Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-01-11
TERRA DEL FUEGO.
Conflicting Reports Concerning This -
parativeIy Unknown Country.

Conflicting Reports Concerning This
paratively Unknown Country.
The group of islands which form the archi-
pelago of TERRA del Fuego have an area Of
about $4,000 square miles, nearly the same
size as England and Scotland. Darwin de-
scribcs the country as "a mountainous
land, partly submerged in the sea, so deep
that inlets and bays occupy the place where
the valleys should exist. To find an acre
of level land in any part of the country is
most rare" Don Ramon Lista, however,
who has had greater and more recent OPP
portunities of investigation, thinks this de-
scription mistaken one. AS reported in
Chambers J0RrnGI, he describes Argentine
TERRA del FuegO as presenting two aspects.
In the north there are valleys more or less
extensive, covered with splendid groves,
and irrigated by large rivers, some of which
are navigable; this region enjoying an
agreeable temperature, with very little
snow during the winter. South of this he
reports that the appearance of the country
changes and extended forests appear, where
the grass is not as abundant or the rivers
so large. The face of the land is in this
part something like Switzerland, with small
lakes, elevated mountains and valuable
timber forests He seems to think the
country capable of great development, for
he adds; son the plains there viii yet be
planted a great pastoral industry, while |
believe the mountains will be found to con-
tain valuable mineral deposits"
Travellers reports as to the inhabitants Of
TERRA del Fuego have been conflicting.
Some visitors have reported the natives to
be stalwart, fiue-lookng men, and others
have described them as small and abject be-
ings. Darwin, whose scientific ;nvestiga-
tons were confined to the south of the coun-
try, says that lone can hardly believe
them to be fellow creatures and inhabitants
of the same world"
On the other hand, other explorers in the
North and Northwest describe the Fuegians
as powcrfulmen of large stature and warlike
instincts. This apparent discrepancy seems
to be due to the facl that the land is inhab-
tied by two very distinct races of Indians.
Mr. Bridges, whose long residence in the
country enables him to speak with author
ity on this point, assures US that there are
two separate and distinct tribes dwelling in
TERRA del FGcgo. He calls them, as they
call themselves, Onas and Yahgans; the
former living in the North and the latter in
the South. The Onas seem to be almost
identical in character, manner and language
Win tuC 1ucuSlCuc 1HuldHS Ol IdLd5BOuld
Like them, they use bows and arrows
in the chase and are muscular, active and
wei formed. Their number is now much
reduced, an epidemic of measles having
been very fatal among them few years
ago, and the whole tribe probably does not
now number more than five hundred per-
sons. They are nOmadlc and live principally
in portable tents. covered with guanaco
skins. Mr.. Pepper did not form high
opinion of their intellectual faculties, judg-
ing from the primitive nature of their I'M
plements He describes their tools as con-
slsting for the most part of pieces of iron
taken from some vessel cast on shore, and
tied TO pieces of wood by leather thongs.
They have no canoes and do not fish, though
they pick up on the shore such fish as are
left behind after heavy tides. Their only
water vessels are large shells. but they dis
play some ingenuity in making arrows aud
baskets.