New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-17
A SOUTH SEA GIBRALTAR
AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF JUAN FERNAN
DEF ADVOCATED.
A NATURAL FORTRESs-ROMl HISTORY OF
THE lsLAND-ITs UTILITY TO COMMERCE,
TO SOUTHERN EXPLORATION AND
TO THE NAVAL SERVICE OF

To SOUTHERN EXPLORATION AND
TO THE NAVAL SERVICE OF
GREAT POWER.
To the music Of rushing foam and q rafting
breeze gazed. soon after daybreak morning. in
the south seas, upon a lovely spectacle.
III was from the deck of u stout Ship She was
tearing along with free wind carrying besides all
plain canvas fore-topmasi suddng- sail Straight
ahead was the sight I'm question, and a dozen OF us
were devou'ing it through glasses. We land
the first distant bits of the menacing Terra del
Fuego-tlat we had seen for more than a hundre,,
days. There Is no land hunger like that which such
an abstinence entails. But what viewed some
ti'ne more than land II was an object at once 50
picturesque and 80 mysterious that !. for one. had
never seen the Ike before and never shall forget IT,
There was low, hazy supersructurs that looked
almost part OF the surrounding waters. Above was
What seemed a frOwning battery Most OF ls were
sure II could be nothing else. There were the blark
embrasures. In even rows and with arched tops. Of
uhmstRabe Significance. The mind settled this point
uirccuy, ana the eve then ranged above. Here It
met clouds, white and feecy, tossed like a
adys uppet about the promontories they con
cealed still above scared mountain tops which. In
the gold Hight OF morning and the abundant moisture
Of the atmosphere. glttered like a fairy scene
IL was not a battery-ilthough the aim OF this
paper Is In part to show that dt Ought to be: but
OF mat more anon Let us first at once what the
land really was IL was OF the most romantic
spots OF the earth-most romantic. not only In itself
but because Of It's immortal associations. 1t was
Robinson Crusoe'S Island II was the sea grt prison
OF Alexander Seirk. 1t was the place Of all places
which. whether I'm the light OF Imaginative fiction or
OF pathetic history, stands in It's way alone. unique.
without parallel II was the Island OF Juan Fernan-
dez, Whose name has undying fascination for the
trooping generations Of children and scarcely less
charm for the venerable PROFESSIONS OF whereof
those children. In turn form part.
In few hours landed at Port Cumberland
named after the naughty leader who at Culoden.
Campbell tells Us, 'pranced' and lnsulted the slain
and were ranging about like schoolboys let loose
from school. The spot was not less lovely
ancar' than afar.' Full OF undulations Of
Nrfacc and richness Of colo" IT is perpetual feast 10
the and the cloud and mountain scenery preclude
all monoony. Their, are fruits III abundance and
of both the tropical and temperate sort. Our deck
was covered with peaches when we smiled away, Of IA
plain sort truly and not OF the largo and sumptnous
varieties OF Jersey but edible enough and delightfully."-
refreshing after long passage The fg and pom
egranate grow theie, aud therc is no lnck Of yams
Onions and potatoes. Wild oats. planted at first FOR
the horses. doubt literally cover the vaejs 4
the interior and. what with the flesh Of goats, pigs
and fowls. limitlcss quantities OF fish, shell and other
and stint Of wild fowl food Is good and plenty
Juan Fernandez. In brief, found an earthly para
disc: but. Hike other earthly paradiscs besides Mr.
MOrrs's. IT ha, proved capable Of being turned into
he'll and this Is shown by the story OF the pulling
cmbrasurcs which first thought "a battery. The
Gillian Government at time used tho island a
a penal settlements kind Of Botany Bay. The con
victs were set at work high up on the fnce OF the
Gift. digging out caves la the soft rock for their
abode. The "cmbrasuresT were the doors or gate
to these ab0dcs. one night the cOnvcts rose against
their Jnilcr,. feeble garrison. slaughtered them
and riot dn the little village below. They got
crazy with agiardenc. quauccd and fought. and
there was more murder. liut few were left when
0ne day Gillian man-of war dropped anchor In the
bay The end was at hand. The remaining fcons
were shot down right aud left, and apparently extcr
minated. The frigate left solitude, and we may
suppose called 81 peace.
After This however, tell the tale ne II told
Ia mc-thcrc was fresh net Of the drnma. An Amer
can whnlcr touched at Juan Fernandez for water.
The mate. who took the casks nshorc with the long
.ont could not be found subsequently by the
rev. lie had lost himself purposciy
IN a distant and concealed cave no had
ound fair scnors or s.norllas-or both
and quietly taken mp hi, abode with them such
we're the pei-on, the man. the women and n number
i children whom We found tho inhabitrnt. ~ |
Robinson Crsoe, Island when got there. and such
or auglt know. may b. there. tho survivor |
II them, SIN
The island in latitude - degrees y minutes south |
ongi,ude - dcercr, - mputc, west. Is some 400 |
niles west Of Valparaiso. and irciudes-thc |
authorities differ 70 It's dimensions and there |
ms never b"cn think. an authentic survey
bout eighty square miles. II Is probably vol |
auic, although this Is uncertain. The hlghe-'
mountain, FL Yunque." tho Anvil has an altitude
4 5000 feet A. it, summit l. what fngshmcn
ave called selhirk's Lookout whore he sat ami
IL of B.Yo
hc people Of II. ". :. Topaz placed tablet some
ears ngo rcclting the lonely Scotchnlan's history.
lie Juan Fernandez four years and four months.
eginnng In 1904 and neither he the American
nate wus the only who has voluntarily dweit
here. in solitude or otherwise which in It way Is
old testimony TO the Attractions Of the island.
But the adventures Of the supposlti'ious hero OF
)cfoe Of the real Scotch scam2n Alexander Sekirs
master Of the "Cnque Ports" his original, tie
lillian penal colony episode. 81 thr eccentric career
tie American mate not the sole cufons astoria
IONS that cluster about Juan Fernandez. The bold
uccuncer and the famous navigator have been there
cfore them. AnsoI ana Dampic:. aud probably e. pok
nd Drake. lad It, beauties ard cnoyc1 IT. rcst
older DAYS. And the wild horses. pigs and goats.
he fruit, and cereals that have served and RECALLED
hose vi came after owed their presence TO the prov
Ience Of those who were there before. There are
lnny caves about the Island has been implied. and
he outlaws retreat imagined by Byron found reality
cfore he sung IL TIL, fnr-oG refuge OF the pirates
ho roamed and pillnged TIE spanish Main.
NOW this famous golden Isle set In the silver sea
M be aud ought TO h. something more than rofage
n the awcss watering place for whal RS. No
art Of tic world certainly Part Of the high seas
more In need OF n rallyng Point NJ strength and civ
Hniion than the vnst space Of the Pacific where Juan
ernandcz IS the only lit Of habable land. y great
over with strong navy achieve this result. aud
Ne United states, for every cason should Ie that
over.
Apart from romance past history. my belief then
that Juan Fernandez Is destined 10 tako on prac-
cal and utilltarIan Importance In The future fairly
Dmmensurate with its poetic and Idyllic prominence
I the past. II stands alone in The waste Of winters
n the little Goat Island, It's tributary. or Mas sFuera,
few miles or are not worth counting II IS far