Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-09-05
ISLAND OF THIEVES
HISTORY OF THE LADRONES AND
HOW THEY WE'RE NAMED.
AN EARLIER CIVILIZATION

AN EARLIER CIVILIZATION
Natives Robbed Magel an-Uncle
Sans Acquisition of Another
Archipelago Stepping
Stone to Philippines Group
a Third as Big as Rhode Island.
The comical capitu1ation of the
governor Of the Ladrone islands to
Captain Glass of the United States
cruiser Charleston on June Fl has
directed the American mind to a
heretofore almost unheard of archi-
pelago in the southern Pacific. AS
will be remembered, the Charleston
stopped on her way to Manila in the
harbor of San Luis d'Apra, and fired
a dozen blank shots at the dilapi-
dated old fort over which flew the
blood and gold flag of Spain. Gov
ernOr Marina mistoOk this threaten
ing fusillade for a friendly salutation,
and sent apologies for not respond
| ing in kind because of lack of powder.
In response to summons from Cap
tain Glass to come on board the
Charleston, the governor, who was
in entire ignorance of the state of
war between Spain and the United
States, courteously declined the Gin
vltatlon'' on the grounds that the
laws did not permit him to leave the
| islands. When finally the truth was
/ disclosed to him through peremp-
| tory command to surrender or suffer
| bombardment, he was probably the
most surprised Spaniard on earth,
and there are many of them. The
| governor and his command were
! taken prisoners to Manila, and the
United States flag now floats over the
Ladrone islands.
Since their seizure attention has
been called to the fact that they are
important stepping stones to Ameri-
| can progress across the Pacific
While little off the direct route
from San Francisco to Manila, San
Luis is the most convenient coal
| ing port after Honolulu, and with
our naval station at Samoa it com
pletes a chain of islands across the
Pacific. Furthermore, the Ladrones
command the trade routes from north
| China and Japan to Australia, and
are necessary to American sovereignty
over the Philippines. All these facts
have set many people to studying
up the location and history of the
LadrOnes.
Look on any ordinary map Of the
Pacific and you will see in the Pacific
ocean, some 1,75O miles due east OF
the city of Manila, group of little
dots labeled Marianne or Ladrone
islands (Spanish).
There are fifteen islands in the
Ladrone group. Altogether they
have an area of Ait square miles, or
about a third as much as the little
state of Rhode Island, which contains
1880 square miles, counting water
surface as we'll as land. The Dis
trict of Columbia has an area OF
seventy square miles, and Manhattan
island a little more than twenty
miles. The British island of Jamaica
in the West Indies, has an area OF
4,3OO square miles, or ten times as
much as all the Ladrones.
The Ladrones are scattered over
about nine degrees of latitude and
| three degrees Of longitude, or an area
about equal to that of the state
of Montana. Only four of the islands
are inhabited. Most of the others
are merely the tips of volcanoes
The total population was at last &C
counts 1912. The principal islands
of the group are Guam, Rota. Agul
| jan, Saypan and Tinian. The largest
Guam, forms nearly one-half of the
land area of the entire group. Lying
as the islands do close to the equa-
tor, they have every varietyof tropi-
cal product, and under proper condi-
lions their population might become
wealthy from agriculture alone, fol
no finer cotton, coffee, sugar or to-
baccO can be grown IN the world
than is raised in the Ladrone islands
| but the curse of Spanish rule has
| blighted every industry.
The story of the discovery of the
Ladrones is one of the romances Of
history. Ferdinand Magellan, a Por
| tuguese sailor, became convinced
soon after Columbus great feat, that
the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, could
be reached by sailing directly from
! Spain to the west. For a long time
| he could not secure hearing from
| anybody, but after years Of waiting
his enthusiasm made an impression,
and he finally secured an appoint
ment as admiral in the Spanish navy,
with fleet of five ships, the crews
numbering altogether 236 men, and
on Sept. 20, 1919, he set sail on his
voyage Of discovery. rhe starting
OF the fleet was great Gay in
Seville. A fete was held. high mass