Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
AMONG PATAG0NIANS.
They Are Good Traders, but Like All
Savages, Love Rum Too Well.
DRUDaERY FALLS TO THE W0MEN.
Unique Boots Made In q Novel Way From
the Skin Of Horses
TRADING POST SURROUNDED By SEA
CORRESPONDENCE OF TIE p1srAroH.,

CORRESPONDENTS OF TIE DISPATCH,
EsrANc1A DE PABoN, PATAGONIA
Nov. 16-Of all the heaven-deserted re-
gions whereto my rowing fortunes have led
surely this is the most utterly forlorn.
Imagine, if you can, a tiny island, hardly &
mile and a halt long by $50 yards across
lost In the broad Atlantic off the eastern
coast of Patagonia, hundreds Of league,
from anywhere-the limits of vision bounded
on all sides by the stormiest waters on the
face of the earth, except toward the north.
west, where barren plains and salt morassel
stretch to the horizon, trodden only by In
dams, ostriches, puntas and guanacos
How did we get here? 1t happened, in
opportunely, that the presence at Punta
Arenas of the small Government cruiser
that visits these coasts only twice year,
rendered it. possible for our party to accept
the invitation of q pleasant Argentine
family to visit their Patagonian estancia,
| (ranch) where they reside two months out
of u. Our temporary home has not even
the merits of Crusoe's Island, being neither
beautiful nor fertile. Though marked on
the charts of Fiszroy and Darwin as
'tMiddle Island" it is hereabouts called
Pabon.
Certainly Very Safe P1aos.
A few years ago, by special grant from
the Argentine Government, 1t became the
property of our entertainer ''and his heirs
forever" together with exclusive right to
work the adjacent seal fisheries, and the
privilege of unlimited pasturags on the
main land. But the tiny domain is not q
valuable possession, except as an Indian
trading-post and for the fisheries aforesaid.
No feudal Baron in his moated castle
with drawbridge up, was ever more secure
from the raids of outside barbarians than
we are to-day, for Pabon cannot be ap-
preached except by very narrow ford on
tide. The northern channel is much wider
and deeper, but the swiftness of the cur
rent renders it impossible except by row
boats with the oars in skillful hands. Front
ing the ocean side is fort, over which
floats the skyline and white stripes of the
Argentina (the prettiest flag in the world
next to that of the United States), and on
the land side high stockade is further de-
Tended by fosse, which the spring tides
fill with water And, besides all these, a
nine-pounder occupies the front porch Of
our friends substantial casa, ready at any
moment to deal death and destruction to
rum-crazed Indians and rowing bands of
mutinous seamen.
Corn and Vegetables Do Not Thrive.
Besides the owners house, which is built
of brick with tiled roof, are several cottages
tenanted by employees, each surrounded by
a garden, where corn and vegetables strug-
gle for existence. There is also an almacen,
nr sSA ~
stocked with supplies for the residents and
articles for barter with the Patagonians.
The rest of the island is overgrown with
small, round "spike-thorn" thistles and
stunted shrubs, twisted by ceaseless winds
into strange and ghostly shapes One end
of it used to be frequently overfowed, until
deep drain was cut across, and now the
latter serves double purpose, being the
best kind of an irrigating ditch.
A horse or two for immediate use and
few COWS, sheep and pigs are kept on the
island, but the hocks and herds are rele-
gated to the mainland to deep ravine
called Ell Potrero, where coarse grass grows
in rank luxuriance. The deep sea ford fur
nishes q moat to this estate which
baron of ye olden time would have
envied, and row boats, moored
on the island beach, answer we'll for
drawbridges, whenever q retainer must at
tend to affairs ashore. or an Indian wants to
come over and swap few furs or feathers
for tobacco ammunition, sugar, beads, Or
more ikely-rum.
The Southernmost Salt Beds.
Close by the Potrero is an extensive salt
lake, which, by the way, must have been
overlooked by the Beagle expedition, for
Mr.. Darwin fixes the southernmost limits
of s'salinas" at Port st. Julian, some 200
4har %ha,, lo1r IL
from the beach are apparently inexhausti-
BILE beds of excellent salt; but as yet they
have been worked only for use on the island
and in the nearby fisheries, except as now
and then the Falkland Islanders send over
for a ships load.
Almos+ within sight of the island is the
port of Santa Cruz. where a splendid bay is
formed by the confluence of that river with
its tributary, Of easy access to the ocean
and capable of afording shelter to any num-
Der of ships, there being 30 feet of water
over the bar at high tide. Here the Argen- !
tine Government maintains small garri- |
son-for the same reason probably that |
Uncle Samuel sends soldiers to divers un-
necessary places, merely to furnish the |
blue coats with some semblance of employ |
ment. There are also two or three sheep |
farms within a radius of so miles; but in I
reality thi s station of Pabon is the only one |
worth name IN all Central Patagonia, and |
this is maintained merely for Tehulche |
trading post.
Missionaries stand no chance in Pata-
gonia against the counter attraction of any |
rascally trader who has rum to sell.
Underground Drain for q Lake.
It was in 1884 that Admiral Fitzrov's |
famous expedition, composed of three light
boats manned by 18 sailors and having the |
Darwin, on board, went up this
Santa Cruz river, with the object of ascer-
tanning its source, and to observe the re-
markable formation which Darwin so ac-
curately describes in his work on the geol-
ogy of South America. Having ascended
the river some 250 miles by its course,
(though only about half that number of
miles from the sea), provisions gave out and
they were compelled to turn back. Find
ing no diminution in the water, Fitzroy in
ferred that the upper course Of the river
must be along the base of the Andes and
that Its source was therefore near that of
the Rio Negro. That he was mistaken in
both conjectures was proved q few years
later by DR.. +. Moreno, who found the
source of the river few miles from Lake
which body of water, how
ever, it has no visible communication. The
lake measures 30 miles from east to west,
aud ten miles across at the widest point,
and is so deep that Dr. Moreno could find
no bottom, even a short distance from shore,
with line 12O feet long. Near Lake
Viedma is volcano-the Chalten-that
throws out smoke and ashes.
1 have been talking with q New Eng
lander, (Mr. Clarke, from Salem, Mass)
who lived at Pabon several years, as admin
strator for the owner of the island, carry
ng on trade with the Tehulches. He en-
;ertains high opinion of their intelligence