The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-13
1t VIII he Located at Port Stanley,
Falkland Islands, and the Surveys
Have Already Been Made.
CONTROL OF A TRADE ROUTE
HOW SOME OF THE EARTHs LARG-
EST SHEEP FARMS ARE MANAGED.
Postal Savings Bank and other Feat
ures of the Thriftiest Little Conn
munity Of the World.
Copyright 1898. by Frank G. carpenter.)

Copyright, 1898. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
PORT STANLEY, Falkland Islands Oct.
IL have come to the Falkland islands be-
cause they premise to be one of the news
centers of the world in the near future.
Their Governor tells me that It is true that
Great Britain will probably establish
naval and coaling station at Port Stanley.
The necessary surveys have been made and
within a few years at the farthest John
Bulls gunboats will command the passage
around Cape Horn and the entrance to the
Straits Of Magellan. The distance between
Cape Virgins, the last point we saw Of the
South American continent, and the Falk-
lands is three hundred miles, or less than
a days steam for one of England's fast
war vessels The Fa1klands lie even nearer
the track Of the sailing ships about Cape
Horn, so that these great trade routes, over
which hundreds Of millions Of dollars worth
Of freight goes every year, will practically
be at the mercy Of England. Outside Punta
Arenas, which is midway through the
Magelans, there is no chance for coaling
stations within a thousand miles of Port
Stanley. Montevideo is a thousand miles
north, and the Cape of Good Hope 1850
miles away to the northeast. Punta Arenas
belongs to Chile, and by the neutrality laws
it could not furnish coal except in peace
and even then it will charge exorbitant
prices, as it did in the case Of the Oregon.
The establishment of a naval station here
will bring protest from the Argentine Re-
public. 1t has for years claimed the Falk-
lands as part of its territory so that al
together the prospect for trouble, diplomatic
and otherwise. is refreshing.
THE FALKLANDS.
find the Falklands interesting They are
among the little-known islands of the At
lantic Travellers seldom visit them. Their
only connection with the outside world is by
a German steamship line, which is under
a subsidy from the English government to
call once every three weeks to carry the
mails. These ships come here on their way
to and from Hamburg and the west coast
of South America, that the Falklander
has a chance every six weeks to go to
Europe via Montevideo and on alternate
six weeks to the pfxa5ic via. the straits.
Now and then a whaler or seal hunter
comes to the islands, and occasionally of
late the English gunboats have been visit
ing them in the summer.
1t was in one of the Kosmos steamers
that I came from the Strait of Magellan to
Port Stanley. We sailed one whole night
along the north coast of the islands, for
they extend from east to west about two
hundred miles There are two hundred of
them, consisting of two large islands and
many so small that they do not even make
a dot on the map. Some of the smaller
islands are inhabited only by penguins,
there being so many of these curious birds
that the Governor Of the Falklands has
been called the king Of the penguins.
The islands altogether have about two
thirds as much land as the State of Massa-
chusetts, and East and West Falkland, the
two larger islands, are about five times as
big as Rhode Island. All of the larger
islands are covered with sheep farms of
such immense size that twenty-seven men,
it is said, own the whole country. The
total population is about 1000, and over 300
Of these work in one way or another for
these twenty-seven men, The inhabitants
are nearly all Scotchmen and the islands
are a little slice Of Scotland in the south
Atlantic
The pasturage of the islands comprises
2,225, 900 acres. Upon them more than three
quarters of a million Of the finest sheep of
the world are feeding, and from them half
million dollars worth of wool is exported
every year. One company alone has 10000
sheep and the man who owns less than 5000
sheep is considered a very small farmer in
deed.
Outside of sheep raising there are no other
industries. There are only fifty pigs in the
whole territory and although the grass is
good for cattle there are but few in the
Falklands. Not enough wheat is raised to
make Maryland biscuit, and the only sign
of agriculture is the little garden of cab
bages, potatoes and turnips which you see
back of each of the houses of the shepherds
on the moors at the capital, Port Stanley,
and at the other small settlements scat
tered here and there.
The Falklands are very cave of Aeolus.
The cold winds blow almost all day and
every day. They sometimes blow, it is said,
the vegetables out of the ground They blow
so hard that not a tree can live, and to-
day there are not enough bushes here to
furnish the switches for country school.
VEGETABLE COCKTAILS.
The pasture, however, grows luxuriantly
and the sheep keep fat if the land is not
overstocked. They breed so fast that tens
of thousands are killed and thrown into the
sea every year, their skins only being saved.
There is a curious grass here which acts as
tonic as well as food for the animals
eating it. 1t is to sheep and cattle a sort
of vegetable cocktail. IT is called tussock
grass 1t has a stalk from four to six feet
nigh. Inc plants SIOh III DUACHSS ClOS6 To-
gether, as many as $50 roots springing from
one plant. Animals eat the roots as well as
the leaves and feeding upon them speedily
become fat The roots are even eaten by
men, and it is said that two Americans once
lived for fourteen months upon them on
one Of the smaller islands The roots decay
in the old plants and raise the grass up
ward, so that it grows upon a cushion of
manure, as it were. Some of these cushions
are six feet high and five feet in diameter,
so that the grass springing from them
makes them look in the distance like
grove Of low palm trees. This tussock grass
grows along the coast even down to high
water mark. 1t is fast disappearing. how
ever, as the sheep are SO fond of it that they
eat it far down into the roots.
Another curious plant grows in the boys
This looks like stone. 1t forms in punches
as hard as a rock and from three to eight
feet tall. 1t is so hard that you cannot cut
it with a sharp knife On hot days pale
yellow gum comes out on its surface and a
rich aromatic odor nils the surrounding air.
1t is known here as the baIsam bog
It is always cloudy IN the FalkIands The