HIDDEN PERILS OF THE DEEP 



835 



different positions, ranging in latitude 

 from 30 29' to 30 42' N. and in longi- 

 tude from 1 39 37' to 140 38' E. 



DOUBTFUL ISLANDS 



There have been a number of reports 

 of islands in the area from latitude 40 

 00' to 40° 30' N. and longitude 150 30' 

 to 15 1 ° oo' W. The master of the bark 

 Washington reported in 1867: "On my 

 passage from the Sandwich Islands to 

 the northwest coast of the United States, 

 when in latitude 40 00' N., in a dense 

 fog, I perceived the sea to be discolored. 

 Soundings at first gave great depths, but 

 diminished gradually to 9 fathoms, when 

 through the mist an island was seen, 

 along which I sailed 40 miles. It was 

 covered with birds, and the sea swarmed 

 with seal and sea-elephants." A United 

 States vessel searched in this vicinity 

 without seeing any indication of land, 

 and obtained soundings of 2,600 fathoms. 

 A British ship in 1858 searched for four- 

 teen days over this area without finding 

 anything. Searches were also made in 

 i860 and 1867 without success, and the 

 present charts show no islands in this 

 part of the Pacific. 



In a number of cases erroneous posi- 

 tions have been due simply to blunders. 

 Thus Lots Wife, first seen by Captain 

 Meares in 1788, was shown on his chart 

 in latitude 29 50' N., longitude 156 

 00' E., and stated in his book to be in 

 latitude 29 50' N. and longitude 142 

 23' E. Massachusetts Island by one re- 

 port was in longitude 177 05' E. and by 

 another in 167 05' E. The apparent 

 blunder of io° is now immaterial, as the 

 island has disappeared from the charts 

 altogether. The Knox Islands were 

 placed by the, Wilkes Exploring Expedi- 

 tion in latitude 5 59' 15" N., longitude 

 172 02' 33" E. The old charts showed 

 islands of this name also in latitude 5 

 59' N., longitude 172 03' W., the lon- 

 gitude being doubtless transposed. In 

 the case of Starbuck Island, discovered 

 south of the Equator, the latitude was 

 apparently transposed, as on old charts 

 it was also shown in the position, lati- 

 tude 5 40' N., longitude 156 55' W. 



A pinnacle rock can sometimes be lo- 

 cated only with great difficulty, even 

 when known to exist. Rodger Rock, on 

 which the bark Ellen struck and was 

 damaged, lies in latitude o° 41' 15" N. 

 and longitude 107 31' E. It has but 

 three feet over it at low tide. The British 

 surveying ship Rifleman searched four 

 days before finding it, although the plot- 

 ted tracks showed that she and her boats 

 had passed very close to it. This indi- 

 cates that great caution must be used in 

 removing a reported danger from the 

 charts. 



A comparison of a Pacific Ocean chart 

 of about forty years ago with one of the 

 present time (see page 836) illustrates 

 in a striking manner how many doubtful 

 dangers, or vigias, have gotten on the 

 charts and how after laborious search 

 many of them have now been removed. 

 This condition was especially true of the 

 Pacific, owing to the numerous reports 

 of an indefinite nature from whaling 

 ships, among whose captains there was 

 a saying "that they do not care where 

 their ship is, so long as there are plenty 

 of whales in sight." 



DEATH TRAPS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 

 AVOIDED 



That the use of corrected and up-to- 

 date charts is important is illustrated by 

 the following instances, taken from the 

 records of the British courts, showing 

 the results of failure to provide such 

 charts : 



In 1890 the steamer Dunluce was lost 

 owing to the use of an old edition of the 

 Admiralty chart which showed a depth 

 of 4I/2 fathoms on the Wikesgrund, 

 whereas the later charts showed much 

 less water. 



In 1891 the steamer Trent was lost on 

 the Missipezza Rock, in the Adriatic. 

 The ship was navigated by a private 

 chart, published in 1890, which did not 

 show this rock, and by sailing directions 

 published in 1866. 



The steamer Aboraca, stranded in the 

 Gulf of Bothnia in 1894, was being navi- 

 gated by a chart corrected to 1881, which 



