Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-07-11
CHApTER IL.

GREAT STEP TAKEN.
In the midst OF the Antarctic ocean, a little
of the route from New York to Australia,
there les q large island named hcrguelcn's
Land, or-as Capt. Cook calud 1.-THE Island
of ID ISOLATION.
it was discovered just a hundred years ago,
Gn l772 by the French naval officer whose
name il bears, il WAS umthaplted then, ana
is to-day as deserted as evcc.
Tho sma lest sChool-boy among our readers
can find it upon us map ot che world, about
midway between tnC south end Of Africa aad
Australia well up toward the South Pole.
1t IS hundred miles in length by fifty in
breadth and is consequently three or foar
times as large a. Rhode Island.
it, COSTS are 80 wild and dangerous that IS
discoyeror, during the two expeditions that he
made to il, did not once bring his ships to al.
cnur IN ANY OF It's bays and han hOrs.
It's shape rs very irregular, but something
like that OF an hUur-glass, 1t being nearly cut
in two 10y q couple Of large bays; but there
two divisions are unequal in size, thenoIthorn
peninsula being much larger than the south
uin.
It's coast line is widely broken nm. jagged
its unumerabe CULTS being long and narrow,
and its prOmOHtOries are CoIrespondingiy sharp
aud slender, reaching out into the ocean ike
fingers
The body Of the island indeed resembles
world oven its capes and headlands re-
semble such Il monsters unsghty limbs and
CLAWS.
A more terrific solitude than this isle Of
DesOlation docs not exist upon our wrecked
planet.
Neither the SHOWS Of Himalayanor the sands
of Sahara can outvie its tetrors.
No inhabitant is there, not even savage !;
no house, no tree, no shrub, no fence nor road,
no field nor garden f; no horse, no dog, not
even "A snake or a VOL.
Lone, blasted and barren, it looks like the
skeleton OF a land that has persisted.
1t may indeed be that Dcsoiaton is the
rclic-the surviving fragmcnt-ot continent
that went down here countless ages ago. with
hosts OF inhabitants, IN some vast CONFUSION
of nature,
1t has certainly undergone dreadful vista
tiOns been rent by earthquakes, puYellZed
by frosts, dashed and wasted by fierce t4mpests
It's mountains are only Of moderate height
but are capped oternally with snow.
Its vegetation is limited to few dwarti-h
plants mcludjng some moses, species OF
icheu, coarsa grass, plant resembling a
small cabbage. and a sort OF cress.
Its winds are raw and piercing, Its summers
cold aud frosty, its winters those o. the Polar
Circles.
The interior OF the island is occunled by inn
ntnsc DOGGY swamps, where the ground sinks
at every step.
The rams IN Des,lation are almost mces-
SAINT, in tll. II season, and the island Is Accord
wgly ycinCd with numerous torrents of fresh
water. some OF winch have worn out Of The
solid rock tremendous cavities and sullios.
The only other season than that oT the rains
Is one Of almost constant snow.
The fogs of that ghas II region are well
wortny OF the rains, being Of clpud-bkc den
sity and hOy rDg almost continually over
the whole face OF the island.
The sun Of Dissolution is usually hidden by a
canopy Of lead-colored clouds. and appears on
the rare occasions when il Is visible, scarcely
brighter tnan the moon IN other lattUde,. AS
to the moon itself, and the stars, the clyuis
aud togs rarely permit them te betray their tx
Stcncl
No fish worthy Of note not even fishes Of
prey, abound III the adjacent waters, by rca-
son, perhaps, OF their containing poisonous
minerals, or deadly eXualauous from the vol
canic fires beneath tlilm.
Yet The dark grim sea lnclosing DesoIatlOn
has done something to repair the sterlhty Of
the is aud.
Penguins, ducks, guils, cormorants and
other marine birds are plentiful IN some Of its
haTbOrs.
Seals also abound,
Strange and terrible land
Not single human being 20 Tar as Is
known, has ever lived There, save as Is now to
be recorded in these pages
Near the middle Of a dull, dismal afternoon,
some eleven weeks later than the date Of the
preceding events, tine good ship fly1lg ltus0S
drew near tp tha island Of DcsosauOn, soap
ing her course toward its uprtuernMlSt Dty
call by Captain Cook Christmas liarbor
Attain brcozs was Blowing from tie north
and the ship was carrying every sttch OF ue
canvas, including studding sails.
Hrr ersH-Uo,A watches We're busy about
the deck and her passengers score in mum