News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-04-03
Life in Anegada.

The island of Anegada is one of the
strangest of all the strange places in
the world. 1t lies near the north
eastern angle of the main chain of the
West Indies, and differs from all the
other islands near it in being flat and
low, the neighboring isles all be ng
steep and mountainous. 1t is nine
miles long and two miles across, and
lies so low that in heavy gales the sea
makes a clean breach over the lower
portions OF it, whence its name, for
anegada is the Spanish for ''drowned
island"
In 1881 it had 10 inhabitants, of
whom only three were white people.
Its population is noted for idle
ness, and the main occupation for
many years was Wrecking-for an
ex ensive and very dangerous coral
reef surrounds the island, and once
gave it very melancholy notoriety.
But since the establishment of the
light house on the island of SOmbrero
(fOrtv-seven miles to the eastWard),
there have been few, if any, wrecks
on Anegada, since the main cause of
the shipwrecks was the constant and
swift current which sets upon the
island from the east. Accordingly,
the natives are not aroused by the cry
ga vessel On the reef"-the only call in
the old da which would al ouse them
from their almost perpetual inactivity.
In fact. they are sbout the LATEST
people in the West Indies, although
that is saying a great deal
Anegada used to be covered with
Internationally of the kind called
seaside grape, which here is particular
w rich i'll the valuable gum called
Jamaica kino. Anegada is the home
of very numerous and singular tropical
plants, but it is perhaps rather more
noteworthy for its immense numbers
of mosquitoes, gallinippers, and scor-
pions, not to speak of venomous and
other reptiles. The surrounding seas
are rich i'll scale and she'll fish of many
kinds. Among its singular birds the
flamingo is one of the most numerous
species; and most of the ponds are the
abode of ducks which, on the approach
of man, ri-e and fill the air with their
c angorous cries. 1t is not an easy
matter to reach the island A few
years ago an attempt was made TO
open mines upon it, but nothing came
of the effort but disappointment and
loss. Among the many disagreeable
features of life in this hot and steam
ing climate is the presence of large salt
ponds, which in the dry season give
ont ON iutOlaro bln ctoDcb and rho eoD,o
ponds in the wet season fill up with
rapidity and flood consider
able part of the island.
When Schamburgk was on Anegada
many years ago there was one morn !
ing great cutlery that all TIE north
part of the island was flooded; and so
to all appearance it was; but on exam
nation it was found that the supposed
waves of the sea were in realty only q
lOw-lying fog which was rapidly |
sweeping along. Another curious |
ding is the aerial refracion; and this |
often brings into view other islands |
which lie below the horizon, and which, |
according to the ordinary operations
Of nature, ought to be invisible. A |
part of the surface is composed of sand !
lunes, but tucre is considerable pro-
portion of ca'careous, or coral land, |
with belts of fertile loan, and if the
soil were intelligently and faithfully
it would no doubt yield
rood returns. In ordinary seasons the
fresh water supply appears to be am
Die. On the northeast side of the island
here is a singular succession of very
leep natural wells of fir, sh water, some
If them twenty-five feet across at the
op.