The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-12

the three Triangle Keys. Nearly all
of them are small, and the guano is
of second-rate quality because there is
too much rainfall. However, most of
the valuable guano was long ago re-
moved from nearly all of the islands
described, and Uncle Sam has no very
important use at present for those
pieces of water-bound real estate.
Nearly all of them are uninhabited,
though few primitive Polynesians get
scanty living on some Of our an
nexed ocean property in the Pacific,
cocoanut trees and screw pines yield
ing the most important part of the food
supply. The natives adopt a very in
teresting expedient for the purpose Of
making an artificial. soil. They dig
down to the coral bedrock, and into
the hole they throw all sorts of refuse,
such as dead fish, garbage and leaves,
with occasionally little sand. In the
soil thus formed they plant taro.
ATOLLs.
Not few of the Pacific islands be-
longing to the United States are atolls,
like Christmas Island, already spoken
of. An atoll is supposed by some au-
thorities to be the result of volcanic
action, a mountain being uplifted from
the bottom of the sea and sinking later
on, so as to leave behind 1t the rim of
| coral reefs by which it is surrounded.
A typical guano isle is Malpelo, which
is an isolated rock about a mile long
| and half q mile wide. 1t is covered
with the excrement of sea birds, which
occupy it in vast numbers. There is
no vegetation on it save few low and
- II.
which would otherwise grow there are
killed by the droppings of the birds.
The most remarkable feature of NAL
pelo, however is cave on the north
| west side, which has never been ex-
plored. On one occasion q boat from
the United States Fish commission
steamer Albatross entered it for dis
tance of 200 yards. The entrance is an
arch Is feet high, and the cavern with
| in expands into a symmetrical dome.
But Uncle Sans ocean empire in
| cludes a great many islands of far
| greater importance than the guano
| isles referred to. In Behring Sea there
are several very large islands, besides
| the little Pribyloff group, to which. the
| fur seals resort. On one of these
islands catastrophe occurred few
| years ago. Traders furnished the ma
| tives with a barrel of rum, and, in
stead of devoting their attention to
the procurement and storing of food
during the hunting and fishing season.
the wretched people became drunk and
stayed so. Next year white people
came and found not soul alive; all
had starved to death during the win
ter This country owns the entire
chain of Aleutian islands, which sep
arates Behring Sea from the North
| Pacific. The inhabitants of these is
lands, called Aleuts, are particularly
| intelligent, much more civilized than
| the Esquimaux, and bear a close re-
| semblance physically to the Japanese.
ALASKAN ISLES.
| Off the coast of Southern Alaska is
a group of islands of great size, on
| some of which live the Thlinket In
dians. These India IS are the most ar
tistic savages in the world, being very
skilful wood-carvers.
Off the coast of Southern California
is the Santa Barbara group, compris-
ing a number of large islands. For
| merly these were Inhabited by a large
| population, which was attracted by the
| many natural advantages possessed by
| them. There were quarries of sand
stone, from which suitable mortars for
| the grinding of corn We're obtained and
plenty of the finest soapstone in the
| world was at hand for the manufac-
ture of pots and other primitive uten-
! sils. There was plenty of food for
nothing, as one might say, the fishing
being excellent. The dead We're usual
| ly buried in graves marked with the
| jawbones of whales that had been
thrown up and stranded on the beach,
The people were happy and prosperous;
but the Jesuits came and ordered mat
ters differently, compelling the natives
TO move over to the mainland opposite,
where they now reside. At present the
islands are used for raising sheep.
Thus it will be seen that this nation
when 1T has annexed Hawaii will pos
sess quite an extensive and widely
distributed oceanic realm, inhabited by
several queer KINDS of people. There
IS good reason for believing that the
Aleuts are descended from the same
stock as the japanese. Nobody knows
anything about the origin of the Es-
quimauX.