Il gives to the eye no indica
ton OF its true character. But IL
scent permeates the air for hun
dreds of feet in every direction; an
II one is unfortunate enough to 81
y much as touch its bark or leaves
y nothing short OF repeated scrub
bings with strong carbolic soap wi
make him again fit for human 50
i oiety
- "Rich deposits OF phosphate ,
- lime occur on Christmas Island.
e fact to which Il owes such impor
II ance as Il possesses in non-echp'
y years A phosphate company regi
IT larly takes shiploads OF the miner
. from the island to Singapore, whei
l. II is marketed as fertilizer. MOI
e than 1000 coolies, mostly Chimes
l. are engagd in the mining operation
and with the overseers. sikh poh'
and company agents, constitute q
n islands made-to-order populatio
n The island is a British possessio
y having been annexed in 1855 aft
- the discovery OF the rien fertiliz
" deposits.
r christmas Island has been chos
as the chief observation point
the 1922 eclipse OF the sun becau
.,s Il is not only in the belt of totalii
!. hut the sun will be obscured the
y at a time when II is high in Z
~ heavens. The pencil OF shadow
II connection with which scientists a
oi basing high hopes will be touch
TO the earth in Abyssinia, will
,s drawn over narrow Italian Soma
,o land. and from there onward "
a. trace it's way almost entirely oy
an landless portions OF the Indi
~ Ocean several hundred miles sou
M Of the Asiatic mainland. II W
al cross Australia mainly in the u
settled northern regions and will
cd lifted in the neighborhood of NJ
he folk Island northwest OF New z'
re land"
lie. -------
CRIME WAVE ROLLS