DOUGHERTY'S ISLAND. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9041, 17 February 1891, Page 4

DOUGHERTY'S ISLAND. TO THE EDITOR.

Bra, —In reply to tha remarks of your shipping reporter ia your issue of to-day iv reference to the above island, I wish to point out that that geutleman says :— 1. " That bo far as he is aware—and in this opinion he is backed by experienced shipmasters—it is a moßt unusual thing for any vessel bound from New Zealand Homo (round Cape Horn) to experience north-east winds for 27 days. Of course such a thing might occur, but it ia very unlikely; indeed, were such winds prevalent it would bs impossible for ships to make the smart homeward passages recorded by them." In reply to the above, I bog to say that no one ever hinted that it was not unusual to have such a continuance of north-east winds

for bo long a period, but such is the fact that in two known inotances (the Cingalese and the City of Agra), the former being in command of Captain Stannard, who has at other times made some of the quickest passages on record, vessels fell in with such winds.

2. "la regard to the ship City of Agra, our reporter knows nothing o£ her; nor did ho quote any passage she may have made. Her uame doea not appear in 'Findlay's Directory' in connection with Dougherty's Island; so that Csptsin Stannard is a littla mixed in this part of his statement." Neither Captain Stannard nor myself ever said that the City of Agra was named in " Findlay's Directory," the second and last vessel reported in that directory being bo far back as 1859.

3. "Nor did that gentlemaa on his arrival here on February 8 mention that he had sighted the island on his homeward passage laafc year from Now Zealand to the United States." Neither did I cay that the island was sighted by Captain Sbannard last year on his voyage to the United States, and if your shipping reporter had gone on board tho Thurso he would have been shown all charts, &c, and discovered that it is about four years ago since the captain sighted the island, on which voyage he also sighted the City of Agra in the same neighbourhood three days afterwards. 4. "Hr J. 11. Jone3 in hi 3 communication infers that the island is almost unkoown. If that gentleman will take the trouble to consult tho Admiralty Sheet Chart No. 2, Pacific Ocean, he will find it correctly laid down, and as it is within the ice circle he may be assured only very untoward circumstances would take ships within its influence." The writer had seen the chart referred to and the island marked on it; also, he had read all " Findlay's Directory " had to say about it before writing his first letter, and it was the fact of there being co little recorded about the island, and tha doubts as to its real position, and the last information concerning it 31 years old, that induced him to give the matter publicity, and it was not with the object of entering into a discußsion with your shipping reporter. In conclusion, I quote your reporter's own words, which I thiuk strictly proves that I waß quite justified in making tho matter public. Ho says: " Captain Dougherty no doubt went that far south ia search of whales, and after this lapse of years it is impossible to say what took the Louise there; but we have no doubt sha experienced similar adverse winds to thoso met by Captain Stannard (a most experienced mariner), who would scarcely have been so far down had it not been for untoward circumstances. As regards the two fine ships Marlborough and Dunedin (quoted by llr Jones), it is hardly possible they could havo been driven in that direction. Such a thing m&y have occurred, but it is highly improbable." Apologising for taking up so much of your space.—l am, &c,

Johk Maitland Jones, Duncdin, February 16.

P.S.—Captain Fairchild, of the Hineraoa, has just reported finding a wreck on tho Snares, supposed to have been there for many years, and yet if many people had been told previously that such could have been the case they would have doubted it, and onswered that a wreck could not be long co near to us without being flighted. J.M.J.