A REDISCOVERY

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 3, 4 July 1922, Page 8

A REDISCOVERY

ST. PAUL'S ROCKS.

The Portuguese ■ aviators who recently tried lo fly to South America used St. Paul's Rocks, a small island in mid-At-lantic, as a stepping-stone, and incidentally came to grief on its shores. To the average reader (says an Amorican paper) the name of St. Paul's Rocks is unfamiliar. Most readers were doubtless surprised to learn that any solid object existed above the water anywhero between the two continents, excepting, of course, the off-shore islands.

The average geography and map make no mention of St. Paul's Rocks. They are, of course, uninhabited. The Portuguese fliers idscovered that the position,of St. Paul's Rocks made it possible to fly the Atlantic without making a hop of more than 900 miles. The little-known island, or rather group, lies one degree above the Equator and 540 miles off the coast of South America. It is ' far off the ocean .lanes, and is very rarely visited.

In the ontire breadth of the Atlantic there is probably no land so remote The Rocks measure only about 1400 feet in length and some 700 feet in width. Thereis no harbour worth the name, the only entrance being a narrow inlet but a few feet in width It is extremely difficult to make a landing on the rocks, except in very, mild weather. As far as the records show, it has only been .visited two or three times in about fifty years. The most famous visitor to tho Rooks was doubtless Charles Darwin, who landed there and made minute investigations. His description of this visit is contained in his book on volcanic islands. The visit was a part of the extended voyage Darwin made in collecting data whioh in later years was to be confuted so vigorously by Mr. Bryan. Darwin decided after oareful investigation that the Rocks were not of volcanic origin. They lie much too far south to have been a. part of the fabulous continent of Atlantis;

„ In his report Darwin .says . that the island was composed of rocks unlike any he had ever-seen, and adds that! he was unable to characterise them by *ny name. They were, he: says, a peculiar greenish black in colour, and just hard enough to scratch glass. He succeeded in making soundings only. on (the..west tide'of the island, and found that the Rocks rose, abruptly, out. of'the .sea,' and; had no, neighbours,within' a rainge of several hundred miles. .";'!•,' '"■'.'- :' The Rocks were'also visited! and carefully .studied-;on the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger, and' made the subject of a scientific report/-;.-Most scientists,, despite Darwin, believe;'..that: the .Bocks ■ are of volcanic origin. They abound in sea fowl, small land creatures, insects,- : and spiders The fish are particularly abundant in the waters about the island. Tlie .visitors counted, seven different species in their short visit. So far as is known,. no.. Crusoe has ever been, wrecked on-,this lonely island, nor has it ever been inhabited; The highest point of tho" Rocks"! rises' only 50 feet above, the level of the; seaj. "" It is believed-by many that this remote groiip of rocks far out in the Atlantic may. become "an" important station on the.air route'-etwoen Europe, or rather Africa, and South America: At no/other paint either in. the North or South Atlantic can. the crossing be made by the air route with such short jumps. The distance from the Cape. Verde Islands is only about 900 miles, which is the .longest leg of the route. The length of the islandover one-fourth of a mile—and its height of fifty feet; it is thought, would make it possible to utilise it us an "air station and place a permanent colony on it.