Would the castaways have written a diary of events?

[Irvine John Donald]

You see it all the time in movies.  The castaway records the passage of time, or writes notes for someday when they are rescued or their body found.

Would our intrepid castaways have created such a record?  Where would it be? What would they have written it on?  How would they store it?  If they didn't write one then why not?

We can only speculate about this because as we all know there hasn't been anything like this found. Its possible they never wrote anything but if they did where would you store it?  On the Electra? Protected on land somehow?  A stone marker?  What would you have written in it?  Something like "I may not survive but I want to make sure the glory seekers of tomorrow, like Gary Lapook, get the story right!  For the record Gary, Ric is right!  Now to the story..."

Or would it be some sad tale of thirst and hungar where the castaways describe their efforts to radio for help and the sad disappointment when none arrives. Where AE writes that her and FN used the primary octant and second "preventer" sextant to compare sun and star sights to determine their position.  281 south of Howland. With AE finally admitting to FN that she keyed "north" by mistake. Where FN flies into a rage and pushes the Electra off the reef flat."

Seriously. If the Electra is discovered might a record be found?  Is there a bottle with a message near the seven site?  Was there even enough time for either one of them to think of this never mind actually do it?  If one of them died early would the other have left a death record as an act of decency?

So many thoughts on this. What would I do?  After a few days I would like to think I would try to leave some marking of my passing.

Any ideas folks?

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Would our intrepid castaways have created such a record?  Where would it be? What would they have written it on?  How would they store it?  If they didn't write one then why not?

These are interesting, but unanswerable questions--unless and until something is found.

All they would need is time, materials, and the inclination to use them.

I imagine that if they'd built a cairn, or something on that scale, it would have been found by now. 

I also imagine that there was something in the sextant box, now lost and gone forever.

[John Ousterhout]

AE was a journalist and writer, so she would have had writing materials, and the inclination to keep a record.  It's easy to imagine she would have written details of their experience, assuming they would be rescued, which would make a great story.  Once hope faded, who knows if she would continue writing?  Probably, but any paper record has not turned up.
As for Fred, I also believe he would write something.  He may have had a more fatalistic attitude, having survived (three?) ship sinkings during the war.  Then again, those experiences might have given him a sense of hope, since he was always rescued.

[Irvine John Donald]

Hi Marty.  I agree that this thread is pure speculation in that there is no current evidence to support it.  I believe that someone with loved ones may at least have wanted to leave some record of who they are/were if for no other reason than to put their loved ones minds at rest. Look at what Putnam went through searching all angles, even seeking out Edgar Cayce. FN's wife would have suffered equally but in a less public manner.

The sextant box would have been a great choice for holding the few few familiar objects that a dying castaway might clutch in their last hours. But alas it was not designed for this. Paper notes would blow away or even mildew away.  The native who found it may have dumped the "garbage" out when they found it. Innocently finding a treasure while depriving the world of its real recorded history.

Glass bottles or sealable containers?  (My wife could write entire novels for the rest of her life and never fill all the Tupperware in our house). 

Stone cairns?  Seems natural to look for these.  From what I've read about Niku I get the feeling that much of the island is unexplored. Not in the way you might go for a walk and observe your surroundings but in the TIGHAR way of scouring above and below the surface.

You're right Marty. Unprovable until you find that one piece of evidence. But isn't that just the way this mystery is?

A little experiment. Ask family and friends what they would do. Post your results.

[Daniel Paul Cotts]

My speculation is that if anything was written that it was eventually used as tinder in starting fires. Likewise any container / bottle would be used for immediate survival tasks. The Benedictine bottle would be an example: Castaway

[Chris Johnson]

Hi Marty.  I agree that this thread is pure speculation in that there is no current evidence to support it.  I believe that someone with loved ones may at least have wanted to leave some record of who they are/were if for no other reason than to put their loved ones minds at rest. Look at what Putnam went through searching all angles, even seeking out Edgar Cayce. FN's wife would have suffered equally but in a less public manner.

The sextant box would have been a great choice for holding the few few familiar objects that a dying castaway might clutch in their last hours. But alas it was not designed for this. Paper notes would blow away or even mildew away.  The native who found it may have dumped the "garbage" out when they found it. Innocently finding a treasure while depriving the world of its real recorded history.
Glass bottles or sealable containers?  (My wife could write entire novels for the rest of her life and never fill all the Tupperware in our house). 

Stone cairns?  Seems natural to look for these.  From what I've read about Niku I get the feeling that much of the island is unexplored. Not in the way you might go for a walk and observe your surroundings but in the TIGHAR way of scouring above and below the surface.

You're right Marty. Unprovable until you find that one piece of evidence. But isn't that just the way this mystery is?

A little experiment. Ask family and friends what they would do. Post your results.

Read Dr Kings Thirteen Bones, thats exactly what happens in his story.  When i read it I wanted to shout 'STOP' as the islander didn't know just how important the papers were.

[Harry Howe, Jr.]

Use your browser and look for  Kensington Rune Stone as an example of the extent to which explorers might go to leave a record of their passing.

I don't know about AE's habits but when I flew I always had two thigh-mounted clipboards with tablets, approach plats, etc on which I recorded flight data etc.  I think that, as a writer, AE had the materials and the inclination to record their experience.

[Irvine John Donald]

Hi Harry.  Thats a great article!  I had no idea this runestone or it's controversy existed. This is precisely what I am thinking the castaways would have done. Leave something behind to identify themselves. Too bad it was likely on paper.  :(

[Chris Johnson]

There was the 'G' anomoly near the 7 site  ;)

[Phil T Martin]

I've often wondered about the 'G' anomoly; could it have been a cursive 'A' at one time and over the years the coral was moved by plant growth and critters? Would someone take the time and attempt to spell something out in cursive? One of those things we'll never know for sure...

[Ricker H Jones]

Another interesting example is the story of the Lady Be Good diaries.  (This web site also has an interesting computer flight simulation of the end of the flight, and the discovery of the crew's remains.)

[Harry Howe, Jr.]

Chris
Link to info about "G" anomoly?  First time that I am reading about it.

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Link to info about "G" anomoly?  First time that I am reading about it.

Info about the find.

Analysis and guesses.

"Obscured" in 2007.

[Harry Howe, Jr.]

Thanks Marty for the info on the "G"anomoly.  Perhaps it stood for "George" Putnam?

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Thanks Marty for the info on the "G" anomaly.  Perhaps it stood for "George" Putnam?

I think about all that we can say is that it is a constructed marker of some kind.

I believe someone put the marker there so that they or someone else could
come back to that exact spot.

So far as I know, that area hasn't been searched as intensively as the Seven Site.
We may never know who made the mark.