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Howland is a low, flat, sand and coral island, shaped like a flattened 
“hot dog” or elongated bean. It is a little over a mile and a haif long, by 
a half mile wide, with a maximum elevation of 18 to 20 feet, and a land 
area of about 400 acres. It is surrounded by a narrow fringing reef, just 
awash at low tide, off which the ocean deepens rapidly except at the 
north and south ends. 
The entire western or lee beach is sandy and low; that on the eastern 
or weather side higher, more abrupt, and* covered w T ith coral rubble and 
sandstone slabs. There is no pronounced beach crest and no central basin 
(dried up lagoon) such as one usually finds on such flat coral islands. 
For this reason it was naturally adapted to development as an airfield. 
Part of the north central portion has been dug over for guano, and there 
are some artificial trenches near the kou thickets, but otherwise most of 
.^riie surface is quite flat. 
Only six species of plants were found on Howland, prior to its recent 
occupation. Lepturus bunchgrass, Bocrhaavia herb, and two kinds of 
purslane or pig weed (Portulaca lute a and oleracea) dominate the sur¬ 
face. There are scattered patches of Tribulus, and a few small clumps of 
scrubby kou trees (Cordia), apparently more dead than alive, due to the 
dryness and nesting birds. 
Jj^The climate is decidedly warm and dry, although not disagreeably 
hot, except in the noonday sun. Occasional light showers fall, especially 
in the early morning. The column of warm air, arising from the sandy 
flat, helps to prevent the formation of clouds over the island, and hence 
heavy tropical showers by day. The winds blow almost continually from 
the eastward, south of east in summer, north of east in winter. 
The usual species of sea and migratory birds are found on Howland, 
variety of the small, gray Polynesian rat has been so abundant as to 
cause much distress to persons living on the island. The presence of 
this rat, kou trees, and a few archaeological sites, such as stone paths 
and pits in which food plants might have been cultivated, suggest that 
the island was known and visited by Polynesians. There are the usual 
hermit crabs and insects, and marine life abounds. 
Captain George E. Netcher of New Bedford, who visited Howland 
in the whale ship Isabella, September 9, 1842, is credited with naming 
the island, it is said, for the lookout who first sighted it. But there is no 
doubt that it was seen and perhaps even landed upon by several vessels 
prior to that, one of which was the American whaler Minerva Smyth, 
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Captain Daniel McKenzie, of New Bedford, December 1, 1828. Later 
many whalers stopped there, and on it many a fine ship was wrecked. It 
was called Worth Island after Capt. George B. Worth, who discovered it 
m the Nantucket whaleship Oeno, about 1822. 
On February 5, 1857, Alfred G. Benson and Charles H. Judd landed 
on Howland from the Hawaiian schooner Liholiho (Captain John Paty), 
raised the American flag, and took formal possession in the name of the 
American Guano Company, of New York, by erecting a small house and 
“leaving various implements of business.” They stayed until the 26th, 
taking a generous sample of the guano which they found m great 
abundance. 
On the same cruise of the Liholiho, Jarvis and Baker islands likewise 
were claimed, and shortly thereafter guano digging operations were begun 
on them by the American Guano Co., under bonds 1 and 2, dated Oc¬ 
tober 28, 1856. But strangely, claim was not made to Howland until 
December 3, 1858 (bond No. 4), and accounts of guano enterprise 
generally assign it to the United States Guano Co. 
The reason for this was the competition between two guano com¬ 
panies for the use of the island. In June, 1859, representatives of the 
American Guano Co. were landed on Howland. The same month the 
ship Ivanhoe arrived, hoping to get possession for the United States 
Guano Co., but left, disappointed. However, the latter company some¬ 
how managed to get a toehold on the island, for in February, 1861, we 
learn that Captain Stone of the American Guano Company's brigantine 
Josephine landed on Howland and politely notified two agents of the 
United States Guano Co., whom he found there, to be ready to leave 
whenever the opportunity offered. Thereafter Howland was visited 
regularly by the American Guano Company’s vessel which brought sup¬ 
plies to the guano islands. 
The years 1870 to 1872 marked the peak of Howland guano digging. 
Between August and December, 1870, with Captain Ross as superinten¬ 
dent, seven ships (German, British, and American) were loaded with 
7,600 tons of guano, in 109 working days, a record for this guano island. 
American guano digging enterprise seems to have come to an end on 
Howland in October, 1878, when “Capt. Jos. Spencer, wife, and 3 child¬ 
ren, E. Wheeler, Chas. Hines, John MacWiggins, Gabriel Holmes, and 
34 native laborers” returned to Honolulu aboard the Joseph Woolley. 
John T. Arundel and Co. occupied Howland between 1886 and 1891, 
using 100 natives from Niue and the Cook group to perform the physical 
