Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-19
ST. KILDA.
An Interesting Island that Is Sell
dem Visited by TraveIers-How Its
Seventy-SeveA Inhabitants Enjoy

dem Visited by Trave1ers-How Its
Seventy-SeveA Inhabitants Enjoy
Life.
A correspondent of The Pail Mall
Gazette writes: Standing in melan-
choly isolation in the midst of the
stormy Atlantic. 140 miles from the
mainland, the island of st. Kilda is
nothing but a lonely and desolate pris-
on, and it's inhabitants remain in O
state of enforced and dreary exile
Gut off from all communication with
the outer world, except for THAR two
posts year and visit from an oc~
casional stray vessel, revolutions may
agitate the world, wars may rage,
general elections may be decided, and
the ST. KLldians be unaware that any
thing important is going on. News
may travel to the most distant part or
the queens dominions before it reaches
this corner OF the British Isles.
Things are improving, however, even
ir ST. Kilda. Now that only eight Or
nine months elapse at the longest be-
tween the visits of the Postman, the
inhabitants consider themselves toll
erably well posted up In news as com
pared with the condition of things
about fifty years ago, when the Minis
lister kept praying that his majesty,
King William, might be granted
health long to reign over us, and
be surrounded with wise and trusty
councillors, three years after that
gracious monarch was dead
So little is known of st. Ki}0a that
early this year it was thought that
the rocky island, which is only three
miles long and two broad, had been
submerged, or carried away like q
huge iceberg by the waters of the At
lantic. st. KiIda has been in trouble,
but it's misfortune did not amount to
complete humiliation. Disastrous
storms distress the inhabitants. AL
though girt round with rocks some~
times rising precipitously from the
waves to the height of 200 feet, the
wild tempestuous ocean throws It's
angry sprays over the high cliffs, ever
sweep the island, and destroys the crops
which the people try to raise. This
autumn the whole of tho crop was de-
stroyed by one of those heavy storms.
With starvation almost staring them
In the face, the distressed inhabitants
sent message after message adrift in
the hope that some would be found
and assistance sent them. One of
these messages was picked up toward
the end of September, and through
Sir William Collins, of Glasgow, and
Principal Rainy relief expedition
was fitted out, and food was landed,
though as the vessel arrived on Sum
day these simple fanatics declined to
give hand in discharging the cargo
until Sunday had passed. The cap>
tain of the vessel swore and pointed
out that change in the weather
would compel him to put out to sea.
go, then, replied these stern people.
The minister said he could not guar
antee the continuance of fair wealth.
er, but he trusted to the same Provi-
dence which had put it into mems
hearts to send them corn and potatoes
would keep the wind steady IN the
northeast" And Providence was kind,
for the wind remained steady in the
northeast.
The st. Kildians live in state of
primeval simplicity and superstition.
They seem to entertain the idea that
the Scot still goes about hourising a
claymore, for on the night before the
arrival of the Hebidean with supplies,
some of the islanders thought they
heard the report of a gun at sea, and
all the inhabitants came to the unami
nous conclusion that feet OF Lowl
and Scotch had arrived off their coast
with the intention of putting them to
the sword. They accordingly made
preparations to receive the foe. The
preparations consisted in all taking
to the hills and rocks. and remaining
out In the cold during the night. So
rigidly orthodox are these puritanical
st. Kildlans that, as we have said,
when the relief vessel arrived they
ashore until the Sabbath was out. But
they have other peculiarities. Some
of their astronomical ideas are uni>
que. As they can not afford to kill
sheep and indulge in the luxury of
good fresh mutton, they devour any,
one that may die of braxy. Some one
recently announced that the Chinese
had discovered how to make very
delicious dish, the principal constitu-
ent of which was rotton eggs. The
st. Kildians were ahead of the orient
ais In this matter. Eggs of sea fowl
form one of their chief articles Of food
and they use to very carefully store
(not preserve) collection of eggs for
use in winter, and tn ESQ eggs were
eaten by them with perfect compos-
ure when In the most advanced state
of rottenness. One of the little fc-
tons that form part of these primitive
peoples creed is that the visit Of
stranger to the island always produces
an Influenza of some kind among
them.
The st. Kildians are seventy seven
in number. They have decreased in
number lately because of singular
mortality among the children, the
majority of whom die before they are
many days old. This may be due to
the system of intermarrying that goes
on, or because there is no doctor to
combat with the mysterious baby foe.