Daily camera., 1898-08-27
LADRONES CAPTURED
A Possession That May Come Along
with the Philippines.
Something About the Principal Mem.
bers Of the Group, Their Popaia-
ton and Pr0ducts-Evidencs
Of Former Civilization.

Inc statement that the cruiser Char
lesion stopped at the Ladrone or Ma
rianne islands on her way to the Philip
pines and took possession of them in
the name Ct the United States gov
ernment is not confirmed at Washing
ton, but as the group lies directly in
the way of our ship it is more than like
ly that the report is true.
The Ladrone group comprises about
20 islands, only five or six Of which
are inhabited, the rest being mere dots
on the ocean, the tips of volcanoes
which have sunk beneath the sea as
the crust of the earth at this point
subsided. The principal islands of the
group are Guahan, Rota, Aguijan, Say
pan and Tinian; but the largest, Qua
han, which has an area of only 200
square miles, forms nearly one-half
the land area of the entire group. Ly
ing as they do, almost directly under
the equator, they have every variety
of tropical product, and under proper
conditions their population might be-
come wealthy from agriculture alone,
for no finer cotton, coffee, sugar or
tobacco can be grown in the world
than are raised in the Ladrone islands,
but the curse of Spanish rule has
blighted every industry. The people
labor no more than they are obliged
10, and in the tropics no one is really
compelled to work, for an abundant
supply of food grows without cultiva-
ton, and clothing and shelter are al
most unnecessary.
The present islanders are mostly de-
scendants Of settlers from Mexico or
from the Philippine islands. The peo-
pie do not differ materially from the
natives of the Philippines, and al
though the islands have several good
harbors the Spaniards have done little
or nothing for their improvement. The
most considerable town on any of the
group is Saypan, on the island of the
same name, the houses of which, like
most of those in the South sea islands,
are elevated on piles from two to four
feet above the ground There are
few Spanish settlers on the islands,
and the hold of Spain upon the group
has been for the most part nominal.
1t is a singular fact, discovered by
Anson, that there are evidences on
several of the islands of a former civ
ilization. Cyclopean ruins exist, the
architecture and dimensions of the
stones closely resembling the great
ruins found in the islands of the Greek
archipelago. These lonely islands
must therefore at one time have been
a seat of civilization. Perhaps it was
before they became islands, for the
Ladrone islands are the remains of
mountain chain which traverses the
Pacific from north to south, having
branches to the east in other scattered
groups which here and there dot the
surface of the sea.
To the United States the value of the
islands is at present military, as fur
nishing harbors and coaling stations,
but under enlightened government
there seems to be no reason to doubt
that with proper cultivation the cot
ton of the islands would equal that
produced along thecoast of South Car
olina, the sugar would rival that of
Cuba and Puerto Rico.- and it is said
that the tobacco of the Ladrones has
flavor equal to that of Vuelto Abajo
valley. Any development within the
limits of climate and soil is possible
under civilized government, and the
Ladrones may have before them fu-
ture as great as that which lies before
Puerto Rico.-St. Louis Globe-De1no-
|crat.