Byers's Island

28°32′N 177°04′E

Byers Island along with other phantom islands northwest of Hawaii on a JRO globe around 1960
Byer or Patrocinio in Stieler's Handatlas from 1891; northwest of it Morell, each with question marks

Byers's Island is a phantom island (island that doesn't exist) reported by Captain Benjamin Morrell in his 1832 book A Narrative of Four Voyages[1].

History

The island was first reported by Benjamin Morrell in his 1832 book A Narrative of Four Voyages, which recounts his various journeys across the high seas between 1822-1831. Morrell writes that he landed on an island he called "Byers's Island", on 12th July 1825. According to Morrell, this island was located at 28°32'N latitude, 177°4'E longitude, and is "about four miles in circumference", "moderately elevated", and features "some bushes and spots of vegetation".[2]

Following publication, the island falsely appeared in various maps and atlases throughout the 1800s. Stielers Handatlas from 1891 depicts two islands, labeled Byer od. Patrocinio, and Morell, followed by question marks, suggesting that the island's existence was known to be dubious. A maritime manual in 1899 lists Byers's and Morell Island as doubtful.[3]

Some globes continued to display the island, along with other phantom islands in the Pacific, as late as the 1960s.

Source of the hoax

The origin of Byers's Island is unknown. While A Narrative of Four Voyages was published under Morell's name, it was potentially ghostwritten by magazine editor Samuel Woodworth.[4] As a result, it is unclear whether Morrell or Woodworth was the originator of the hoax. The name of the island, "Byers", matches that of Morell's employer and ship owner, and as such this is the likely origin for the name.

Reference works
  • Henry M. Stommel: Lost Islands. The Story of Islands That Have Vanished from Nautical Charts. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver 1984, ISBN 978-0-7748-0210-9 .

References
  1. Laskow, Sarah (16 February 2016). "19th-Century Atlases Included Hundreds of Fake Islands". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  2. Benjamin Morrell: A narrative of four voyages, to the South Sea, North and South Pacific Ocean, Chinese Sea, Ethiopic and Southern Atlantic Ocean, Indian and Antarctic Ocean, from the year 1822 to 1831 at Google Books. New York 1832, p. 218
  3. The Hawaiian Islands and the Islands, Rocks and Shoals to the Westward. Hydrographic Office, Washington 1899, p. 53
  4. Burton R. Pollin: Poe’s life reflected through the sources of ‘Pym’. In: Richard Kopley (ed.): Poe’s ‘Pym’: critical explorations. Durham & London 1992, pp. 95–103, p. 100
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