Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-05-29

Fact md Romance Of the Most Un-
known Spot on Darth.

TRIsTAN IsLANDN.
Fact and Romance Of the Most Un-
known Spot On Darth.
From the Cincinnati Times.
Thirteen hundred miles south of st.
Helena, and fifteen hundred miles west
Of the Cape of Good Hope, and nearly
on a line between the Cape of Good Hope
and Cape Horn, lies Tristan Da Cunha,
or Tristan D'Acunha, q cluster of three
volcanic islands, the largest of which
gives the name to the group. The other
two are the Inaccessible Island and the
Nightingale Island. The group received
its name from a Portuguese navigator,
who discovered it in 1897. Inaccessible
Island lies about eighteen miles south
west from Tristan, and Nightingale
Island twenty miles south. The largest
island is the only one permanently in
habited, and is probably the most iso-
lated and remote of all the abodes Of
men. 1t is nearly circular, and contains
about forty square miles. On the north
side it rises abruptly to an elevation of
about q thousand feet, and from the
summit of the cliffs the land rises to a
%conical peak 1896 feet high. The sur
face consists of abrupt ridges covered
| with bushes, with deep ravines and
chasms between. The summit is y era
ter five hundred yards wide and filed
with water. On the northwest side of
the island is a narrow plain, some hun
bred and fifty feet above the level of the
sea, with excellent soil, and in a high
state of cultivation. Here lives the ia
nous Glass colony.
There had been residents on the
island off and on at various times, be-
ginning in 1890 when Capt. Patten,
from Philadelphia, settled there for six
months. When Napoleon was confined
at st. Helena in 1917, the British took
possession of the island, and maintained
a guard there. The next year the guard
wal Withdrawn, but a corporal of ar
tillery, by the name of Glass, with his
wife and two soldiers who were induced
to join him, were allowed to remain.
Since that time the island has been con-
stantly inhabited. In 1923 the little set
Element numbered seventeen persons, of
whom three were women. Six years
later Capt. Morrell visited the island in
the Z. s. ship Antarctic, and the colony
comprised then twenty-sevcn families,
and they were able to supply passing
ships with bullocks, cows, sheep and pigs,
and fresh vegetables and milk in any
quantity.
Glass has long held the title of gov
ernor. He was a Scotchman, and seems
to have been a mar of sound principle,
of great energy and Industry, and to have
acquired in remarkable degree the con-
fdence of the little community. Their
minister, Mr.. Taylor, wrote an account of
the little society, which was published in
1850 by the Christian knowledge Socie-
ty. He spoke in the highest terms OF
the moral character of his flock, going
80 far as to say that he could ind no vice
to contend with. They had no formal
government, aud as they had no rum
government was less needed. Whatever
dispuses they had were settled by fisti.
cuffs, with bystanders present to secure
fair play. Gov. Glass died in 1853, the
year after Captain Denham's visit, and
was succeeded, by a sort of tacit con.
sent, by Green who had married one of
Glass daughters. In 1867. the Duke OF
of Edinburgh visited Tristan, in the Ga.
latia, and in honorof his royal highness,
the chief settlement was named. Six.
teen children had been born since the
departure of Mr.. Taylor, and the colony
instead of dying out, as MI. Taylor
feared, had taken a new start. the popu,
lation having increased from forty-sever
to eighty-six, which seems to be about
the normal figure. In 1870, the islanc
had a population of sixty, of which
thirty-fve were children under ten year,
of age.
In mis- Voyage of the Challenger
Sir Wyville Thompson describes a visi,
he made to this interesting colony. II
consisted, at that time, October, 1873, OF
81 persons, in fifteen families, the fe
males being slightly in the majority. HI
speaks of the young men as fine looking
and sturdy, somewhat of the English
type, but most of them with a dash Of
dark blood. Green was still the govern
or, and they looked up to him with re
spect and confidence. They possess from
500 to 900 head of cattle, an equal mum
Der of sheep and pigs, and poultry il
large abundance. From eight to a dozer
American thips visit them yearly, ant
from them they obtain what they want
by the process of barter. They live il
cottages of two or three rooms, built o
a dark brown tufaceOus stone which the,
blast from the rocks above, and shap'
with great accuracy with axes. Man,
of the blocks are upward of II ton il
weight, and rs there is no lime on tn
island, they have to be fitted into eacl
other on the Byclopean plan. But will
all their precautions, the winds are 81
violent that sometimes even these mas
; sive houses are blown down. The fur
niture of the room is scanty, owing t
the difficulty of procuring wood, bu
passing ships furnish them warm fabric
enough to supply bedding. and to enab.
the women to dress in a comfortable an,
seemly style. Low stone walls partition
the land round the cottages into small
Enclosures which are cultivated as gar
dens, and here all the ordinary European
vegetables thrive fairly The goods o
, the ~colonists are In no sense in common
, Each has his W property in land an,
in stock. A new conner receives a gran
, of a certain extent of land, and he get
ONE grazing rights, and the rest OF tn,
settlers help him in fencing his patel
) anu III wViAllS ~ anu pAcpnillk ~ AOI
; first crop. Then they contribute tn
necessary cattle, sheep. potato seed, etc.
to start him. This assistance is repai,
either in kind, in labor or in money.
Mr.. Thompson tells, in connection
r with the history of this colony, the in
teresting story of two Germans, tn
) brothers of Frederick and Gustav Stol
tenhoff. After the war of 1870, Gusta'
shipped in al English ship for Rangoon
When 700 miles from Tristan the shil
caught fire and exploded. Gustav wa
on a boat that reached Tristan. He re
manned there for eighteen days, and wa
SO much pleased with his treatment tina
on his return to Germany he induced
his brother to 90 back with him to hi
"home by the sounding sea-" On thei
way out, however, by advice of the cap
tain of the ship in which they had takel
passage, they decided to go to lnaccesi
be island. There they were landed OF
the 9th of November. 1871. A quartz