A LONELY GUANO ISLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18175, 22 August 1922, Page 9

A LONELY GUANO ISLAND.

LOADING OF THE TWICKENHAM.

The lonely island of St. Pierre, in the Seychelles Group, north of Madagascar, where the steamer Twickenham, now in Auckland, loaded guano a few weeks ago, is described in an interesting manner by the officers of that vessel. The island,. which is almost round and only about 20ft. above the sea level at the highest point, has a maximum width of not more than three-quarters of a mile. The animal life if confined to a few half wild goats and a species of land crabs, while in vegetable life the island is unable to boast anything more luxuriant than, a few wild watermelons and some scattered scrub.

Steamers loading at St. Pierre are able to steam close to the lafld as the water is \ 50 fathoms deep 200 yds from the shore. - • Erected on one side of the island—the only place at which it is possible to get any. communication with the shore—is a cantilever pier with two wooden chutes attached • to either side of it, down which the bag 3 of guano are loaded into small boats. -A - continual ewell is running there, and the surf at low water sometimes stops loading operations. From the drying shed, which is a short distance inland from the end of the pier, the guano is brought in bogey waggons over a weighbridge, a little more than one ton being taken each time. The loading boats carry between five and fifteen tons and are (owed out to the loading steamer by a motor-boat. The Twickenham, which picked up one motor-boat and eight loading boats at Mahe, the largest island in the group, and also 200 labourers to assist in the wo»! \ loaded her cargo of 5000 tons in abouti**.,.;•: davs. Her best day's work was a »<*"»;, . - 503 tons, transferred from the shore ship during the daylight hours.. -l n * V vious best day's work was 435 ion •