The Portland daily press., 1866-08-25
Life ON n Guans island.
y BAKERS ISLAND, ON
Lat. 200, '13, north, long. e176, y we

Lat. 700, IL, north, long. -IJo, ~ Mes6
Pacific Ocean, March, 1866.
TO TIE EDITOR or THE PRESS:
Perhaps few of your readers are aware
that there is little spot situated here in the
centre of the vast Pacific Ocean, where flies
the beloved flag of our great American Repub-
lie; yet such has been the case for the last
seven years, and if the infamous Waddell had
known it, when he passed just to the west
ward of this, on his errand of destruction to
the Arctic, very likely he would have made it
in his way to call, and added another Ameri-
can ship or two, to his list.
Yet, to this little deseiate and isolated spot,
near 5000 miles from you, via Panama, San
Francisco, and the Sandwich Islands, comes
regularly, at intervals of about two months,
your valuable paper, the daily issue of which
I had the pleasure Of perlsing, while with
you, during our eountry's trial, for near three
years, and my principal object in writing you
at this time, is to speak of the pleasure with
which hail its appearance. Even the adver-
tisements have no reason to complain, but are
read with peculiar interest, for the familiarity
of the names makes them appear like old
friends.
The American Guano Company at New
York, commenced to work this Island, in 1857,
changing from Jarvis Island, which is situated
about one thousand miles east of here, to this
one, on account of the superior quality OF the
deposit; since which time they have despatch
ed some ten cargoes per annum; shipping it
only in American bottoms, and to American
ports; in shortit was apurely American institu-
tion,) according to an act of Congress guaran-
teeing to them their protection, until 1862,
when the war obliged them to suspend opera
ming the cargoes to Europe, without regard to
the nationality of the vessels employed. The
winter of that year, was an uncommon one,
in many parts of the world, and the effects OF
the hurricanes in China were severely felt
here, anu IN many oC1Icr pe-ts of the Pacific.
whereby some ships were lost here. But since
I landed here last August, there have been
loaded and despatched three American ships,
two English, and one Prussian; carrying car
goes of between one and two thousand tons
each; while we have five more now here load
ing, or waiting their turn. Of these five, two
are English, two German, and one Hawaiian,
and truly it is quite an item in the present
state of business, to procure a freight out of
the Pacific
Three of the English ships have Americans
for officers, and are perhaps what are Familiarity
called "white-washed" ships. The Captains
have assured me that it did their hearts good,
to see the glorious old flag flying here, so much
so that they freely confess the reluctance with
which they set their own, and thank God, now
is the time when every American can hail his
own flag, in any corner of the globe, with a
feeling of just pride, as truly the flag of the
free, without spot or blemish. Please excuse
this little DEPRESSION.
Twill now try to give you brief description
of the island, which may be interesting to some.
tits about one mile in diameter or three in cir
conference, of coral formation, surrounded by
a level reef of one hundred yards in width up
on which the sea breaks heavily at times, per-
fectly barren, with the exception of quantity
of dry beach grass, surrounding the outer vein,
which is eighteen feet above the level of the
sea, slightly sloping to the centre. At certain
seasons of the year it is nearly covered by the
various species of sea fowl, the eggs of some of
which are very fine. At these times the noise
Of these BIRDS with the roar of the surf, is near
ly deafening. e.rensr r..d.
Our flag flying from its seventy five foot staff |
can be seen in any direction from the sea, long
before the island itself rises above the horizon
The island is worked by Kanackas Cor Sand |
wich Island natives), the number of whom en-
ployed varies from eighty to one hundred |
These are relieved at the end of the year.
There are about eight white men, carpenters |
81 e H. =.
William Babcock, an old whale-ship master
from New London, and your correspondent,
who was connected With the company for the
i've years preceding the war. We have horses
% haul the cars and other stock, the provender /
or which comes from the Sandwich Islands,
bout sixteen hundred miles direct, the source /
# all our supplies. The fresh water required,
and it is not small quantity, is procured
principally by condensing, although the ships
upply a portion. Our locality being only thir-
cen miles from the equator, one would natu-
ally expect to find it exceedingly hot, but as
re enjoy the uninterrupted trade winds, it is
ooler here, especially during the night, than
the Sandwich and West India islands,
hough small spot, it contains from three to
'ur hundred thousand tons of what chemists
~ is valuable deposite The ships lie at
loorings laid by the company, in one hundred
thoms of water, to place them at safe dis
nee from the reef
But have already spun out my acknowledge
ent of the receipt of your paper to an unan-
cipated length, which I beg you will excuse, !
thought it might be interesting to your
aders to know how far west our flag flies oy-
American enterprise
Yours truly, WIGS.