Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-16
PARADISE OF HORRORS.
The Convict Days Of the Beautiful
 Island of Tasmania
Although One of the Earth's Most Favored Spots, Its Inhabitants Preferred Death to Living-Port Arthur and Its
 Charming Surroundings.

Spots, Its Inhabitants Pr@ISrr0u Death
 to Living-Port Arthur and Its
 Charming Surroundings.
 The Island of Van Dieman's Land, as it was originally called. or Tasmania, as it is now termed, was first discovered by the navigator Tasman, who landed on the pen insula which still bears his name in the year 1642. This peninsula is joined to tho main land by an isthmus called Eagle Hawk Neck, and here is shown on tho hard rock the impression of boot and round hole side by side, supposed to have been made by the discoverer's left foot and right wooden leg respectively.
 That no footprints appear leading from the shore inland is accounted for by saying that Tasman was so overcome by the beau ty of the scene before him that he fell back ward, says a correspondent of the San Francisco Chronicle. The scenery of the peninsula is certainly very fine. In sev- eral places are found tessellated pavements as regular as though constructed by Roman builders. These are the bases of basaltic columns which have now disappeared under the influence of wave and storm.
 At the neck in the old days when Tas- mania was used by the British as a convict settlement, was placed strong guard Of constables, who were further assisted in their work of keeping his Majesty's prison CTS secure by numbers of large and fero- cious dogs, who were kenneled at various suitable spots, often on stages erected in the water
 When any prisoner attempts to escape by this neck, the only way to the main land, the dogs parked loudly and alarmed the constables on guard, who put out in boats manned by convicts of known good char acter, and cut off the prisoners retreat Besides the dogs on the stages erected in the water, others were chained at the narrow est part of the isthmus in such way ss just to meet, thus rendering it impossible for one to pass without being torn to pieces.
 Sentries, too, were always at hand with loaded guns.
 To render escape by swimming .impossi- ble, the sharks, which haunted the waters, were well-fed daily so as to keep them to the spot. A terrible description, chiefly drawn from official reports, diaries of chap lains notebooks and other official data, Is given of the life of the convicts in the old days of Marcus Clarkes weird and horri- ble, but powerfully-written story: "In the Term of His Natural Life"
 Port Arthur was the central convict Sta- tion on Tasman's Peninsula, and was 8 place of great natural beauty. Eucalyptus trees have been found in the bush there of
 
 animals that live on the island are to be found in abundance On the western side of the island ts another old convict station, called Macquarie Harbor. This was most dreadful spot. The entrance to tho hRrbor was called HeN's Gate, and the penal settle ment itself Hell-Upon- Earth, and well do these il-omened names seem to have been deserved.
 It is related that the tortures and prtvs- tions of convicts were 90 iutolerable that many of them committed murder in order that they might be executed, and thus re- leased from their misery.
 Unlike the neighborhood of Port Arthur, the country around Macquarie Harbor was utterly devoid of all sustenance for men, and bodies of desperate convicts sometimes banded together to escape, and when want of food prevented their proceeding further cast lots which of them should be killed, and sustained life little while longer on the flesh of their murdered comrade.
 One Pearce escaped from Macquarie Har- bor and got as far as Hobart Town, but was there arrested and sent back. He and 8 man named Cox worked together in the same gang. Cox often begged Pierce to run away with him from the settlement, but for long time Pearoo refused. At last Cox managed to procure knife, some hsh-hooks, an axe and some burnt rag for finder, and he and Pearce made their escape together.
 For somo days they strayed through the forest, and on the fifth day arrived at Kings river. In the woods near this river they stayed for some days in order to avoid the pursuit of the soldiers who were search" ing for them, and during all this time they were entirely without food Pearcc at last determined to take his comrades life and tp;lI a t f@l Of hn xphi lay asleep.
 The soldiers having gone oR tn another direction, Pearce lived for few days in the hut abandoned by them upon the flesh of his murdered companion; but uuablo to bear his own life he returned to the settlement and signaled for the pilot, who took him back to Macquarie Harbor, where he con- fessed his crime to the commandant and signihed his willingness to die.
 In 1872 there were still few hundred convicts left in Port Arthur, the penal set clement on Tasman's Peninsula. This pen iusula is covered with dense scrub and gigantic gum trees, and formerly there were several thousand convicts there Commu- nication was kept up all over the peninsula by semaphores, or posts with movable arms Each of these was in charge of trust worthy convict, who had a code of signals.
 Port Arthur and it's neighborhood are very pretty, and now that convlcts are no longer sent out there it is rapidly becoming fa- vorite holiday resort and fashionable yyatering g-place, and numbers of honest, en- ergetic settlers are clearing away the brush and forming homesteads. The name Of Port Arthur, linked with dreadful associa- tions as it was, has wisely been changed to that of Carnarvon, and under the new re- gime the once hated spot now furnishes a homo for scores of happy families. The old dungeons and prison building are fast fall ing into decay ,and soon all but few traces, interesting to antiquarians, of the formey use of the place will be obhterated.