Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-07-07
TIE ENDS OF CREATION.
Two Towns Which Mark the Extreme
North and South.

Two Towns Which Mark the Extreme
North and South.
Do you know the names of the two
towns that respectively are the north
ernmost and most southerly in the
world? They are Hammerfest. Norway.
and Punta Arenas. Chilli. The former
is the capital of Finmark, the extensive
province or annex of Norway, which
forms the extreme northern portion of
continental Europe. and is situated be-
tween the Arctic sea and Russian Lap
land. Finmark has an area of $500
square miles. includes Norwegian Lap
land and comprises numerous islands.
On the northernmost of which is North
care. 1t has important fisheries. which
give employment to the greater part of
a population of nearly $4,000
Hamrerfest is the Qual-oe whale
island). OF which it is the chief port.
and is sixty miles southwest of North
cape Its houses are of wood. and
are painted on the outside. Communi-
cation between it's quarters is kept up
by boats. Its harbor is defended by d
fort.
Although situated in latitude 20 deg
40 min. see. north, the summer heat
ut times is oppressive, and even
throughout the winter the tempera
ture is mild enough for fishing to be
carried on. The sun stays two months
above its horizon. The town exports
stockfish, whale. seal and fishoil, skins.
walrus hides, teeth, copper, and feath-
crS.
Its population is about .. 100. In it's
trade Norwegian. English. German and
Russian vessels are engaged. Thirty
small vessels are sent out early in the
spring to Spitzbergen to take part in
the fisheries and walrus hunting. Train
and codliver oil are manufactured in
Hanmerfest Sailed fish is the princi-
pal export
On Funginass, or Birds cape, which
protects the harbor on the north.
stands a column. with an inscription
in Morse and Latin, stating that the
town was the destination of the ex-
pedition for the measurement of the
arc OF meridian. 1t was also the place
chosen by Capt Sabine for the scene of
his pendulum experiments
Punta Arenas is Spanish for Sa ndy
Point. 1t is situated upon a level plain
in the Gillian colony of Magellanes.
and on the east coast of the Brunswick
peninsula. Back of the town snow
capped mountains rise to the height of
one thousand feet
Its houses are almost all one story,
and built irregularly. Just outside the
settlement are fields of moss and low
hills whose timber has been burned
Opposite the point, on the other side of
the straits of Magellan, is the island of
Terra del Fuego. the Land of Fire. SO
STYLED by Magalnaens, its Portuguese
discoverer. because OF the great number
of fires which he noticed upon it the
first night he approached it's shores
Punta Arenas was founded in 1S4S as
a penal settlement, and has ever since
been known as such to those who have
read or heard of it Its unenviable
reputation led to its decline in popula-
ton until the European steamship lines
adopted the route through the straits
10 the west coast of South America
Then the town was used as a station
of call and supply, and in 1858 Chill
sent out 500 immigrants, with gov
ernor. to take possession of it. The
Immigrants brought along with them