8o Director' s Ainiual Report. 



On the evening of the day previous to our sighting land, while 

 we were something over a hundred miles to the north and east of 

 it, all of the land birds observed took a uniform course off our star- 

 board bow as they flew heavily laden on their return home from the 

 day's fishing at sea. We held a course pracftically due west, and 

 on the following noon sighted Marcus two points off our port bow. 

 By knowing something of the radius to which certain of the birds 

 observed go to sea, it did not seem improbable that the island (loc. 

 cit., p. 1 126) reported by the whaler as being in 26° 6' N., 154° 36' E. 

 might yet be found to be a reality. 



When the island was sighted from the masthead at about 7:30 

 on the morning of July 30, 1902, it resembled a low level cloud just 

 discernible above the horizon. By 9 o'clock a rough outline was 

 easil>- traced ; an hour later a sandy beach and a few straggling 

 coconuts rising above the forest line were seen ; but nowhere, either 

 at this time or subsequeitth% were we able to locate any elevation 

 that could be mistaken for the sandy mound reported on Weeks 

 Island. As we came closer to land breakers could be seen on the 

 reef along the northwest side. A boat was lowered and manned. 

 The Captain's party, including Mr. Sedgwick and the writer, took 

 places in the stern, and then began one of the most exciting ex- 

 periences of my life, for it was evident that we would have to make 

 a landing over the reef, and the presence of numerous sharks about 

 our boat made a setting for the undertaking which gave every 

 promise of a real adventure. As we were rowed landward we could 

 see the swells breaking into great sheets of spray on the jagged sub- 

 merged walls of coral and shooting high into the air ; but by follow- 

 ing along the line of breakers we finall}- came to a place about a 

 third of the distance from the southwest point where, by waiting 

 a favorable opportunity, it was possible to get our boat through a 

 narrow shallow opening in the reef, and to make our landing with- 

 out mishap. 



Finding certain of^cers of the Japanese Government in posses- 

 sion of what we had anticipated to be American territory, it might 

 be well to explain that, remote as the island is from the two coun- 

 tries, both Governments had considered it of sufficient importance 

 to lay claim to its sovereignty. The Japanese claim was based 

 fundamentally on its accidental discovery by a shipwrecked captain, 

 who had gone ashore on the island in a terrific storm. This event 



