Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-06-16
ROBINSON CRUS0R.
HIS HOME AND BURIAL PLACE.

IM
Robinson Ciusoel Who has not read
or heard OF him2 Yet there are thou
sands of persons who firmly believe
that the whole history of tho man is a
fiction, and the man himsolfa first-class
myth, while thousands of others, in
blisstul ignorance Of what TO think or
say on the subject, reserve their opin-
ions. 10 such doubling Thomases it
may be said that the history is founded
on actual fact, though fictitious in most
of its particulars; Robinson Crusoe, MS
the hero is popularity called, having
lived in flesh and blood on u little island
in the South Pacific for four years and
four months. This island home, named
Juan Fernandez, or Mas-a-Tierra, is
situated in latitude $50 81 south and
longitude 7Se 53' west, being about $50
miles west of Valparaiso, Chill. 1t
comprises an area Of l0S square miles,
but little of this could be put under
cultivation owing TO the mountainous
nature OF the island the mountains
rising in some places to height Of
nearly twenty-five hundred feet, many
of them having sea wall twelve to
fifteen hundred feet high, rising almost
perpendicularly out Of the water
Farther inland the mountains extend
in irregular chains, enclosing steep, in
considerable valleys, access to many of
them being impossible without expend-
ing an amount OF time and trouble that
would be but poorly repaid even by the
attainment Of the object. Being in n
low latitude, it is not so prolific in
fruits nor tropical vegetation as most
ofthe other Pacific Islands arc-peach-
es, ounces and figs and several varie-
ties Of berries comprising all the fruits
worth naming The umbrella tree,
inseparably connected with Crusoe, as
presented in pictures, grows in abun-
dance in the valleys 1t grows about
four feet high, with a stalk of an inch
and half or two inches in diameter,
covered with short, blunt thorns, which
make it decidedly rough to handle.
The umbrella part spreads out and up,
forming basin three to oiourfeet across,
with narrow opening on one side, and
as the single leaf of which it is com
posed is thick and strong, it would, in
case of necessity, answer the purpose
of an umbrella very well if one didn't
object to its weight and the slight in
convenience likely TO be experienced
in managing it in Il rain-storm. The
island is at present leased from the
Chilian Government by a citizen of
Valparaiso, who employs about dozen
men on the island raising horses and
hunting goats. The latter abound in
q wild state and are hunted for their
skins. Add to the number of men a
dozen women and children, and you
will have tho total population--all liv-
ing in the northern end of the island
on Cumberland Bay. Briefly told,
these are the principal features Of the
island as ii exists to-day.
Some years ago this was the Botany
Bay of Chill, where all unfortunates
whose bumps of destructiveness and
appropriateness were found to be too
largely developed for the public good
were invited TO sojourn at the public
expense, in the hope that time, solitude,
and sea-air would effect a cure for the
complaint. For time all went well,
but the Governments guests becoming
ungrateful for the hospitalitiesreceive
most emphatically and practically pro
tested against any further exercise of
public attention in their favor They
first tried the plan of working their
passage away from the island without
waiting for their ticket-of-leave, but
these occasions not occurring so fire.
quently nor so easily as they would
wish, they finally rose in a body and
annihilated their guardians, after which
the Government came to the conclusion
that as q penal settlement Juan Fer
nandez was not success, SO they now
send their patients to rusticate in the
coal mines on the Straits of Magellan.
While on the island the convicts lived
in caves which they had to dig in the
side of one of the mountains facing the
harbor These caves were seven in
number, all in n row, several hundred
feet back from the water and about
seventy-fve feet above the water level.
Three of these caves stood some dis
tance from the othor four, and did not
amount to much, being only fifteen
feet wide, ten high, and ten deep, with
hard clay walls, floor and ceiling. The
ther four were much larger and more
interesting, and | shall cndeavor to de-
scribe the best one of these II was
twenty feet wide, twenty high, and
eighty deep, forming aparallelopipedon,
if the reader knows what that is. The
ground near the entrance was hard
and bare, but at the rear it was soft
and covered with thick moss, The
sides and back were covered with hang
ing pinnate leaves very much like If
they were not the common fern, rang
ing from q few inches to foot in
length the roof or ceiling was also
thiclsly "festooned" with these hanging
leaves, though many of them were
faded and black The whole presented
very beautiful and enchanting scene.
1t appeared like some fairy grotto,
such as we read of, or like fairy trans
formation scene as witnessed in thea
tre Everything was grecn--the
ground, the sides, the roof, the air--and
/ felt little "grecn" myself in such n
place. I.I
The next and greatest place of inter
est is the cave in which Crusoe lived
while on the island, II is only few
hundred feet from the beach, in the
side of one of several mountains sepa-
rating the valley which it is in
from the valley in which the other
caves are, facing the anchorage. To
reach the cave from the anchorage by
land is next to impossible, on account
of the steepness and wildness of the
intervening mountains, but by taking
boat pull Of mile and a half or
two miles, around projecting noun
tain, will bring one to the foot of the
valley in which the cave lies As just
stated, 1t is only n few hundred feet
from the beach, in mountain side,
facing the west The mouth OF the
cave is irregular in shape, forming an
imperfect triangle. 1t is about twenty
five feet wide at the base and twenty
feet high at the apex, the depth being
twelve feet. From the entrance the
sides and ceiling slope downward to-
ward the rear The interior is rough,
as if the cave was cut out by pickaxc
or similar instrument, making no pre-.
stonu;ona to ehana or ovonneoo A fa,r