Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-02-25
COALING STATION AT EQUATOR.
The Project of Acquiring the Galapagos
Islands for the Use Of Our Navy.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2i.-The recent ap-
polntment by President Harrison of young
Mr. Mshany Of Buff iIo to be our diplomatic
represe native in Ecuador nos only iDdi-
Gates in general the existence Of smicsb!e
relations between that republic and OH
own, but may, perhaps, iesd to more
specific suggesuou.
OF the variou, lessons taught By the late
controversy with Chill not the least impor
ant was the necessity that our navy should
have coalny stations Of ifs own along the
grest stretch from Key West, around Cape
Horn or through Magellan Straits. ard
| thence northwsrd up to San Diego.
Cruiser No, l2 or No. l3 might make thai
run without refilling ber ounkers; but ar
ordinary vessel might have TO stop for thi.
| puypose several times.
Our vessels. in fact. that few weeks
sgo were moving into position for possible
| operations against Chili, had to b3 cosled
at St. LulI, or st. Thomas, at Bahia, al
Montevioea, at CaIlso, and so on. Al
Csilao supplies we're accumulated, and sew
ersl large colllers were on their way south
when Chili's apology checked the prepsrs-
tioDs.
| Blu, had war actually broken out, those
and ali other foreign ports would have beer
| closed, unless the nations to which they
belonged had chosen to side with US against
| Chill.
| Pending the Sc events news came from
| Quito or Gusyaquil that the press of Ecus.
dor Was opposing the sale Of the Gsispsgc,
/ Islands to the United States as coalins
station.
| Perhaps to many Of our countrymen this
or previous intimstion from the sams
quarter, may have furnished the frs
knowledge that such an acquisition Was Col
templsted.
And il may also have struck them a.
strange to choose for the lsborious process
Of cosling an archipelago which lies direct
| " under the equator. But 1t has long beer
known that the toJrid heat natural to thi'
| situation is tempered by current setting
| from the Antartic regions.
| Furthermore, slthough no port is to be
had in the Galapagos Islands comparable
to those vhich our stations at Psgo Page
| and Pearl river furnish, or those which
could be relied upon should We acquire S.-
mana bay, St. Thomas Mole, S.. Nicholas
| or Cbiriqui, yet the weather and sea 10 ths
re sicu are USUALLY favorable.
1he Galapagos I.isDds are 500 or 60(
miles res; Of Ecuador, lying on both side
| os the equator, There are four or Eve large
Islands, and, perhaps, twice as msny small
| er, the most extensive one having lengtt
| Of about seventy miles by 3 breadth of IF
teen, AID an elevation Of several Thousand
feet.
| As the Spanish name of the group indi
Gates, they we're famous for the enormou.
/ turtles found upon them, which vessels wen
4 in search Of
/ Animal snd vegetable life Of the sor
/ customary between the tropics is found .aut
the m ldern British naturaIi.ts have regard
ed tni. volcanic group a. particularly vaIu
/ able for study and have written much sbou
4 it.
! Ecuador formerly attached some value
| to these islands snd ussd them IS pena
| oolony for political offenders, but from ont
csuse or another the popel ,tion fell away
until there can row be few, if say, peyma
nent residents Of the group.
( II the press of E:usdor, therefore, il
very much concerned at the project Of ced
/ ing the Galapagos I.lsnds to our country
| it must apparently be oD the general grount
that no Eensdorisn territory however ust-
less, should b. gvea up.
| pf AihtS setHe6 OF LDsts
cles encountered in The successive attempit
to scqaire foreign coshog stations for cul
navy 10 the Caribbean sea, = rep ulss in tn.
Pacific YOU'D not be surprising. In tha
case We could console ourselves With ths
reflection that the loss would 90. be ire
| parable.
These islsncs would give US nothing o
consequence except posidon, and position
chiehs valuable in 3 cootinuous run from
San Francisco to the South American coast
| They he. in fact, very nearly in the dire C
ocean route between San Francisco aas
/ Iqsique.
SAL more suitable for general futur
uses would be . port on the Pacific side o
the isthmus, which would be equally avail
able for South Americs, and much more .,
| for the inter oceanic canal.
/ Iudesd. it is perhsps IN objection to th
Galapagos site ihss it 10 % far from td'
eoass, along which cruising il more com
monty done with visits from port to por,
No official statement has been msde. sppaf
emily, sbst there has been any specific prc
/ p3sai to SECURE these islands.