Evening star., 1935-10-20
u. S. Has New
Island Possessions
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

a good many years since land was claimed
by Americans by the expedient of raising
the American flag and asserting posses
sion, except for Admiral Byrd's diScov-
cries in the wastes of Little America.
but adventurous history never seems a
completed tale.
The islands were not unknown, but
they were regarded as Of so little inn
portance and worth that no one thought
to claim them for any country. Guano
hunters have landed on the islands, but
they have remained uninhabited. The
islands are Jarvis, Baker and Rowland,
and they are such small dots that it is
difficult to discover them on the map.
The reason that the United States now
has seen fit to claim and colonize the
islands is that they occupy strategic
locations along the air route to Australia,
a route which, so far, is only mapped,
but over which ultimately it is expected
regular transport and mail service
will ply.
Jarvis has a unique position. It is
right on the Equator and is crossed by
the l60th meridian Of longitude. This
places it in the exact center Of the
Pacific Ocean. The island is, like the
other two, a coral atoll. 1t is only 3
miles long and less broad, and the only
life except bird life, consists of crabs
and rats. Rowland and Baker Islands
are close together some 800 miles to the
west of Jarvis.
Usually it is ship of the United States
Navy or some Army force which acquires
territory for the United States. In this
instance, the acquisition has been made
by the Department of Commerce. In
studying the projected route to Australia
and New Zealand, the Bureau of Air
Commerce noted that these dots of coral
islands were approximately on the route.
Distances in the Pacific are magnificent,
and while ships at sea are not especially
handicapped by long voyages, it is i'm
perative for airships to have occasional
landing places.
The bureau arranged with the Coast
Guard to send the Cutter ItaSca with
William Miller, an Air Commerce man,
aboard, to explore the three islands. Mr..
MillerS report was favorable. While
uninhabited, the islands seemed to be
permanent and gave no signs of being
of the type which occasionally sinks into
the sea, to re-emerge later Thereupon,
the bureau dispatched Rex Martin to the
Pacific to see what could be done about
permanent occupation. This is neces-
Sary in order to clinch the American
claim to sovereignty.
The result has been the founding Of
three colonies, but they are so small that
they might well be called Robinson
CruSoe colonies There is at Honolulu
an endowed school for the education of
Hawaiian youths known as the Kane
hameha School, named for the King Of
Hawaii who first consolidated the rule
of the islands After due consultation
with the officials, Mr.. Martin got IL
volunteers from among the youths. A
colony consisting of four each has been
placed on each of the three islands.
While these colonists are of Hawaiian
blood they are Americans, having been
born under American rule. They speak
English as fuently if not more f1uently
than the people of Brooklyn or New
Jersey and are thoroughly imbued with
the American spirit.
+
Hawaiians were very deliberately
chosen, as it was deemed they could
subsist more comfortably in the Equa-
torial Pacific than any one sent from
the mainland of the United States.
Although not the natural paradise that
the Hawaiian Islands constitute. still
conditions on the three new islands are,
in general, the same. For one thing the
supply problem was reduced to a mini
mum by the selection of Hawaiians. Com
munication is infrequent. but native
Hawaiians know how to get their food
out OF the sea.
A few indispensable supplies were
landed with each of the colonies and
then they were left to shift for them
selves. The first task was the construc-
ton of camps. The lads were Skillful
at this and in short order had themselves
sheltered The colony on Jarvis had
especially good fortune. Twenty-Five
years ago the steamship Amaranth was
lost in these waters and, on reef on
the Jarvis coast, was found the wreck
of a vessel. During the years the ship
has been so badly battered and torn
apart that identification was not certain.
That made no particular difference.
What was important was that there still
was a good deal that could be salvaged
from the wrecked hulk.
y *
Materials for the building of their hutS
were found available and some odds
| and ends were also found-some useful,
some merely curious. For example, some
| of the ships china was found still un-
broken and this proved handy. Also the
boys we're able to scrape up some vestiges
of coal to supplement their fuel for cook
ing. 1t is possible that one OF the colo
niSts will find use for bottle OF hair
| tonic which was discovered miraculouSly
unbroken, but what will be done with a
surviving baby carriage has not devel-
oped. Possibly some sort of cart for
hauling can be devised, although Ha-
! waiisns are not notable for mechanical
ability.
The three colonies will not be wholly
idle. Each was equipped with simple
Instruments 1t is the plan Of the Air
| Commerce Bureau that constant obSer-
vations shall be made in study Of
weather conditions Wind direction and
velocity are of chief importance in air
navigation, but the incidence of storms
and of rainfall will be included in the
| study. The boys were given sufficient
instruction in these tasks at the outset
| for them to be competent in compiling
| reports.
Recently the colonies were visited by
an official ship out of Honolulu and were
| found to be thriving. They had been
| on the islands four months and while
| glad to receive letters and newspapers
| from home after so long, they were
found to be enjoying their Robinson