New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-11-11
THE CAROLI[.lN.Es.
some Information About Some Islands
That arc Talked Of just Now.

Some Information About some 1sl.nds
That arc Talked Of just Now.
New York Sun.
where are these Caroline Islands,
anyhow, and what do they amount
tor is question which is daily made
on all Che exchanges and in all the
brokers' Offices. It is made even in
the reading rooms Of many a club,
where the ignorance Of the inquirer
could be easily concealed by his refer
ring to any encyclopaedia. It so hap
pens, however, that the Carolines, or,
as they are sometimes called, the New
Philippine Islands, have been hereto
lore OF so little import that the
encyclopedias even do not impart
much information in regard to them,
although they constitute one of the
great archipelagoes OF Oceanica.
"On the Chart says an English
writer, 3they look like mere
sprlnkling Of dots upon the broad ex-
panse of the Pacifc, and in reality they
stretch across the ocean between New
Guinea to the Ladrones, in an almost
uninterrupted chain OF green and love-
.ly reefs and rocky islets, for some
1000 miles They were discovered
in the middle OF the sixteenth century
by a Spanish navigator, Lopez de
Villalobos, and it is upon this fact
that the Spaniards claim ownership
ofthis archipelago otherwise they have
never taken actual possession of the
islands, and have no settlement upon
them even to the present day. The
islands are supposed to form part of
the governorship of the old Philippin-
es, but they are practically not gov
ernored at all, but the natives, com
posed OF very good-natured brown
Polynesians, live pretty much as they
like, without hurting anybody who
drops upon their fat, green islets of
coral formation. They number about
10000, and dress in a combination of
tattooing and flowers worn in the
pierced lagos of their noses Some
American missionaries have establish.
ed themselves on one of the group, and
there are also a few English traders to
be met with, but the Germans seem
to have OF late obtained control OF
the bulk of the trade of these islands,
as they have done in Mexico and al
most throughout all the Spanish
speaking countries of the P acifc Ocean.
The lharbors of these islands are nu-
nervous and excellent, and, although
most of the islands are fiat, Ponape
and zap 1.-THE one seized by the Ger
mans) are mountainous, and seem to
contain large amounts of mineral
wealth. Ponape seems also to con-
tain stupendous basaltic wall on
the banks of a creek clothed with
palms and marvellous vegetation.
The well lis some 800 feet long and 35
feet high. A description says:
"a gateway made Of enormous ba-
saltic columns opens through this and
leads to "a court, enclosed by lofty
walls with an encircling terrace, all
constructed with the huge six-sided
prisms of basalt. There are closed
chambers .of the same natural mason
ry, with walls twenty feet thick, and
some Of the stones composing this Ii
tanic building are as much as IS feet
by 8 in girth. The nearest spot where
such basaltic columns are found in
their original position is ten miles off
on the high north ridge OF the island,
SO that they must have been conveyed
to the creek by water, and by a race
UNNECESSARILY greater in resources
and ideas than the easy-going savages
now inhabiting Ponape."
1t lis to be hoped that if the Germans
retain possession of this island they
Will send out some learned professors
who will find eout what The beings
We're who erected this marvel
louis construction. But at pres
emit the main interest of the
question is not ,oe an archaeological
nature. Bismarck has been induleing
for sometime in geographical politics
abroad with almost as much success
as he formerly did at home To the
world at large tits certainly preferar
BILE to have out-of-the-way islands oc-
cupled by Germany than by savages.
But,as aLondon contemporary points
out, Bismarck is now beginning to
work the p acific ocean in anticipation,
of the revolution which will be created
in theicommerce ofthe world when the
Panama canal is completed. He has
already picked up a; slice Of New Guinea
and morethan one'convenient station
in Melanesia and Micronesia. If he is
allowed to continue this hunting in
the Pacific ocean, the English and
American vessels engaged in the China,
India, Australia and New Zealand
trades may find it some day very In
convenient not to be able to get
bucket of water, a basket of coal or
piece OF timber without paying duesto
German, Spanish or French occupants
OF islands which are either being an
nexed nowsor the possession of which
is claimed ton the ground OF very an
Gent but mot very naliably reported
discovery.
The whole question lis IA kind OF a
music of the future, aa1d the Span
iards, after they have cooled down
from the present excitement, will
probably be induced easily to sell
few OF these little green dots spread
over the blue waters Of the Pacific
Ocean. Both themselves and the is
lands will be .all the better for it, for
the Spaniards will get some cash,
while the islands will h ave thai1. +, . t1,r.