Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-05-15
LIFE IN ANECADt'
One of the Strangest of All the Strange
Places i'm the World.

The island of Anegada is one of the
strangest of all strange places in the
world. 1t lies near the northeastern
angle of the main chain of the West
indies. and differs from all the other
islands near it in being fiat and low
the neighboring isles all being 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 beach over the lower portions
of it, whence its name, for Gnegada, is
the Spanish for drowned island"
In 1881 it had 719 inhabitants of
whom only three were white people.
Its population is noted for idleness, and
the main occupation for many years
was wrecking-for an extensive and
very dangerous coral reef surrounds
the island, and once gave it a very
melancholy nOtoriety. But since the
establishment of the lighthouse on the
island Of Sombrero (forty-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. Ac-
cordingly, the natives are now not
often aroused by the cry Of "a vessel
on the reef''-the only call in the old
days which would arouse them from
their almost perpetual inactivity. In
fact, they are about the --LATEST people
in the West Indies, although that is
saying great deal
Anegada used to be covered with
Internationally of the kind called
seaside grape which here is particu-
larly rich in 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 vcnOmous and
other reptiles. The surrounding seas
are rich in scale and shell fish of many
kinds. Among its singular birds the
fiamingo is one Of the most numerous
species; and most of the ponds are the
abode of ducks, which on the approach
Of man, rise and fill the air with their
dangerous cries. 1t is no 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 disa 9reeable features of life
in this hot and 5, canning climate is the
presence OF large salt ponds, which in
the dry season give out an intOlerabie
stencil; and the same ponds in the
wet season fill ZIP with singular rapidity
and flood considerable part of the
island.
When Schomburok was on Anegada
many years ago there was one morning
a great cutlery that all the north part
of the island was flooded; and so to all
appearance it was; but on examination
it was found that the supposed waves
OF the sea were in real ty only low
lying fog which was rapidly sweeping
along. Another curious thing is the
aerial refraction; and this brings into
view other islands which lie below the
horizon, and which, according to the
operations of nature, ought to be in
visible. A part of the surface is COM
posed of sand dunes, but there is a con-
siderable proportion of calcareous, or
coral land, with belts of fertile loam
and if the soil were intelIigently and
faithfully cultivated, it would no doubt
yield good returns.
1t would be hard to find anywhere a
hotter, wetter, worse-smeiling or more
generally disagreeable place to live in
than Anegada; but singularly enough
it appears to be for the most part
pretty healthy place-at least for the
natives. of whom nearly all are black
or colored In the antecolonial days
the Indians used to come hither in
their canoes, and they have left i'm.
menSe kitchen-middens or heaps OF
shells, but no Indian could ever bring
himself to make Il permanent home in
Anegada with its steaming fogs, its
squalls, its sea floods, its fresh water
inundatlons, its strong smells, and its
denSe swarms of insects. american
Notes lad queries.