Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-19
THE HOME OF CRUSOE.
Visit to the Island Where the An.
cient Mariner Lived So Long.
WHAT THE RECORDS SAY OF HIM.
Unlike Many Of Youths Heroes Robinson
Crusoe Really Existed.
FANNIE B. WARDS EXCURSION TRIP
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE p1sPArcH.]

| SANTIAGO DE CHILE, June 18.
Being on this western side of South
America, it is an easy matter to visit Juan
Fernandez-the island known to the world
as Robinson Crusoe's"-for it lies only
about 400 miles from Valparaiso, sailing
straight toward sun set. Or rather, it is
easy whenever somebody succeeds in drum
ming up an excursion party, large enough
to charter an especial steamer; otherwise
one might as well dream of going on foot
! into Polynesia, as there is no regular COM
| munlcation between the mainland and this
| isolated Chilean possession. There is pic
ME two or three times year to Fernandez
more for the purpose of shooting goats
and seal and fishing for cod and Holsters
than for visiting the haunts of the Ancient
Mariner, for the memory of that worthy is
not held in much veneration near to the
| scene of his adventures.
Since so many of the heroes of our earlier
days have lamentably turned out to be
| myths, since it has been proved that WILL
| lam Tell did not shoot an apple from his
sons head, nor Barbara Fritchie hirt flag
| in the face of Stonewall Jackson's men, and
| Shakespeare stands confessed in borrowed
| laurels, since in the broad light of nova
days even Santa Claus is doubted, and the
whale that swallowed Jonah, am delighted
to be able to declare that there really was a
Robinson Crusoe," (though, as everybody
knows, that was not his true name), and
that he lived on the island, almost exactly
as described in the story, just 1S2 years ago.
The Real Story of Crusoe.
But local traditions of the affair differ
greatly from the account with which we
| are familiar. 1t seems that in the year
| 1909, Scotchman named Alexander Sell
| mutinied on board the Spanish baraue
| Cinque Ports, and was given the choice of
being hanged at the yard-arm, or put ashore
| alone at Juan Fernandez. He chose the
| latter alternative, because it offered some
| hope of life, but when landed on the mossy
rocks of the uninhabited land, with his
sailors kit and small supply of provisions,
| the desolation of the place SO weighed upon
him, that he begged with tears to be taken
back and hanged, rather than remain-a
| solitary human speck surrounded by wild
waste of waters.
A few days afterwards he discovered an
Indian on the island, who had come down
some years before from the Mosquito Coast
| phier; and who, having gone ashore to hunt,
got lost and was abandoned by his compan-
ions This was the man "Friday," whom
Lydia Thompson's blonds have immortal
lied, as well as Daniel DeFoe. After Sell
kirk had lived on Fernandez four years and
four months, he was rescued by an English
| merchant ship and taken to Southamp pton,
where he told his story-with some judi
cious omissions and exaggerations; and so it
came to DeFoe's ears, and finally into print
The Author Never Saw His Hero.
The book was not published until more
than ten years after Selkirk's return to
England, and it is asserted that the author
of Robinson Crusoe" never saw his hero,
or held any communication with him, but
that he picked up the narrative by bits
here and there, mainly from newspaper
items, which undoubtedly originated in the
sailors own account of himself. At any
rate, it is surprising how correctly the
scenery of Juan Fernandez is portrayed in
the well-known story, so that to this day it
serves well for a guide book, and by it one
may readily find the lookout" the leave, 4"
and what remains of Cruso's ''cave" and
other haunts. But Mr.. DeFoe does not ap-
pear to have been very well posted on the
geography of this part of the world, for he
has located his island on the wrong side of
the continent, and mixed up Valparaiso on
the western coast with Montevideo on the
eastern.
There is considerable literature bearing
on this subject, most of it as old and quaint
as Crusoe himself Probably the most
authentic account of Selkirk's adventures is
contained in very curious little book,
written by the man who rescued him, Cap
tain Woodes Rogers himself, commander of
two Bristol privateers, the Duke and
Duchess. He says that when his ship ap-
preached Juan Fernandez Gin February,
1909, light was discovered, which they
at first thought to be on board ship at
anchor.
Close Call for the Exile.
Two French pirates had been cruising in
search of Captain Rogers, and it was sup
posed that these were lying in wait, close to
the shore. The boats, which had started
lsndward, hastily returned to the ship; and
the wonder is that they did not sail away,
leaving poor Robinson to his solitude. But
Captain Rogers was brave man, and in
stead of flight he prepared for battle. Next
day, seeing no vessel there, they went on
shore, where they found man-so says the
narrative, "clad in goatskins and looking
wilder than the first owners of them" 1t
was Selkirk, who-almost crazed with ex-
citement at sight Of q longed-for sail which
might deliver him-had built the fire that
attracted their attention. The priyateers
took him on board, and finding that be had
been ships officer, appointed him mate of
one of Rogers vessels and took him to
England
The queerest of all the books Is a little
quarto volume of only IL pages. published
in 1710, and profusely garnished with cap
ital letters after the fashion of the time,
entitled providence Displayed, or Very
Surprising Narrative of One Alexander
Selkirk, Master of Merchant Man, ETC.
Written by His Own Hand and
Attested by Most of the Eminent Merchants
Upon the Royal Exchange"
Possibly it was this same little book that
furnished De Foe with a text for the story
which has delighted generations of young
people in all parts of the world, and filled
them with vague longings for sea life, ship
wreck and solitude. At any rate, "Robin-
son Crusoe" had phenomenal success, ac-
corded to few works since Job wished that
his enemy "would make book, !" and has
by no means lost prestige after more than a
century and three-quarters.
The Excursion to Juan Fernandez.
When an excursion to Juan Fernandez is
on the tapis, the newspapers OF Santiago
and Valparaiso advertise 1t III glowing
terms for days beforehand, and-as amuse-
ments of the sort are rare in Chile-the
little coaster that makes the trip is gener-
ally crowded to its utmost capacity, though
the fare is as high as accommodations are
poor. The party we ,joined-composedl