Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-03
ROUNDING TIE HORN.
Fannie +. Ward Sets Foot on the
S0utherRmost Point of Land.
IT SEEMED LIKE A NIGHTMARE.
sullen Walls Where the Storms Ragged and
Sea Birds Screeched.
TIE NATIVES OF THE ARCHIPELAGO
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE p1srArcH.1


choose this Iaraway Fire Land, be sure
TO time your arrival in April, May Or June,
the autumn months of this locality, which,
though cold as Greenlands icy mountains,
ere Infinitely preferable to the slightly
warmer but much wetter summer time. In
fact. there are few localities on the face of
the earth which have less of summer time
taan this. August and September are the
worst months of the year, sure to be at
tended by terrific gales and ceaseless storms
Of slesJ and snow
When Magellan and his pen sailed
through the Straits, some 70years ago, they
named the country on their left TERRA del
Euego-'Land OF Fire" on account of the
innumerable little fires that sprang up all
along the coast at nigbtfall-for the Indians
Of those days, as now, kept themselves from
freezing by budding over ignited brush
heaps. Had they called the country TERRA
del Agua-'Land of Water''-instead, the
ZANE would have been more appropriate,
foT while fires are maintained with difficulty,
water is the bane of the islands, falling
continually in rain or snow. Even in mid
summer people have been lost in the snow
and frozen to death a few hundred feet
above the sea level
Divided Between Chile and Argentine.
Sailing down toward Cape Horn in q
southwesterly course it is difficult to be-
LeTe that the nigh. rugged, wintry coast is
rot an unbroken continent, instead of vast
chain of close-lying islands. The one large
island which the Spano-Portugese voyagers
dubbed Land of Fire, is now known as
King Charles South Land, or Eastern TERRA
del Fuego; and the boundary line between
Argentine possessions and those of the
Chilians runs straight down through the
middle thus dividing it halt and half be-
tween those rival powers. The mighty
AnLes-by far the longest chain of noun
talns on the giobe-really terminate at
sStaatel Landau island lying considerably
farther TO the southeast than even Cape
Horn.
By the wav, the celebrated Straits do not
rur, as most people suppose, in an almost
oi-cgt lire east and west between the two
oceans. Entering from the Atlantic ship
frsr runs more south than west, until about
half way through the channel when she
must head almost at a right angle TO her
former course-and keep that direction, due
northeast, until she emerges into the
Pacific Thus, as you see, the Strait forms
sr angle near the middle, Cape Froward
being the projecting point, the most south
No Snow Where Most Expected.
Most Of the islands rise straight up out of
the water, from 1,000 to 5000 feet toward
the lowering sky without any intervening
foothills. covered with eternal snow-tor in
this .ar southland as in countries at an
equal distance north of the equator, the
line Of perpetual winter begins not far
above the sea. II is hard to believe the
statements of travellers that beyond those
for5idding hills there are rich valleys and
grassy plains, lakes, rivers and beautiful
Bcenerv-ia short, that ''everv prospect
pl1ases and only man is vile in the interior
IF EiEC Charles domain" Strange to say,
the farther from the equator one voyages
down the western side of the archipelago
,hC less snow he sees; and finally, where
tie weather ought to be coldest it disap
pears altogether, giving place on the heights
fronting the ocean to sombre forests of ever
Creens-or rather ever-yellows, the livery
OF Antarctic beeches This lack of snow
where snow is most expected is due to the
prevailing western winds, which come laden
w..b moisture from over the limitless
Paeifc, melting The snow as it falls
The Land Nearest the South Pole.
Seen from distance there is nothing
evreeially striking about the island of Horn
OF Hoo~u, whose celebrated cape is nearest
vhe south pole of any discovered land as it
IS Tie st0rnliest and most dreaded bv mari
rsrs. Bur interest increases with the nearer
view CT the high, bleak cliffs that form the
southern promontory, which, towering to
height Of l.500 feet, can be distinguished
from the decks OF passing vessels so miles
sway. Close by is Z little group of islands, |
whose mountains rise in sharp peaks from |
-,lJO 10 5000 feet high, all composed of
rreea stone II which horneblende, felspar
aid iron are conspicuous. their lower de- |
a4E~ l. alD +1,,5,
The party which includes your cores
respondent passed q wretched night rolling |
81 anchor In a sheltered spot here. The |
notorious promo ntory still keeps up its |
ancient reputation, and made US pay the |
usual tribute to the resistless spirit of the |
place. When approached the weather. |
beaten cape hid her face like a modest |
virgin behind q veil of mist and spray,
while black clouds scudded across the |
heavens. and squalls of rain and hail ac-
c7rIDanied by & terrific wind, made it i'm |
possible TO stand upon the deck that was /
constantly washed by sheets OF spray.
The Elems nts in a Mighty Struggle.
Ice hung upon the rigging. and huge bill |
lows, ike moving Alps with deep valleys |
between, came laundering toward us in an /
unbroEen line; while screaming sea birds |
swept round and round in narrowing cir
c.-s, is those birds will when a severe
almost becalmed in the hollow of the seas;
tie next We were on their summit, caught
by unseen hands that seemed about to lift
tie Tiny ship in malicious sport and dash it
50 destruction. And SO, as discretion seemed
70 be by al odds the better part of valor,
VIC rgrugt our backs on the capricious cape
and sought shelter of Christmas Sound till |
calmar weather
Nobody thought Of retiring on that ter
Tinie night, though probably it was no
worse than hundreds upon hundreds of
other Yoy2cers have experienced in these
waters; ana when the mysterious sea- with
its dark masses and snowy crests, Yields up
Us dead, a greater company Will arise from
this locality than from any other on the
face OF tn earth Daylight found us in
Eyrie Sound, with iceburgs jostling one
another on either hand, all floating outward
toward the sea Some days afterward we
actually did reach Hoorn Island and went
ashore, though only for I moment, Drawing
8 drenching IN the raging surf for the salts
faction Of having it to saw that our feet had
touched the southernmost lands end-the
very jumpiDg-of place of all creation.
1t VI as Like a Nightmare.
am yet too much oppressed by the hor-
Tor Of it-by feeling akin to that one ex-
periences after the nightmare-to give YOU
lucid description OF the scene. NV mind
retains only a confused impression of bare
lz1,n-s deSolate hevond Tho ro,,-o~ =. & ;,,...~ |