1928 Shock News : Pacific Island Disappeared

9 Responses to 1928 Shock News : Pacific Island Disappeared

1. Bill says:

   May 31, 2013 at 3:34 pm

   Where is it now, Steve?

   Reply
2. Blade says:

   May 31, 2013 at 5:00 pm

   Cool story! I wonder if JJ Abrams knew about this when they made “Lost”.

   The text is almost completely de-OCR’d now but still need a few patches fixed up. If you have good deciphering skillz for scanned newspapers have a look.

   FALCON ISLAND

   South Pacific Mystery!

   APPEARS AND DISAPPEARS

   One of the most remarkable islands yet charted on the maps of the South Pacific Ocean is Falcon Island, which is nominally one of the Tonga group in the South Pacific and his played hide-and-seek for some 41 years.

   It has not, apparently, the slightest idea of remaining where it belongs and its eccentric movements have caused the mapmakers and hydrographical surveyors to tear their hair. It was first seen in 1885, bu**ing up the horizon, with cliffs 150 feet high. The mapmakers had barely put it down on their charts before the island vanished. So the spot was rubbed oc** the maps. In 1898, during an attack of violent indigestion the ocean belched up the elusive Falcon. Once more the mapmakers recorded it on their cu**ful graphs.

   Again the island disappeared, and was apprehended two years later by British naval authorities who said it was this time only six feet out of water. The geographic scribes shifted their quids and did their duty. Thereupon the island vanished. For the last twenty years it has appeared whenever the mood seized.

   After a prolonged jaunt over the Pacific, Falcon has again appeared and has taken up a position some 45 miles north of the respectable Isle of Nukuolofa. The crew of H.M.S. Laburnum, which recently sighted it. Report that its present length is one mile and that it looms up at least 300 feet in the air.

   Reply
   • tckev says:

     May 31, 2013 at 6:42 pm

     Thanks, that’s more readable.

     Reply
3. henrythethird says:

   May 31, 2013 at 5:37 pm

   That’s no island…

   Reply
4. harrydhuffman (@harrydhuffman) says:

   May 31, 2013 at 6:01 pm

   If I had an SUV, at this point in the public shouting match I would be proud it could take out a rogue island (or Death Star, as henrythethird indicates–that’s good).

   Reply
   • harrydhuffman (@harrydhuffman) says:

     May 31, 2013 at 6:07 pm

     How about, “That’s no island…that’s Kong! Dig faster, men! We’ll lure it into the pit! Hold the girl up where he can see her!” (I could do a “Flash Gordon” version as well…)

     Reply
5. Will Nitschke says:

   June 1, 2013 at 9:32 am

   So the TV series Lost was based on true events?

   Reply
   • henrythethird says:

     June 2, 2013 at 1:28 am

     Either that, or we’ve discovered Dr. Evil’s secret lair…

     Reply
   • Robert says:

     May 9, 2015 at 4:23 am

     Yes it was, indirectly. On Sept. 22, 1892, Engine (locomotive) 115 was lost in a sinkhole in NW England. That inspired the A.C. Doyle short story “The Lost Special”, which “Lost” was based partly on & derived its title from.

     Reply