The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-14
Some Mysteries of the Pacific.
ICassell's Family Magazine. I


The Caroline Islands, which are now
recognized as belonging to Spain,
though the Germans tried to annex
them few years ago, form one Of the
| largest archipela5oes Of the Pacific,
covering a sea area Of more than two
thousand miles, and comprising over
five hundred separate fragments of
land. Some Of these islets are mere
rocks, many are uninhabited, and a
few very populous. Excepting those
at the eastern end of the chain, and the
large island Of Jap at the western end,
they have been rarely, some of them
never, visited by white men, unless in
the dubious form of ''beach-combers." "
With the Mariannes, the Gilbert, and
the Marshall Islands, the Carolines
make up that section of the Pacific
which is known to geographers as Mi
cronesia.
The problem which we have to pre-
sent to our readers concerning these
islands, however, refers neither to the
present nor to the future, but to the
dim and distant past. And it is one
which has yet received scant attention
from either geographers or ethnologists.
It concerns, also, two Of the groups
only, for it is only on the islands of
kusaie and Ascension that the evil
dences of it have been observed, al
though as so many ofthese five hun
dred islands are absolutely unknown,
it is hard to believe that other evi-
dences do not exist in some of them.
kusaie, sometimes called Strong
Island, is about fifty miles in circum-
ference is of basaltic formation has
large extent Of high ground, and boasts
oftwo excellent harbours. The people
are reputedly industrious and peace
able-for South Sea Islanders-and
they have king of their own. They
belong, to all appearance, to the Poly
nesian race; but travellers have de-
clared that they seem capable Of a
higher civilization than the average
Polynesian. It is remarkable that the
chiefs communicate by signs and speech
not understood by the common people.
This island is covered by massive
ruins Of very ancient date. Early
voyagers used to suppose that these
were the work of the old Spanish buc-
cancers but this has been shown to be
impossible, apart from the signs of
much greater age. The ruins bear, in
many cases, the outlines of fortitica-
tions. They are composed Of stones,
measuring eight and ten feet in length,
squared upon six sides. These stones
are of 4 different geological character
from any other stone found on the
island. Therefore, they must have
been imported, and some Of the blocks
are even double the size above stated.
Stones of such dimensions were be-
yond the powers Of the Spanish buc
cancers, either to convey by their YES
sells, or to erect into buildings, with the
manual labor they possessed. The
transporting and erecting of these mas
sive blocks required mechanical appli-
ances of extraordinary strength and in
genuity, and such appliances the Span
iards bad not. The general plan of the
buildings which can still be traced re-
veals a design of great intelligence.
Ascension Island, now usually called
Ponape, is larger than Kusaie, and is
not so hiIly, although geologically of
the same formation. 1t has consid-
cradle area Of level ground reputed the
most fertile in the whole group, and it
has numerous fine streams as we'll rs
three good harbors. The inhabitants
cluster round the shores, having su-
perstitious dread of the interior, and
they are said to number about seven
thousand. Unlike kusaie, instead of
being under one king, the people are
divided under the rule of five indie
pendent chiefs.
On this island exist similar ruins to
those on kusaie, but much larger. On
the shore of one creek. for instance,
there still remains massive wall, three
hundred feet long and thirty-fve feet
high. 1t is built Of huge basaltic
blocks in the form Of priSns, and has a
gateway opening on to the creek, sup
ported on enormous basaltic columns.
Passing through this gateway, q large
court is reached, enclosed by walls
thirty feet in height and all round the
inner wall Of this court there is raised
terrace, eight feet high and twelve feet
wide. In shape the court is square,